SAFARI ACCESSORIES ADVICE:
Essential items to take with you on safari.

Protection from biting insects:

⊙ Avoid being bitten: If you are travelling to a malaria area, you will need to take insect repellent as one of the precautions against being bitten (and bite relief in case any other flying insects bite you). The best way to avoid malaria and insect bites is to cover up in the evenings and use insect repellent. In some areas of the world, you may also find that flying and biting insects are active throughout the day. This is where applying a high-quality insect repellent which works is very important.

⊙ The more DEET the better?: This is simply not true. We have to be honest and say that, for a year or so, we believed that this was true - until we discovered leading Australian-made repellents. The Australian scientists behind the insect repellent brands which we have chosen to use ourselves, and supply to you, have dispelled the "more DEET the better" myth bandied about by most insect repellent manufacturers (usually for marketing purposes). Through extensive tests, it has been proven that the effectiveness of the insect repellent does not increase once the level of DEET rises above 20%. What does increase is how long the product lasts on the skin. A standard 20% DEET repellent will usually last 4 to 5 hours. A product with 80% DEET will last for 8 to 10 hours. With 40% DEET content, the slow-releasing actives in Bushman Ultra Insect Repellent Pump Spray provides easy-wearing protection for up to 5 hours (although Australian testing methods differ to EU testing, with the former showing 8 hours of protection). Avoid DEET products at high concentrations over 40% as the DEET may be corrosive to your precious camera gear and binoculars - and to your skin. The World Health Organisation and most medical authorities recommend that DEET products be below 50% as levels higher than this are known to cause skin irritation.

Other essential accessories:

⊙ Pack a good torch: While it is true that high-end safari lodges do have askaris to walk you back to your room at night, they are not always shining where you are walking. Packing a good torch is important for all safari as it increases your safety while in camp. Not only does a good torch mean that you will avoid standing on any reptiles, arachnids or insects at night when walking within the camp, but you will also be able to spot and avoid wildlife which may have wandered into the camp in the evenings as most camps are unfenced. That aside it is also great fun to use your torch to spot nocturnal wildlife from the safety and comfort of your room or from the lodge.

⊙ Take comfortable socks & good shoes which prevent blisters: Walking in the bush while on safari is the quintessential experience. We recommend it to all who go to Africa. Whether you go for a short nature walk with your guide, or a multi-day walking safari please ensure that you pack socks with a double layer for blister protection. Blisters, especially on longer walking safaris, could make for an uncomfortable time in the bush. Please bear in mind that the terrain in Africa is often uneven and may be hard and rocky too. If you anticipate that you will be walking in sand, we recommend shoes which will minimise the amount of sand which will go inside the shoe and which may also cause a blister. Again though, on foot is really the best way to see and experience the bush.

⊙ Binoculars: We rate binoculars as the most important safari accessory and so we have created a separate advice page for binoculars. Find out exactly what to pack by having a look at our safari clothing advice and safari luggage advice pages.