Alarm clock?
 

Is it necessary to pack an alarm clock for those early morning wake-ups while on safari? I notice that some people pack them and others don't. We'll be staying both in lodges and tented camps.

We always pack an alarm clock. However, in the tented camps (in Botswana) staff came by the tents with hot water/coffee and an in-person good morning wake up about 30 minutes before the appointed meeting time. In one camp, they beat the drums at about the same time. We did not stay in lodges, so I'm not sure how it works in that environment.

When we were in the Serengeti, I used to wake up to the sound of roaring lions. Now thats a nice alarm clock :)

Good idea to carry along a small one. The excitement of going on a game drive will surely wake you up.

Hello,

I had the lion alarm clock at Mombo, but for lion-less mornings I do pack a travel alarm. It's great for days when you may need to wake up before the wake up call (e.g. on the morning you leave a camp, when you may have some last-minute packing to do).

Cheers,
Julian

Was never a big deal with me. The alarm on my watch was sufficient to get me up. And, as noted, many places will have early morning delivery of coffee or tea to wake you up. If you're staying at a lodge, it's easy enough to have them give you a wake up call.

I took a tiny beep-beep on my first safari but have never used it since...I'm usually lying awake waiting for the guide's wake up call :) A lion alarm is best, of course, but to have your own guide start and finish your day for you is pretty good.

John

I used the alarm on my cell phone a few times and that worked great. I hate not knowing what time it is when I wake up in the middle of the night, so I like to have a clock and/or watch handy to look at.

Jenn

An alarm is not needed because you get a daily wakeup call. I always take one and set it about 15 minutes before the wakeup but am almost always up before the alarm or wakeup, though not as early as Kay, who mentioned she is ready for safari by 4 am.

I've got a small credit card size one from Wal-Mart that also shows the temperature in celsius or farenheit. I never did use the alarm feature, but checked the temperature often.

Hi Dennis,

Mine sounds similar to yours -- I also find the thermometer very useful. That's how I know exactly how cold it was on those chilly mornings in the Linyanti!

Cheers,
Juliani

I need to get one like yours, Dennis, with time and temp. (Although I think I'm glad I didn't have one last year in Bots.) My watch alarm isn't loud enough to wake me so I do carry an alarm. I like to get up more than 30 minutes before leaving on game drives.