Tour Guide, Nairobi, Kenya
| 3 mins read
African travel suggests something different to many travelers. You might be planning to volunteer at an orphanage in Uganda, hunt big game in Kenya or explore historical, magical icons in Kenya. No matter where or why you're visiting Africa, pack lightly and carefully.
Choosing your Suitcases, Bags or Backpacks
If you are going on an organized safari you may be limited to baggage size you can take on your safari vehicle - so check first with your operator.
If you are traveling independently it is advisable that you take a backpack or Rucksack rather than a suitcase... you may have to walk distances to find accommodation etc and a backpack will make life a lot easier.
Top loader backpacks can be a real pain when you want something quickly that has wormed its way to the bottom, fully opening backpacks, with a zip going all round, are much better for accessing the contents of your bag and when fully open can be used as storage, no need to unpack!
Make sure snaggy straps can be stowed in a pouch on the bag (especially when going in the baggage hold of aircraft) and the lining has a degree of waterproofing or comes with a cover, maybe have a large plastic bag available so that you can place the rucksack in it if required. On bus roofs, bags can get wet when it rains.
Watch out for metal zips, I have had bags become impossible to open/close after a few weeks at the beach, the salt will cause the zip to corrode and stick always smear Vaseline on the zip to free it up. Plastic zips are fine as long as they actually have teeth, the loop type plastic zips are prone to coming apart under pressure. Broken zips are the number one reason for ditching a bag, give them a good try before you purchase.
Make sure that it is the right size or a good strong make and sits comfortably on your back.
Having a small shoulder bag for your more valuable items means you can keep them with you.
Documents
Know which documents to take. At a minimum, you should have the following:
Passport
Visas - ask your passport office what visas are required for the relevant African countries for someone of your citizenship. Do this well in advance, in case you need to wait for visas.
Travel insurance
Cash - do not rely on being able to use automatic teller machines when traveling. Some places may not have them and others may not be functioning. Always have a second source of money.
Consider the activities that you will be undertaking in Africa and pack accordingly.
They include:
Pocket knife
Small sewing kit
Twisted elasticated clothesline
Electrical adapter
Camera, film, and extra batteries
Binoculars
Small battery operated alarm clock
Day pack
Sunglasses
Zip lock plastic bags - these are handy for lots of things, including keeping some soap with you at all times
Small torch
Water bottle
Good luck and travel safely to Africa.
This document was created and published by Hilary Africa travel consultant expert - Nature Exploration Safaris