Let me, as an experienced and seasoned African traveller, give some basic do’s and don’ts when you are out there:

• Zip up your tent – no matter how hot it is in side, zip up for various reasons. It keeps out bugs, mosquitoes and slithering things like snakes.  A lion will not bother you in your tent.  They do not realise that they can rip open the canvas with a quick stroke of the paw and no, an elephant will not trip over your tent.  Elephants are amazingly gracious when they walk.
• When you go to bed stow all food (and garbage) either in your tent or vehicle. Inquisitive animals like hyenas, jackal, etcetera will come and have a look what is there to taste.
• Do not wander off in the dark and outside the light of the fire. There are creatures watching you that you do not even know of.  If  you do have to go for a nightly routine walk let somebody go with you with a torch and keep close to your tent.  Night animals have keen eyesight and spot you long before you even notice them, so take care.
• Be extremely vigilant when vervet monkeys and baboons are around. They are very quick and will grab your food before you know it.  Do not challenge a baboon, if this does happen they can be dangerous.  Rather back off.

• Mana Pools is famous for its “dagga boys” (i.e. a lone stray buffalo) that venture into camp even in day times. Be on the look out and try to avoid them totally.
• A rather difficult one to do is if you have an encounter with a lion or elephant – DO NOT RUN!   I say again – DO NOT RUN!  Your instinct will tell you to get out of the way, but stay put, stand very still .
• At rivers and dams be on the lookout for crocodiles that lurk in the muddy waters especially on the banks when you approach.  Also keep an eye out for paths that animals (i.e. hippopotamus) use that lead to the water. A hippo looks clumsy, but they are not.
• Do not misjudge the small animals as they can bite you and there is a possibility that they carry rabies. Rabies are fatal.  Wild animals that are prone to rabies are:  monkeys, mongoose, meerkat, jackals.

Remember that you are in the wild and wild animals can be unpredictable and “a lot” quicker than you think.  Do not party – alcohol impair your judgment towards wild animals and may land you in unexpected trouble.

—oOO—

“You have to look after wealth, but knowledge looks after you. — Zambian Proverb”

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If you like your own company and have some travel savvy then going solo is for you.  Going solo gives you freedom of choice and total independence to change your travel plans on the spur of the moment if something interests you on the wayside.

Things that you need to consider when planning your next solo African trip are the following.

You will need the ability to navigate.  There are not many countries left on mother earth that is unexplored, thus you will need a basic ability to navigate as there can be hundreds of tracks and footpaths not necessarily indicated on maps.  You must be able to understand and read maps whether it is a paper issue or a digital issue.  Sometimes you need to trust your instinct and basic sense of direction to find your way.

So you own a GPS, but do you know all the functions of your GPS, such as marking waypoints that you can return to later?  This can be of great value when bush camping as you need to mark a nice camping spot early in the afternoon but need to return to it later in the evening after dark when things have quietened down.

A reliable vehicle is not even questionable and some bush mechanics can take you a long, long way as everything is not always available in remote areas.  Even if you can phone somebody on your satellite phone it may take days or weeks for a specific part to arrive.

You will need a willingness to interact with the local people to ask directions or permission to camp or even buy some firewood.  If there is a village around do the decent thing and ask permission from the headman to camp there for the night.  They may even provide some security to you as a sign of respect.

Can you adapt and react to changing situations such as hazardous roads,  political climate, etc or are you set in your ways and love your comfort zone?  If you love your comfort zone you need to reconsider the urge of going solo.

The bottom line, and I think the most important aspect, that you must ask yourself is if you are prepared to rough it at times and skip a shower (or maybe two) to experience the joy that wild camping can offer?

Wanderlust: === the desire and irresistible urge to travel

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If you follow some basic rules you will be safe.

The first and foremost rule of thumb is you are in their territory.  RESPECT them.  You are the visitor in their home.

Wild animals will very seldom just attack you at random.   If they do that, they are either provoked, feel threatened, is sick or has completely lost its fear for humans.  So, ZIP UP your tent.  Always.  This is not even negotiable.  Sleep with an unzipped tent and you will encounter trouble.  Leopards, lions and hyenas are hunters!

It is very tempting to put out bait to have a up close and personal experience.  Remember if you do it you create CONSEQUENCES for future visitors to the same spot.  This forms an association and expectation of food when it encounters humans and eventually they lose their fear for humans.    Trouble.

STOW your food in secure containers in the back of your vehicle.  Baboons and monkeys are known for their acute smell and will rip open tents with their capable paws to get to your stash.  On various occasions we had to scare away baboons or monkeys from fellow campers’ food stash while they were out on a drive.  Why would they hunt if the food storage is easily accessible for them?  Lock up.  Always.

Do not think if you visit the bush once a year for a week that you are a bush expert!  Listen to what weathered, well-travelled and experienced people tell you to do. Guides are trained to know the bush.  This was a rare and unfortunate incident that spoiled a dream vacation.  Your chances of being hit by a car is bigger than being attacked by a wild animal in the veld.  TRUST them.

Regardless of the circumstances surrounding this incident, I wish the lady a speedy recovery as this must have been a horrific experience to her, her family and friends.

“Time camping is not spent; it is invested”

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