Your first safari in Kenya is going to change you.

That is not an exaggeration. But how profoundly it changes you depends, in part, on how well prepared you are.

 Here are ten things that make the difference. 

1. Start earlier than feels reasonable. The African bush comes alive before sunrise. The best light is in the first and last hours of the day. The predators are most active. The herds are moving to water. Set your alarm and be in the vehicle before dawn. You will not regret it.  
2. Wear the right colours. Neutral earth tones, khaki, olive, beige. Not white, not black, not anything bright. Wildlife is less likely to be disturbed by vehicles whose occupants blend into the landscape. This is practical, not fashion.
3. Turn your phone off or to silent during game drives. The buzz of a notification has startled more than one leopard into the bush. Your social media can wait. The lion cannot. 
4. Binoculars are not optional. A good pair of binoculars transforms a game drive from a distant observation exercise into an intimate encounter. Bring your own or ask about rentals when booking. 
5. Ask your guide questions. Your guide's knowledge is extraordinary. They know the individual animals by name, the family histories of the lion prides, the territorial boundaries of the cheetah coalitions. Ask. Listen. Learn. 
6. Resist the urge to compare your sightings to others. Safari is not a competition. A morning watching a family of elephants move through the morning mist may be less dramatic than a kill sighting, but it is no less profound. 
7. Give your eyes a rest from the camera sometimes. Photographs are wonderful. But some moments deserve to be experienced without a lens between you and them. 
8. Dress in layers. Mornings in the Mara and Samburu can be genuinely cold, even in the warmest months. By midday it may be 35 degrees. Layers are essential. 
9. Be patient. Africa rewards patience more generously than almost any other place on earth. If your guide is watching a spot in the grass, wait. Something is there. 
10. Let it exceed your expectations. However high they are, the real thing will surpass them. Trust the process. Be present. Africa will do the rest.