Your personal safety and security is mostly a matter of common sense. So take the same precautions while travelling in Africa on safari that you would in any major city at home:

• Do not carry large sums of cash (see below for more information on Cash, Credit Cards & ATM’s).
• Carry your  cash  (plus passport and other travel documents) in a money pouch hidden under your shirt.  Keep it out of sight or stowed in your camera bag or knapsack (which should remain in sight at all times).
• Keep a close watch on your personal bags when walking in crowded areas (airports, markets, restaurants and on the street).
• Do not walk alone at night.
• Leave your passport, airline tickets and cash in a safe place (the hotel/lodge safe) when venturing out.
• Keep tempting valuables (including phones, cameras, wallet pouches, handbags) out of sight. Lock them up in the room safe or hand them in to management.
• If possible, leave your jewelry at home.

Carry a combination of cash (preferably US$ for most countries…and Rand for South Africa) and at least one credit card.

Travelers cheques (checks) are not widely accepted in African countries (i.e. Tanzania ) anymore. The United States Dollar remains the most widely accepted, followed by the Euro and Sterling.

A very important Travel Tip relates to money.  Take at least US$150 to $250 per person/per week in cash from home. Visas secured on arrival must be paid in cash and in the exact amount.

Some countries do not accept US$ bills dated before the year 2000, due to suspicions of counterfeiting.

Be wary of streetside money-changers!  If you do use one, be sure to count each note separately to satisfy yourself that the whole amount is there before handing across any of your own cash. Once counted, be sure not to let the pile out of your sight. It is an old trick to switch bundles and for you to later discover that the new bundle is mostly newspaper. If the money traders are legitimate, they will not be offended!

Generally speaking, communications in Africa are not what you are accustomed to at home but mobile (cell) phone coverage (and even Wi-Fi) is certainly  more widespread throughout Africa – although not in some of the more remote safari destinations (thankfully).

A Travel Tip before you leave home: check with your service provider that your phone is registered for international roaming (and check that the phone you have is compatible with the networks in Africa. Most operate on GSM digital networks, running at a frequency of 900 MHz (and some 3G networks too). If your phone is a dual or tri-band GSM phone it will work just fine.

More and more we are seeing Wi-Fi being offered at safari camps/lodges – some as an extension of that countries communications grid, and some connected via satellite. Check with your Africa Travel Specialist before you leave home about which camps/lodges have WiFi. Better to use WiFi than your mobile phone. Avoid exorbitant international roaming charges!

Please note: Not all conventional communication options (phone, fax, internet and email) are available at the more remote safari camps (and mobile camps particularly). Communications are sometimes only available via HF radio.

Drink bottled water. You are always safe drinking the bottled water that is readily available at all the camps and lodges. Carry a bottle of water with you at all times – including on transfers between camps. If you are at all apprehensive about the quality of water where you are staying, check with the staff. And if the water is not treated or bottled, then avoid ice in your drinks or cleaning your teeth with the tap water. Take water purification tablets for emergency use if you think bottled water will not be available.

The safari industry is making a concerted effort to reduce the use of plastic water bottles – try to work with them.

A number of safari operators are making sterilized water bottles (mostly stainless steel) available for you to fill with purified water at their camps and lodges. This is an initiative that you should adopt wherever possible as this will have a significant and positive environmental impact. By doing away with the factory-filled (sealed) plastic water bottles you will not only save fuel in transporting these bottles to remote regions (by their thousands) but also solve the problem of the enormous pollution to roadsides and towns that these plastic bottles foster.

Caution: Dehydration is a real danger on safari. Make sure to drink at regular intervals and have water at hand at all times.

In the winter months (June to October), the game reserves can be extremely dusty. Contact lens wearers should bring eye drops and eyeglasses, to avoid eye irritation. Clean camera and video lenses regularly and store in a camera bag, while on safari.

Should we tip, and if so – how much?? This is a common dilemma for most visitors to any foreign country! In Africa, tipping is not expected but is customary. The traditional gratuity to safari guides or camp staff is not included in the price of your tour and is completely discretionary.

Bear in mind that what may seem like an inconsequential amount to you may be significant to local African staff and will certainly be received with a display of gratitude that is genuinely humbling.

Most safari lodges will have a ‘tip box’ at reception for the staff – this covers all the ‘unseen’ services you have enjoyed during your stay, including the housekeeper and kitchen staff.

Guidelines: Tip moderately and in accordance with the level and quality of service provided – and only if you are satisfied with that service. Tips can be paid in US dollars or local currency. Use the following guide:

Driver/guide – US$10 and upwards per day.
Private safari guide – US$25 and upwards per day;
Camp staff – US$10 to $20 per day, as a pooled tip to be shared among the housekeepers, waiters, bartender, etc.

If you spend a great deal of time with a single guide, consider increasing the above amounts in accordance with the enthusiasm and effort displayed (or your overall satisfaction level).

Many visitors to Africa feel a strong urge to help the less fortunate whom they encounter on safari, or when visiting a local village or school. It is best to seek an appropriate opportunity while you are traveling, rather than carry along gifts from home.  Many safari camps and lodges are actively involved in working with their local communities to sustain schools, clinics and other projects. Ask about this when you are there and visit the school, clinic or project if you can.  A donation to something you have seen on the ground will bring you more satisfaction (and directly help the neediest). Contribute in a way that helps a person (or community) help themselves, and enhance their way of life.

Resist the temptation to offer ‘hand outs’ to kids on the side of the road. This only encourages dependency on such generosity and teaches these children that begging brings reward. There is no dignity in begging and the harassment it fosters will not endear you to the next group of tourists either!

Most African countries have stringent exchange control regulations and it is illegal to enter or leave the country with anything other than nominal amounts of local currency. To avoid problems, do not exchange too much money into local currency at any one time. There is normally no restriction on the amount of foreign currency that may be imported.

Credit: Safaribookings.com