Packing
for an African safari is always a challenge, and Moonlight Tours Expedition
often takes last-minute calls from guests seeking help packing their bags,
which is understandable. You’ll be away from home over two weeks, traveling in
places where it is hard to pop out for extra socks or your favorite brand of
sunscreen. And maximum weight limits for luggage can be as light as 33 pounds
per person in East Africa, or 41 pounds per person in Southern Africa. Here,
one of Moonlight Tours Expedition most
well-traveled safari-goers, Cynthia Tuthill, shares her secrets for packing
everything she needs for her safari into a single carry-on.
We
pack everything in a small backpack, rather than use the duffel bags which Moonlight
Tours Expedition supplies, which would need to be checked. We love not having
to check any baggage!
Wear Your Safari Clothes on the Plane
We
wear one set of safari clothes (colored beige, khaki, green, or brown) on the
plane. This not only saves packing space, but leads to rather fun
conversations (typically starting with “Are you going on safari?”). Here is
what I wear:
1.
T-shirt
2.
Long sleeve shirt (with sleeves that roll up; for example from Exofficio)
3.
Vest
4.
Zip-off pants
5.
Hiking boots (or light-weight walking shoes in safari colors would be fine,
too)
6.
Safari hat (a Tilly-style is fine; I love the leather one that we bought in
Namibia
on one of our trips!)
on one of our trips!)
Pack Fewer Clothes, and Use Laundry Services at Camp
We
have found that no matter how long the trip, we only need a few items of
clothing since all the camps wash, dry, and press your clothes daily (most
camps can get clean clothes back to you even if you are staying for only 2
nights; my packing list allows me sufficient clean clothes to wear when I hand
over the ones to wash). Here is what I pack (in addition to what I’m wearing on
the plane):
7.
2 long sleeve shirts, 1 t-shirt
8.
3 socks, 3 panties, 1 bra
9.
1 pair zip-off pants
10.
Bathing suit
11.
Light-weight jacket, gloves, warm cap
12.
Pajamas
13.
Flip flops (for wearing around camp)
Pack Small Amounts of Toiletries for Carry-On
In
order to carry on our luggage, we each have one 1-quart stiff reusable clear
plastic bag, with the following liquid items:
First plastic bag, with everyday use items (which I place in the
bathroom in each camp):
14.
Travel contact lens solutions
15.
Hair conditioner (3 oz) (I have found that most camps provide shampoo)
16.
Mouthwash (3 oz)
17.
Sunscreen (3 oz) (also, most camps provide lotion)
18.
Toothpaste (3 oz)
19.
Toothbrush, floss
20.
Stick deodorant (3 oz)
21.
Comb
22.
Neosporin (I use this on my lips at night, to prevent chapping)
Second plastic bag, with backup items:
23.
Travel contact lens solutions (1 additional bottle for each 3 weeks of the
trip)
24.
Mouthwash (one additional 3-oz bottle for each week of the trip)
25.
Sunscreen (one additional 3-oz bottle for each 2 weeks of the trip)
26.
Toothpaste (one additional 0.75-oz tube for each week of the trip)
27.
Cortisone for bug bites
28.
Cough suppressant
Other Non-Liquid Toiletry Essentials for Camp Are Packed
Separately:
29.
Spare contact lenses
30.
Ciprofloxacin
31.
Ibuprofen
32.
Sudafed (no Benadryl in Zambia), allergy tabs
33.
Dramamine
34.
Tums, Imodium, Gas-x (if needed)
35.
Sore throat lozenges
36.
Hydrating powder tablets
37.
Clippers, tweezers, emery board
38.
Q tips
My Must-Have Safari Items
39.
Binoculars (with a small red light on the harness, for jotting notes during
night drives)
40.
Bird book
41.
Kindle (with books about Africa)
42.
Tiny notepads (2 per week) and pen on a pull-out chain hooked to my vest; I
carry these on drives
or walks, so that I can take notes about what we are experiencing
or walks, so that I can take notes about what we are experiencing
43.
Journal (to write longer stories from my notes, during siesta)
44.
Headlamp
45.
2 pairs reading glasses
46.
2 pairs sunglasses
47.
Cell phone (for use in airports, at least, even if there is no reception
elsewhere)
48.
Chargers and cords for phone, kindle
49.
Vitamins/meds/garlic/Malarone (anecdotal evidence shows that garlic helps cut
down on
tsetse bites; DEET does not help so we don’t bring it, as we don’t travel where there are
mosquitoes and DEET can dissolve plastic on cameras and binoculars)
tsetse bites; DEET does not help so we don’t bring it, as we don’t travel where there are
mosquitoes and DEET can dissolve plastic on cameras and binoculars)
50.
Metal water bottle (some camps provide them, but if you bring your own you can
use it in the
airports too)
airports too)
51.
Goggles (my husband has one set for day and another for night, since he is
sensitive to dust
getting in his eyes)
getting in his eyes)
52.
Lightweight carry bag for souvenirs
53.
For camera gear we bring one “point-and-shoot” (primarily for
landscapes), one SLR with a large lens (we rent a 100 - 400mm Canon), and a
small video camera (with a “dead cat” to cover the external microphone, to cut
down on any wind noise). We also bring a small tripod for selfies and a monopod
for walks and on the safari vehicles; and of course all the memory cards,
chargers, cords, and country-specific adaptors for the various cameras.
What NOT to Take on Safari
I
would never bring: “American” style t-shirts with logos; short
shorts; clothing that is dark blue or black (attracts tsetse flies!); bright
colored clothes (i.e. non-safari colors) … our guides have told us that not
dressing in the typical safari colors can decrease the experience as
it can startle animals (and other guests) and isn’t therefore “respectful” of
the type of trip we are on.
For more great safari packing tips and information, please email: moonlighttoursexpedition@gmail.com
info@moonlighttoursexpedition.org
or call one of our expert safari planners at: +255769927462