I’ve already shared the wonders of our African adventures now let me share some wonderful logistical tips. I had a lot of concerns regarding our safari since I wasn’t sure what to expect or what precautions needed to be taken. It was way out of my comfort zone and sphere of knowledge. Now, I have a gumball-sized sphere of knowledge on the subject to share. Don’t worry, it hasn’t already been chewed.
I should point out that these tips may not all be relevant for safaris in all parts of Africa; Africa is a large and diverse continent. They should be useful for South Africa, particularly the Sabi Sand Reserve. And if you happen to be headed to Ulusaba in February, this information might be just about perfect.
Malaria
When I first discovered malaria is endemic in Sabi Sand, I freaked out a bit. Since malaria pills make about a third of users sick in one way or another, I wasn’t super excited about taking them. I wasn’t keen on experiencing Africa while also experiencing diarrhea, delusions, or frank psychosis. After doing some research, Jason and I decided to have malaria pills on hand but not take them until we could determine if we would find any mosquitos in Ulusaba. This was a prudent choice because neither Jason nor I got bitten even once. We only encountered mosquitos briefly while driving in areas near water, and a thick layer of repellant was enough to keep them from snacking. We didn’t see any at the lodge.
There are several malaria prophylaxes available. The best one to use varies based on the region you are visiting. For South Africa, the most-commonly recommended is Malarone. The CDC provides information on their website about country-specific malaria risks and medications.
While only you can decide if a malaria prescription makes sense for you when heading into the bush, remember that malaria pills aren’t 100% effective in preventing the disease. So, regardless of whether you take medication, you’ll want to thwart bites. Here are some safeguards you can take to keep from being a mosquito’s meal:
- Wear Insect Shield clothing. It’s permeated with a permanent and odorless insect repellant.
- Wear pants. This will also keep your legs from getting burned while you are sitting in a vehicle for hours.
- Treat your attire with permethrin before you leave on vacation. Permethrin spray stays on clothing for about six washes. As an added bonus, both Insect Shield and permethrin keep ticks away too, and you will likely encounter plenty of those.
- Wear a hefty dose of insect repellant. This one should be obvious.
- Sleep with mosquito netting around your bed. Many safari lodges, like Ulusaba, already have netting in place.
Vaccines
It is likely you will need to get some vaccines before traveling to Africa. What vaccines are necessary depends on where you are going. Our health department recommended Jason and I get MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) boosters and hepatitis A and typhoid vaccines. The CDC link above provides vaccination suggestions for different travel destinations, along with its information on malaria. Keep in mind, you will need to get your vaccines about a month before your trip to guarantee full protection. Don’t be thinking you can stop by the doctor’s office on the way to the airport.
Attire
Never before has what to wear on vacation preoccupied so much thought as when we were planning our safari. If you don’t already have a significant amount of greens and khakis in your wardrobe, you may want to purchase some. Why khaki and green? You will blend into the background, and the animals will think you are just another tree or termite hill, I guess. If you don’t want to purchase foliage-colored frocks, don’t wear bright colors at the very least. And a word of caution on blacks and dark blues, it is not a myth that the flies in Africa are attracted to these hues. The flies are annoying. Don’t wear blacks and deep blues.
We were at Ulusaba for three days, and I only used a portion of the clothes I brought. You too will probably require less apparel than you think. What would I recommend packing in way of safari attire?
- Two pairs of pants, one of these should zip off into shorts
- A pair of sandals, you will wear these more than tennis shoes
- Two t-shirts or other short-sleeved shirts
- A long-sleeved shirt, it can get cold on early and late drives even if it is blistering in the middle of the day
- A jacket
- A wide-brimmed hat
- A pair of lightweight tennis shoes
Most lodges, including Ulusaba, provide free laundry services. You don’t have to be stuck smelling like safari funk.
Unless you are going to be spending significant time walking around in the bush, hiking shoes are probably not a good use of luggage space or weight. For our hour-long bush walk, I just wore tennis shoes, and they worked fine.
While you could get rained on, you may or may not need to pack a poncho. Ulusaba had the nicest ponchos I’ve ever used available for guests. Check with your lodge before bringing a poncho or other potentially unnecessary items.
Packing
I am an overly-prepared person. Being overly prepared for our safari while only carting limited pounds of luggage was difficult but obligatory. Flights into remote lodges are not aboard Boeing 707s or anything with more than one propeller usually. We lucked out with our Federal Airlines’ flight. Our 10-seat plane was fairly comfortable and had air conditioning. Apparently, this is about as posh as these little aircrafts get. Still, we had a weight limit on our bags. So, leave the bricks at home, or put them in your carryon.
Also note, on some of these flights, hard-sided and/or roller luggage may not fit or even be allowed. Some charter flights only permit duffel bags. We thought it better to just pack in duffel bags in case, a precaution that wasn’t necessary for our particular flight. Still, better safe than bagless. Make sure you know the weight and size restrictions of your flights.
Duffel bags are mostly fine to travel with. The main problem with them is that they are too flexible to protect anything from getting smashed. To remedy this, we bought plastic crayon boxes and used them to keep sunscreen tubes from squirting everywhere and souvenirs from being crushed, a solution that worked well.
Photography
I am a professional photographer, so these tips may not apply to selfie takers. I took over 2,600 pictures while in South Africa. The vast majority of these I shot on our drives with a telephoto lens (100-400mm). This is the lens you will likely use for 90% of drive pictures. If you don’t have one, they can be rented from many lodges with advance notice.
Dust is not a friend of camera equipment. I kept it out of mine by covering my camera with a microfiber yoga towel while holding the SLR on my lap for easy access. I also took two camera bodies and had my regular (24-105mm) lens on the other body; I didn’t want to have to change lenses while out on a drive.
Our vehicle had plenty of room for a smaller backpack to be kept at our feet. We used it to carry a few extra things like a tripod. My tripod didn’t get used much, but it proved handy for taking shots of our vehicle and all its passengers.
Friends
If you have adventurous friends, take them on safari with you. A group of chums is a highly useful item to pack on your expedition. Our vehicle was filled with buddies, and it made the drives even more satisfying. Of course, your safari could be an opportunity to make new friends.
Insects
The wilds of Africa are full of life, including bugs. You will most likely consume fancy meals outside while on your safari. Beetles will be sharing your table with you. Just accept that and things will go a lot smoother for you.
Bathrooms
I feel this bears mentioning for the picky poopers out there. You need not fear when traveling to South Africa. The bathrooms in that country are tidier than the ones in the United States on average. Many of them even have attendants who are engaged in constant cleaning.
What about bathrooms in the bush? The bad news is that there are no bathrooms on the game drives. The good news is that you probably won’t be eaten by an animal if you have to relieve yourself during a drive. The tinklers in our group all urinated in safety, but I’d bring your own toilet paper if I were you.
That concludes my safari advice. With a little preparation, your expedition will likely be one of the most memorable experiences of your life.