Did you ever ask yourself how it would feel to be stranded in the bush? What would you do? Where would you sleep? What would you eat? How would you be safe from the wild animals? Last but not least, do you think you would be able to survive?
Although this all might sound a little dramatic, even exaggerated, and is very unlikely to happen we still would like to give you a piece of advice for surviving the African bush. And who could better provide you with useful tips than one of our experienced and professional guides?
We asked Chantel, who has long experience on the road, for some random advice on how to survive in Africa. Below you can find 4 of her tips which you might find useful:
1. Be prepared and ready for action
Good and well-conceived preparation is essential when going on a trip to Africa. Therefore, better make sure that you pack right. Packing right basically means that you will have to carefully assess which items will be necessary and which not.
Unless you are going out for dinner (see point 2), most likely you won’t need high heels, hair straighteners and various lotions in the wild but instead will find warm clothes, a torch and matches more useful . Since it can get cold in the evenings you will certainly appreciate warm clothes and a fire.
2. Dine out in the wild
If you get lost and want to prevent dying from starvation, you should be willing to eat worms. Not only do some people claim that they taste delicious but also they are rich in protein. Also look out for termites since they are good to eat as well – their mounds will even help you to find your direction since they always point north.
But be careful, if something looks like cucumber or tomato: don’t eat it! If you don’t find some delicious worms or termites you should look out for baboons. These creatures will show you what’s eatable but not only this: watching them can also be very entertaining; as long as you don’t carry any food with you they would like to take away from you.
3. Just stay calm
Try not to get bitten in the African bush and if it happens, don’t panic. According to Chantel it’s as simple as that. The calmer you are the more likely you are to survive. It’s a common misconception that sucking snake bites prevent the poison from spreading out. But truth to be told, you can’t change the direction your blood flows and therefore sucking also doesn’t work. But instead you should remove any jewelry or tight clothing from the area, keep the bitten area lower than heart level and try to find medical assistance as soon as possible.
Last but not least, if you hear a lion roar: better move opposite direction. If it still comes towards your direction, you should make yourself big, grab a stick, make noise, do not look into his eyes and remember they can climb better than you can.
4. Make yourself feel at home in the African bush
If you are lost you should better look for shelter before it gets dark. Be creative and use everything you can find. With thorn branches you can already build a circular boma offering you protection. Our final advice: don’t get lost. Rather book a tour with us and have a well-trained guide looking after you.
Not only will he look after you but also will he provide you with useful and interesting information about local flora, fauna and the country and its people.
Just have a look at our website to find out more about our tours.
