Here are a few suggestions to make your safari a pleasurable experience for you, your travel companions, and the staff.
Be on time. Please don't make others wait for you. There always seems to be that one person who never shows up on time. Don't be that person. This is especially important for morning and afternoon game drives. We can start dinner without you but we won't leave for game drives until everyone is there. We don't want to miss a great sighting because someone was late.
Be respectful of the camp staff. The people who work at the camps have left their families to work jobs serving you. Some live close enough to go home one day a week and others don't go home for many weeks. They appreciate your tips but mostly they want to know you appreciate their hard work. "Please" and "thank you" go a long way. Being respectful of the staff also means going to bed at a reasonable time. The same people who wait on you for dinner also wait on you when you wake up in the morning. If you want to stay up late drinking at camp, they have to stay up late waiting on you. Lights out or quiet time after 10 pm is a good rule.
Be Curious. Ask staff and guides about their culture and their families. Ask about the flora and fauna we see. The guides are extremely knowledgeable and want to share that knowledge with you.
Talk softly and limit movement when we are at a game sighting. The wildlife will act more naturally and approach more closely if we are still and quiet in the vehicle.
Take your shoes off before standing on the seats of the vehicles to look out of the roof. Never sit on the roof of the vehicle.
Don't always jump in the front row of the vehicle. The back row is bumpier on game drives so take turns sitting in the back row. This is unless you have a back issue or are prone to motion sickness and need to be in the front.
Don't talk politics or religion. A good way to ruin the vibe at camp is to bring up politics. Let's leave politics at home and enjoy each other's company without caring who they are voting for in the next election.
If you have an issue with another guest, talk privately to your safari leader. Let him or her help you navigate the situation.
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