Why experienced guides sometimes stop the vehicle and wait
Sometimes the guide stops and switches off the engine with nothing visible. There is usually a reason.
Reading the signs
Alarm calls, a herd looking one way, or a predator watching prey. The guide expects something to happen.
Predicting behaviour
A lioness starting to stalk, a leopard likely to come down from a tree, a herd approaching water. Waiting puts you in the right place.
Positioning for light
Guides sometimes stop to let the light change or wait for an animal to move into the open.
Letting animals relax
Animals behave naturally when the engine is off. A moving vehicle disturbs them.
Patience pays
Some of the best sightings happen after 20 or 30 minutes of waiting.
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