What To Pack on Safari to Africa -Gorilla Trekking Packing List.
The decision of what to bring on your safari in Africa comes after months of preparation. The items you pack for an African safari differ slightly from those you carry for other vacations.You’ll become dirtier than you anticipated when driving a pop-up top safari vehicle around dusty roads.
In addition, your schedule includes a variety of activities including game drives, treks, boat excursions, and bush plane flights, among others, due to the wide variations in temperature during the day in Africa.
As a result, you must be aware of the weight of your luggage and what you should bring.The items you should bring for your African safari are listed below.
Documents related to travel insurance, passports, itineraries, and electronic tickets
These may seem self-evident, but if we don’t mention them first, we would be negligent. For this reason, we stress that you pack everything first since you don’t want to be haphazard at the airport if you forget anything.
Accessories and Clothes
Given that safaris are often laid-back events, the ideal clothing to bring is light and loose-fitting so you can stay comfortable and easily dry off in the event of a downpour. As a result, you are free to leave your evening gown at home.
The following is an approximate list of clothing and accessories:
Two shirts with long sleeves
Three or four t-shirts
A cozy pair of shorts
A lightweight raincoat
Trousers or pants made of cotton
Sunglasses
Swimsuit (the majority of resorts and campers have pools)
Woolen hat with safari sunhat
cozy Robust walking and trekking boots and socks
Belt of money
A sandal pair (to be worn about the camp)
Warm fleece or jacket
Bandana or light scarf made of cotton
Pyjamas and underwear should be made of cotton so they dry quickly after washing.
Best Advice: Colors like white and any other bright colors tend to stick out and are not practical, therefore they are definitely not advised on a walking safari. Instead, neutral or drab colors are better suitable for safari. Make sure the clothing is made of cotton as well.
Dress comfortably and casually; in addition to wearing neutral-colored clothing, make sure that everything you brought fits you well, especially the pants. If you plan to hike Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania or go on a gorilla trip in Uganda, hiking boots are essential. Newer quick-drying materials, breathable shirts, and pants that can be readily turned into shorts are also worth taking into account (this will reduce the amount of trousers to pack).
In order to make their journey through the bush on Africa’s rocky roads more pleasant, women should also make sure they wear decent sports bras.
Camera, Video, and Binoculars
Everyone remembers to bring the newest phone and camera when they go on safari in Africa, but some people believe they will require binoculars.
In actuality, all you get is the best wildlife watching experience, but binoculars are crucial. A nice set of binoculars can significantly improve your safari. Make sure you buy the priciest pair you can manage. Binoculars with a magnification of at least 8x or 10x are crucial for seeing birds and animals.
And for the photographer, traveling to Africa with a camera—the sort depends on the photographer’s interests, level of seriousness, and other factors—is the stuff of dreams. Not only does Africa have an abundance of wildlife and birds of all shapes and sizes, but it is also endowed with breathtaking scenery, including rolling hills, wooded mountains, amazing light, and friendly, vibrant people! You must not pass up this opportunity. Invest in a camera in case you don’t already have one.
Among other items you’ll need are extra chargers, memory cards, and camera batteries.
Electronic Equipment
The items listed below are necessary since you will need to capture pictures to preserve your safari experiences and connect with your people back home.
iPad, tablet, phone, music player, or laptop
An electrical adapter
Rechargeable flashlight
Make sure you include the chargers and country-specific adapter connectors for each of these devices.
First Aid and Toiletries
Basic first aid supplies are available in all hotels and camps, as well as in some safari vehicles. However, it is crucial to have your own supply of basic hygiene and health supplies on hand, such as
Sunscreen or Sunblock
Personal hygiene products, such as toothpaste, toothbrushes, conditioners, shampoos, moisturizers, and deodorants
Ladies’ sanitary products
After-sun lotion
Malaria medications (should they be required)
Antiseptic gel (to wash your hands in case you don’t have access to water)
Contraceptives (you must have a supply if you are using the pill)
Medicines (diarrhea, cold, and flu medications, aspirin, and pain relievers like Tylenol)
Band-Aids
You will essentially need “meds” or “preventative pharmaceuticals,” so remember to bring some along just in case something goes wrong. These include headaches, bites, diarrhea, sore throats, heartburn, or indigestion. Eye drops are also helpful, but the most important of these are the anti-malarial tablets.
Carrying Bags
Above all, make sure you just bring one piece of hand baggage because having many items makes traveling much more difficult. Naturally, a purse also counts as a second item! You should only bring hand baggage that is the exact size that the airline would allow for carry-on luggage.
Make sure your camera bag has adequate room for your prescription medication, glasses, travel papers, change of clothing, and binoculars so that you may take less items.
Additionally, since airline regulations are subject to regular changes, make sure you carefully check and pay attention to them. This ensures that the prohibitions on bringing certain items on board an airplane, such as liquids, sharp objects, and flammables, are still in effect.
Chances and Outcomes
To retain a solid record of your safari, you might also bring a decent travel journal or diary, which you could use to capture all you see and experience in a little period of time.
A good book is advised; bring along an engaging book to read since you never know when you could be delayed when connecting from one airport to another. In such case, you might want to take out your book and read it while you wait for your next flight.
A route map, a decent rechargeable torch (any kind of lighting), a pointer (particularly for people who are bird watching),
Pack with a purpose.
Local communities, both inside and outside of wildlife reserves and parks, are supported by the majority of lodges, travel companies, and safari camps. Ask your safari operator whether you may bring any things to donate to these areas, like as school supplies, clothes, or medication, just in case you want to help these people.
Avoid dressing in anything that may be seen as “camouflage.” Any green or brown “combat style” fabric is what we mean by this. even though it’s the newest fashion trend, even if it’s your cap or your 13-year-old wearing it. Because of excessive fear, authorities, particularly the police, may interrogate or harass you over such kind of clothing code in the majority of African nations. Simply don’t carry such clothing to avoid this, which might cause you trouble.
When going on safari, avoid packing or carrying pricey jewelry. Bring only the things you most likely wear every day, such your wedding band and cheap necklaces and earrings. Try to keep things as simple as you can.
In the event that your suitcase lacks a locking mechanism of its own, we recommend using one or more combination locks to secure the zippers.
Although the straps on your baggage might help, tampering with luggage still happens at airports, so be careful. Additionally, certain airports have capabilities for shrink-wrapping.
10. Lastly, remember to have tolerance, common sense, and a sense of fun.
Verify the destination’s weather conditions.
For information on the weather in the place you are going, go online or speak with your travel agent. This reduces the amount of luggage you need to carry because you might not require any major cold weather clothing. You will need a scarf, a beanie, gloves, and a heavy jacket if you are traveling to a country where the temperature drops significantly after the sun sets.
Areas like the Okavango, Kruger, Linyanti, and Hwange are extremely chilly throughout the winter months of June through August; it is absolutely freezing in the late evenings and early mornings. And this is made worse by the wind cold that comes with searching for animals in an open car on a game drive.
It’s time to organize your safari.
We hope that the preceding advice will assist you in determining what you should and shouldn’t bring on your safari in Africa. You won’t regret packing unnecessary items for your safari or leaving anything behind. You are prepared to embark on your remarkable journey through Africa after everything you have packed is in order.