African Safari/ Preparing for the Adventure

Where To Go


Africa is a large continent with a large variance in topography, wildlife and politics. When I first began making plans I have to admit the Discovery Channel had an influence. There was a special on the country of Botswana and probably like many of you I had little knowledge of this country.

In the Discovery Channel program it showed a wealth of wildlife on large preserves set aside in Botswana. These large preserves encompass huge areas of the Kalahari Desert. At the northern edge of the Kalahari is an unusual area of rivers and finger lakes called the Okavango Delta. There is a large diversity of wildlife and as the dry season arrives the wildlife moves into theses areas and further north to Chobe Reserve. It was the diversity of the wildlife and the wide range of topography that helped me make my decision to visit Botswana. Before I made my final decision I began a search. I checked with the State Department web site for overseas travelers. Botswana is considered a very stable country. The Botswana government has placed a strong emphasis on ecotourism and the country has one of the largest public land preserves in the world. They also have a very stable economy. Considering it has only become an independent country since 1966 they have progressed considerably. I also checked with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Travel Health Advisory. Malaria is still a devastating problem in all of Africa and no less in Botswana. Any one traveling to this area needs to take measures for prevention of malaria. Also, AIDS is rampant. Bring along a friend with the same blood type in case you need a blood transfusion. These two web sites are listed to the side of this page

Next question, how to get to Botswana and what kind of cost are involved? I started a search on line and found many travel companies that promote African travel. There was a large price variance for Safari trips depending on the type of accommodations and the counties you wanted to visit. Just by chance I found Ebright Travel. Connie Ebright is an experienced African traveler who specializes in Safari travel. With her help we booked a trip that took us from South Africa to Botswana where we spent the bulk of our time and then on to Zimbabwe and Zambia.


Staying in lodges while on Safari did not appeal to me . After a childhood of Tarzan movies with Johnny Weissmuller yodeling his way through the jungle, I wanted a true Safari experience. To the chagrin of my two son-in-laws who were coming with me, I decided that camping in tents would be the best way to experience an African Safari. Also, it was important to me to have a small number people on the expedition. In this case there would be only seven of us with one tracker, one guide and a cook.


Timing is everything. It appeared to me that the end of May and beginning of June was a very good time to make this trip. The cost was less, fewer tourist to deal with and it was the beginning of south Africa's winter which hopefully would mean less bugs and less rain. With little rain the underbrush dies back making animal viewing better. However, I did not plan on the extreme cold we were to experience.



What To Pack

Here is a quick list: as little as possible! You will be flying by bush planes to the different reserves in Botswana. No more than 25 pounds of clothing and gear ( i.e. camera, back pack etc.) is allowed per person. This is a challenge for a two week trip. A comprehensive list can be found at www.african-safari-journals.com/safari-packing-list.html . If you pack all that is suggested on this list you will be over the 25 pound limit.
What not to pack:
Swimming suite; unless you want to be eaten by a crocodile
Razor and shaving cream; who are you trying to impress?
2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner; or at least not much; you are only going to
have one or two showers while in the bush, if you are lucky
Water bottle; there will be plenty of bottled water
Re- hydration salts; most of the food is already very salty
Birth control; did I mention you're only going to have 1 or 2 showers
Small unbreakable mirror; believe me you are not going to want to see
yourself after a week in the jungle
Compass; don't bother, if you get lost you're going to die
Deck of cards; unless you are going to play for money
String or rope; unless you are going to hang yourself after you get lost and
don't have a compass
Travel alarm clock; there is already a jungle alarm clock, you'll understand
when you get there
What not to forget:
Camera, extra batteries and extra memory sticks or film; we took over 1100
photos
Copy of your passport; leave a copy at home
Receipt for travelers checks; banks will not honor travelers checks unless
you have this
List of U.S.A. ( or your home country) Consulates in the countries you
are visiting
BugOff shirts and pants; helps reduce pesky bug bites
Pens & pencils; great items to give to the kids you will see along the way
Two pair of shoes/ boots; you can use old tennis shoes for trading
Travel insurance; some will even cover bringing your body home but with a
reduced benefit should you be eaten by a lion,since only the lion poop is
collected and returned to your loved ones
Now you can check out my blog about our arrival in Johannesburg. Always something unexpected when your traveling.