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.
How does a woman pack for a safari in Africa? Especially when it’s going to be
a year long. I am asked this question time and again by considerate fellow
female travellers. My strained reply is always the same: “with great
difficulty.”
There is only one thing I hate about travelling and that is packing. Why is it
that men are able to just throw a few shorts, T shirts and underpants into a
grab bag and emerge a few minutes later with a smug “well that’s that
sorted” look on their face?
It’s a very different juggling act for most women. Especially when you pack
with a “What if?” and “Just in case” scenario at the back of your mind.
After you’ve dragged out all the possible options from every corner of your
wardrobe, weight is always the elephant in the room that can’t be ignored
any longer.
A far better option is to start by researching the best luggage, clothing,
health and technical gear that will cover all eventualities. Then be
rigorous about taking only essentials. And before you go any further, treat
yourself to some hand-held digital weighing scales. They will save you so
much grief at the airport.
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.