A safari is essentially a trip to a wilderness area. Despite perhaps staying in a luxury lodge, you are still in the middle of the untamed bush and you need to go prepared to have a comfortable experience. This guide will advise you on what to take, the essentials and the optional extras.
Suitable Clothing
Taking the right clothes is of paramount importance, not just for comfort, but so that you blend into the surroundings, particularly if you’re going to be participating in a walking safari or wilderness trail.
Shirts, Shorts and Trousers
Your clothes should be in dull colours, such as browns, greens and greys. These are the ideal colours to wear in the bush. Think of the colours of the animals – they are generally in shades of brown, to blend in with the surroundings. So you should do the same!
Do not bring white or black clothes, or clothes with bright and vivid colours. A white shirt will stand out from miles away in the bush and you will be easily spotted by all the animals.
In the summertime you should wear light cotton clothing, or clothing with a mixture of cotton and polyester. It’s useful to buy shirts that you can wear in the morning when it’s cold, and then roll up the sleeves later as the day warms up. All good outdoor supply stores should sell this type of clothing.
If you are going for a bush walk during the day, it’s advisable to wear trousers rather than shorts, to protect your legs from the thorn bushes, long grass and the ticks. Avoid wearing shorts on the night drive too, as your legs will get very cold, especially in the winter. It is fine to wear some well worn-in jeans on a bush walk, though you may find these uncomfortable on longer walks and trails, as they are not very breathable.
Jacket, Coat or Fleece
In the winter it gets quite chilly in the morning and at night, so you should bring a wind-stopper fleece or other warm jacket to wear at these times. Especially on the night drive, as the wind from the moving open-top vehicle combined with the cool air can really get quite cold.
Hat or Cap
It’s very important to protect your head and face from the sun, to avoid sunstroke and dehydration. Any summer hat or cap will do.
The ideal clothing can be found in any specialist outdoor travel shop, of which there are many, both online and on the high street. Even army surplus clothing will be fine.
Footwear
General lightweight sports or comfort shoes are fine for game viewing from a vehicle, as are open toed sandals. If you are going for a bush walk however, sandals will not do, as they will leave your feet exposed to the spiky grass and the biting insects! Wear closed shoes, such as trail boots for light-weight hiking, or ideally walking boots. Though if you are only going for a brief bush walk, full weight walking boots are not necessary. You can even get away with wearing sports shoes although bear in mind that most sports shoes have quite soft soles, and thorns from a Sickle Bush and the like will easily puncture these shoes.
Day Bag
A small rucksack (around 20 litres), day bag or shoulder bag is a very useful item to bring onto the game viewing vehicle with you. You can carry a bottle of water in it and store your sunglasses, binoculars, camera, the sun cream and insect repellent.
If you are going on a full-day hike, you may want to carry a rucksack with up to 30 litre capacity to store lots of water in, though usually the guide will be carrying these supplies anyway.
Binoculars
You are not guaranteed to get up close and personal with every species of game, particularly animals such as birds, and some of the shyer creatures of the bush. Therefore it’s very useful to bring along some binoculars. They don’t have to be anything special, just a simple pair of 10 x 25 will be perfect. Many brands sell compact lightweight models which are ideal for carrying around in a day sack or in a pouch on your belt. All guides carry binoculars with them on the vehicles, so if you don’t want to buy your own you can always borrow the guide’s.
Camera
Most people bring cameras along to photograph their visit. Whilst standard digital cameras with an average zoom lens are fine when you get close to the animals, you will get better pictures if you bring a long range zoom lens along. However, these can be heavy and cumbersome and are not ideal for bush walks. But with a good zoom lens you’ll be able to get some impressive shots of the more elusive animals like birds, which typically fly away when you try to get close to them.
A good tip if you’re using an SLR camera, is to bring along a sandbag with you. Keep the bag empty, and fill it up with some sand or soil when you get to the lodge. When you’re on the vehicle, you can rest your camera lens on the sandbag for greater stability when taking pictures. Sandbags for photography usage are available from most specialist photography suppliers, online and on the high street.
Sun Protection
Dangerous animals aside, the sun is one of the bush dangers that many people forget about. The African sun is very strong and will burn you to a crisp if you don’t take precautions. Always wear plenty of sun cream. And bring along a pair of sun glasses too, as the glare from the sun can give people headaches and eye problems from squinting too much.
Insect Repellent
There are a number of different insect repellents on the market. Unfortunately, almost none of them work 100%! If a mosquito wants to bite you, it’ll bite you no matter what you smell like. But it’s worth wearing repellent to put off the less hungry insects.
Citronella and Eucalyptus
These are natural oils and can be bought as sprays and roll-ons. Both have a pleasant smell and are good for people with sensitive skin.
DEET
This is a chemical repellent and some sprays are available that contain DEET in very high quantities. You should test your skin with a small amount before applying it liberally, to check for reactions. It doesn’t smell very nice and you need to wash your hands after applying it.
Permethrin
Permethrin is the only repellent that actually kills the insect. If a mosquito decides that it wants to feast on you, it will certainly be its last supper. However, Permethrin is not widely available as an on-body repellent. It’s used to treat mosquito nets but don’t put this concentrate on your skin! There is a brand in South Africa called Bayticol which comes in a spray. You can treat your clothes with this to repel the majority of biting critters. It is not recommended to spray it on your skin.
Elephant Dung
We’re not suggesting you smother yourself in elephant dung. That will not only keep the insects away but everyone else on your safari. However, dried elephant dung burns very well, and the smoke from burning elephant dung is a natural mosquito repellent, creating a smell very similar to mosquito coils. So whilst not practical on a standard bush walk or drive, it’s the perfect material when camping out in the bush. Just throw a lump of it into the camp fire and the mozzies will head elsewhere!
A Note about Perfume and Cologne
Avoid wearing any type of perfume or cologne when you’re out in the bush, especially when you’re on a bushwalk (unscented deodorants are okay). Animals have an acute sense of smell, sometimes hundreds of times greater than ours. If you wear perfume, you could be detected from literally miles away, and if the animals don’t like your scent, they may decide to take cover!
