The packing guide
What to bring on safari, what to leave at home, and the one thing no lodge can lend you. An honest packing list from the team in Hoedspruit.
You have booked your safari and are now wishing the time away. Entirely understandable. In the meantime, the question we are asked more than any other is a practical one: what do I actually bring?
So we have put this together. Not an exhaustive list, an honest one. The short version is that you need less than you think, and the things you do need are not the things the outfitters' catalogues would have you believe.
Two things worth knowing before you start. Southern Africa sits below the equator, so the seasons run opposite to Europe and North America: our winter is your summer. And the bush is far more relaxed than people expect. Nobody dresses for dinner here.
Beyond your travel documents and bank cards, here is everything else.
Pack light. Everyone over-packs.
International flights are generous with luggage. The light aircraft and safari vehicles that follow are not. Soft bags and sensible weights, at roughly half of what your first instinct suggests.
01 /Light cotton clothing
Neutral tones in light fabrics, preferably cotton. Three t-shirts and three pairs of shorts will do. Skip white (it shows the dust) and go easy on the khaki. You are going on safari, not auditioning for one.
02 /Long sleeves and trousers
A couple of long-sleeved tops and a pair of long trousers or jeans. Evenings can turn surprisingly cold, and long sleeves are the politest way to tell a mosquito no.
03 /A smarter outfit, if you like
Pack one smarter set if you like, but it is genuinely not needed. Nobody dresses for dinner in the bush. Worth the space instead, for the ladies: a supportive bra. Game drives are not famous for their suspension.
Choose a high factor: SPF 30 to 50. The African sun does not negotiate, even in winter, and sunburn is a poor souvenir.
04 /A lightweight jacket
Temperatures on safari swing wildly. A winter morning drive can be bitter; by midday you are back in shorts. The answer is layers you can shed and add as the day decides what it is doing.
05 /A good pair of trainers
Unless you are doing a dedicated walking safari, heavy hiking boots are dead weight. A durable pair of trainers is all you need, plus flip-flops or sandals for the lodge and the pool.
06 /A wide-brimmed hat
First-time visitors reliably underestimate the sun, particularly in the late afternoon. Choose a hat that shades your eyes and, ideally, the back of your neck, the spot everyone forgets and everyone burns.
The Kruger and Sabi Sand are malaria areas. Speak to your doctor about prophylaxis well before you travel, and then remember to pack it.
07 /Sunglasses
Essential rather than optional. The midday glare out here can give you a proper headache if your eyes are not used to it.
08 /Camera, memory cards and charger
You will take more photographs than you think. Everyone does. Bring more memory cards than seems reasonable, and do not forget the charger. That mistake gets made every season.
09 /Phone, chargers and adaptors
Bring every charger you own and the adaptors to match. South African sockets take a three-round-pin plug that surprises most visitors; lodges usually keep universal adaptors, but it is safer to pack your own.
Painkillers, insect repellent, any chronic medication for the whole trip, and anything you cannot easily buy in South Africa. Lodges keep the basics.
10 /Binoculars
Some game vehicles carry a shared pair, but you will not want to share. A leopard in a marula tree at two hundred metres deserves your own glass on it, focused for your own eyes.
The bush has a dress code
Nothing here is a rule. But the bush rewards those who dress like part of the scenery. The animals notice those who do not.
Wear the landscape
Leave at home
It is for the army, not for you. In several African countries it is illegal for civilians to wear it, and everywhere else it simply marks you out as a first-timer. The bush does not need help pretending you are not there. Khaki manages it perfectly well.
The things that are not things
11 /A sense of humour and a little patience
African time exists, and it is not a flaw. The day here is measured in light rather than minutes. Things take a little longer, and are better for it. Arrive prepared to move at a different pace, and you will find it is the thing you miss most when you leave.
The best-packed bag still leaves room for what you bring home, and none of that takes up luggage space.
Still deciding where the bag is going? Shape your safari and we will point you in the right direction. And if you are already booked and have a question this guide has not answered, write to us. One of us will write back.
vikki@marulahill.com · sian@marulahill.com · roxanne@marulahill.com
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