Africa Travel Tips
Africa is DEFINITELY a place I will be returning to. If you ever get the chance to go, do it. It was amazing, and totally worth it.
During the trip and on the way back to Michigan, I made a list of some things I wanted to remember for next time, and that other people may find useful when they go.
*After a rain, driving on the road is officially classified as 'mudding'.
*Bring spare batteries!
*You will probably be witness to animal sex. Multiple times.
*Fly spray. Enough said.
*Rain coat, wide brim hat, and a zip up sweater or hoody are things you will not want to forget. Africa is not always 80 degrees and up.
*Don't try to pet the big pretty kitties. They have very big teeth, sharp claws, and a big appetite.
*Off-roading is only allowed in a few places. Don't expect it everywhere (Ndutu is AWESOME!!!)
*Do meals with your safari guide whenever possible. They have the most amazing stories to share.
*If you have allergies, bring whatever medication you prefer, and those pocket kleenex packs.
*Always keep some TP in a pocket. You never know if the bathroom you stop at will have any, and if you're out on safari for the full day you may end up going behind the truck.
*Pick one easily reachable place in the vehical or your bag to stash your lens caps when you're in a rush. It's ridiculously easy to lose them in a safari vehical (about 50x easier than while running around at a wedding for instance). If you don't you'll be ordering at least one new lens cap when you get home, like I had to do.
*100-400 L Lens and a Doubler. You will regret not having this. If you don't currently have it, buy it, or rent it from BorrowLenses.com like I did.
*Cash-wise, the US dollar is acceptable everywhere. I never ended up needing to change any of my money over to foreign coin at all. What you do bring, bring in smaller bills though, like 20's and smaller. Unless you're planning to spend big bucks at the Cultural Heritage Center or buy tanzanite, you won't really need large bills.
*Take a few minutes at night to at least write a list of the highlights throughout your day, or keep a full journal of your experiences. It's so much easier to remember details that day than it is to remember everything several months later. (that funny story about the DikDik that your safari guide told you, yeah you probably won't remember that a year from now unless you write it down.).
If you have any tips you'd like to add, comment below!
Alyssia is 3rd generation, Mid-Michigan based Portrait Artist.
She photographs fantasy photography, retro sessions, boudoir, pets, families, seniors, weddings, headshots, and more!
Her studio is in Williamston, Michigan.