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Game drives with back issues
Do the off-road game drives present any issues for people with bad backs? I’ve read some complaints from NON-TAUCK tour (also different reserves) participants recommending we buy seat cushions.
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You will bounce off the cushions on some occasions depending on whether rains have caused big potholes especially if roads haven’t been groomed recently. Talk to your doctor and tell him you will be on dirt roads etc and see what he says, whether your back issues will be OK. You can also be thrown around in the vehicle if it takes off suddenly without the driver warning you, I’ve had bad bruising on my back and last year I fell full length down the aisles when a lion was spotted and the driver did not give us warning he was taking off. Having said this, I must have been on about 100 separate game drives and love every minute.
My wife used an inflatable seat cushion that we got from Amazon on our last safari, and she found it helpful. She also used it on the airplane.
Rutty, un-improved dirt ‘roads’ and sometimes you go where there are no roads at all. If you need and have a back brace, bring it and wear it on all game drives.
The vehicles that we used on the Elegant Adventure were three rows of graded seats- all open. Not as pictured above. The back row was the roughest on the back. So, people with back issues sat in the front row. The rule of thumb was that we rotated seating to be fair to everyone. Unfortunately, some of the couples we were with insisted on sitting up front all the time. We managed thought and had no real issues. Too busy enjoying the trip.
You are indeed correct about the different vehicles in Southern Africa. These can often pose a different problem as you often have to climb up the side of the vehicle to get into it. They can also go ‘off road’ driving directly over bushes and small trees…which bounce back up.
Tauck makes no exceptions for people with back or car sickness issues, everyone is supposed to rotate. If this is not being done, don’t hesitate to talk to the Tour director. This sort of selfishness should not have to be an issue on an expensive tour where everyone has paid the same price.
When I was asked by our TD on Day One of the Z,B,SA to switch seats in the safari vehicle to accommodate a person with back issues I injured myself and had to spend precious time and money at a clinic in Livingstone, Zambia. I now have a beautiful
scar on my leg that is a momento of a trip that started out rough and ended up great.
Oh good grief!
Much more to that trip than meets the eye, British. Good grief is right.
Looks dreadful. I hope you did not have to have sutures. I like your zip/tie shoes!
Thanks, kfnknfzk! No stitches, and the shoes are Clouds. So comfortable.
The step stool they were using to board and disembark the vehicles tipped over while my wife was on it and got a similar injury. She went to the doctor at the Mt. Kenya Safari Club and he took good care of her for a small fee.
Hi, my wife and I enjoyed this tour in September. We held off safari tours for years as my wife has a bad back. I have to tell you, this tour was no problem. We took an inflable back brace, but she never need it. She wore a tommy copper shirt that seemed to give her good support for her back and was fine the whole trip. As was mentioned earlier, the tours on this safari are in open Toyota jeep type vehicles with 2 -2 -2 seating. We found the middle two best as they were the easiest to climb in and out of. My wife has had two spinal fusions, a hip replacement and ACDF surgery to her surgical spine, but with all that, no problem. Just go and have a great time.
I found the back seat of those vehicles to be a very rough ride. Not at all pleasant.
I was particularly comfortable in the middle row.
HI, I'm a solo traveler booked on the September 19 tour. I"m a bit concerned after reading the information on this thread. I am 5 feet tall and feel like I will have difficulty getting in and out of the jeep. Since I'm solo I would have no one to help me. Do the guides help? I'm also concerned about injuries with no seat belts. I was really looking forward to this trip but now wondering if I should cancel. I have to decide by tomorrow. Any advice would be much appreciated.
I think it really depends on which tour you take. We had no problems at all on the Elegant Adventure Tour. Our TD told us that South Africa had the best vehicles and roads in Africa. If you go on one of the other African tours, it might be different, but we had no issues getting in and out of the vehicles or while riding in them. There was a solo woman on our tour who was about 5 feet tall and she was fine. She loved it as did our entire group. This is an amazing tour!!
Buonviaggio, Thank you so much for your input. I am going on the Elegant South Africa tour and am looking forward to it. If you have any other advice or travel tips would be much welcomed.
TLM94: I’m also short and had no problem at all getting into the jeep in the middle row. I’m 72. . If you’re comfortable, you can always ask to sit next to the driver in the lower seat. Please don’t fret the small stuff and be prepared to be amazed on this extraordinary trip of a lifetime.
You only have four days on safari on this tour and they are on private game reserves. So apart from a few vehicles from the lodge, that’s it. But they do go off road and ride over small trees and bushes and make sudden turns, you learn to sort of brace yourself in the vehicles used in Southern Africa. You are not allowed to stand up inside them in Southern Africa, so you are less likely to fall like I did in East Africa. I am sure there will be others who will help you, you might need a shove up if you have the chance to get out and have sundowners in the bush. If i remember correctly, they usually have platforms or stools at the lodges to help you get up. I found the most tricky vehicles were the ones in Botswana. You won’t regret going, enjoy!
I just googled some photos of vehicles used at Sabi Sabi. You can see the ledges you have to climb up on to get into the vehicles. The one girl makes it look fun!
On the African tour we went on, on our first outing in the vehicles we were seated in the last seat. It was extremely rough and uncomfortable. I didn't think I could do this a couple of times a day. If I had back issues, I would have not survived the drive.
But on the next drive, we rotated seats - everyone moved up one seat and the front seats went to the back. Also, the drive was more on roads instead of across country. It was a BIG difference being in the forward seats compared to being in the last seat - as far as being bounced around.
The vehicles we were in were essentially the same as the pictures above.
If you have back issues, you might need to make arrangements to always sit in the forward seats - but that will upset the rest of the people on the drive.
I have to say that Tauck makes it clear about seat rotation. There must be no expectation that anyone can always be in the same seat. The tour directors have always mixed people up each day, so you won’t even be with the same people on every game drive. I am all about being fair, so to ask me to for instance to sit at the back of a vehicle because someone else says they have a bad back or they get car sick, it’s just not on. If people have these issues, they can always go on a private tour. I have a delicate back too these days as many do as we age. I take my turn on safaris.
We were on a safari vacation a few years ago and one lady took charge, it was so funny because she complained about everything. There were only six of us and every day she ensured everyone rotated. One couple was not happy as they liked to be at the back. Without her, they would have been there every time.
I’ve been on tours where there is no rotation. It’s unbelievable how selfish some people are, getting to the bus very early , dumping their stuff on their preferred seat, then disappearing until it’s time to get on the bus. That's one reason I like Tauck because they make no exceptions on land tours.
At the start of one land tour there was a lady rearranging the overhead seat cards as guests were boarding the coach, presumably to keep her friends together. The tour director was not amused and placed the cards back in the order he first had them in based on his chart.
He then gave a brief lecture on expected guest etiquette, using the tone of voice one uses when reprimanding a child, as he stared right at the offender. There was a round of applause afterwards.
Sorry to digress.
We were also on a recent safari last August and on our tour, nobody and I mean nobody seemed to mind if they gravitated to their so called favorite seat in the safari vehicles. A group of four always wanted to stick together and that was fine with everyone. People with delicate back issues needed to sit lower or next to the driver and that was fine as well. No one seemed to take it personal or mind at all and It simply worked out very well. The tour guide did not have to intervene. I suppose it depends on the chemistry of the group.
The problem is that often the people that "go along" with those who insist on the front row all the time may not complain, but still feel some resentment, as they are deprived of the commentary from the guide, and have to deal with ducking from branches and more jarring bumps.
I'm a solo traveler and had no trouble at all during the rides in the 2 lodges, they are not like the Kenya & Tanzania safaris.
Lotus girl. You hit the nail on the head for me. Whereas I’m outspoken here, I am more likely to say nothing to those wanting front seats etc
For the record: I don’t have any resentment whatsoever. I am quite outspoken too but always polite and in a kind way.
I was on a Tauck land tour and one of the guests had some motion sickness issues that were helped by sitting in the first seat where she could look out the front window. She rode there for the entire tour, and I didn't hear anyone complain.
Everyone's different. If someone needs some special accommodation, I think people will grant that without rancor.
[Added note: We were on a tour in South Africa and were taking a van from Capetown to the Cape of Good Hope. I got in the back seat and the other people on the tour suggested that I take the seat next to the driver becasue I was taking pictures. Not only did they not object, they suggested I take that seat. People are generally nice.]
Ok, I need to find something that entitles me to sit where I like. What happens if there are a number of people who get motion sickness or have bad backs! Do the rest of us not get a look in! This is why Tauck have the policy.