Packing for 18 days of travel, with 14 of ‘em in the vastness of Kenya’s savanna and bush created a whirlpool of what-if decisions for me:
- What if age 77 is too old for this to be smart?
- Do I need different stuff from the younger ones to be protected?
- Who publishes that packing list?
- My kids and grandkids aren’t going, so who knows my infirmities?
Fast forward to the happy answer now that I’m home again:
- Not too old.
- Not impossible.
- Immensely happy for my safari experiences.
But I’ve got some suggestions for the next old widow lady making this trek.
Step Up
Curious there’s no such thing as seeing too many zebras, or giraffe or elephants, or multi-colored birds whose names are impossible to remember.
That means climbing into the Capture Kenya Expeditions Toyota Land Cruiser safari truck again and again. “Been there, done that” does not equate to seeing majestic animals. Going again is always right.
The UP is high, and narrow from ground to seat. Stepping down and out when the game drive is over is scarier, even though the distance is the same.
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Sure, my safari guide had a handy step stool, but I felt better about myself hoisting up and down on my own, gripping the handles, of course.
Read More:
- Capture Kenya: A Safari Filled with Wildlife Wonder That Also Uplifts Women and Girls
- Safari tips for first-timers
My Advice:
Practice at home. Two steps up and over. Make sure the practice step is way narrower than your foot length.
As for the handle-grabbing, maybe lift some five-pound weights before the trip to build some muscle strength.
Balance
Safari vehicles have pop-up tops. Looking out while upright is much grander than staying seated. I chose standing only when the vehicle was stopped.
My Advice:
Practice standing at home with your feet crowded. Build balance muscle memory taking little steps amidst travel satchels and accumulated stuff sure to fill the safari vehicle floor.
It’s more awkward than it sounds.
Insurance
Of course, I updated my annual Allianz travel insurance coverage. I’m used to prices going up as I age and continue to immerse myself in adventure.
Game drives add a new consideration: they’re remote and the roads are dreadful.
My Advice:
Choose a safari company that provides additional insurance that will get you from the remote savanna to places where your personal insurance can take over. My safari company, Capture Kenya Expeditions, includes that insurance for all of its customers.
Game Park Lodges
Accommodations and meals can be quite lovely, and comforting.
They can also have stairs and sloping sidewalks and not always handrails. Travel-mates willing to lend me an arm on down slopes made my safety difference.
Only once did I see wheelchairs available to borrow. And the lodge solution for the dining area accessed with two short flights of steps was room service—unhappy loss of group energies.
Most lodge meals are buffet style; if walking and carrying plates is iffy, that’s not a problem. Staff always seemed to notice my need before I even asked.
My advice:
Don’t hesitate to ask discreetly for the help you need, from fellow travelers or from staff.
Take Less
Changing lodges every night or two to experience yet another set of wonders in a different game park in Kenya meant lugging safari luggage, never unpacking.
Sure I could (and did!) tip willing staff to move my bag from safari vehicle to bedroom but spaces were not spacious so suitcase(s) are best not large.
Plus, windows rolled down and top popped up is the marvel of buffalo and warthog and wildebeest sightings, so re-wearing the same-old dusty clothes day after day is the right plan.
Animals are the fashion statement on safari, not me. I’m sure I was as dusty as they.
My advice:
Packing light is always the best advice, for anyone, going anywhere.
Queezy, with Neck Tension
Potholes take on a whole new significance on safari. Expect them, in abundance. We spent long days bouncing over rutted trails in the game parks. Even the “streets” were more pothole than pavement.
Expect to be bounced, tossed and shaken during your rides. That’s how deep the ruts, constantly challenging even the most skilled of drivers.
My Advice:
Ginger tablets can help settle stomachs. Real medicine is a good idea for people prone to car sickness.
Neck pillows supporting wobbly heads on long flights could move right into the safari vehicle. I wished for the whiplash neck support given me once by EMTs after a car crash.
Open Mind, Open Space
I’m lots more tolerant, and accepting the older I get. Curious more than judging.
Those are great traits to open up while planning an African safari, especially with an itinerary allowing time among the Maasai people. Create space before leaving home to simply observe a different worldview that works just fine for others.
My Advice:
Read One of Them, My Life Among the Maasai of Kenya, by Eti Dayan. It’s the first-person story of a woman from Israel who moved in to a Maasai village, living and loving and learning in new ways. Read this not so much for details about cultural practices as to considering your own reaction, and then opening new space for accepting.
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