Safari Goers, I Need Your Expertise!
 

Hi everyone!

I leave for our safari in about a month and as I've been diving through all of these packing lists, reviews, etc., and questions are just flying through my mind. I swear, packing for this trip is more stressful than planning a wedding!

Some background information:
I'll be going to
Cape Town - 3 Days
Kirkman's Kamp in Sabi Sands (South Africa) - 3 Days
Chobe National Park (Botswana) - 4 Days
Victoria Falls Safari Lodge (Zimbabwe) - 3 Days
Kichwa Tembo Tented Camp (Kenya) - 3 Days
Nairobi - 2 Days

Questions:
- Do I need to worry about the water? I was going through the TripAdvisor photos and saw a lot of people having drinks with ice. Bad idea? Or is it fine at the places I'll be staying at?

- Would it be helpful to bring one of those roll-up water bottles so they can fill it with purified water? Or do they give you enough water bottles?

- Are tsetse flies going to be a concern in the winter in any of these places? I bought 2 pairs of quick dry pants, but they're black and now I'm worried that it was a bad idea.

- What happens if your carry on is too big? Our travel agent said the North Face Base Camp Duffle in Medium was okay (13.98 x 25.4 x 13.98), but I think it's slightly bigger than the dimensions I've seen.

- Has anyone stayed at the above places and did they have conditioner? My hair gets hopelessly tangled so I'm a little worried about this.

- How much money in cash should I bring? Do I need to get local currency for each country or can I tip in us dollars?

- We're flying through Qatar and spending a day there. Has anyone been there recently? What's the vibe like? I know there's been a lot of political issues.

And if you have any other advice, please do share it! I'm doing my best to stick to a carry on bag, but packing has become quite the stresser.

Thanks :)

I wouldn't get too stressed about clothing as most if not all the places you listed will have laundry service and the fact you're staying in each a minimum of 3 days is ample time for laundry to be done. They don't use dryers but hang the clothing in the sun to dry so you need a full day for that especially in cooler temps.

I generally take 4 inter changable outfits for safari plus one for city as your safari clothes can also be worn in the city.

Black clothing will show dust and other things so I stay with earth tones.

A light fleece jacket is a must and was worn every day in the cool mornings and evenings. Think layering as you'll be removing layers as the day warms and putting them back on as the day cools.

A light scarf is also handy cause when it's cold in the morning and the vehicle has no sides and sometimes no windscreen you'll really be thankful you have one. When not worn it can be used to cover your camera to protect it from the dust.

I usually stress each time on clothes before going & then once I'm there don't care so much!

I stayed at Kichwa Tembo Tented in 2011 before it was renovated & made larger and loved it!! If George is still the chef then I can assure you the food will be fantastic. Look for a cashew torte that is to die for!! :)

For water and other soft drinks in cans or bottles that were stored in coolers on game drives I used straws I brought from home in a ziploc bag that were always in my handbag.

Relax! - You are going to have an absolutely amazing time!

Conditioner - Why not take a small bottle of 2 in 1 shampoo & conditioner with you just in case keeping in mind the airline restrictions.

Just as KathBC says…don’t get too stressed about it.

You should have plenty of access to bottled water, at least on all of the safaris we have gone on over the years that was the case.

Our practice has been to set out all the clothes we want to bring and then reduce it a little more.

For tips, you could look at the website of the locations you are going to stay and they should let you know what currency is best for tips. You can probably locate or be taken to an ATM in the major locations, Cape Town, Vic Falls, and Nairobi.

I would also suggest that you look at the individual places you are going to stay and see if they will launder undergarments, some places won’t. If that’s the case you can always take a small travel laundry detergent and wash them yourself.

It will all work out and you'll have a great time!

KathBC:

Thank you for your calming words! I've added a light fleece to the list of things I need. For the laundry, I read somewhere that the iron things, so when you went did you need to worry about synthetic materials? I think most of my shirts are made of that, but I suppose I could add some cotton ones in.

The 2 in 1 shampoo is a great idea! I hadn't thought of that :)

And I'll definitely keep an eye out for that cashew torte! It sounds delicious!

Themacs - I definitely need to set out all my stuff as well. I think I'll be able to see where I'm overpacking and can hopefully reduce and then reduce again :/

Great idea re. the tips! I'll do that now.

I heard that about the undergarments as well. Someone recommended packing one of those delicate mesh laundry bags and the lodge would wash it in there, but I'll probably pack some Tide sink packets as well. Don't want to be without clean underwear!

Kristyn I tried to stick with cotton garments or a blend.
Most camps are pretty experienced in dealing with various fabrics so I didn't run into any problems. Some don't iron and everywhere I stayed during my 3 safaris have washed "smalls" however taking the Tide packets is a great idea just in case.

Correction - George's torte at Kichwa Tembo was made with macadamia nuts not cashews - yuuuumm!

Rather than take 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner, why not just take conditioner? That's what I do, as I find the two in one stuff to be not very effective. All camps will provide shampoo, but some don't have conditioner. So I just use the camp shampoo and my own conditioner. I prefer my own conditioner anyway.

If camps don't wash underwear they will provide a jar of detergent for you to do hand washing, so unless you are super sensitive to some brands, there is no need to bring your own.

Personally, I think you are making life difficult by trying to travel carry on only. For some of the flights within Africa you may find the planes are small with quite restricted space in overhead lockers, so you may find you need to check the bag anyway.

Also, I can't see you mention where you are flying from/to. If it's the US, under current rules I think you are going to have to check in your electronic items coming back via Qatar.

I've flown only carry-on for the last three safaris to Kenya and Kenya/Rwanda. Besides being hugely convenient when I land, it forces me to keep the packing to an absolute minimum, which is a must for the intra-country small craft flights. All three trips have been for 12 days on the ground...it IS possible! Once you confirm you have laundry at camp, you really don't need much.

I did ONLY hand laundry! Everything dried quickly in the dry breezes!! If you decide on using laundry service, don't want clothes ironed, just tell them that--AND put a note in with your laundry!!
Recommendations (which may differ from others above)
You mention Tide packets. Not really necessary--camps will have either powdered detergent or shaved soap flakes you can use, or liquid hand soap (or shampoo) which are perfectly fine for clothes hand-washing. If you are planning to use a sink to soak your laundry, bring a universal sink plug, in case there isn't one at your camps.It will be useful many times in future too.
I used only a bucket, which all the camps will have available.
Bring a few clothespins--although i hung my clothes to dry on the provided clothes hangers or towel racks.
Bring just conditioner (not shampoo).
I use carry-on bags only.

You will want conditioner; my hair is short and I definitely needed conditioner (and didn't have any.) I brought a mostly empty plastic bottle of Campsuds soap and much preferred it to the detergent flakes provided.

No one measured our luggage, but they did weigh it. As long as you're within the flight restrictions, I don't think they care about the dimensions as long as it isn't hard-sided luggage. We flew with carry on bags and had no problems, although I'd have liked one more tshirt (I had three). It gets chilly during early morning game drives, so be sure to include a scarf.

Have a great time!