African Safari Packing Tips

One More Adventure Safaris, African Safari Packing Tips:

How to pack for an African safari is the big question that we receive the most when it comes to preparing for this trip of a lifetime. You get a lot dustier than you may expect because of the roads and, you may be surprised to know that you’ll be quite chilly on the early morning game drives.

We may love luxury, but when you’re in the bush there’s just some things that can’t be “luxified” so here we have our best tips and tricks to packing for your next Safari. We’ve put together a little packing list to help you figure out what to take, and what to leave behind, and leave room for a few curios.

At One More Adventure Safaris, we guide you on how to pack for your African safari with us.

FIRST, AND FOREMOST, THE BAG!

AN EXERCISE IN THE ART OF TRAVELING LIGHT

Over the years many of our guests have done considerable research on what bag to buy. We are always interested in new suggestions. For now the two top choices seem to be the following:

Eagle Creek No Matter What Duffel Medium (www.eaglecreek.com) (this bag is 1 inch deeper than most regulations so don’t fill the bag to bursting!)

Safari Beanos Bag PR5 (www.redoxx.com)

The best thing to bring for this is a soft side medium-sized duffel bag and a small carry-on for any extras.

Once you have your bag it is time to plan your packing. The main points to remember are that:

• Most safari camps / lodges and hotels provide basic toiletry amenities.
• Laundry can be done on a daily basis (many camps provide this service free of charge but some camps and hotels do charge a nominal fee).
• Mainly casual clothing is required, for your leisure free time.

As no formal clothes are needed throughout most of East Africa, it is possible to limit luggage to the basics. More formal attire is usually required only when staying in the more prestigious city hotel establishments. On a wildlife safari, casual clothing is the order of the day. Just dress ready for an adventure.

WHAT TO PACK

From deciding which essentials you’ll need to bring to double-checking you’ve got everything before you go, packing is the most important thing you’ll do before heading out on safari. Which means it’s equally important that the bag you choose to bring with you is up to the task.

The weather in East Africa is generally pleasant throughout the year – cool to warm days, and cool to chilly nights – with summer (September to April) being the hotter months. During the winter months however (May to August), it can get really cold at night and in the early morning, particularly when on safari, so we would suggest that you pack accordingly.

To get you started, here’s our list for the must-have/must-bring for when our team heads out on safaris. The lists below should cover all the basics from top to bottom:

FOR LADIES & GENTS: DRESSING FOR YOUR SAFARI

Safaris are generally casual affairs, even at the high-end camps, so leave the sparkles at home, and make sure that you will be warm and comfortable by packing layers and great basics.

Most Important

• Passport (please ensure you have a minimum of 3 blank visa (not endorsement) pages in your passport. If you don’t have blank visa pages you may not be allowed to board your flight to Africa) as well as have a minimum of 6 month to the expiry date.
• Photocopy of passport photo page (in case of loss)
• Airline tickets
• Itinerary and any e-tickets or vouchers
• Pen for filling out customs forms etc
• Cash/travelers cheques and credit cards
• Small denomination dollar bills for miscellaneous tipping (Please ensure that all US Dollar notes are dated 2007 or later.)
• Insurance documentation
• Any personal medication or equipment

Clothing

• Cap or wide brim sun hat
• T-shirts (preferably with a sleeve to protect your shoulders from the sun)
• Long-sleeved cotton shirts
• Shorts for leisure
• Long trousers/slacks
• Pyjamas (warm/thermal in winter and lightweight in summer)
• Underwear (for ladies a sports bra is recommended for game drives as the roads can be bumpy and uneven)
• Socks (thermal options are recommended during the winter months)
• Good closed walking shoes (thick soled trainers are adequate and light walking boots for walking safaris)
• Sandals (preferably Teva-type)
• Swimming costume (some camps have a pool)
• More formal attire for your stay at any prestigious city hotels or beachwear for any beach add-ons.

Additional clothing – Cold winter months (May to August)

• Warm anorak or parka
• Scarf, gloves and beanie/woolen hat

Additional clothing – Warm summer months (November to March)

• Lightweight rain gear
• Lightweight sweater/jumper

Note: Bright colors and white are not advised whilst on safari. For gorilla and primate trekking, bright shouting colors are not allowed. Camouflage clothing is not recommended for travel in Africa. Dark bush colors in natural fabrics work best.

Equipment/Other

• Good quality sunglasses (preferably polarized. Tinted fashion glasses are not good in strong light)
• If you wear contact lenses, we recommend that you bring along a pair of glasses in case you get irritation from the dust. If you wear prescription glasses then bring a spare pair.
• Torch (ideally one per person)
• Personal toiletries (basic amenities are supplied by most establishments)
• Malaria tablets (if applicable) and any other personal medications
• Antihistamine tablets if you suffer from any allergies
• Anti-nausea tablets if you suffer from motion sickness
• Moisturizing cream, suntan lotion and lip balm (SPF 30 or higher recommended)
• Insect repellent for body application (Tabard, Rid, Jungle Juice etc)
• For a natural repellent against mosquitoes and tsetse flies try SkeeterBeater (www.naturesgift.com/skeeter.htm)
• Basic medical kit (aspirin, plasters, Imodium, antiseptic cream and anti-histamine cream etc)
• Tissues / “Wet Ones”
• Locks for duffel bags and luggage
• Small day pack for use on safari
• Camera equipment (ideally with a long telephoto lens for game viewing) with plenty of film/memory cards and spare batteries. An image storing device is recommended as there are no facilities for downloading photos in the camps. Most camps have facilities for recharging batteries and storage devices.
• Waterproof/dust proof bag/cover for your camera
• Binoculars – these are essential in order to get the most out of your safari (ideally one per person). 8×40 or 8×42 is the recommended general purpose binocular specification for both birding and mammal viewing.
• East Africa bird guide if you are a keen birder

Things to leave at home

• Jewelry and other valuables
• Cologne/ Perfume (attracts insects)

Potential Lost Luggage

From time to time we hear from guests that a bag has gone astray while on their scheduled flights en-route to their destination and there can be a delay of 48 hours or longer before the bag and guests are reunited. Luggage that goes missing on scheduled flights is beyond the control of the airline as the airport controls what happens to passengers’ luggage from when it is checked in/out until it is put on/taken off the aircraft.

We suggest that you take the following precautionary action: pack a small bag with your essentials including any life sustaining medication, which can be carried with you as hand luggage. If your luggage goes missing, you will still have your essential items on hand to see you through the first couple of days while we try and recover your lost baggage. Also, for couples or families travelling with more than one item of baggage it is sensible to ensure you have a mix of clothes in each bag, rather than just one person’s clothes in each, such that in case of luggage lose, you will have something to wear as we awaits to unit you, with your bags.

Travelers are encouraged to secure their luggage with Transportation Security Administration (TSA) approved locks, use an airport plastic wrapping service and avoid placing any items of value in checked luggage. Make an inventory of items in checked baggage to aid in claims processing if theft does occur.