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Know when to go
This will depend on your destination and your specific interests. For example, O. A. T.’ s safari experts recommend you visit Botswana between April and October, when seasonal floods turn the Okavango Delta into a watery paradise that you can explore via mokoro-style dugout canoes. Serengeti safaris can be rewarding year round, but many travelers like to come in early February, when the wildebeests are calving( and therefore attracting predators). Otherwise, a good rule of thumb for most safari destinations is to come during the dry season, when there is less vegetation to obscure your view of the wildlife. It’ s also when animals are compelled to gather at permanent water holes, so they’ re easier to find. Make sure you discuss your options and preferences with your safari operator.
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Plan to dress in layers
Your game drives will commence in the early hours when animals are most active, but the temperatures can be quite cold. As the day wears on, it can get very hot. So bring a sweater, a fleece jacket or vest, and warm socks, and plan to peel them off. I love those camp pants that zip off above the knee and can double as long slacks or shorts. They’ re made of light, synthetic fabrics that dry very quickly, too.
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Don’ t wear blue
RECOMMENDED
Reading
When a Crocodile Eats the Sun by Peter Godwin( Memoir, Zimbabwe)
Africa, A Biography of the Continent by John Reader( History)
In the Shadow of Man by Jane Goodall( Nonfiction, Tanzania)
African Safari Field Guide by Mark W. Nolting( Field Guide)
Serengeti: Natural Order on the African Plain by Mitsuaki Iwago( Nature / Photography, Tanzania)
Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela by Nelson Mandela( Biography, South Africa)
The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith( Mystery series, Botswana)
Love, Life, and Elephants: An African Love Story by Daphne Sheldrick( Memoir / Conservation, Kenya)
Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen( Memoir, Kenya)
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver( Fiction, Congo)
It attracts tsetse flies( as does black). Also avoid wearing white: it will become instantly dingy from all the dust. This is why classic safari clothes are tan, khaki or green colored.
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