You get your normal camping safari packing list for what to take into Africa, but there are a few items which don’t make the usual lists, but do make all the difference when you have them.
1. Hot water bottle
If you’re heading into Africa at any point during safari season (May – September) you are going to thank your lucky stars you packed a hot water bottle. When you’re camping, the mornings and the evenings are so incredibly cold you’ll be closing your sleeping bag so tight that just your nose will stick out. A hot water bottle will be the thing that helps you drift off into an easy sleep after a day of epic adventure. Trust me.
2. Nail brush
Silly me, not taking a nail brush on my camping safari in Africa. Boy oh boy did I regret that. Even though you’re not running around scratching in the sand or climbing trees, that fine African sand and dust manages to drift its way under your fingernails making you look like you’ve been forced to catch your own food the entire trip. Take a nail brush.
3. Moisturiser
Pack moisturiser. Men – pack moisturiser! It’s not just a girly thing. Out in the African heat and dry weather, your skin is going to be yelling for a drop of the good stuff. A going-over with a spread of moisturiser is as good as a hot shower at the end of a long day. You’ll thank me later.
4. A multi-plug
Usually everyone tells you to pack a universal adapter so that no matter what kind of plug point you encounter you’ll be able to charge your devices. Good advice, but what happens when you’re with a group of people on a camping trip and there’s only one plug point? Multi-plug to the rescue. That means you can rush to the showers and get the hot water while everyone else rushes to be the first to dibs the power source. After that shower, meander on over to the charging station and turn the point into a hub. You’ll be the campsite hero.
5. Puncture repair kit
What’s grouchier than a lion with a sore head? A camper who didn’t sleep well. You’ll find that there are loads of first-timer safari campers who take inflatable mattresses. Bad move. For everyone. These mattresses never last without a puncture on a cross country camping trip and that means a series of bad-night-sleeping for the person trying to get sixty winks on the hard floor. Take a puncture repair kit – not because you’re going to be the mattress-guy, but because you’re going to be the guy who helps him… with your puncture repair kit. Pack the extra kit and take one for the team.
Going on a camping safari adventure in Africa is one of the most amazing things I’ve ever experienced and even though they say you should only take the essential on a camping trip in Africa, there are always an exception (or five) to the rule.
