Travel Tips When Going on an African Safari
Travel Tips When Going on an African Safari : Travel tips for an African safari are the essential guidelines that helps the adventurers to prepare and move in the thrilling safari experience of exploring the continent’s vast wilderness and then witnessing its incredible wildlife. These tips cover a range of the practical advice form packing the right gear and clothing to staying safe in the presence of the wild animals, as well as insights into local cultures and customs helping the travelers to make the most of their Kenya safari experience and create unforgettable safari memories.
Travel Insurance.
Get travel insurance as soon as you have confirmed your itinerary. Choose an insurance that includes coverage for emergency evacuation, medical illness, cancellation, and related hospital treatments. Make sure you have your policy number and details with you, as well as your emergency phone numbers for travel insurance.
Personal Safety.
Common sense plays a major role in your personal safety and security. Therefore, exercise the same prudence whilst on safari in Africa as you would in any large metropolis back home:
Avoid carrying significant amounts of cash (for additional information on ATMs, credit cards, and cash, see below).
Keep your cash in a money pouch tucked under your shirt, together with your passport and other travel documents. Store it in your knapsack or camera bag, which should always be visible, or keep it out of sight.
When you are walking in crowded places (such as airports, marketplaces, restaurants, and the street), pay special attention to your personal belongings.
Never go out on your own at night.
When leaving, keep your cash, plane tickets, and passport in a secure location, such as the hotel or lodge safe.
Keep things that could be tempted out of sight, such as phones, cameras, wallet pouches, and handbags. Either turn them in to management or lock them in the room safe.
Leave your jewelry at home if you can.
Cash, Credit Cards & ATM’s.
Keep at least one credit card with you along with cash, preferably US dollars for most countries and Rand for South Africa. Traveler’s checks are no longer often recognized in Tanzania and other African nations. The most extensively used currency is still the US dollar, which is followed by the euro and sterling.
One of the most crucial travel tips has to do with money. Each participant should bring at least $150 to $250 in cash from home each week. Visas obtained upon arrival require precise cash payment. Because they may be counterfeit, certain nations do not accept US dollars issued prior to 2000.
Watch out for money changers on the street! Before transferring any of your personal funds, make careful to count each note individually to ensure that the entire amount is present. Make sure you keep an eye on the pile once it has been counted. Switching bundles and then realizing that the new bundle is primarily newspaper is an old ploy. They won’t take offence if the money merchants are honest.
It is against the law to enter or exit most African nations with anything other than small quantities of local cash due to their strict exchange control laws. Don’t convert too much cash into local currency at once to prevent issues. The amount of foreign cash that can be imported is often unrestricted.
Credit & Debit Cards
International credit cards are accepted at the majority of establishments. When you can, use them as a form of payment. It pays sense to have multiple credit card brands on hand because not all establishments or lodging facilities accept all of them. The drawback is that credit card issuers frequently impose a foreign transaction fee as a precaution and do not provide the best exchange rates available.
In Africa, credit cards come with a fee, often as high as 5% and sometimes much higher! Before you give your credit card, make sure to enquire about any surcharges.
Travel Tip: The majority of credit card companies and banks recommend that you notify them before to your international trip. This is to prevent your card from being suspended by their credit card monitoring systems in the event that they find any odd purchases. Your card will be suspended for such purchases, and you will face humiliating repercussions.
Additionally, when travelling, exercise caution when disclosing your credit card information. Additionally, when paying your bill, keep your card in plain sight.
Only local money is available at ATMs in Africa, and you might require an international PIN code. Make sure to enquire about how this should operate with your own bank or credit card facility. Not every kind of credit card can be used at every ATM in Africa. In Africa, VISA offers the best coverage. Use an ATM at a bank so you may go in and retrieve your card if it is held for any reason. When on safari, avoid using ATMs as your primary source of money.
Electric Current.
Like most of Europe, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, as well as almost all Asian nations and India, electricity in Africa is 220-240V/50Hz AC. Those of you from North America need to bring a converter and an adaptor for the correct plug configuration.
Mobile (Cell) Phone & Internet Access.
Mobile (cell) phone service (and even Wi-Fi) is definitely more common throughout Africa, but not in some of the more distant safari areas (thankfully). In general, communications in Africa are not what you are used to at home.
Travel Tip: Make sure your phone is compatible with African networks and that it is registered for international roaming by contacting your service provider. The majority run on 900 MHz GSM digital networks (and few 3G networks as well). It will function perfectly if your phone is a dual or tri-band GSM phone.
Wi-Fi is increasingly being provided at safari camps and lodges; some are connected by satellite, while others are an extension of the nation’s communications network. Before you depart, find out which camps or lodges provide WiFi by speaking with your Africa Travel Specialist. WiFi is preferable to a cell phone. Steer clear of outrageous international roaming fees.
The more isolated safari camps and mobile camps in particular do not have access to all of the standard forms of communication, including phone, fax, internet, and email. Sometimes the only way to communicate is through an HF radio.
Water.
Sip water from a bottle. The bottled water that is easily accessible at all the campgrounds and hotels is always safe to drink. Always have a bottle of water with you, even while moving between campgrounds. Ask the staff if you have any concerns about the water quality where you are staying. Additionally, do not use tap water to clean your teeth or add ice to your drinks if the water is not treated or bottled. In the event that you don’t think there will be bottled water accessible, take water purification tablets.
Try to cooperate with the safari sector, which is working hard to cut down on the usage of plastic water bottles.
At their camps and lodges, several safari operators are providing sterilized water bottles (usually made of stainless steel) for you to fill with filtered water. You should support this initiative wherever you can because it will significantly improve the environment. Eliminating factory-filled (sealed) plastic water bottles will not only save fuel when shipping thousands of these bottles to far-flung locations, but it will also address the massive pollution that these bottles cause on towns and roadsides.
