| Safaris Wildlife | ||
| Health Safety Precautions | ||
| General Safety Tips | ||
| If you're on a guided tour, your chances of encountering problems are minimal - tour operators know the areas they travel to so you are never at any undue risk. If you're travelling alone, get a local perspective - ask someone where you're staying to give you a run-down on any unsafe areas, and codes of dress and behaviour. As with anywhere in the world, don't openly carry valuables. If you must carry your passport and money, keep them in a buttoned-down pocket or well-concealed on your person. When driving in rural areas, you will find roads can be poorly maintained and it's not unusual to come across large domestic animals such as sheep and cattle. Stay alert, use your seatbelts and avoid travelling at night. Avoid deserted areas at night. Always keep your car locked - even when you're in it; and don't leave valuables where they can be seen. | ||
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| Safety on Safari | ||
| All reserves have a set of rules that you need to follow to ensure your safety. Many of the animals you'll come across, particularly lion, hippo, elephant and buffalo, are dangerous. Stay in your car and keep a reasonable distance - especially with elephant - in case you need to beat a hasty retreat! Africa has its fair share of poisonous snakes - though they are rarely encountered and, when they are, will more often than not try to get away as quickly as possible. However, if you plan on doing any walking, take along boots, socks and long trousers as a precautionary measure (which also helps with ticks) - and always look where you're going. Avoid swimming in rivers that have hippos and crocodiles. | ||
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| Malaria | ||
| If you´re travelling to a malaria area, you´ll need to take precautions: Apply insect repellent to exposed skin, wear long-sleeved clothing and long pants if you're outdoors at night, use a mosquito net if your tent or room isn't screened or air-conditioned; and spray insecticide or burn a mosquito coil before going to bed and take the malaria tablets recommended for the region you're travelling to, and keep taking them until the course is complete. If you come down with flu-like symptoms either during, or within four to six weeks after, your visit to a malaria area, seek a doctor's advice immediately. | ||
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| Other Health Precautions | ||
| Besides malaria, there are other insect-borne diseases such as dengue and sleeping sickness. However, these are less common and using the same precautions as you would against mosquito bites, namely long-sleeved clothes and trousers, repellents and mosquito nets, will help prevent them. Use your common sense when it comes to food and beverages. In remote and poor areas, stick to bottled or boiled water and avoid tap water, water and ice cubes and take along over-the-counter anti-diarrhoea medicine. The South African sun can be harsh any time of the year, so make sure you take along sunblock crème, sunglasses and a hat. AIDS is rife throughout Africa, so if you're planning to have intimate contact with the locals always use condoms to reduce the risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. Avoid petting strange animals, especially monkeys, dogs and cats and also avoid swimming in stagnant water. | ||
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| Vaccinations | ||
| Consult your doctor or pharmacy at least 4-6 weeks before your trip and depending on the areas and countries you intend to travel, get professional advice on which vaccinations are compulsory or advisory. A yellow fever vaccination certificate may be required for entry into certain African countries, particularly if you are coming from a country in tropical South America or elsewhere in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, there is no risk for of yellow fever in Southern Africa, but there is the risk of Hepatitis A or Hepatitis B, if you might be exposed to blood (for example, health-care workers), have sexual contact with the local population, stay longer than 6 months, or be exposed through medical treatment. Other vaccinations could include rabies, if you expect to come into direct contact with wild or domestic animals, typhoid, particularly if you are visiting developing countries or booster doses for tetanus-diphtheria, measles and a one-time dose of polio vaccine for adults, as needed. |
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