Do you know how to be safe on a safari trip?
Are you planning on taking a trip down to a nature reserve or game lodge this holiday? Luckily, Arrive Alive has some tips for safe driving during safari trips.
If you are not on a guided tour with an experienced game driver, you might want to take these tips into account – it will keep you, other visitors and the animals out of trouble.
1. Only travel in a vehicle that is well serviced and roadworthy.
2. Avoid testing the capabilities of your vehicle and avoid driving where you cannot see the surface of the road.
3. Remain on the guided paths at all times.
4. Game reserves are one place you most certainly shouldn’t overtake.
5. Always be patient, as you are sharing the road with wildlife and other visitors.
6. Stay in your vehicle at all times – you will put yourself in danger if you get out of your car anywhere unless at a designated safe place.
7. Don’t agitate the animals. We know you are excited, but if you are close to an animal and observing it, take note of its behaviour – if it looks agitated in any way, or makes mock runs at you, or stares and paces up and down, then move off slowly.
8. An animal that can really take you on in a vehicle is an elephant (like this incident). The way to deal with this is to stay put in your car with the engine of the vehicle turned off.
9. Do not rev the engine or hoot as this may disturb the animals, and you never know if a lion might be in a bad mood!
10. Under no circumstance should you be smoking in the vehicle (or outside of it) in the veld. This harms the animals and a flash fire can start and spread very easily, killing many animals.
If you follow these steps, you should be safe within your vehicle as vehicle/animal incidents are very rare.