Packing & Practicalities
Weather
October in KwaZulu-Natal: the average air temperature ranges from around 24 °C (76 °F) during the day to around 17 °C (65 °F) at night. It rarely exceeds 84°F or falls below 57°F, and it rains about 4” during the month.
Clothing
The weather is pretty temperate. But because we will go out on game drives early in the morning and again until after sunset in the evening, packing for layers is suggested. Keeping clothes comfortable, and fairly color-muted (khakis, greens, grays, beige, blues, etc… ), for game drives is also good. Bright colors can be distracting to the animals, and white can get dirty. Note that Phinda will wash your clothes daily, so there is no need to pack too much. If you want to bring something slightly nicer or a casual dress for the first night dinner, you are welcome too, but it is by no means required. No specialty clothing necessary. Think casual, comfy, outdoors-friendly clothes. Note that on safari we are outside open-air vehicles for extended periods, sometime going quite fast to reach the animals. So caps, hair ties, and light-weight scarves can come in handy!
Recommended basics:
Long sleeve shirts (some people like sun-protectant or hiking/safari shirts, or ones that have roll-up sleves)
Short sleeve shirts
T-shirt or tanks
Shorts
Long or convertible pants (comfortable cotton, Columbia or other hiking pants, or jeans) Note: Convertible pants are ones where half the leg zips off. Personally I prefer cropped hiking pants that can have a “roll-up” feature rather than zip off.
Loungewear
Sweater and or jacket for warmth (light- or medium-weight, Polartec works well for some)
Waterproof raincoat or jacket
Swimsuit
One nicer, but still casual outfit - optional
Closed-toe comfortable walking shoes (hiking shoes or all terrain sandals with socks ok; boots not necessary)
Sandals
Sunglasses
Hat (baseball or sport sunhat with chin string, something that will stay on, work well)
Light weight cotton scarf or buff (protection against wind or chill)
What you don’t need:
Your nicest jewelry
High-end, designer bags
Cosmetics & medications
Be sure to bring all your favorite cosmetic items and any medications you might need. Once we get to Phinda we will be far from any stores. Don’t forget:
Sunscreen
Enough of any prescription medications you will need for the entire trip
Any pain reliever, allergy medicine, upset stomach remedies or supplements you may want
Vaccines & Preventatives
Always check with your doctor for their vaccination recommendations. No vaccines or treatments are specifically required for KwaZulu-Natal or Phinda Private Game Reserve. (Including no yellow fever or malaria treatment required. This is not a malaria area.) At the time of this writing no Covid-19 testing or masking requirements are mandated by South Africa.
Money
Cash - South African Rand (ZAR) is the national currency of South Africa. Your retreat price covers most expenses, including all tips and taxes, so much cash shouldn’t be necessary. We will be going to Zamanpillo craft market, which has small, inexpensive handmade items like beadwork and baskets. Vendors only accept cash. If you decide you want to get ZAR for the market, ATMs are the best way to get local cash. ATMs are available at both Johannesburg and Durban airports. In Durban, they are located to the far right after you exit security. Additionally, Johannesburg has foreign exchange desks for changing foreign money by baggage claim and after security exit. There are no cash exchange desks in Durban. Items at the Zamanpillo craft market are generally inexpensive. If you don’t plan to buy much, I’d say USD$40 equivalent would be more than enough. Remember that tips, including for your airport driver, are already included. If you’re not able to get cash, don’t worry, we’ll figure something out! 😊
Credit cards - Except for the market, we won’t be going anywhere off-sites. But Mastercard and Visa are widely accepted both in Dubai and in the South African airports. As a precaution before using your card abroad, you may want to call your credit company and alert them you will be traveling internationally to pre-empt any question of fraud. Note that American Express does not always work well in SA, even if a shop sign says it is accepted.
Electricity & Outlets
Plug Shape - Standard outlet shapes for South Africa are M and N (C-compatible), pictured left and right respectively. That said, hotels in SA often have at additional sockets suited to other, foreign plug shapes (and always have spare adapters at the front desk).
If you have European, two-prong C adapters (or a Universal Adapter which has C or N), you don’t need to buy anything additional for Sala or Phinda.
If you’re traveling through Dubai, a universal adapter would be a good choice. Make sure that it has that has both type C/N (Europe/South Africa) and type G (UK and the Arabian Penninsula). Something like this would work. https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Adapter-Charging-Worldwide-Converter/dp/B0BVR2PZTR/
*Note that universal adaptors rarely have the three round prong M adaptors.
If you are staying at a Johannesburg hotel, you should be fine with C. If you want to be doubly sure, you can purchase M adaptors like this on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079RV62NN?th=1
Electricity - The electricity in South Africa is 220/240 volts, 50Hz. North America uses 120v/60Hz. Check your appliances/devices, many are DUAL voltage and do not require a converter. Most phones, computers, tablets and cameras are dual voltage. Hair dryers, curling/straightening irons and electric toothbrushes may or may not be. If you have an appliance that is only 120V, you will need an electrical converter in addition to a plug shape adaptor (see above). Some electrical converters also have plug adapters built in, like this one… https://www.amazon.com/International-Converter-straighteners-converters-Australia/dp/B0C4V1FZCJ/
Cameras, Binoculars, Phones, Chargers & Cords
Phones - Check with your mobile phone carrier to see if your phone has an international plan and cellular and/or internet access. Before using, find out the per minute rate in South Africa and whether SMS (text messages) incur a charge.Some may have it it included but may need to be activated. Some require you buy a “data packackage” for internet roaming. Additionally, I recommend downloading What’sApp (https://www.whatsapp.com), which allows wi-fi texting and calling and is widely used in South Africa.
Chargers - Be sure to bring all your device charging cords, extra batteries for your camera and enough memory cards. As noted above, electrical outlets and therefore cords, are different in SA and once we get to Phinda we will be far from any stores in general.
Camera - Camera-wise, I’ve found that the animals are often much closer than I expected them to be. My iPhone 11pro camera has done pretty well! If you have a DSLR, a zoom lens with a 70-300mm telephoto range is an excellent, versatile choice.
Binoculars - Phinda provides binoculars for the cars, But if you are an avid birdwatcher and have your own favorite pair of binos, I would bring them!
Safety & Security
Some general precautions include: before departure taking a picture (or making a copy) of your passport, drivers license and credit card details. If you make a physical copy, keep in in a different place than your wallet and passport. It is always good to have a small amount of cash stored in a separate place as well.
Out of an abundance of caution, I would consider leaving designer bags, gold and gemstone jewelry at home. (I swear the lions won’t notice!) When riding in a car, local residents suggest putting your purse on the floor by your feet instead of on an empty seat next to you. Again, just so as not to tempt any smash-and-grabbers.
Other Questions?!
Post any other questions you have in the FB group, so they can benefit all, and I will answer there
