Diana Petterson African Continent, Travel Notions

Packing: 7-Weeks through 8 Countries of the African Continent in late 2024

The Intrepid Travel map of my trip through East and South Africa includes beginning in Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and ending in South Africa. As a part of my Countdown to 100 Countries by the time I turn 70 in 2026, these will be countries 79 to 85. I’m not counting South Africa because I’ve been there before.

I’m journeying to the African Continent for close to seven weeks and advance planning, especially with packing, has been more challenging than ever even for an experienced carry-on only packer like myself.

This is an overland trip. That means I will be in a purpose-built vehicle, commonly called an overland truck, visiting remote communities, setting up my own tent and occasionally even using the bush as a toilet while we’re traveling. All while traversing through eight African countries, on the ground in an open air truck without air conditioning, but getting to appreciate the beauty, the complexities, the lives and just the sheer wonder of the African Continent. Oh, and one other lovely thing, the drive days on bumpy roads can be an all day thing to arrive at our destination.

So, why am I even doing this? Because Africa awaits and today, I can. (Well at least I hope I can.)

It has been a few years since I have stepped foot on the African Continent, actually not since 2019. And, I’ve looked forward to going back ever since. In Northern Africa, I’ve been to Morocco, Egypt and the Sudan. In West Africa, I’ve been to Ghana, Benin and Togo. In East Africa, I’ve been to Ethiopia. I’ve also been to South Africa, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) and Lesotho.

According to the United Nations, there are 54 African countries. For this trip, I will be heading back to East Africa starting in Nairobi, Kenya and traveling on through Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Botswana and ending in Cape Town, South Africa. And several of these countries require obtaining a visa like Kenya ($34.95 USD) and Tanzania ($50 USD) in advance to enter their countries with Tanzania also requiring visitors to purchase health insurance at an additional cost of $44 USD. I will have to get a visa for Zimbabwe, but I can get that at the border. And, because I’m a U.S. citizen, I won’t have to get a visa for the remaining countries.

I pre-booked my arrival hotel in Nairobi, the first stop and meeting point of this 48-days long trip so that I will have two full days in Nairobi before I leave with my group for Tanzania. I also pre-booked a transfer from the Nairobi Airport to my hotel through Intrepid. When I arrive late at night, especially to a place that is totally unfamiliar to me, booking a transfer allows m to feel quite safe. And, since I will be pitching a tent and needed to bring a sleeping bag, I instead ‘hired’ or basically rented one from Intrepid. The cost was on $32 USD and I’ve read good reviews about the cleanliness of the sleeping bags. But don’t despair there will be opportunities for me to upgrade to a room at an additional cost, when available and if I choose to do so.

There are days when we are individually on our own, but for the most part, we will have a driver, a cook and a guide to shepherd our tour group along. Meals during our overland travels while camping include breakfast, dinner, and most lunches.

Also reading Intrepid’s “Essential Trip Information” notes was quite helpful along with going researching online and even checking out YouTube clips on packing for Africa. In the end, I had to come up with my own solutions.

And, just when I thought I had things planned perfectly, a last minute crimp snuck in yesterday morning when American Airlines changed my outgoing flight time putting me in the position of trying to get from one terminal to another at Boston Logan International Airport within one hour and 11 minutes, assuming my flight gets into Boston on time and I can get off the plane much less find my way to another terminal. After about 45 minutes on the phone with an American Airlines rep, I have now have a flight from Dallas to London and London to Nairobi.

Last minute flight changes aside, the most challenging aspect of planning for this trip was packing. And, that began with finding a piece of luggage, duffel bag or backpack recommended, that would fit my locker in the truck. The average locker size measures 26 inches long, 18 inches wide and 10 inches high. Plus, I needed a piece of luggage that I could put in the overhead bin of the airplane and manage easily through the airports of my three flights.

Check out my packing journey and let me know what you think. See you in Nairobi, Kenya.

The Intrepid Travel map of my trip through East and South Africa includes beginning in Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and ending in South Africa. As a part of my Countdown to 100 Countries by the time I turn 70 in 2026, these will be countries 79 to 85. I’m not counting South Africa because I’ve been there before.
Deciding what piece of luggage to pack everything in nearly drove me crazy. From a rolling duffle bag (which I ultimately chose) to a duffle backpack, all of which could fit in the overhead bind of the plane and in my locker on the overland trucks which on average measures 26L x 18W x 10H.
My four choices of duffel bags and a backpack for my Africa trip. From left, the Pacific Gear 40 Liter duffel with wheels, Osprey 40 Liter Duffel Bag Backpack, eBags Motherlode (which is no longer available) and the Eddie Bauer Expedition Duffel Bag 2.0. I actually packed each one of these. I eliminated the Eddie Bauer Expedition Duffel Bag because in the end it was just too heavy and I would not have been able to get it into the overhead bin on my own. The eBag Motherlode just didn’t fit what I needed to bring. The last two, Osprey and Pacific Gear were difficult to choose from. In the end, the Pacific Gear with wheels, measuring 20.5″H x 12″W x 11.5″D was the best choice for me. I’m hoping I won’t have a difficult time fitting it into the overland truck locker space at 26L x 18W x 10H.
The packed Osprey Duffel Backpack fit all my gear and I could carry it but not long term which I would need to do in the airports. So, I thought putting it on a rolling luggage cart might be a god idea. It was, but then I would have to do something with the cart itself. Carrying this on my back and hand carrying my actual backpack would have been way too much. But I do like it.
Once I finally selected my clothing, I used this Sawyer Premium Insect Repellent with Permethrin for my clothes. I’m not sure how well this insect repellent will work on my clothes, but I’m also taking Malaria pills, incase I do get bit by mosquitoes. with keeping away the mosquitos, but I’m also taking Malaria pills as a backup.
Once I figured out the actual clothes I wanted to bring, I sprayed my pants and my two long sleeved shirts with Sawyer’s Premium Insect Repellent for treating clothing. The odorless Permethrin is supposedly effective for six weeks.
Items going into my duffel bag: (Top left) A Scrubba Wash Bag MINI Ultra-Compact bag to wash small items of clothes; liquids and creams; Advocare’s Rehydrate, a variety of wipes and mosquito repellent. I initially put my jacket, the rolled up green one, in a pillowcase but decided instead to shove it into the duffel and bring my travel-sized buckwheat and millet pillow called a Bucky pillow. I have a couple of rain panchos, my Merrell shoes, a worn pair of loafers, shower slippers, headlamp, an extra bar of soap and a pillowcase for a pillow I hope to purchase when I get to Nairobi. And, in the plastic bags are a Rainleaf microfiber towel and a silk sleeping bag camping sheet.
What shoes to bring? It should be easy, but it just wasn’t. I finally settled on bring these shoes. I will wear my Merrill’s on the plane, the beat up loafers are comfortable for walking around our campsite, the shower shoes are a must for using the facilities at the camp sites and these cute, colorful safari-esque Chaco sandals. I debated bringing a simple pair of black slip on sandals, but the Chacos won.
My clothes for a little more than two weeks: two pairs of North Face Capris; three long pairs of lightweight, quick drying, water resistant pants; six quick drying SPF 50, lightweight long sleeve shirts and a zippered fleece jacket. I switched the white top for a burnt orange one that I’ll be wearing on the plane along with a pair of the long pants and the fleece jacket. I’m not traveling with my signature red because muted colors are preferred and that works for me.
My undergarment packing cube obviously has my undergarments, socks, pajamas, a couple pairs of long John’s, a hat, two pairs of gloves and two beanies. It gets cold at night, so the gray one is for sleeping and the brown one is for wearing out in the morning.
My undergarment packing cube obviously has my undergarments, socks, pajamas, a couple pairs of long John’s, a hat, two pairs of gloves and two beanies. It gets cold at night, so the gray one is for sleeping and the brown one is for wearing out in the morning.
All the goodies that go into my backpack some of which include my meds and other medicine, charges, two water bottles, some US cash, a keyboard for my cell phone, my iPad Air with keyboard, notebooks and pens; tissue, a folder with my paper work, a mesh zipper pouch for cords to bring on the plane; another mesh zipper pouch contains reading glasses, toothbrush, rehydrate and other things I like to bring on the plan with me. There’s also a folded up day bag and a money belt.
A close-up to some of the things I included in my backpack. The red fabric bag is for items I need when I take a shower since the facilities are in a separate and shared building.
My packed up backpack, fanny pack, rolling duffel bag and, pillow in a green pillowcase and fleece jacket. Ready to start my journey through Eastern and Southern Africa.
A close-up of my packed up backpack, fanny pack, rolling duffel bag and, pillow in a green pillowcase and fleece jacket. Ready to start my journey through Eastern and Southern Africa.