Botswana in Nov -Luggage List
 

Will be on my first safari for 6 nights during first week of November and am trying to figure out what to pack (shorts vs pants) and how much of it. Any suggestions? Also, I'm planning on purchasing a pair of binoculars. Any suggestions on light-weight, economical binoc's for a safari? Thanks!

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34514848 This thread has a good binoculars discussion -- if you type in "binoculars" or "packing" in the search box above, you'll get lots of threads where both topics are covered extensively.

We found that those crazy convertible shorts/trousers (the bottoms zip off) were great. You only need two pair, as your laundry will be done often enough so that you should always have fresh trousers :-)

Check out the thead by Lin about packing and tips for the Okavango-- it's one of the top threads now. Excellent general advice.
November will be hot during the day, but you will still want long pants and shirts to avoid bugs, especially at night. So zip-off pants are ideal. Also camps will do your laundry daily, so you need less than you think. Not sure how you'll want to split between pants and shorts because, frankly, between the sun and the bug factor, I've always just gone with pants and zip-offs...

For binoculars, no one can really tell you what works for you and your eyes and optical standards. Go to a good camera shop and test lots of pair. (My philosophy is that when you are taking an expensive trip, it's best to buy the best binocs you can afford (within reason!) There are major differences in how these feel in your hands, and the image you get with them, so you won't know where your personal trade-off are until you try them yourself.

Many people go for the lightweights, but my enjoyment of wildlife increased enormously when I finally went for a full sized (10 X42 ) pair. Others would disagree with my choice...the important thing is to get something that works for you. (And remember, if you buy a good pair and take care of them, you can always sell them on ebay....)

Hi morrika,

I bring the very lightweight long pants made of 100% nylon (Gramicci makes great ones) for the evenings; they look nice, roll up super small for packing, and they keep the bugs off. Then just bring a few pairs of shorts for the days. Even though they do laundry daily in most camps, you'll find you get grimy and dusty enough after a single game drive to want to put on fresh clothes.

As for binos, forgo the big ones and opt for a good pair of 10x25. The pair I use are Leica Trinovid and they are spectacular - especially in the low light of dusk and beyond. They also fold up and fit in a shirt pocket. I've used them for years after borrowing a camp manager's pair and still love them. They aren't cheap however.

Cheers :)

Binoculars or not....will depend on whether you are usually looking through a camera lens. We took binocs but only used them one time. That was looking at an owl at night.
If you have a GOOD camera, you may not need binocs.... something to consider.