What to Wear in Africa

First timers to Africa often make the mistake of taking too much gear and packing the wrong kit. Traveling light is to be recommended. If you restrict your luggage to one bag plus a gun case, life will be much easier.

A factor that many overlook is that Africa is cold at night. Too many people turn up with lots of linen shirts and get decidedly chilly when the sun goes down.

The ‘three of each’ rule is a good one. Your clothes will be laundered every day, so if you have one set of clothes in the laundry, one set on you and one clean set to change into should you need to, then you are set. Remember you can wear one of your ‘set of three’ for the journey to Africa, so you need to pack less than is on the list below.

 For  a bird safari we recommend the following:

T-shirt x 3

Cotton long sleeve or polo shirt x 3

Hat with brim x 1

Cotton trousers x 3

Cotton shorts x 1

Neck scarf x 1

Fleece x 1

Shooting vest x 1

Underwear x3

Socks x 3

Handkerchief x 3

Belt x 1

Boots x 1

Sports shoes x 1

Watch x 1

Small folding knife x 1

Small flashlight x 1

Wash Kit (soap, shampoo, tooth paste, tooth brush, nail clippers, sun cream)

Small camera x 1

Spare batteries x 1

Shotgun cleaning rod and brushes, oil, cloth

Sunglasses x 2
A wide brim hat to keep the sun off and leather waistcoat to stop the burrs sticking.

If you are hunting Dangerous Game, include:

Hunting knife x 1

Small game bag

Small water bottle

Mosquito/bug spray

Aspirin/paracetamol/antihistamine

Colours should be mid or dark greens and browns. Avoid ‘stone’ or light colours, Africa is greener than people realise.

Boots should be soft and well worn-in and comfortable for a day’s walking. Boots without liners dry faster and this can be a factor.