Preparing for safari blog route map. You are here:
Mindset and research – how to think about packing and do your homework
Luggage – picking the right container
Personal bag – ready for anything
How to pack – the ABCs
Clothing – dress for success
Safari kit – what do you really need?
What not to bring
Preparing with purpose – thinking about your impact
What not to bring
As much as you want to take the right clothing and gear on your trip, it’s equally important to choose what to leave behind. The same advice I gave my clients on the Tugela River in South Africa applies broadly to any safari: don’t bring anything you don’t want to risk losing or breaking. Clearly there are exceptions – your camera and your passport, for example – but ask the question about every item you pack.
Any kind of bling should stay at home, whether it’s jewelry, an expensive watch, or your movie star designer sunglasses. It should also go without saying that recreational drugs have no place on your trip. While laws and attitudes towards some drugs are becoming more relaxed in parts of the United States, you don’t want to fall afoul of the authorities while abroad, especially if consular assistance is in a distant capital.
Bring only basic toiletries and forgo cosmetics. A safari is not a fashion show and regardless, there are practical reasons to be minimalist. The more subtle your aroma the less animals will notice you, so your chances of seeing game will improve if you don’t smell like hair product, aftershave, scented soap, or cologne.
Leave the technology behind. As important as we feel it is to remain connected, a wilderness trip is about a different kind of connection: to nature and to our companions. Phones have become indispensable, but you can do without tablet or laptop computers. Let us all remember the cautionary wisdom of Jedi Master Yoda for young Skywalker: “Never his mind on where he was. Hmm? What he was doing.”
Away put your smartphone, I mean you no harm. Your devices, you will not need them. Photo from starwars.com.