Burning orange sunsets, grassy plains that seem to stretch forever and more unique wildlife than you can shake a stick at – it’s gotta be amazing Africa. Where else in the world can you say hi to the ‘Big Five’, stretch out on icing-sugar style beaches and roll out your sleeping bag under the stars? There’s no better way to experience this captivating continent then on an unforgettable Overland trip with Topdeck. Fact.
Once you’ve picked your trip and your accommodation, you’re gonna need to get packing – aka the best part of planning a trip. We’ve put together a quick list of some basic essentials (and handy things you might not have thought about) to help you on your way.
- Your bag – needs to be a duffel or backpack, leave your hard cases at home as you’ll be storing your bag in the truck lockers on drive days (lockers are 66cm x 45cm x 25cm, FYI).
- Smaller day bag – for water, snacks, sun cream etc..
- A good camera – what’s the point on going on safari if you can’t show off to everyone at home with your pics of the Big 5?!
- Padlock for the above lockers, to keep all your bits safe.
- Something to pass the time – whilst wildlife watching is great fun you need something to pass the hours between the national parks, so we’d suggest bringing a pack of cards to play a game or two with your new trip mates.
- A torch – a must have for lighting the way to the loo during those nights spent camping (the stars only provide so much light).
- Sun-cream + long days + hot sun = definite need for some high factor sun protection. We’d also recommend a big hat to keep you feeling (and looking) cool.
- Comfy shoes – you can’t go looking for lions on foot in your thongs/flip flops/sandals now can you!
- Light weight comfortable clothes – bring some neutral colours for game drives so you can blend into the surroundings Bear Grylls style.
- A warm jumper – early mornings are colder than you’d think!
- Power bank/portable battery charger – long days snapping lots of pictures mean that your battery will run out and there’s little time to charge, make the most of drive times and charge as you travel to avoid missing out on that snap.
- Swimsuit – lots of the campsites have pools to chill out in between safaris.
- Quick drying towel – because who likes carrying around a damp, smelly towel?
- Refillable water bottle – not only will you save $$$ on buying bottled water but it’s kinder on the environment too, so we can keep these amazing places looking as beautiful as ever.
The rest is up to you.
