Official Safari day 1 – Tarangire Safari Lodge
Location: Safari in Serengeti
Day: Friday, September 2016

The night before we were informed our bags for the safari could only be 15 kilos EACH as we would be taking a one hour flight back into Arusha on a small plane. There was some whining but we managed.

Since this was a trip centered around a curriculum of wilderness medicine and survival, our days were structured around game drives during the day where we learned about the animals while out on safari and at night, everyone gathered for a lecture on travel medicine or tactics for wilderness survival (now I know I’ll get picked first for the kickball team!). It was like being the ultimate student of life. Nearly everyone on the trip was some kind of physician or general practitioner of medicine. But more importantly, I found them each to be interesting and informed individuals from all over the world; from Canada to South Carolina.

Our driver and safari guide had several sizable field guide books which he kept in the center console of the Land Cruiser. We consulted these several times throughout the game drive. I had to laugh, apparently, Google’s rein did not extend here.

That evening, we arrived at the Kikoti Camp and were welcomed by panoramic views and an expansive patio as the setting of our happy hour and first lecture. The discussion topic covered medical preparedness in the wilderness from dentistry to orthopedics. I listened to their stories of experience and the lecture’s conventional wisdom. In her grab n’ go kit: Advil.

I learned that an abrasion, burn or laceration are the 3 most common wound complications in the wilderness. Ouch all around.

It’s funny because, in my experience, regular people search for information about their health problems based on their symptoms. Whereas medical professionals approach from the mindset of the treatment. It’s the difference between knowing the symptoms and the diagnosis.

Photos from Canon Rebel T5 lenses rented from Borrow Lenses.

Photos shot on iPhone.