Safari Accessories With Protect Yourself

It’s a wild ol’ world and you should protect yourself from the elements of it while travelling. Biting insects, the sun, night-time animals, blisters, and dodgy water are all factors when on adventure travels. Here are the products to assist with protection from all of these.

Safari Insect Repellent Read our Safari Insect Repellent Advice Guide

  • Pack a highly-effective safari insect repellent for your safari - whether or not you are going to a malaria area. If you don't pack an effective insect repellent, the constant annoyance of insects such as mosquitoes, midges, and flies may dampen your enjoyment of your safari.
  • In areas with tropical diseases which are carried by insects - such as malaria - the higher the quality of the safari insect repellent you pack and constantly apply while on safari, the lower the chance of contracting any disease or illness. "Don't get bitten" just about sums up this line of thinking.
  • Insect repellents that are made and tested in tropical areas - and which are used daily in places such as Australia - we have found to be the best on numerous field tests in Africa. This is the reason why we personally use Australian-made insect repellent on our own safaris and expeditions and why we believe that you should too.
  • Apply insect repellent frequently to both your skin and clothing. For your face, spray the repellent into your hand and then apply it to your skin. Do not get it into your eyes and follow the instructions on the insect repellent bottle. For your clothing, check first that the safari insect repellent you use does not stain or damage your clothing and then apply it all over your trousers, shirt, hat, and shoes.
  • Always re-apply insect repellent after physical activities, sweating, swimming, or towelling yourself down.
  • Only use insect repellents for your safari which contain up to a maximum of 40% DEET. Some manufacturers include more DEET than that in their formula, but it does not increase the efficacy of the repellent - only the length of time it stays on your skin. Rather re-apply more frequently than use a repellent with more than 40% DEET.
  • Travel tip: Many of our clients make the mistake of only packing insect repellent for their safari and not for their beach holiday after their safari. Simply put, the risk of malaria is greater in coastal, tropical areas where there are usually much higher concentrations of people than in the wilderness and back country of Africa where you will go on safari. Pack enough insect repellent to cover your beach holiday - or onward travel in Africa - too.
  • Number of bottles of safari insect repellent to pack:
    Up to 4-day safari: 1 x bottle per person; Up to 8-day safari: 2 x bottles per person; Up to 12-day safari: 3 x bottles per person


    *Local conditions such as the time of year and presence of rain will determine the number of insects you may encounter on your safari. We prefer to err on taking a few too many bottles on safari than running out. For any extras after your safari, note that most insect repellents should last for a number of years and you will be able to use them at home during the summer months.

    Safari Hats Read our Safari Hats Advice Guide

    The advice below is a summary. If you are looking for more information & expert advice then please click here for our full safari hat advice guide.

    • For the best protection from the strength of the midday sun in Africa - for your neck and face - pack a wide-brimmed women's safari hat.
    • With mean high temperatures reaching mid-20 to mid-30 degrees Celsius on most safaris and with safari areas in Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, and Zambia high above sea level, the effects of the sun will be pronounced and the risk of being burnt by the sun will be high. A wide-brimmed women's safari hat is literally your first line of defence against sunburn.
    • Wide-brimmed women's safari hats also provide shelter when it rains. We find that a wide-brimmed safari hat definitely makes it more comfortable when you are caught out on a walk or game drive by a sudden thunderstorm or tropical shower, as at least your face remains dry and fewer drops go into your eyes.
    • Colour is key when choosing a women's safari hat - with neutral shades such as khaki, green, or brown the best. Your safari hat will often be the most conspicuous part of you while viewing wildlife on a walking safari.
    • Pack a women's safari hat which suits your safari style. Fortunately, there are more styles available for women today which range from leather hats to classically-styled indie and panama-shaped hats.
    • Modern wide-brimmed women's safari hats are also conveniently packable and are easy manipulate back into shape. A note though: not all hats are packable and should be carried with your carry-on luggage - and, even when a hat is packable, never crush your safari hat under a hard object - such as shoes or binoculars - when packing.

      Number of wide-brimmed women's safari hats to pack for your safari:
      1 x wide-brimmed safari hat per person.
      *Pack a warm and cosy safari beanie for cold mornings and the African winter too.

    Safari Sunglasses Read our Safari Sunglasses Advice Guide

    • Pack high-quality sunglasses for your safari which have very good lenses to avoid any damage to your eyes from the harsh rays of the African sun.
    • The majority of safari activities take place early in the morning and late in the afternoon. This means that you may be staring into a rising or setting sun during your safari, which makes packing good safari sunglasses even more important.
    • At midday, the light may also be quite harsh depending on which areas you visit and the terrain prevalent in that location. As an example, in areas of Botswana, there are large salt pans and the sand is bright white, which reflects the sun's rays and may be uncomfortable for your eyes.

    Number of safari sunglasses to pack for your safari:
    1 x pair of high quality sunglasses per person.

    Safari Torches (flashlights) Read our Safari Torches (flashlights) Advice Guide

  • Packing a good safari torch (flashlight) is an important essential for all safaris as it increases your safety while in the safari camp and may also add to the enjoyment of your safari.
  • Your safari torch should be used in the evenings as you walk around the safari camp to shine on the ground in front of you to avoid standing on any snakes (and other reptiles), spiders, scorpions, or insects which may bite or sting you. This is especially important when wearing open sandals or shoes around the camp area.
  • Use your safari torch to shine in the bush around you as you walk around the camp at night to spot and avoid wildlife which may have wandered into the camp in the evenings. Please note that this is important as many camps are unfenced - and, even for those with fences, some mammals are able to jump over fences. For unfenced camps, should you spot any of the predators (lion, leopard, hyena, and cheetah) or any of the bigger herbivores (elephant, rhino, buffalo), take care to avoid them as as they are all potentially dangerous. Very important tip: do not shine into the eyes of any of the bigger herbivores listed above, with particular attention paid to not shining into the eyes of elephant.
  • The safety aspect of safari flashlights aside, safari torches are very useful for trying to view nocturnal wildlife from the safety and comfort of your room or from the safari lodge. It is also a great way to show others the constellations in the night sky and to shine in your tent or room should the camp you are staying in have limited power for lights late into the night or on more basic walking and adventure safaris.
  • For safaris which are not lodge or camp based - or where amenities are limited and you have to use a torch to light your room, look for your clothes, and check for scorpions in your shoes - then packing a small battery-powered safari lamp which offers more diffuse and less direct lighting is a great idea. These types of lamps or lanterns are also great for reading a book at night where a torch would be too bright on a white page.
  • Number of safari torches to pack:
    1 x powerful, compact safari torch per person; 1 x small battery-powered lantern or lamp per person for safaris where strong lighting is not provided in the room or tent.


    *Pack extra batteries and a charger if the torch, lantern, or lamp is rechargeable. If there is no power source in the camp, then pack a small solar charger and recharge your torch, lamp, or lantern during the day. We often recommend that clients pack extra batteries for rechargeable torches and lanterns which are pre-charged at home as it is easier to replace a battery when it runs out - often when you really don't want it to - than to wait for a battery to recharge.

    Safari Beanies & Scarves Read our Safari Beanies & Scarves Advice Guide

    • Pack a multi-functional Head&Neck scarf for just about all outdoor adventures, including safari. Head&Neck Scarves keep your neck and head out of the sun when it is hot, and provide an element of warmth too when it starts to get cold. They offer maximum versatility.
    • It can and does get cold on safari. See our Womens Safari Jackets and Fleeces page for more information on why this is the case.
    • Pack women's garments and accessories for your safari which keep you warm. Women's safari scarves, safari beanies, and safari gloves should be considered a packing essential over the African winter - and may also be required for some mornings on summer safaris too.
    • At the very least, we recommend packing a safari beanie on any safari as they are so small and light to carry in your luggage, yet have a big effect on how warm you are should you get cold. Keep your safari beanie in the bag you take on game drives. You may well get some envious stares from others who have not had the foresight to pack a safari beanie.
    • Further to the point above, for the African summer, pack a women's safari beanie just in case. For the most part, your women's wide-brimmed safari hat should keep you warm enough, but why take the risk? Please also take note of the altitude of the area in which you are going on safari. The Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania, as an example, is over 2000 metres above sea level and most camps are on the rim of the crater and so may have cold temperatures (morning and evenings in particular) and precipitation throughout the year, so we would recommend taking warmer safari accessories just in case.
    • Pack safari scarves, safari beanies, and safari gloves in safari colours.

    Number of women's safari scarves, safari beanies, and safari gloves to pack for your safari:
    1 x women's safari scarf; 1 x women's safari beanie; 1 x women's safari gloves - although you should be fine tucking your hands into your women's safari jacket or fleece to keep them warm.

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