What to pack on safari - her

Decisions, decisions, decisions: how on earth does a girl pack for a safari? In the first of our ‘Her & Him’ two-parter, Sarah Madden offers some hard-won tips.

Luggage bags
Efficient packing for a safari starts with choosing the best luggage. Many international airlines now only accept one piece of luggage in the hold which could be difficult if you later need to split your belongings into smaller, soft bags for internal flights in light planes.
Weight limits must be adhered to or else you get clobbered by fees which can really add up when you use more than one airline to get to your final destination. We managed to get around this ‘only one piece of luggage each’ rule by splitting our four soft bags into two pairs and wrapping each pair in the security bubble wrap service available at the airports. (Bubblewrap and/or small padlocks are always a good idea if you’re travelling to Africa anyway).
You may also find yourself on internal flights in small light aircraft which have a strict weight allowance. (Talk to your operator to find out the details beforehand to avoid unpleasant surprises.) Typically, this will be between 12-15 kg in the hold with a total baggage allowance of 20 kg per person (which includes everything you carry on as hand luggage like heavy camera equipment and binoculars).
On light planes, you must travel with soft bags so they can fit more easily into the small hold underneath the plane. Without hesitation, our favourite safari bag company is Sandstorm (sandstormkenya.com;Large Explorer bag £245). Sandstorm is a Kenya-based company with outlets all over the world that specialises in safari luggage whose safari-chic good looks are combined with a strong, rugged build quality and where aircraft cabin size is key. Sandstorm offer a full travel range of tan, safari green coloured leather and canvas bags – everything from leather holdalls, duffel bags, backpacks and wash bags. In our opinion, nobody does safari luggage better.

Clothing
Lightweight packing is essential and bringing the correct clothing to wear for the time of year is key. The only constant is heat – but you may also have to contend with wet and cold depending on the time of year. Yes, Africa’s weather can sometimes be just as complicated and varied as ours. In the rainy/summer season from Oct-March in southern Africa, for instance, temperatures often reach over 100F so a safari hat is essential to protect you from the strong African sun. Do not leave home without one. This is so important that it is worth repeating: do not leave home without one.
General recommendations are: you won’t need more than three functional shirts. Add two zip-off trousers and you will have both shorts and trousers. To this add a fleece and a safari jacket or vest so you can easily carry all your essentials. A lightweight fleece is advisable even in summer and essential in winter. And the best colours for the bush (you want to blend in, not frighten the animals away) are neutral colours: sand, stone, khaki, green and olive.

My recommendations
For all-round safari clothing, my personal favourite are the beautifully designed, practical clothes from Swedish outdoors clothing brand, Fjӓllrӓven (stockists: 02392 528711; fjallraven.com; long sleeve safari top £80). Lightweight, technical and with UV and bug protection, it has hardwearingfabric, cooler than cotton, and doesn’t crease. I have been living in their trousers and shorts and particularly like the styles with all the various pockets.
An alternative to taking a fleece is to pack a lightweight, down jacket for the cooler nights/early mornings that you get in the winter months. Kathmandu have an ultralight ladies-fit down jacket (kathmandu.co.uk ;£159.99) which folds into a very small sack and is feather light and comes in a slate grey neutral colour that works for the bush. Perfick!

Consider a breathable waterproof like those produced by the excellent (and environmentally responsible) Paramo (paramo.co.uk) but most lodges do provide ponchos for game drives, so they’re not absolutely critical. You also don’t need to take too many doubles of clothes as most camps will do washing and return it on the same day.
Make sure you also have a lightweight and breathable pair of walking shoes. If you’re walking in the bush, you do need your feet to be covered and the grass can be wet in the early morning but don’t bring heavyweight trekking boots. I found some very tough but lightweight and comfortable Meindl (meindl.co.uk) Rapide Lady khaki walking shoe/trainers (RRP: £119.99) which have also doubled as an evening shoe. For added comfort and support I had some Superfeet (superfeet.co.uk) insoles specifically made for the shoe and the combination is the ultimate in comfort and support
The best sunglasses for the bush have polarising lenses to reduce glare. Maui Jims (mauijim.co.uk; £245) hit the spot – if you want to spot a croc underwater before everyone else, arm yourself with a pair.

Technical kit
A good pair of binoculars should not just be an optional extra. Why spend all that money on getting there and staying there if you’re missing out on the close-up action? The top quality, top dollar, king of the optical brands is Swarovski (swarovskioptik.com). One guide recently referred to them as the ‘Ferraris of the bush’.
And for a reason. You won’t find better optics than outside the Hubble telescope. But they are expensive. One answer is to try out their less expensive newly introduced lightweight travel range (8x32) - the 8 is for magnification and the 32 is the diameter of the base lens (i.e. the larger the number the more light is let in and the clearer the image).
For most people, nothing is more essential than a camera. I took a Leica V-Lux super-zoom compact (020 7629 1351, leica-camera.co.uk; £690) which takes top-class video as well. Its main advantage for me is the magnification. I seem to be able to get fantastic close-ups. It also has some wonderful settings like Expressive, Quiet Mode (perfect for safaris), B&W film grain, 3D, that take brilliant, clear shots even in low light. I’m particularly enjoying the b & w setting giving a great reportage-style to the photos.

Getting the right picture on safari is important
As well as his Nikon, Richard also has a Panasonic HC-X900M Video Camera (shop.panasonic.com) on which he has been shooting our Bush Telegraph video reports. No doubt he will wax lyrical on the subject when he comes to write the Boy’s Toys feature at a later date. He also swears by Bushnell products (bushnell.com) and their monoculars (a one-lensed binocular) and night cameras.
If you don’t feel like taking a large camera or video, the iPhone 4S Smartphone (apple.com) is a great stand-in. You never know when you might want to film something and keeping your iPhone close is never too much trouble. I have captured some magical unexpected events/appearances which I wouldn’t have been able to if purely relying on a camera. Plus you can use Twitter and Instagram when there’s a signal. Even if you have to stand on a termite mound to get one. Which leads me on to one of the most amazing apps for the bush: Star Walk. You get some of the best (and darkest) skies in the world in the bush and when you’re new to the southern hemisphere it’s a fantastic tool for learning about unfamiliar stars, constellations, satellites – you name it.
Medical/ cosmetic/ health
Having lived and worked in the bush in my 20s, I know the importance of travelling with a good basic medical kit. Although most camps have the essentials, nothing ruins a safari quicker than an upset stomach or illness. I prefer to be totally prepared and have a well-stocked small pharmacy of first-aid items. Included are sterilised needles and waterproof plasters which came in very useful for the treatment of a nasty blister beetle sting a few weeks back. You also should include make-up, sunscreens, and face creams that protect from the sun.
Travel and sickness often go hand-in-hand for a number of reasons. Firstly, you’re often tired (repeated 4am wake-ups can take their toll) and your immune system is depleted from travelling. You’re also exposed to new bacteria that may be harmless to the locals but for us quickly leads to an upset stomach, diarrhoea, nausea, cramps or bloating.

My recommedations include: capsules from BioCare that provide both probiotics, and plant oils in a daily supplement, helping to manage the digestive system.
Nature’s Plus Krill Oil (revital.co.uk) daily for the omegas we need for essential protein building in the body.
Drinking two to three litres a day is advisable to avoid the sometimes dangerous effects of dehydration. A concentrated liquid of Elete (www.eletewater.co.uk), an electrolyte concentrate which is great to add to drinking water as an extra boost in excessive heat. Incidentally, to avoid dehydration from all the heat it’s a good idea to keep a good electrolyte balance in the water from all the salts excreted through sweat.
Talking of which, a water bottle is essential and avoids thousands of unnecessary plastic water bottles being transported into the bush every year. Wilderness Safaris give all their guests a water bottle at the beginning of their safaris for just this reason.
Anti-malarials and vaccinations: Always follow the advice of your doctor. Also catch upon different countries’ requirements for Yellow Fever vaccinations before you leave. Check the individual country advice on the Foreign Office website. MASTA (masta-travel-health.com) also has advice on malaria zones, and vaccinations.
Skin care
The African sun can be brutal. I recommend the SkinCeutical skin care range, as well as a Phyto Corrective Gel to soothe and calm sun-irritated skin, and Green People sun creams. They make a non-fragrant one which is good in the bush and doesn’t attract insects.
The basics
 You can travel  with Campofrio-Safaris (campofrio-safaris.com), which offers access to more than eight million acres of Africa’s finest wildlife reserves through the environment-friendly camps it runs in East Africa.