Safari timing mistakes

Not knowing the best-viewing times of the day
Best & worst
Early morning and late afternoon are the best game-viewing times. During the middle of the day, many mammals are hard to spot because they take shelter in the bushes and tall grasses.

Late sleepers & pool lovers
Safari-goers who sleep late and head off late on their morning game drives literally miss a lot of what they paid a lot to see. The same is true for those who return early from their afternoon game drives to take a dip in the lodge's swimming pool.

Thinking that a full moon would be perfect
Animal behavior
Although a full moon is romantic, its brightness can alter both the predator's and prey's normal behavior. This makes it more difficult to spot wildlife on night drives.

Going on an ill-paced safari tour
Too much, too little
Some tours cram in too much (or offer too little) game viewing in a given number of days. Analyze the itinerary.

Not going on a safari if you have only several days to spare
Better to see than not at all
A long safari is obviously better than a short one. But it is also true that a short one is better than no safari. If you are on a business trip in, for instance, Dar es Salaam and have several days to spare for a safari, go for it. You may never have the opportunity again.