What to Pack on your African Hunting Safari
If the following guidelines are used, packing your bags won’t be a headache. If you are planning only for your South Africa hunting safari, don’t overload! The items most obviously needed and most frequently needed will be listed. Apart from your travelling agent’s prerequisites, you really don’t need to pack much more than the following:
Clothing and general accessories:
– Very informal, cotton-type material of clothing in plain and neutral colours (and to name some colours, brown, green or khaki). The South African bush is a combination of pale green, light yellow and brown in southern hemisphere wintertime. Thorns will definitely be part of the safari experience. The hunting season runs from April to October. Don’t overspend too much on expensive safari clothes, for all outfitters will cater for your daily washing. A pair of short pants and a t-shirt or two may help as well.
– Good, thick soiled boots that have been worn some time already. Never go on a hunt in a new pair of boots! The boots do not need to be the military type, but it may be good if it could cover the ankles. Thick socks will be a good idea, but remember to bring along quite a few pairs, for the bush may rough it up if it gets exposed to the small bushes. A pair of slip-on sandals will do as well.
– One solid jacket and a jersey or pullover for the cold nights may be considered as essential. Although the days are still quite warm in winter, the night temperatures may drop to freezing point. (The southern provinces may drop even to – 7º Celsius at night in winter times, but the northern provinces are warmer at nights).
– Don’t consider a raincoat in hunting season as essential at all. Swim gear may come in more handy, even in winter times in the northern areas.
– Don’t forget your medical prescriptions. Bring along a list of regular medication from your pharmacist, and all South African pharmacies will be able to provide the same or identical brands of medicines.
– Very high rated sunblock/sunscreen fluid as well as a solid hat.
– An electrical adapter to facilitates the standard South African 220 Volts. Most outfitters will be able to solve your fitting-problems, but it may be useful to bring the international power adapters series along if you plan to do more than just a safari.
– Good anti-mosquito spray, balm, coils or measures against insects if you want.
– The usual toiletries with a towel.
– A small but durable torch.
– All contact numbers, tapes, fittings, batteries, accessories, connections, etc. of equipment that you may bring along.
Hunting accessories:
– Not more than 50 to 70 rounds of ammunition.
– Rifle(s) or gun(s) as was finalized with the authorities and outfitter.
– Gun cleaning kit (if the firearm is a standard type, this is optional.
– A pocket knife
Some useful optional accessories for your South Africa hunting safari:
– Camera and films/video camera and accessories.
– Mobile phone (if arrangements with the service provider have been made to do international calls).
– Small binoculars.
– A pair of ultraviolet blocking sunglasses.
– Field guides (of birds or mammals, insects or reptiles) in your mother tongue.
– Laptop (but check this and the need to move around other electronic devices with your outfitter first. Most of them have access to a lot of normal technological services(like e-mail, internet, fax, etc.).
