KBKaren BreitkreuzOff-the-route trips to South Africa, Belize and Europe

Lions, Leopards, & Safaris: Wild Encounters & Safety Tips!

8 Jun 2026 · 5 min

Watch on YouTube

5:24

In this segment of the YouTube video, the narrator recounts a three‑hour morning safari drive in an open‑air vehicle, emphasizing that the guide was fully armed with a shotgun and had orders to shoot any animal that behaved erratically. The speaker stresses that visitors are entering the animals’ home, not the other way around, and warns that while private cars can be rented to drive through the park, inexperienced travelers should always seek the counsel of an experienced guide and strictly follow park ranger instructions. Later, a portion of the group undertook a walking safari, encountering elephants up close while being accompanied by a similarly armed local guide. The overall message is a practical set of safety tips: respect the wildlife environment, rely on armed professional guides, and heed ranger directives to ensure a safe wildlife experience.

Chapters

The morning drive lasted about 3 hours, and we got back to camp about 9 AM. It's important to note here that we were in one of the open-air vehicles, and our guide was fully armed with a shotgun. So if those animals had acted erratically, and you can't predict what a wild animal is going to do, and we were Obviously in their home. They were not in ours. But if they would have acted unpredictably, the guards and the guides had orders to shoot to kill. So it's important to note that because cars do enter the park and they do drive around the park freely. And if you want to rent a car, you're free to do that. But know that, that you are in their— Home. If you don't have experience, you should either seek the counsel of a guide before you go out on your own. You should listen closely to what the park rangers say, and even if you are with an official park ranger, you should follow their orders closely. Part of my group was able to go out on a walking safari later. And they did see some elephants up close, just out basically on a hike. So know that they got some great pictures, but they also were with an experienced local guide that was fully armed.