What to pack for a safari, and what to leave at home

The first constraint is not aesthetic, it is aeronautical. On light aircraft flying between park airstrips the limit is usually fifteen kilos per person, hand luggage included, in a soft bag: a hard-shell suitcase will not fit in the hold of a Cessna. If your itinerary includes an internal flight, everything starts from here.

Colours matter, but not as you think

Beige, olive green, khaki, grey. Not for looks: neutral colours absorb less heat and attract less attention. Avoid blue and black, which attract tsetse flies in some areas, and white, which after a day on red dirt tracks is no longer white. Camouflage is prohibited by law in several African countries, because it is associated with the military.

Temperature is the real surprise

Those who set off imagining Africa as a hot place find themselves with chattering teeth on the dawn game drive. At altitude — Ngorongoro stands at 2,200 metres, Nairobi at 1,660 — it is around ten degrees at dawn, and in an open vehicle there is the wind as well. At midday it is thirty.

Dress in layers: T-shirt, long-sleeved shirt, fleece, light windproof jacket. The fleece is always needed.

What you really need

• Binoculars, a pair each if possible. They are the item that changes the experience the most, far more than a telephoto lens.
• A wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses, high-factor sun protection.
• Repellent with DEET and a head torch: in tented camps the power goes off.
• Light walking shoes or sturdy trainers. Heavy boots are needed only if you are climbing Kilimanjaro or Mount Kenya.
• A power bank. There is charging in the vehicle, but not always in the camps.
• A British-style three-pin adapter for Tanzania and Kenya, a European one for Madagascar.
• Dollars in notes issued after 2009: older ones are refused.

What to leave at home

The hairdryer, which cannot be used in the camps. The drone, banned in national parks and liable to confiscation at customs. The hard-shell suitcase. Three changes of clothes a day: almost every lodge offers same-day laundry for a few dollars, which is why fifteen kilos is enough.

Documents

A passport with six months’ validity and a blank page, a digital copy on your phone and a paper copy kept separately from the original. A printed insurance certificate: the QR code on your phone is perfectly fine, as long as the phone has battery.