Exercise on Safari
 

It sounds like we are not supposed to wander off-- but how do you get you cardio in while on safari or do you?

Run in place in your room or tent.

Whatever you do "don't even think to go for a run in the wilderness."

See recent thread (last week) about elephant attack - foolish woman!

You can always arrange to go for a game walk with guide.

Bush walks with an armed guide will definitely help you get your cardio work. An average bush walk is about 3.5 hours in length, at least at the Zambian lodges, so even if you are only doing a very slow 24 minute mile, by the time you factor in the time stopping to look at animals or other things, you will still average 2.5 miles per hour and 7 miles on a good bush walk.

Dear Duck, for cardio, I brought my CD player and headphones (if you have an MP3 or i pod it's best) some good trainers, and hopped around our tent for 40 minutes every other day. Another old stand by that packs well is jump rope.

Really you can't go running off into the bush.. lions love it when they see you run!

I will try to do bush walks with a guide if we get the chance. We are with a group. I am going to pack the jump rope. Good idea. I am not worried about the lions. I have always had housecats so I already know many of their behaviors and that special place under their chin to scratch.

I really hope you are being sarcastic about your comparison of housecats and lions. If you aren't, you could be in more trouble than you can possibly imagine. Have you been on a safari before?

Cubanancy,

Duck is right. If you scratch lions just under their chin, they will purr like a housecat and all will be fine.

Why would you detect any sarcasm with what Duck said?

(Perhaps Duck is better equipped to read wildlife behaivor than you if you are not yet sure of Duck's or my own sarcasm).

Let me know the next time either of you try it....I really want to watch the fun. Worrying about cardio on a safari is so YUPPI!

wwwwwwwwwhhhhhhhhhhhheeeeeeeeehhhhhhhhh

(the noise of my last post flying right over Cubanancy's head)

Of course we can touch the lions...we Fodorites are all mostly experienced safarigoers and once you learn how to approach and handle the lions correctly, they are nothing more than big kittycats. I will have to post the photos of the last time I was cuddling with the lions.

And as far as exercise on safari goes...when staying at luxury game lodges there is some serious power-eating and sometimes power-drinking taking place. While this may not upset a person's system for a shorter safari, for anything more than a week or so, exercise is essential, at least from this Yuppie's point of view! ;)

Yes, and when I really, really like some of the people at my camp (for example, those that spend the game drive time telling me about their last 35 luxury vacations...or those who spend hours tellingus about their superb new photography gear and how much they spent on it...or those who say "Why are we wasting time with this stupid Pels fishing bird...I want to find a leopard") I always encourage them to go for a nice long walk or bushrun alone, by telling them that's what the real Africa hands do, and the guide's warnings are only for "sissy-tourists" or "safari-wannabees" (depending on their gender.) Hey, if I can help someone win a well-deserved Darwin award, I'm happy to oblige with a bit of advice...

Many of the lodges in South Africa nowadays have exercise rooms - Etali and Jaci's in Madikwe for example.

I've never seen anyone use the gym on safari though! Getting up early for a game drive, and finishing each day with a 4-hour game drive can be tiring in itself!

Pools are more popular - swimming and bushwalks are both good workouts while on safari.

I figure I get enough exercise carrying around my camerabag.

I get the picture. I just started looking at this site, and didn't realize that it was comedy central for frustrated comedians. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa!!!!!!!!

Tasha,

Oh, so you were on safari with the stupid woman who went on that ill-fated bush run? ;)

I am going to go out and get that Tamrac 777, pack all my gear in it and go on those morning dog walks with it. One lap around my development is 1.25 miles and a good portion of it is at a very high incline...either I will be well prepared for this safari or I will be cancelling it in favor of some chiropractor visits! ;)

Roccco,
ssshhh! But (as you can see from her website) that silly hussy was really getting on my nerves...and was it my fault if the armed scout decided to stay and have a drink with me at the bar?

:)

Tasha

You're evil! Excellent :-)

Oh Matt, no need to thank me. If you had been there, I know you would have done the same...