Wearing Bright Colors: Avoid bright colours like red and pink. Khaki colored clothing or neutral tones of dark green, brown and beige work best. White stands out more than any other color in the bush, so isn’t suitable for safari activities, and remember blue and black are also best avoided in areas where tetze (biting) flies are common, as they are attracted to those colours.

Skipping the Guide’s Advice: One of the most important rules on safari is to listen to your guide. They are professionals who’ve not only worked with many tourists but also understand animal behaviour – their expertise and knowledge make a critical difference to both your safari experience and your safety. Also, listen to your guide when observing the animals, otherwise you’ll miss out on the interesting info and fun facts!

Not Bringing Binoculars: They make a massive difference, especially for birdwatching or spotting distant wildlife.

Fussing With Your Camera: One of the biggest mistakes on safari is staying behind the camera. While it’s thrilling to snap photos of incredible wildlife, it’s equally important to experience the trip in real time. Sometimes it’s better to watch and experience the moment rather than constantly trying to capture that ‘ultimate’ safari shot. Don’t see your trip only through the camera’s viewfinder or your phone’s screen. Look up and enjoy!

Missing out on Activities: Most of your game drives will take place in the (very) early morning and late afternoons, to catch the animals when they are at their most active. If you want to make the most of your game viewing you need to participate – that will mean waking up at, or even before, sunrise. If you don’t make the effort to get up and join with scheduled activities, you’ll miss out. (You’ll get time to take a siesta after lunch, during the heat of the day, to make up for your early start).

Expecting the Comforts of Home: Safari lodges and camps can be luxurious and stunning in terms of design and quality, but it’s important to remember that you’re likely in a remote area, without the best infrastructure. Be open to the unique charms of the lodge, but remember you may need to wait for solar power to heat the water for your shower, and you may need to leave some of your normal ‘essentials’, like a hair dryer, at home, as lodges often run entirely on solar power. Also bear in mind Wi-Fi and connectivity can often be patchy, limited or even non-existent – so use this as an opportunity to really disconnect.

Not Choosing a Realistic Itinerary: I know you want to explore as many destinations as possible, but would you rather spend your precious time on the road travelling from park to park, or using that time to watch wildlife? Trying to fit in too much is a common mistake. Avoid trying to see it all in a week, you’ll exhaust yourself, and end up feeling rushed rather than relaxed. You can’t see all of Africa, or even all of one country, in one visit. Speak to an expert to get the best advice on what works and what doesn’t.

Expecting to See Animals at Every Turn: Contrary to popular belief, animals are not everywhere on safari. Keep in mind this is the animal’s home turf and not a zoo – in fact, you’ll probably only see animals roughly a third of the time. That being said, don’t let that deter you, because the other two-thirds of the time will be filled with beautiful landscapes and opportunities to learn more about the wildlife from your guide.

Being Impatient: Safari is about the quiet wait, surprise sightings, and letting nature set the pace.

Ignoring Game Drive Etiquette: This point is an important one. It just takes one ‘fool’ in a game drive vehicle to spoil the experience for everyone else. Here are a couple of do’s and don’ts that you should adhere to…

• Keep quiet. A game drive is not the time for conversations.
• Don’t wear perfume and don’t smoke (including electronic cigarettes). Strong and unusual smells can make animals nervous, reducing your chances of spotting them.
• Don’t bring any food and don’t feed the animals. Eating in the car is another big no-no. To avoid having animals associate visitors and vehicles with food and to stop wildlife from associating you and the car with an easy meal, don’t feed the animals!
• Don’t call the animals, observe wildlife quietly, never call them to get their attention, never scream, don’t stand up and don’t make fast movements.
• Don’t touch the animals. No matter how close an animal is, never, ever, stretch your hand out and touch them.
• Don’t leave the vehicle. Leading on from the point above, no matter what happens, never, ever leave the car without your guide telling you to do so.