Our 7 tips on why going on safari is the perfect way to destress
A safari in Africa isn’t just good for your soul; it’s also good for your health, offering a variety of wellness benefits you may not have considered before.
Of course, stepping away from the stresses and strains of daily life will always benefit your health. Still, there are some surprising health benefits of an African safari that might just convince you to book that trip sooner rather than later.
Mental health
With our day-to-day lives being so rushed and strained, it’s not surprising that mental health is getting its moment in the sun. More and more people are seeking to care for their psychological welfare in various ways, such as meditation, medication, or mindfulness.
One of the mental health benefits of going on safari is enhanced mindfulness. On a typical day on safari, you’re encouraged to slow down, be present in the moment, and embrace a sense of calm.
Ecotherapy, also known as nature therapy, is a therapeutic modality that involves improving your mental and physical well-being by engaging with nature. The core idea is that we have a deep and inherent connection with nature and that spending time in nature can help restore balance, reduce stress and promote overall health.
Physical activity
A sedentary lifestyle is one of the biggest health threats to our modern society. We spend hour upon hour at a desk during the day and seated in traffic, only to retire to the sofa at the end of a long day. We trade bigger screens for small ones and vice versa throughout the day. It’s this lack of movement that is increasing health complaints.
While some of your time on safari is spent in a game drive vehicle, there’s plenty of opportunity to enjoy walking safaris, hikes, and even swimming. Our favourite cardio-boosting safari activities include:
Chimp trekking and gorilla trekking provide an increased challenge to a traditional walking safari, offering a boost to cardiovascular health and muscle strength.
Hiking Empakaai and Olmoti craters in Ngorongoro reward the burning glutes and hamstrings with jaw-dropping views.
For the really adventurous, there’s the not-insignificant achievement of climbing Africa’s tallest peak – Mount Kilimanjaro.
Digital detox
While our camps do offer Wi-Fi for guests, we highly encourage you to put down your devices and disconnect while you’re on safari. The slow pace on safari and the untamed wilderness call you to be more present in the moment so you can feel closer to nature and the people you’re with, but it’s comforting to know that the online world is still there if you really need it.
Reconnecting with nature without the urgent and constant beeping, buzzing distraction of your gadgetry to distract you will have you returning home fully relaxed, renewed, and rested.
A safari with Asilia is about feeling closer—closer to nature, closer to ourselves, and closer to each other. By forgoing the usual doom-scrolling and constant screen-checking, we leave space to be mindful and reconnect with ourselves, our loved ones, and the world around us. You’ll be surprised at how much more you’ll see and feel.
Better sleep
Nighttime on safari brings with it two very important things for good sleep – darkness and silence. The darkness in the wild is near absolute. Once the sun’s gone down and the lanterns are extinguished, the only light sources are the moon and more stars than you’ve ever seen.
Along with an absence of light is the dramatic difference in ambient noise. There aren’t any traffic sounds, no sirens, or alarms. The silence hangs thick and is broken only by the distant sounds of an animal calling into the inky blackness.
This combination of stillness and darkness is the perfect ingredient needed for a sound, restorative sleep.
De-stress
Breathing fresh air, being in nature, sleeping well, and getting away from the day-to-day can cumulatively result in some serious benefits to your cardiac health. Two important health benefits of an African safari holiday include a slower heart rate and lowered blood pressure.
Of course, a spa safari will help you achieve absolute relaxation in the sublime setting of the African bush. If this sounds like something your soul craves, make sure to include a stay at Namiri Plains, Sayari Camp, The Highlands, or Jabali Ridge, where you can indulge in rejuvenating treatments.
Vitamin D
Spending time in nature, especially under the warm African sun, is great for boosting those natural Vitamin D stores. If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, you’ll most likely be reaching for Vitamin D supplements when autumn hits to counteract the dark and gloomy winter months when the sun’s rays are all but absent and too weak to encourage any natural Vitamin D production.
Vitamin D is associated with various health benefits, including immune function and bone health. A study by Edinburgh Medical School’s Usher Institute has found that a holiday in the sun can be crucial in boosting your Vitamin D levels, resulting in wide-ranging health benefits.
Booking that long-dreamed-of safari can be considered an important, and dare we say, necessary health-boosting move.
Perspective
“It’s a funny thing about comin’ home. Looks the same, smells the same, feels the same. You’ll realize what’s changed is you.”
― F. Scott Fitzgerald
When you travel, you are changed forever by the people and places you encounter. But there’s something extra special about a safari in East Africa, where you’ll see the world in its most undisturbed state, where things like time and traffic and taxes dwindle away and you’re made acutely aware of the sheer miracles of nature.
Somehow, the distance between you on safari and your daily grind can be measured in light years. This distance gives perspective and illuminates the things that really matter.
Does a safari sound like just what the doctor would order? Book yours today!
