TEN TOP TIPS TO BE SAFARI SAVVY

Safari is all about getting in touch with nature and re-discovering your ‘wild self’.

But if you’ve never been out in the African bush before, there may be a few things that you haven’t considered or would be helpful to know ahead of time so that you can prepare yourself for an adventure of a lifetime.

Here are some of my top tips to help you avoid any unsuspecting pitfalls.

Tip 1: No Heave-Ho

Thankfully, lugging heavy, cumbersome suitcases around airports will not be required on many safari trips because a fair majority of game reserves are off the beaten path meaning they can only be accessed via small aircraft (think cosy 6-seater or 8-seater planes). Because of this, your hold luggage must be packed in soft bags, usually with a weight restriction limit of around 15kg.

Yes, just 15kg. (No divas allowed here!)

However, do not despair as some of the following tips will help aid a few of your packing dilemmas.

Photo Credit: (c) ​T J Allen Art

Tip 2: Forget London, Paris, Milan and New York

Fashion shows could not be further away from your clothing requirements out in the bush, so forget any thoughts about multiple fancy outfits for dinner or copious leisure-wear options for during the day. There really isn’t much opportunity or requirement to wear ‘non-safari’ clothes so it’s best to focus on practicality. For example: you’ll likely come straight from your nighttime game drive to the campfire for a drink and then to the table for dinner so there’s no time (nor reason) to change.

Recommended wardrobe requirements for safari consists of neutral coloured clothing that blends with the environment e.g. beige or khaki. It’s best to avoid white as it stands out like a sore-thumb to animals who see in black and white, plus the dusty environment will swiftly make sure it is ‘less than white’ in no time at all.

Tip 3: Scrub-A-Dub-Dub

Most lodges provide a free laundry service (apart from underwear which you are kindly asked to attend to yourself), so you only need a couple of options to rotate through. With the African sun providing great drying weather, your clothes will be returned to you as quickly as possible.

Despite all the safaris I’ve been on in the past, I still took too many things on my recent safari that I didn’t use so please take my advice and go minimalistic.

Photo Credit: (c) ​T J Allen Art

 Tip 4: Layer Up

When you think of African safaris, perhaps you immediately conjure up images of blazing sunshine and oppressive heat. While it’s true that temperatures do rise significantly in the daytime (could be between high 20 degrees and low 40 degrees), depending on where you are and what season you are travelling in, the nighttime temperatures can be astonishingly fresh, especially in winter (below 10 degrees or even freezing). Add to that an open-sided vehicle travelling through the wind before sunrise and after sunset and you will find yourself shivering in disbelief thinking, ‘This isn’t what I expected in Africa!’.

Note that blankets are provided on the vehicles (and sometimes much appreciated hot water bottles too), but it’s still a good idea to utilise your 15kg by packing some warmer layers. And believe it or not, it’s not too stupid a thought to pack a woolly hat for chilly winter mornings.

Tip 5: Signature Scent

Personally, I’d suggest leaving your heavy, expensive perfume or aftershave bottles at home because out in the bush, you’re better off wearing ‘eau de insect spray’! Yes, a fair majority of game reserves are in malarial areas or where tsetse flies hang out and want to sample you, so it’s best to avoid the itchy bites by dosing yourself in repellent.

Most camps / lodges provide insect spray (always best to check with them before travel) so you can save on your luggage weight limit and use theirs instead of packing your own. Same thought goes for shampoo/conditioner/shower gel/body lotion, I would recommend utilising their products and leaving yours at home if you want a lighter bag.

Tip 6: Au Natural

Safaris are all about embracing simple, wild living and there is a chance that your accommodation only has plug sockets in the main guest area for charging phones and camera batteries. So, ladies (and some gents!), that means it’ll be time for you to see what your natural locks look like as hairdryers and straighteners will be nowhere in sight.

If you’re anxious about frizzy, flat or untamed hair, trust me, you’ll end up being so absorbed in the wildlife and environment that any worries about your appearance will soon become the last thing on your mind.

Photo Credit: (c) ​T J Allen Art

Tip 7: Wash and Go

When you’re located at a game reserve miles away from civilisation, power is limited so you may find yourself coming across bathing facilities that you aren’t quite used to.

Some camps are set up with plumbed in showers where the water is heated by solar power. While the water is gloriously warm, it is best to note that it is not in infinite supply. I would recommend limiting your singing repertoire and focusing on getting on with the business at hand (while admiring the view of course if you have an outdoor bathroom), otherwise you could find yourself ending up with an unexpected cold finale.

Other camps have outdoor bucket showers which I have to admit are quite a novel and liberating experience. A word of advice for these situations is to turn the water off while you lather your shampoo or apply your shower gel. The bucket does hold a generous amount of water, but it can only hold so much and there is nothing worse than running out of water when you still have conditioner in your hair and soap suds on your skin . . . so use what you have wisely!

Tip 8: Connection Through Disconnection

This could send a few of you in a spin when I reveal that some safari locations have no wi-fi and also no phone signal.

Now, hang on a minute, before you cross the idea off and vow that you wouldn’t be able to cope with no internet/emails/messages/connection to the outside world, let me tell you that you’ll be surprised at how soon you begin recalibrating to the natural world and start enjoying the separation from technology and screens. You’ll start to observe and appreciate the environment around you and become far more connected to the present moment. Before you know it, your new-found sense of peace and relaxation will have you switching your thinking and you’ll start to dread your return to civilisation and the thought of facing an overspilling inbox.

Tip 9: Things That Go Bump In The Night

Unless you are an extremely heavy sleeper, it is fairly likely that you will encounter noises in the night made by nocturnal animals.

You can take one of two stances on this; you can let your imagination go into overdrive and conjure up crazy, ‘scary’ thoughts of animals coming to get you (which really isn’t going to happen) OR you can listen in wonder and awe at the amazing creatures going about their lives, blissfully unaware of their close proximity to you.

I encourage you to soak it up and eavesdrop with intrigue and appreciation as you try and figure out what is rustling in the grass or munching on leaves right outside your room (or in my case, who was the culprit who did a big wee outside my tent! Haha. My guess was a waterbuck from the sounding size of the bladder!).

For me, hearing lions roar, hippos grunt or hyenas laugh in the early hours of the morning is a privilege. My last trip had a leopard rubbing against the outside structure of my room to scent mark and it was exhilarating when I watched it through the mesh screen walking away into the darkness. Where else do you get to have experiences like that?

Photo Credit: (c) ​T J Allen Art

Tip 10: Wakey-Wakey

On safari, it is safe to say that if you snooze, you lose! Get yourself prepared because wake-up calls are between 5am and 5:30am in order for you to be out on the reserve before the sun rises. You may well get to see the cross-over of nocturnal animals heading home to bed before the daytime animals start to wake up and of course, you’ll have gorgeous glimpses of the sun popping up from the horizon. There is something about the intense, fiery glow of the African sun that somehow seems very different from how it looks in other places around the world.

If you’re usually one to stuff the pillow over your head and beg for more zzzzz’s, I think the incentive of wildlife encounters will generate a new spring in your step and an unusual leap out of bed.

Remember, there’s always a couple of hours after lunch before the afternoon game drive for you to catch up on any missed rest.

P.S.

And if your guide gets out of the vehicle stating that he needs to check the tyre pressure, have no fear. It’s simply a euphemism . . . you’ll soon hear a little tinkling sound at the back of the vehicle!