The safari is booked, and the standard lodge in the itinerary has been replaced with a tented camp. The goal is to maximise the wilderness experience - being closer to the bush and feeling the forces of nature.

Then a thought starts creeping in: what about snakes?

Africa can obviously provide plenty of snakes, including dangerous ones. Once that train of thought starts moving, it quickly picks up speed. What if there are snakes inside my tent while I'm sleeping? What if I step on a snake when I have to go to the bathroom at night?

It's the first night in a tented camp in the middle of the African savannah. The place where snakes are very much at home.

I asked one of the staff about the local snake situation and whether there could be snakes inside my tent. He just smiled. Very kindly, he tried to convince me that snakes were not a problem. The way you might reassure a child who has asked a slightly silly question, while still taking it seriously.

No, there would be no snakes in my tent.

Despite that, and despite the fact that the tent stood on poles, I spent quite some time checking every corner before going to bed. I checked every possible entry point, every possible - and impossible - hiding place. From a safe distance, of course. I made sure all the zippers and buttons in the canvas were properly closed and sealed. I checked that a snake hadn't somehow entered through the bathroom pipes and hidden behind the shower curtain.

No snakes were discovered.

The thought of them was still there, so I didn't have my best night's sleep. But I didn't do the same thorough inspection the following night, and by the third night I was sleeping like a baby, not thinking about snakes at all.

I have only seen one snake in Africa, safely observed from inside a safari vehicle, far away from any lodge or tent. It was a cobra lying on the ground in the middle of the road. Scary, absolutely, but also fascinating. However, the cobra was even more scared than we were, and in the blink of an eye it was gone.

I have also seen the winding tracks of a large python on a dusty road. Again, from the safety of a vehicle. Again, far away from camp. The snake itself was nowhere to be seen.

Later, I learned that snake encounters on safari are very rare, and you're lucky if you see one. Snakes are shy, prefer to avoid humans, and will usually flee when given the chance.

The thought of their existence is simply part of the adventure. And if you actually see one, consider it a stroke of luck.