5 Important Precautions for Safari Game Drives That You Cannot Ignore
Game drives are generally safe, especially when taking a game drive in a specially designed vehicle with trained guides and drivers. Every now and then, a story surfaces of someone who was attacked or something that went terribly wrong on a game drive, but some of these events could be avoided if people stuck to the rules and took the necessary precautions on game drives. Here are some of the rules to follow if you want to enjoy a safe and pleasant game drive experience:
- Rule no. 1: This is probably the most important rule. If you are going on a guided game drive, listen to the instruction briefing by your guide and driver. They will explain a list of rules to abide by before you embark on the game drive. It is very important that you respect these rules. Disobeying these precautions for safari game drives could be disastrous for everybody involved – often also for the animals.
- Rule no. 2: If you are using a game drive vehicle with high visibility, do not wear any neon or bright colours. This will scare the animals away and you might end up seeing nothing. It could also signal danger to certain animals, so you might be charged at.
- Rule no. 3: Keep it quiet. Nothing scares off animals like human voices. Animals do tend to get quite used to the sound of engines because they so frequently hear them (especially in game reserves), but they might be frightened by human sounds. While it could be hard to keep your voice in check instead of shrieking with delight when you encounter your first elephant, you should keep it down. This will give everyone an opportunity to view the animals in silence, and also for the guide to read the behaviour of the animal a lot better.
- Rule no. 4: Cellphones on silent. Ideally, you should not even take a cellphone on a game drive, but because so many people use them to take pictures nowadays, they are allowed, but have to be put on silent. Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES should you take a call during a game drive, as it may drive animals away and annoy the rest of the guests on your game drive.
- Rule no. 5: Remain in the vehicle at all times. Under no circumstances should you ever leave the vehicle, unless instructed to do so by your guide. Even animals that seem harmless can cause injury, and if the vehicle needs to drive away quickly to avoid a confrontation, you may get left behind or put everyone else in danger.
There are other precautions for safari game drives that focus more on the self-drive option, and it is worthwhile to investigate these for your own safety if you are planning to drive yourself. Be safe out there and enjoy the show!