Packing for an African safari can be more challenging than one would assume. First, there are strict weight restrictions on your luggage by airlines as well as charter air carriers. It is therefore, important to consider this aspect before all else. Africa is not as hot as most people assume, it has varying weather patterns. Generally the weather is perfect and your clothes may take at most a day or two to get dry during the wet season. The third aspect to consider while packing for an African safari is the kind of safari you wish to undertake since each type of safari has unique needs with regards to clothing and activity-related gear.
It is quite common to stress over what to pack for your safari or even go overboard and overdo it.
Here are top 5 items to pack for an African safari.
1. A decent digital camera
There is no diversity of wildlife that can rival what Africa has to offer. You are almost guaranteed to see many and different animals during a game-drive in the wilderness. You will also come across wonderful sightings of scenic landscapes and vegetation cover that you will definitely want to capture on camera, by recording a short video or taking a photograph.
2. A Journal
African safaris are not popular for mere mainstream publicity. They are truly a life-time experience that you will want to relive over and over again. You will remember your safari experiences for many years after your trip. They will be buried deep in your memory lane. However, it is obvious you will not recall all of the happenings in detail, but a general memory of what you experience. A journal is exactly what you need to keep all those amazing moments in one neat space for you to read and re-read years after and share the joys for as long as life lasts.
3. An animal spotting guide
An African safari is irrefutably a pot of magical experiences. It will surprise you as to how diverse the wildlife in Africa is. You will appreciate the usefulness of an animal spotting guide to keep pace with the diverse animal species that you will see on safari game-drives. The perfect animal spotting guide is a magazine-sized, 20-page long booklet with illustrations of animals that you can easily compare and identify what you see out in the wild. With one quick glance, an animal spotting guide will inform you whether you have just seen a bushbuck an eland or a Thompson Gazelle.
4. Suitable clothes for the African Weather
The weather in Africa can get as hot or as cold as it can get depending on the season of the year. Do not assume that Africa is hot all year long, like most people belief. The diurnal temperature range in Africa is also quite big. The weather might be hot during the day and extremely cold at night. To match this dynamic weather, you need to pack some sweatshirts and travel pants. Travel pants are ideal since they come with zippers and Velcro pockets. They are perfect since the zippers allow for different configurations for both warm and cold weather conditions.
5. A Tilley Hat and sunscreen (SPF)
Generally, people go on safaris during the dry season in which the sun is intense. The dry season is quite hot and skin burns are going to haunt you unless you pack a tilley to protect your face. A tilley hat goes hand in hand with a sunscreen cream to protect the rest of your skin which is exposed to direct sunlight during travel.