Packing for any vacation can be stressful, but when you’re packing for an African safari vacation that’s lasting anywhere from 10 – 20 days on a continent that is nearly half-way around the world, there are many things you must take into account. Everything from the luggage weight restrictions for domestic flights to your itinerary activities, and cultural guidelines to the weather, all affect the items you pack.
Below are a few items to keep in mind to ensure you’re prepared for your African safari vacation, sans the stress:
Luggage Weight Restrictions: Flying on international flights, you’re allowed 44 lbs., with two checked bags and a carry-on. However, you’re only allowed one small, soft bag and one carry-on when you fly charter flights. So you must ensure that all of your essentials such as photography equipment, proper clothing, makeup, toiletries, etc. can all fit into your bag.
Flying within Zimbabwe, for instance, you can only take 26 lbs. worth of luggage, while South Africa allows a more generous amount of 44 lbs., and Tanzania allows 33 lbs.
Image taken from Trail Journals
A Versatile Wardrobe:
(Image to the left taken from Trail Journals)
Because of the tight packing restrictions, bringing lots of clothes and travel materials with you to Africa is impossible. So, you might be wondering, “Well if I can’t pack many outfits, won’t it look like I’m wearing the same thing every day?” Not if you pack correctly.
You want to ensure that you pack a versatile wardrobe that contains articles of clothing that can be mixed and matched. Every item you put in your suitcase should be serving a purpose for you while on safari. Each item should also be able to pair with other articles easily. Therefore, make sure that the clothing you place into your bag can be matched with each other (how many shirts can one pair of pants go with and how many pants can one shirt go with?). In order to increase the versatility of your outfits, it would behoove you to pack neutral colored clothing.
Also, there are certain colors that you should steer clear from while on safari such as pink, red, and yellow.
One of my favorite items to pack on safari to reduce the amount of clothing I need is my zip-off pants. These pants have a zipper toward the top of the leg that allows you to convert the pants into shorts by removing the long pant legs. These pants are also useful when the weather changes during the day while out on safari. You might also consider looking for articles of clothing that are reversible.
And don’t fret if you forget to pack something. Most accommodations have a gift shop on site that sells everything from jackets to gloves, shirts to deodorant, and hats to sunscreen. And in the cities there are lots of great shops and large shopping centers.
Extra Packing Spaces: Your suitcase is weighed, not you. So use your body to hold your heaviest and bulkiest items to take away from luggage weight. Also, utilize pockets and your carry-on to hold some of your items.
It’s also important to take into account the packaging of your toiletries and electronic equipment holders. For example, you don’t need a two-month supply of toothpaste or deodorant, so purchase a smaller size.
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