Pack for safari could be a daunting task because of the numerous restrictions you understand, such as the fact that small mandate aircraft only allow belongings under 40 pounds and that must be made of soft-shelled materials (no frames or rigid structures). While your tour company will likely submit you packing suggestions once you’ve made your reservation, we turned to our safari professionals for advice on what to bring, from crucial tech and armor to clothing for any and all kinds of weather.
Stuff Sack:
Stuff sack for light down jacket or sweater. Even while the days in many African safari destinations can be blisteringly hot, the evenings can be chilly, if not freezing. As for me, I wore it until the sun had risen rather high in the sky before packing it away in my daypack. Botswana and South Africa experience cold nighttime temperatures during the winter dry season, making for chilly morning game drives.
Leave-Behind Clothes:
When traveling between camps by light aircraft, it’s critical to bring only the essentials. Our hand-me-downs go a long way in Tanzania and Zambia, two countries that are desperately in need.
Non-profit groups also deliver gifts to communities in need in Africa’s wealthier nations, such as Botswana and South Africa.
Packing clothes you can leave with locals is a good strategy to save space while traveling and make a place for mementos. On our last day in Maun, we gave some of our old clothes to our Botswanan guide, who said he’d donate them for us in Maun.
Safari Hat With String That Can Be Crushed:
There’s no better way to protect your neck and ears than with a well-made safari hat, so be sure to include one in your packing list. When driving at higher speeds in an open-sided safari vehicle with the wind howling, a cord keeps your hat in place.
Make it, however, a hat that you can squish into your luggage and then anchor to your head when you’re traveling. Otherwise, you’ll end up looking as nerdy as my husband, who always had one side of his hat up and one side down since it couldn’t bend.
Sunglasses As A Backup:
On safari, sunglasses can withstand a lot of abuse. They’re simple to misplace, sit on in a 4 X 4, or trip over in the woods. Sunglasses are continually put on and taken off as the light and shadows shift. Because they’re hard to come by in many parts of Africa, even in urban areas, pack an extra pair just in case. It is also best to use wet wipes.
I only had ten in my carry-on luggage and wished I’d brought more. For everything from a quick hand wash to a face cleanse on a dusty route to an emergency roll of toilet paper if you’re caught listening to nature’s call in the wilderness, these are a lifesaver. Extra pairs of lenses and eye drops are always handy.
Do not ignore this advice if you have dry eyes as I do. I travel with a pair of everyday disposable underwear and a few extras. In June, the relative humidity in Botswana’s Kalahari Desert was only 5%, and my eyes were constantly burning.
However, as parched as my eyes were after our occasionally windy and dusty game drives, I could have easily gone through two pairs a day. I only had one small bottle of moisture drops with me, which I used sparingly because I didn’t want it to run out. However, I now regret not packing more.
Journal And Ballpoint Pen In A Plastic Zip-Lock Bag:
This was something I learned the hard way on a previous trip when my torn travel journal, which contained handwritten logs of several amazing journeys, became wet.
Use a ballpoint pen instead of a rolling ball or felt pen, and store your journal in a Zip-Loc bag when not in use to protect it from the elements.
Even when the pages wrinkled, the ink ran, turning all of my recollections into an incomprehensible mess across half of the book’s pages.
Take A Polaroid Camera With You:
Yes, even in the digital age, Polaroid cameras are still popular, and there’s no better location to use one than in Africa. When I think back on it, I wish I’d brought one along so I could leave photos with the folks we met. Rather than leaving them a photo, I could only show them the camera’s playback screen. What a disappointment it was.
With this camera, you may delight camp staff, village residents, handicraft makers, and, most importantly, youngsters, who are enchanted to see themselves in a photograph.
Extra Batteries And Memory Cards For Cameras Are Always Handy:
You should always have a spare battery and memory capacity on hand. One night while camping, I unintentionally dropped a camera battery in the sand, and the next morning I couldn’t find it.
I was relieved that we’d bought two 8-gig memory cards because I took a lot more footage than I thought (imagine elephant herds racing through a water hole! ), and it takes up a lot of space. Even though I had my laptop with me to download images, I was hesitant to wipe my memory cards in case something happened to them.
We didn’t miss images of five lions circling our Land Rover that morning, or a leopard feasting on its impala carcass high in an acacia tree on the other side of the road. Because memory inexpensive cards, it’s a good idea to bring a lot with you.
Postcards From Your Loved Ones Back Home:
While wildlife is the primary emphasis of a safari, getting to know the locals is an unforgettable experience. Sending postcards is a terrific way to start a discussion.
Photos of Rocky Mountain National Park’s snowcapped peaks, black bears, mountain goats, and the University of Colorado. Where I’ve taught for many years, among the items I carried with me.
Photos of your hometown, local natural sites, or indigenous wild creatures are welcome. All of my new friends were eager to see pictures of where I came from and to make comparisons between the fauna in different countries.
