Based on our experience (we’re not doctors!), here are our top tips for staying healthy while travelling in Africa specifically:

1. Eat safe – Avoid street food that may have been cooked hours earlier and sitting out in the sun ever since. Only eat fruit that’s been washed in clean water or can be peeled. There’s an old saying that we try to stick to: “Boil it, cook it, peel it or forget it.”

2. Keep your hands clean – Always wash your hands before meals and if you don’t have access to water, use the hand sanitiser that should always be in your bag!

3. Drink bottled water – While it’s safe to drink local tap water in South Africa and Namibia, we don’t recommend it in any other African country. Bottled water is always available – depending on where you are and what you’re doing it will either included in the price or available at a small cost.

4. Don’t touch animals – mammals carry rabies, so it’s best not to touch dogs or cats and beware of bats and monkeys. Just don’t get close. Needless to say we don’t recommend touching the big mammals you’ll see on safari!

5. Keep your shoes on – Obviously we always recommend you keep your shoes on when you’re exploring the great outdoors of Africa. This is to avoid thorns, insect bites, scorpion bites and hookworm – larvae may be present in soil or sand. We’ve never had a case and don’t want you to be the first!

6. Don’t swim in still water – Fresh, still water can carry schistosomiasis (also known as bilharzia) so please try to avoid swimming in any water bodies that are still and fresh.

7. Stay hydrated and covered up – Take every step you can – such as carrying rehydration sachets –  to avoid overheating if you’re travelling in hot climates or during the summer.

8. Layer like an onion – Mornings and afternoons can be very cool on a game drive, and in the evenings temperatures can drop quickly.

If you don’t dress right you can catch a chill as you drive in this cold air. We recommend you wear layers that you can remove as it warms up – and put back on when it cools down again.