A camping safari is a perfect solution to keep your safari costs low and the adventure-level high. Here are the top ten tips & tricks that will help you enjoy your stay even more.
#10 Pack a light bag
Bring along a small backpack with the essentials for every day. You can leave your big suitcase in the car and just take a smaller bag along with a change of clothes and some toiletries. That way nothing of worth is out in the open and you don’t have to haul around a big bag.
#9 Neck Pillow
If you’re one of those people that just can’t sleep without a pillow (like myself), bring your neck pillow to sleep comfortably. Tour operators usually provide sleeping bags and mattresses, yet no pillows are provided.
#8 Powerbank
The safari vehicles usually have plugs, and so does the dining hall on the public campground. Nevertheless it would be such a bummer if you couldn’t take that great shot of those lions right next to the car because your battery died.
#7 Wet wipes
This is more of a general camping hack rather than a safari camping trick. If you don’t feel like taking a shower, or all showers are occupied, just wet-wipe-it.
#6 Toilet paper
Even though the park staff does it’s best to keep campground washrooms and toilets on the road stacked with toilet paper, these locations are pretty remote and sometimes there just isn’t any. Bring your own roll and be prepared in case shit happens!
#5 Mosquito repellant
This one probably doesn’t come in as a surprise, but mosquito repellant can save you a lot of disturbances on safari. Bonus point if it has DEET.
#4 Leave your snacks behind
We all love sugar, candy and biscuits. Animals are no different. Keep them away from your tent by keeping biscuits and sweets in the car. Don’t underestimate the sense of smell of the wildlife around and keep them out of that tent!
#3 Warm clothing
A wildlife safari may always look nice and warm on the daytime pictures, yet don’t overlook chilly early mornings and late nights. Especially when camping on the Ngorongoro crater rim it can get chilly, and a warm hoodie would not only prevent mosquito bites on your arms but it’ll also keep you warm.
#2 Avoid dark clothing
You can wear anything you feel comfortable in during a wildlife safari, yet some park require light colored clothing. Tarangire National Park in Tanzania for example can have a lot of flies during their breeding season. These flies are attracted to dark colors like black and dark blue. If you avoid these colors, they’ll let you be.
#1 Flashlights
Flashlights do not only help you to see where you are going, the bright light during dark hours also scares animals away. The brighter the better! If you do need that bathroom break in the middle of the night, your flashlight will be your best friend. Well maybe your second best, the rangers protecting you might take up that first spot! Bonus points if your flashlight can stand or hang as well to keep your tent lit!
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