What Happened? African Safari Injury: Part 1

By Kate | June 2, 2017

Not all trips are carefree. Sometimes injuries and illness happen. African Safari Injuries happen and one happened to me. Therefore, I think it’s best to tell the good and the bad when it comes to my travel, so you have a realistic view of my trips.

My friends think my trips are glamorous. Unfortunately, they aren’t always easy, and carefree. When you think about going on a Safari plan for the worse and hope for the best. Taking an African Safari sounds like a fabulous time. That is what I thought until I get hurt.

What would you do if you had a medical emergency in a remote location? How would you handle being injured on an African Safari? Have considered your medical plan? How would you get out of Africa?

By 8:00 am, the day I arrived, I had a life-threatening injury. How would you deal with an African Safari Injury?

Leaving Arusha for My African Safari Camp

Thinking back, I asked my friend, ‘What to write about my African Safari?” because I didn’t remember much about the trip because of my injury. All I remember is that taking a lot of photos didn’t take your mind off of my injured foot. So after taking pictures all day of elephants, zebras, giraffes, monkeys, or baboons, a doctor is what I needed, as quickly as possible, please!

Doctor. Doctor.

My doctor was a Bushman midwife. Desperate and happy, she came; she was perfect for me. I was hopeful she could help. What my Bushman midwife told me is the moral of my story. People need to think about their health and injuries when they travel. Hopefully, this story will benefit all of my traveling friends because I never considered any of this until it happened to me. I thought I was invincible. None of us is invincible; anyone can get hurt. Especially, you can get hurt traveling, even with a group.

My Story Part 1

The big takeaway from this tale is that people, tourists, and vacationers need to think about their health and injury when they travel. Get good travel insurance, and make sure people listen when you talk about your health.

We Left Arusha with my African Safari Injury

Arusha, Tanzania, to The 1st African Safari Camp

My friend Jennifer and I arrived at the hotel around 11:30 p.m. She flew from Italy to Africa. I came from Seattle. We went straight to bed. I woke up early.

I recall being a little upset about a situation that was happening on a future trip to Australia. Jennifer and I went to breakfast. After breakfast, I missed a step and twisted my ankle.

Travel tip: Steps don’t follow building codes in Africa. I let out a scream of pain that scared Jennifer.

Injury Experience

The beginning of my adventure was only a terrible experience that started early, before 8:00 a.m. The tour company didn’t have ice. The hotel gave me some ice. The Tour company didn’t have medical support. The guide didn’t want to stop or take me to the doctor.  The people in the group didn’t want the delay. So the group won, and we didn’t stop to find a doctor. One woman tried really hard to get the group to stop. She knew that Mercy Corps was in Arusha. She brought gifts to the children. Still, the group wasn’t persuaded. We didn’t stop.

Doctor, Tour Guide, Driver

We hit the road, and I asked for a pillow and the front seat so I could elevate my injured foot. My guide driving didn’t really care. He continued because the sooner he got to camp, the sooner his day ended.

First Report About My African Safari Injury

The first stop was a gift shop made by blind children. We had lunch there. I sat on the sofas below and took photos of the trees and elevated my foot. Later, I heard the guide report to everyone that I was fine. He even reported this to his supervisors. How could sitting on a sofa, hopping everywhere, be healthy and fine? To this day, I have no idea why he was in denial. I wasn’t in denial – my foot hurt very badly! My remarkable recovery was news to Jennifer, too. Jennifer helped me hop to lunch so I could sit under the fan and rest with my foot up.

My View from the Bench with African Safari Injury

I saw tables for lunch in the garden. Flowers surrounded us. Our group’s lunch tables were in a shaded cabana area under fans. The cool breeze made the meal area comfortable.

Help! African Safari Injury Demands Evacuation

All I wanted was a place to put my foot up and rest. A little ice would be nice, but we were in Africa; ice isn’t easy to find.

Travel tip: Use this Tour company if you want to have a safe, exceptional tour. Or use another company; maybe use Overseas Adventure Tours.

Contact us – for more details, great tour company recommendations