What to pack for your safari adventure - Part Two
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I’m in the mist of last-minute organizing of my upcoming safari and one question that I repeatedly are being asked by some of my guests is “What do I have to pack for my African Safari”.
Continuing on from my previous post “what to pack for your safari adventure - Part One” we will dive deeper into more recommended accessories, camera gear to take along and some more helpful tips.
One could reason that these are not as critical as in part one cause in reality a lot of these discussed below could easily be left at home without having a major impact on your fabulous holiday.
But as the saying by Franz Kafka goes,
“Better to have, and not need, than to need, and not have.”
So if you have the space in your bags you might as well pack it in, if you have reason to believe that it will make your life easier. After all this is to eliminate any kind of stress so if you have them, bring them.
Packing Tip:
Better to have, and not need, than to need and not have.
Travel Essentials:
Ok, I know I just said that some things left at home might not be the worst thing but there are unfortunately a few absolutely essentials you have to bring on any kind of travel. Without them I do think it could have very serious implications on your levels of stress.
Passport and other important documents.
Obviously, one can not fly internationally without a passport, so make sure that you always know where that is. I know it can happen that when you are in a rush or excited to get out the door on the day of travelling that you simply leave it laying somewhere. Throw in some kids, or pets that are in need of attention, and things could get pretty chaotic. Knowing exactly where your travel documents are would really help. Therefor, whether travelling solo, with your partner or with a family, I would recommend you have some kind of passport holder. They can typically hold a few passports, maybe some credit cards or your keys and even your boarding passes. It’s all together in one place and easily accessible when needed.
Remember to also bring your drivers license if you are intending to rent a vehicle in the destination country and all other travel documents that you might require. This might be Visas or Travel insurance documents or even instructions or directions for when you get to your destination. Simply add them all to your passport holder and have piece of mind knowing that its all there, together, snuggly in their own little haven. Now, just don’t loose that Holder!!!!
Money, credit Cards.
I always tell my wife that as long as I have my wallet, whatever comes our way we will be able to handle it. With that I mean even though Africa in general or South Africa is considered “Third world”, you can very easily access an ATM or shop with your cards at thousands of shops, restaurants, coffee shops or other service providers etc. So if you have forgotten something there is a very good chance you will be able to buy it somewhere. No need to sweat it. Just make sure that before you fly you let your credit card company or bank etc know that you will be travelling abroad, just so that they will not be locked out or flagged for possible fraud. It is wise to have some cash on hand in the local currency but it could also be easily obtained from one of the hundreds of thousands of ATM’s all over.
Travel tip:
I would recommend that one person in your travel party are considered the dedicated passport holder. This person should be responsible for holding it and keeping it safe throughout all your travelling.
And remember to phone your credit card company to minimize any potential payment or money crisis.
Accessories and travel gadgets
Sunglasses:
Everyone has their favourite pair and what works the best for their eyes. Personally I like something with a good UV protection or even polarized lenses, as the African sun can be harsh. Sunglasses are very useful while driving on the safari vehicle as it can keep the dust, the wind and even some insects out of your eyes. I’m an Oakley kind of guy but everyone is familiar with the ever popular Ray-ban’s. Whatever your need there is a pair out there.
Plug or power adapter:
South Africa uses type D, M, and N plugs (230V, 50Hz). A universal travel adapter with USB ports is ideal.
Portable Electronics charger:
Handy to have in your back pack for on the go charging of your phone or other devices.
Small flashlight or headlamp:
Small, bright flashlights are Ideal for walking back to your room at night after supper. Rechargeable Headlamps are very handy if you need to be hands free for some reason. Being rechargeable also means less batteries ending up in landfills.
Lightweight camp towel:
Lightweight microfiber towels have many uses. While travelling they will be handy when going to the gym or even while laying next to the swimming pool. They could even be used on the game viewer to protect cameras etc from dust.
Kindle or Ipad:
If you love to read while relaxing next to the swimming pool , you need an Amazon Kindle or even a Kobo reader. You simply download an eBook or audiobooks from either The Amazon App or from Kobo plus.
Journal:
A journal is a blanc canvas and just probes you to find your creative side. Why not use it to write down your everyday travels, what you ate , what you drank, what you did for activities, the weather, the funny things locals say, some marvellous experiences or even a love story inspired by your travels. Jot it down in a beautiful journal so your trip could have meaning to you, even years later.
Headphones:
Have you ever been on a long flight with hours to kill and you trying to watch a movie but the flimsy earphones they gave you are just not doing the sound justice. Or maybe a crying baby is keeping you awake during the flight. This is your sign to invest in a good pair of noise cancelling headphones. Just don’t forget to bring the detachable audio cable otherwise you might just have to revert to those flimsy earphones.
Accessories Tip:
Make sure to charge your batteries on your Kindle/ Kobo readers and your headphones before travelling. Nothing worse than trying to use your gadgets on a long flight for instance, just to find out its got no life left.
Recommended photography gear.
In today’s world cameras are as advanced as can be and the technology in them is getting crazier by the minute. Just look at the cameras that are in every phone these days and you can just imagine how far the technology has come. Choosing the best camera for wildlife photography depends on your needs, such as your budget, desired features it needs, your shooting style and your level of experience. I am going to look deeper into cameras in a future blog post and for now we will just look into what I would recommend.
Please note these are recommendations only and it’s not necessary to go out and buy new gear or to have it all as written down below. Henry’s is my go to store for great deals on cameras, lenses and everything else photography related. Photo gear could also be rented from reputable companies like Henry’s or Orms in South Africa (please get in contact if you need assistance with this regard).
Cameras:
Personally I always have two bodies with me but it most certainly is not a necessity. As a photographer I have a few different shooting styles and therefor different needs in the cameras and lenses I use.
Dust is a serious problem for camera equipment and having two bodies with different lenses on just eliminates the risk of getting dust on your sensor, every time you switch a lens around.
Having different focal lengths on two separate cameras also ensures a much higher success rate in your keepers as you can just pick up your camera and be ready for the shot vs fumbling around trying to change lenses.
Canon, Sony , Nikon and Olympus are in my opinion the leaders in the industry and you can’t go wrong with any of their cameras, whether it is a bridge camera, a mirrorless camera or the old DSLR cameras.
Lenses:
Telephoto zoom lenses in the range of 100-400mm/ 150-600mm would be ideal but not necessary.
Medium telephoto Zoom lenses in the range of 24-105, 18-200, 70-200 or 70-300mm.
Wide-angle lenses for landscape and possible star scapes.
Stabilization:
Light travel tripod- Not a necessity but can be helpful if planning to do some video work around the camp or possibly doing night time or low light photography.
Monopod - Again not really necessary but could help with stabilizing shots on the game viewer, especially if using longer lenses and if your shooting style consist of both photo and video. Some tripods might even have the option to remove one leg and could be used as a monopod.
Gimbal head or fluid head could be used with the tripod, instead of the ball head it came with. It could also be used with the monopod if there is enough room for your gear on the safari viewer. This will be a very sturdy option to shoot long, heavy lenses.
I love these molar bean bags from Lenscoat. They could fit over a door, a handle or any surface for that matter. It is very useful to stabilize big lenses especially for taking videos of the animals. What is really impressive is you can empty the contents of the bag and fill them with whatever you want. For instance, when at your destination grab a few bags of rice/bean/lentils etc in a grocery store, fill the bag with said product and after your safari empty the contents and donate it to someone that could use it for a meal or two. Your empty bean bag will be light and small to pack into your bag and you may have blessed someone in the process too. It’s a win win.
Memory cards and card reader
They come in all shapes and sizes so just be aware of your needs for your specific camera -Compact Flash, SD Cards, Micro SD Card.
Memory Card reader are very useful to make back ups of photos and videos to laptop or external drives while on safari.
Memory Card Holder are an excellent tool to keep all your memory cards, and even spare batteries safe, secure and organized.
Batteries and chargers:
Always bring spare batteries for your specific cameras and make sure All of them are fully charged before going out on any game drive.
Be sure to pack all your Battery chargers and cables and label each accordingly so you don’t have to scratch your head trying to charge anything.
A small pouch is very handy in keeping your chargers and cables neatly organized and in one place.
Binoculars:
Optics of high quality is a must for anyone interested in birding. Even if you are not a birder having them will bring joy to you when using them to look at far away animals. There is a plethora of binoculars on the market and I would suggest to go to any outdoor shop and maybe try them before you buy. They are an investment and if bought right will last you a lifetime.
Phone:
If your phone is the only camera you will bring ensure you have enough storage on your phone to keep all of your incredible memories. Consider doing an update to your system so there is no funky things happening with your phone while on safari. Downloading a Camera app from either the Google Play Store or from the Apple App store might be a brilliant way to give you more control in manually changing settings etc for both photo and video mode. This will give you more creative controls that could improve your photos and videos by a long shot.
Action cameras:
Action cameras are very cool and if used correctly can get you some incredible perspectives that are not easy to get otherwise. GoPro, DJI Osmo Action or the Insta 360 is your go to brands.
Hard drives:
Portable External Hard drives comes in handy for backing up your precious photographs and video from your trip.
Laptop:
Laptop to import your photos from the memory cards and to do some post processing.
Lens cleaning:
I always have a Lens pen or microfiber cloth in my camera bag. They are great for cleaning the front elements of your lenses without scratching or damaging them. We’ve talked about dust before and most certainly it will accumulate on your front lens elements throughout your safari.
Drones:
I love drones and the birds eye perspective that one can get from them. Unfortunately just like other countries, drones are not permitted in National Parks. Be sure to read the regulations regarding drones in your destination country and always, always obey the laws regarding flying a drone. Do it for the safety of animals and for your own protection.
Photography Equipment Tip:
It is very possible that you will have incredible encounters and opportunities to photograph or take videos of various animals and birds while on safari. Do remember to have all your gear charged up and ready to go for every game drive.
If you are a serious photographer or videographer , regularly back up everything.
And most importantly , don’t get hung up on the shots to much. Sometimes just being present in the moment will have a far more lasting impression on you years down the road.
That’s it for my packing recommendations for your safari adventure. With this packing list you are ready to explore the wild in comfort and style. Thank you for reading this far and for sticking it out till the end. I hope you were able to make some packing decisions along the way.
Remember, don’t overthink it too much. Keep it simple, have fun and enjoy all the moments leading up to your safari experience. It’s all part of the adventure.
As a reminder, everything on here is what I either personally use or would highly recommend. By clicking on any of the links and making a purchase, you are supporting me as an entrepreneur at no extra cost to you. I will simply earn a very small commission from recommending the product. Thank you for being awesome and for your continued support in my journey. It is much appreciated. Till next time…