I'M STILL IN BETWEEN TRIPS

I haven't been travelling since I got back from the safari, but will be making some big trips in 2012 so stay tuned.  First trip is in February, then a big trip in May and another big trip in October.  So keep checking this blog.

SAFARI PACKING LIST

A few people have asked me for my packing list, so I thought I would add it here and annotate it.  Because you need to fly on bush planes from one lodge to another, you are limited to one 25-pound check-in bag and one 10-pound carry on.  That’s it!  But it is not as restrictive as you may think (unless you are trying to haul 50 pounds of camera gear, which I recommend against).

BEFORE YOU PACK

·        Before you pack, check www.packforapurpose.org.  This is a great program that encourages travelers like us to bring just a few additional items that can be easily donated at your destination.

·        Leave your vanity at home.  Every day is a bad hair day (you cannot use any hair products at all because they attract insects); you’ll never look smartly turned out – always somewhat bedraggled.  You’ll feel crisp and clean for about ten minutes after a shower and hot and sweaty after that.

·        You can have your laundry done at the lodges – they pick up in the morning and return the clean laundry by dinner time.

·        Good web sites for safari supplies:  http://www.magellans.com/  and  http://www.exofficio.com

·        YOU REALLY DO NOT NEED AS MANY CLOTHES AS YOU THINK.  REALLY!  TRUST ME.

CLOTHES

All game drive clothes should be neutral colors – for example: khaki, sand, stone, olive, sage.  Boring colors, but it helps you to blend in and not scare the animals.

You can buy safari clothes that have both a sunblock SPF 15 or higher rating and also insect repellent embedded in the fiber (usually good through many washings).  That is a big help because slathering on sunblock followed by a layer of insect repellent every day is yucky.

For clothes without the build-in insect repellent, you can buy a super-duper repellent and spray your clothes before you go – shirts, pants, and socks.  Use something like Permethrin Clothing Insect Repellent (you hang your clothes outdoors, spray them, then let them dry for 24 hours).

·        2 pairs of pants:  one to wear and one to pack
Pants with pockets in the legs are useful; pants that unzipper and turn into shorts are useful.
Get pants made of a material that wicks away moisture and has a built-in sunblock and dries fast when you wash them.  ExOfficio and Magellan’s sell good ones that really are comfortable and hold up well.  DO NOT bring jeans – they are too heavy and don’t dry easily.

·        2-3 shirts:  one to wear and 1-2 to pack
Layers are helpful – a tank top with a long-sleeve shirt over it is useful.  Get shirts made of a material that wicks away moisture and has a built-in sunblock and dries fast when you wash them.  ExOfficio and Magellan’s sell good ones that really are comfortable and hold up well.  You can even get ones that have insect repellent embedded in the fiber, which is very helpful.

·        1 outfit for dinners at the lodges 
Pack something that squishes down to nothing and you don’t care about wrinkles.  You can skip this item entirely if you want – wearing game drive clothes at dinner is perfectly fine.

·        2 sets of underwear
Ladies:  buy underwear that dries fast and wicks away moisture.  ExOfficio and Magellan’s sell good ones that really are comfortable and hold up well.  If you are a “full figured” woman, get bras that can provide good support for when you are bouncing around during game drives.

·        1 thin jacket for early mornings and evenings 
I didn’t need it but several people in the tour group did.  Again, ExOfficio and Magellan’s sell good ones that really are comfortable and hold up well, or pack a really thin fleece jacket.  It is also good to wear in the airplanes.

·        1 set night clothes
Nights get really cool but you’ll always be provided with blankets and comforters so pack something lightweight.

·        1 pair of walking shoes and maybe one pair of flip flops
All you really need is a pair of sandals that are closed-toed, allow air flow, have a band around the heel to keep them on your feet, and have good, sturdy soles.  The closed-toe part is important to keep out the sand and dirt and the soles are important to protect you from thorns.  You might want a pair of flip flops for walking to the pool or just relaxing in your room.  (If you are traveling in the wet season, then perhaps water-tolerant shoes are better.)

·        2 pairs of socks: one to wear and one to pack
Get the kind that dry fast.  I especially like the Tilley Walking Socks (http://www.tilley.com) because they are thin, easily washable, last forever, and fit well.

·        Swimsuit:  If you are a pool person, bring a swimsuit. All the lodges we stayed in had pools.

ACCESSORIES

·        Hat:  You need a hat with a brim wide enough to provide sun protection and that allows air flow.  I recommend hats made by Tilley (http://www.tilley.com) because they are lightweight, easy to scrunch up and pack, and darn near indescructible.

·        Jewelry:  Leave gold and diamonds at home (I actually bought a simple silver ring to use as a substitute wedding ring).  Ladies, wear one pair of earrings that you won’t cry over if they get lost, and pack one or two other pair if you really feel compelled.  Some evenings it felt good to put on a different pair of earrings.

·        Glasses:  You will really want a good pair of dark glasses.  A pair that protects your eyes from the side as well as the front is most useful in dusty situations.  If you wear prescription reading glasses, it is a good idea to pack a spare pair.

·        Flashlight:  Don’t take a wimpy penlight.  You use your flashlight to watch for wild animals as you walk to your room (yes, you are always escorted but it is good to have a fairly powerful light of your own) and also to check for critters on the floor in your room when you get up in the middle of the night.  You’ll have to figure out your own balance between a powerful light and how much it weighs. 

·        Rain:  Forget bringing anything.  Getting wet on a hot day feels good and, besides, you’ll dry off pretty fast.  However, I did bring a small, very lightweight umbrella to use in the sun.

·        Carry-on bag:  Get one that is lightweight but large enough to hold the following on your initial flight over to Africa:

o   All your electronics

o   All your medications

o   One complete change of clothes (in case your check-in bag gets lost)

o   A few basic toiletries 

I weighed several large totes that I have but they were all too heavy (remember the bush plane limit of 10 pounds).  I finally got a Rick Steve’s Civita Day Pack (available in most luggage stores and about $20) that worked like a champion.  It is well designed, very lightweight, and seems to hold an amazing amount of stuff.  Thank you Rick Steves.

TOILETRIES

·        Your daily toiletries:  toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, shaving gear, brush, deodorant, etc.
One trial-size toothpaste lasts for 2 weeks.  Same for trial-size deodorant.  Forget an electric toothbrush (you could probably keep one charged up but the extra weight is not worth it).  If you are staying at good lodges, they supply shampoo and hand soap (which is also usable for doing hand laundry), so don’t pack that stuff.

·        Occasionally needed toiletries:  moisture lotion, nail clipper & nail file, scissors & tweezers, glasses wipes (good for camera and binoculars also).  Although I usually pack a small roll of duct tape on every trip (it is good for fixing shoes and luggage and who knows what else), I left it at home due to the weight limits.

·        Wash cloths:  I often take a face cloth when traveling because accommodations outside the USA do not provide those.  I also often take a lightweight, water absorbent cloth to use for wringing out my hand laundry.  You don’t really need those on this trip because you can use a corner of a towel to wash your face and your hand laundry dries quite quickly.

CAMERAS, ELECTRONICS, ETC.

Keep in mind that all cameras and binoculars will be hanging around your neck for up to seven hours a day, every day during your trip.  Therefore, make sure the straps are friendly to the skin on your neck.

Keep in mind also that you’ll want to take all camera and electronic gear in your carry-on bag when flying.

·        Camera:  Take a nice camera but leave behind the super-duper professional camera body with the five lenses and the fantastic telephoto lens.  The reality is that everything gets dusty, and most of the time you are shooting when something is in motion -- either the animals are moving, or the game truck is driving along, or the truck may be stopped but every time someone breathes the truck jiggles.  Remember that the animals just do not stand there and pose for you and you cannot get out of the truck and set up a tripod.  If you want to take professional-level photos or videos, then arrange a personal safari so that you have the game truck all to yourself and you can set up a tripod in the truck and wait at the watering hole for as long as you want to.  For the rest of us, a good quality point-and-shoot works fine.
Be sure to take extra batteries or a charger to charge your camera battery.
Take one extra memory card – they are cheap enough to be worth it.

·        Binoculars:  I took a pair of medium-quality Nikon binos, but I noticed that the birder people brought their big, fancy binos.  Take your pick.  Also, the birders all wore their binos on a kind of harness that rested on their shoulders instead of their neck and looked a lot more comfortable than my neck strap.

·        Other electronics:  Cell phones with international coverage (I got the AT&T international package for my iPhone), iPads, Kindle, etc are fine.  The good quality lodges all have wi-fi and I was able to send texts home to report that I hadn’t been eaten by a lion yet.  Remember to pack your charge cables for every item.

·        Adapters and transformers:  You must bring an adapter plug for every country you are visiting (most luggage stores have a nifty list of exactly which adapter you need for each country).  If your electronic item is relatively new (within the last couple of years), check to verify that it is dual voltage (110/220) – it probably is, which means that you do not need to pack a heavy transformer.

MISCELLANEOUS

·        Medications:  It is a pain in the behind, but pack your medications in their original containers.  (I usually don’t do that, but did on this trip just in case some customs official was in a bad mood.)  For prescription medications, take enough to last the duration of the trip plus another 4-5 days in case you get stuck in an airport and you are away from home longer than planned.

Be sure to bring your malaria medication. This is what our tour company recommended:

“Currently the CDC recommends the drug mefloquine, marketed as “Larium,” to protect against the chloroquine-resistant strains of malaria. There is an anti-malarial drug (Malarone) that received formal approval from the FDA in 2000. Please discuss these options with your physician. We have experienced that many travelers have had bad reactions to Larium and to date there seem to be fewer side effects caused by Malarone. Malarone is prescribed based on the number of days spent in an infected area.”

From the experience reported in conversations during the trip, the side effects of Larium were hallucinations.  Most people in my tour group were taking Malarone with no side effects; a few people had low-level nausea for a few days.

In addition, most travel doctors also write a prescription for some kind of antibiotic to take if you get severely ill with diarrhea.  Be sure to bring that stuff too (although, we had no problems during our tour).

·        Insect repellent:  You don’t need a huge bottle if you only need to cover your neck, face, hands, and ankles.  Get one that has at least 30% DEET and is in a spray pump container, not a pressurized spray can (repellent in pressured spray cans are often removed from your luggage as a hazardous material).

·        Sunblock:  Bring sunblock (SPF 25 or higher).  Because I don’t like the sticky feel of sunblock on my skin, I wore long-sleeved quick-wick, quick-dry shirts that have a SPF 15 built into the fiber.  That was very helpful.  But I still needed sunblock for my hands, neck, face, and ankles.

·        Hand sanitizer:  You don’t need much because most places you go have washing facilities.  But it is nice to have in airports and for tea time in the bush.

·        Sewing kit:  I always take a little sewing kit that consists of one small spool of thread and a needle and thimble.  However, if you pack a needle with a large enough eye, you can use dental floss as thread to sew a button back on.

·        Laundry line:  I brought one but never used it.  I just draped hand washing over towel racks and chair backs.  Worked fine.

·        Makeup:  It’s your choice, but then again trying to figure out which stuff to put on first (makeup, sunblock, insect repellent) gets confusing.  This is not a glamour trip.

·        1 or 2 extra luggage tags:  Let’s face it, these things get ripped off by airport machinery and rough handling.  Best to have an extra handy for the trip home.

·        Extra pen (or two)

·        Time:  Bring a small, travel alarm clock.  You’ll need it to get up in time for those early morning game drives.  You’ll probably want to wear a watch, too.

·        Bandanas:  Bring at least two – one pre-treated with insect repellent to wear around you neck occasionally, and one untreated one to sit on, or to get wet and mop your face.

·        Kleenex:  Bring several packets (I blew my nose a lot because the dust). 

·        Toilet paper:  You need to provide your own toilet paper if you have to go in the bush during a game drive.  I make a roll that, when squashed flat, fits in a snack-size zip lock bag (I usually bring five or six of these).  Any paper you use in the bush must be packed out with you, so you’ll end up putting the used paper back in the zip lock bag and throwing out the whole thing back at the lodge.

·        Extra zip lock bags:  I always pack a few empty zip lock bags – the 1 qt size and the 1 gal size.  They come in handy every now and then and don’t weigh much.

FIRST AID

·        Pain reliever:  Bring some over-the-counter pain reliever. 

·        Pepto Bismol  (this soothes an unsettled digestive system and also kills some bacteria that may be causing problems)

·        Immodium AD  (for when Pepto Bismol is not enough to solve the problem)

·        Antibiotic ointment  (a small tube is enough)

·        Bandaids

·        Aloe gel (for sunburn or any scrape)

·        Tooth wax  (I always bring this on every trip in case I break a tooth or a filling breaks off.  You stuff the area with tooth wax and you can tough it out until you get home.  It comes in a very small case.)

·        Eye drops  (very helpful after a dusty game drive; I suggest the kind that comes in individual doses)

LEGAL STUFF, $$, ETC.

·        Passport:  For USA travelers, the expiration date must be at least six months after your return date.  In addition, you must have at least four completely empty pages for visa entry and exit stamps (visa pages, not the amendment/endorsement pages in the back).  

Make three photo copies of your passport (I also write my emergency contact info and my allergies on the photocopies), then put one copy in your check-in bag where it is easy to find, one in your carry-on bag, and one in your wallet or money purse.

·        Extra passport photos:  Bring two extra passport photos.  Not sure why, but most travel agencies say it is a good idea.

·        Yellow, World Health Organization immunization form

·        Money:  In reality, you can use US dollars exclusively for all tipping and market purchases.   In South Africa they prefer that you pay with Rands.  In Botswana and Zambia, they prefer US dollars.  Do not expect that people will have change in US dollars.  Therefore, bring small bills.  My suggestion is:  10% in 20’s, 50% in 10’s, 20% in 5’s, and 20% in 1’s.  Yes, that ends up to be a bulky pile of money, but live with it.  I took $1000 with me and had quite a time of it trying to pack stacks of cash in different places in my carry-on bag and on my person. 

·        Credit card:  Bring one.  Make sure you notify the card carrier of your trip dates and destinations.  I also write down the emergency phone number from the back of the card and stick it with my money or in my check-in bag.

·        Visas:  You do not need a visa for South Africa or Botswana.  However, you need to buy a visa when you enter Zambia – they require $50 cash in US dollars.  So just put $50 in an envelope and keep it separate from your spending money.

·        Tips:  Don’t forget to budget money for tips.  Tip the lodge staff, the guides, and any other drivers you have. 

Guides:  General recommendation is $5/day, but I think $10 is better considering the amount of time they spend.

Lodge housekeeping:  General recommendation is $3/day.

·        Tickets and accommodation confirmations:  All tickets, vouchers, reservation confirmations, and contact information in case things do not work out as planned.