What to pack and when for Africa..., then making do!

Almost a year out from a trip to Kruger National Park, I have already decided which camps within the park I am staying at, and for how long at each camp.  As soon as South African National Parks opens bookings for my timeframe I go online and book the best accommodation within each chosen camp that suits my desires.  Most importantly to me is that my accommodations have a bathroom and kitchen within the units and that they are on the perimeter of the camp so I have unimaginable views while cooking and hanging out, with the possibilities of anything happening right before me just outside the camp’s fence lines.  



An amazing stew made from leftovers at Tamboti Camp

Once the accommodations are reserved, I book my flights; a long international flight from Atlanta to Johannesburg then a domestic flight over to Kruger.  With the fundamentals behind me, I then try to forget about the journey that looms way in the distance, seemingly as far away as the moon.  However, I do indeed think about the trip during the many months that pass.  While shopping, I pick up miscellaneous items that I think will be great for the trip – some of which I buy then forget to pack when the time comes.  But I do try to get on with everyday life and let the looming trip lie quietly in my distant future.




A thorn serves as a toothpick!!!

About four weeks from my departure date, the guest bedroom begins to be turn into a staging area.  I start piling things on that bed I don’t want to forget.  The process begins very organically but the pile – once started – quickly grows. 

Some of the first things that seem to be put on the pile are books to read and my spice kit for cooking.  For a recent trip I also included a few things that I can now eliminate knowing the Kruger shops have begun to carry them, like zip lock bags and insulated travel mugs.  I also take a canvas camp chair for maximum comfort during the hours I chill.  Other items that get tossed into the pile are almost assumed; a spotlight, binoculars, cameras, necessary chargers and such.  For monkey protection I throw on the pile rubber snakes and a sling shot (to scare the monkeys and baboons not hurt them – they know the sound of the rubber being snapped taunt and released).




About two weeks from departure date - the pile is so high I begin to wonder how many bags I will need to pack it all then I start making clothing decisions.  Weather in Kruger tends to be unpredictable so I pack everything from flip flops to hiking boots; a fleece jacket to an itty bitty sundress. 

I pack a bag with my personal toiletries and clothing as well as a small bag with items I want access to during the long flight.  Everything else in the growing pile must fit in what I call my supply bag except the chair which I strap, tag and shrink wrap. 



Amazing view from my guest house at Mopani Camp

Finally it’s flight time.  Once I arrive at the airport and check my supply bag and chair and get to the departure gate it’s time for me to get in vacation mode.  The flight, which is sixteen hours, serves a purpose.  Sometime it takes the entire time in air to get me in the right frame of mind; to leave work behind, knowing I have prepped as much as I could for my clients to have their needs attended to during my absence and knowing I left my house and critters in good hands.  By the time the plane lands in Johannesburg I am ready.  I have breathed in then exhaled all the stresses of my life.  The next breath I inhale is pure African chilled magic.  I am ready to truly relax for three solid weeks in a most pristine environment; the great Kruger camps with views to die for. 

Once there, part of the fun is realizing I don’t have everything I might need for whatever the task at hand, instead I improvise with what’s provided, even if the provider is nature.  I have learned that a thorn serves nicely as a toothpick to hold the olives in your Bloody Mary, (nowhere did I say I was roughing it).  A Dutch oven can be made purely of aluminum foil.  A lemon rind can serve as a sink stopper and a towel and spatula make good tools to safely remove a bat from your hut….

Make shift Dutch Oven

About ten days into my three week trip I start shedding.  I leave a shirt and shorts at one camp.  I leave a pair of shoes at the next.  Then at my last camp I leave my leftover food, my insulated mugs and my camp chair as I make room for the African goodies I will take home on my journey back to the States.  All too soon I find myself back on American soil flooded with loud Atlanta city noises and invasive urban smells, quickly missing Kruger.  In a flash I am back home with my cats and back into my routine. 

Today - two months since returning from my last amazing trip to Kruger National Park - I am already thinking about the next time I will step onto African soil.  I am pretty sure I am going back to Kruger.  And although it’s over a year away I have already started thinking about which camps and for how long at each.  It’s too bad it isn’t already time to book the trip…, better yet; it’s too bad it’s not already time to turn my guest bedroom into the staging area.  I’m ready to pack.  I’m ready for the flight.  I am ready to be back in Africa!