So many people dream of enjoying one of the various luxury safaris that are now available across Africa today. Whether you are looking for lions in South Africa’s Kruger Park or Mountain Gorillas in Uganda’s dense forests there is a unique and unforgettable experience out there waiting to be discovered.

What seems to put a lot of people off booking a safari is that they believe it takes an awful lot of effort to prepare for such an encounter and have no idea where to start. While I do agree that getting ready for an African safari may take a little extra though than an alternative trip it needn’t represent any kind of a challenge.

The most important thing is to know where you want to go and then to learn about the kind of place you are looking to visit. Understandably each of the Southern African nations has its own identity, its own processes and governments and therefore its own considerations. My main advice would be to know about the country you intend to visit and this way nothing will come as a surprise to you whilst you are out there enjoying your trip.

For example, what kind of medications or inoculations might you need, does the country you intend to visit suffer from malarial outbreaks and if so you can take simple steps towards preparing for this eventuality. If you are travelling to Southern Botswana, Namibia or South Africa then you may not need to concern yourself with anti-malarial medication, but it is always worth consulting this with your GP. Furthermore, if anyone travelling in you party requires any kind of medication, anything from insulin injections to asthma inhalers, make sure that you have packed enough and some spare for your journey.

You should generally try to pack lighter than you might normally if you are going on a safari, particularly if your itinerary involves moving through several camps. Pack lighter coloured, breathable clothes; plenty of pairs of socks, a good sturdy pair of walking boots, flip flops and perhaps some more casual footwear and if you are dining out you may like to include a smart pair of shoes. Take plenty of sunscreen and after sun and a sun hat for each member of the party. Small gadgets like a penknife or handheld torch can also come in very handy as well as tweezers, pins and sewing kits depending upon how long you will be away in the remote bush and investing in a good digital camera and pair of binoculars is also recommended. If you are travelling during the African winter months, particularly in South Africa then prepare for much cooler temperatures and pack accordingly with long trouser a good coat and perhaps fleece.

Make sure that you fully understand the immigration laws of the country that you are visiting, although your tour operator should be able to elaborate on any particularities and ensure trouble free entry and exit.

Respect local customs and beliefs, many African nations, like the UK consist of numerous degrees of religious groups and can vary from place to place, for example almost a third of the population of Mozambique are Muslim with particular density in areas such as Dar es Salaam, as opposed to Kenya where almost 90 percent of the country are Protestant or Roman Catholic.