The thought of travelling to Africa can be daunting for any metro-raised backpacker, especially with so many unknowns and the fear of contracting some dreaded disease. The spirit of adventure will not be tamed by doubting and procrastinating, eventually the only thing to do is get on the flight and make for the motherland (yes we all came from Africa). If you’re one of the millions making their way to Africa sometime in 2017, consider doing the following before you come and bring at-least three of the stuff below.

Essential preparations before the flight.

There are different things you should do depending on where you plan to land in Africa, some countries will require you to be vaccinated of a region-common allergy or condition. Many people think of Kenya as their first destination, the safari plains and mountain range being the attraction — well don’t forget to get the yellow fever shots a week before you leave. While you don’t see many mosquitoes in your house, you will see more than a few when you go deep enough into the adventure bound areas of Africa. As such you should get the preventive course and complete it before you head out.

The languages spoken in Africa are as diverse as the people you will meet, a single small town could have as many as ten dialects. You are not going to learn them all before you take the flight, at least check for a common language (either English, Portuguese, Spanish, or French) and confirm you will have a way to ask your way around.

What to bring with you

While you will find everything you need to survive in Africa in Africa, there are certain additional items that will make your trip and stay more enjoyable. Most of the items you carry will depend on where exactly you are going. If Johannesburg or Cape Town is where you are going to be for the holiday in Africa, you wont need to be as geared for the bush life as much as one travelling to camp in the plush jungle of Gorongoza in Mozambique.

A sat-phone would be helpful in the bush camping setting, not as much for the concrete jungle that you will find at the center of most cities. Your cellphone should be enough for most of the urban to semi-rural areas, just be sure to bring with you the charging kit or a power-bank to stay taking pictures and still make calls when you need to.

There are plenty of camping sites in Africa, and as such you wont have a problem looking for a tour service that will supply you with the vehicles to move around in as well as the camping tents and more. There is absolutely no reason to haul heavy tents with you from wherever you are reading this. So many travelers have come with nothing more than their backpack, a bank card and a few gadgets, yet they experienced the best that Africa has to offer.

We can’t wait to see you here.

Tau.