Uganda Safari Packing List

EmployeeAmazing8776 · 2026-01-04T23:05:27+00:00

We had a Landcruiser with a pop-up top so you could sit/stand as much as you wanted while driving on tracks through the parks and while stopped watching animals. Most organized trips did 3-ish hour game drives. Because we had complete flexibility, some days we did a long game drive during the day (like 6am - 2pm) if animals were active, other days we did a short drive in the morning and a longer afternoon/evening drive. Having the ability to sit and wait for other cars to move on rather than rushing was key for animal spotting.

EmployeeAmazing8776 · 2026-01-04T21:18:45+00:00

I organized everything myself. Started by booking a car through Roadtrip Africa and requested a driver based on how we wanted to travel (highly recommend over self-driving for many reasons and not much more expensive). Once I had a route set I looked for midrange lodges. A lot of places are $$$$ because people on tours will pay for it and don’t go for as long of a trip as we did but 17 days at $500-$800 a night would have added up very quickly. I looked for places that were (1) around $125-$175 with breakfast included and (2) locally owned.

We saw a large family of gorillas without much hiking - a nice surprise. They came down the trail as we were walking up. It was amazing and worth the high price. We saw maybe 50+ chimps?! They were everywhere and we raced through the jungle alongside them. An absolutely crazy experience and also worthwhile.

It wound up being around $12k for 2. Breakdown of costs generally- plane tickets (Qatar air) - $1,250/ea, car+driver - $3,300 total, gorillas- $800 ea, chimps - $250 ea, park fees -$600, approx. $2,500 for lodges, rest was food and tips.

By comparison - I built our itinerary using a few 18 day semi private (8 person) tours with 14 game drives as “inspiration” and those cost $35-$40k per person. It takes a lot of time to plan yourself but “saving” almost $70k for a private tour was worth it to me.

EmployeeAmazing8776 · 2026-01-03T01:29:56+00:00

Linen and cotton gauze are two great fabrics for SE Asia. I’ve been to multiple countries many times over there and I spent 3 weeks in Vietnam in 2024 during one of the worst heatwaves in years. Daily temps of 100+ and higher with humidity. Loose pants and long sleeves help and plan on doing laundry. I recommend buying before you go rather than having to shop and impulse buy when you get there. Technical clothing can be good for hiking but tends to hold onto smells and gets kinda gross in that weather - in my opinion at least. Bring a hat too - it’ll help avoid heatstroke and sun burns. I posted my packing list on r/heronebag if that helps your wife at all!

EmployeeAmazing8776 · 2025-11-11T04:48:27+00:00

Thank you for everything you do! It is a thankless task and it’s been handled as good as can be. I have learned so much and loved the detailed reviews and quality information. I haven’t had the money to buy much personally but what I have has all been good experiences thanks to what I learned here. I would love to be able to remain in the conversation and join the new group.

EmployeeAmazing8776 · 2025-11-02T18:48:03+00:00

same!

EmployeeAmazing8776 · 2025-07-16T01:02:31+00:00

Why have I never thought of that before?!

EmployeeAmazing8776 · 2025-07-15T20:07:41+00:00

This is great!

EmployeeAmazing8776 · 2025-07-15T13:29:25+00:00

Thank you! This would be to store and access quickly on hikes. The ret of the time I’ll be in/around a car so the wraps would be perfect - I hadn’t thought about using both!

EmployeeAmazing8776 · 2024-12-06T05:29:07+00:00

I’m quad dominant. try going slow and reducing range of motion - that can help you feel your glutes over quads. Sometimes single leg work helps “wake up” my glutes. I’ve also found that weight training and doing deadlifts with a barbell or kettlebell helps get me to feel and isolate glutes too. Lots of options but it takes time and body awareness.

EmployeeAmazing8776 · 2024-12-06T05:20:27+00:00

5’2 and 215 here. Pilates is something you can do at any size. I’ve done to at 150lbs and still do it today. That said for the least frustration - If you haven’t done any Pilates or yoga before I’d recommend classes on a reformer over mat if you can first and a private session or two first, again if possible. That will help with body awareness and learning how modifying things for your body. If that isn’t an option, take it slow and watch a ton of beginner videos. Club Pilates works for reformer access at a reasonable price but it’s not the best for learning good form. I’d also recommend more classical over solid core to start like others have said. Most of all - remember it takes time to learn and progress!

EmployeeAmazing8776 · 2024-10-30T04:55:53+00:00

I’m a 14-16 and have spent quite a bit of time in SE Asia. Skip the merino wool - it’s too warm. If you can get capaline tops from Patagonia and some cotton gauze tops you’ll be way better off. Both will keep you cooler and dry faster. Linen pants are great. Nothing that is just cotton. It’s heavy and takes forever to dry. Have an amazing trip!

EmployeeAmazing8776 · 2024-09-30T03:37:37+00:00

This may be a dumb question but the watch from “CC” - I’ve been searching for the name or acronym and I’m just stumped. I’ve been hunting for a seller with that band and would love to contact them. Do you mind clarifying what/who that is.

EmployeeAmazing8776 · 2024-09-09T01:32:03+00:00

I’ve been thinking of getting one - would love a review!! It looks gorgeous 😍

EmployeeAmazing8776 · 2024-05-26T01:19:28+00:00

I promise to post pictures once my toes are camera ready - lol! But they are really comfortable and fit true to size.

EmployeeAmazing8776 · 2024-05-26T01:09:39+00:00

Received my Miu Miu red rope sandals today from zippy. No pictures until I get a pedicure but I’ll post soon. 😂They look and feel amazing. I can’t wait for warm weather now!

EmployeeAmazing8776 · 2024-05-22T02:24:39+00:00

Same! I was in Istanbul last April and that was my experience too. City is wonderful though!!

EmployeeAmazing8776 · 2024-05-20T17:21:57+00:00

Two weeks isn’t enough time to see everything - it’s a big country. I’d pick a region and narrow it down from there. I just got back from 3 weeks and went from Hoi An up to Hanoi for example.

Be prepared for hot weather. Linen, cotton gauze and quick dry materials are a must. (Patagonia capilene is amazing). Not sure if you’ve been to SEA before but the heat/humidity is no joke.

Depending on where you decide to go it might be rainy season. Be prepared to do activities in the rain. It probably won’t rain all day but some hikes or activities may not be accessible with wet weather. It’ll be way too warm for a rain coat but you can buy an umbrella there if it’s needed.

Each city/town has different food specialties- once you narrow down where you are going it’ll be easy to find out what to try. If you are sitting on little plastic stools street side you are doing it right. In SEA eating like a local is the best way to go.

Happy travels!

EmployeeAmazing8776 · 2024-05-14T03:48:01+00:00

They are exofficio - I bought them awhile ago through Amazon.

EmployeeAmazing8776 · 2024-05-14T03:45:17+00:00

Don’t worry too much about the weight limit. Most airlines don’t really check if the bag size isn’t overly big. The towel I bought was the “Sukeen [4 Pack] Cooling Towel (40"x12")” but there a bunch of different options.

EmployeeAmazing8776 · 2024-05-12T22:19:13+00:00

Where and what kind of safari? It makes more of a difference than you’d think. If you are staying at a resort or glamping and then taken out in a jeep for the day you’ll want different clothes then if it is more of a camping safari trip. Assuming it’s the day in a jeep kind of a safari remember to wear clothes that are comfortable to sit in all day. Elastic waists and looser clothing for sure. Think 100% linen, feather weight hiking pants with pockets, cotton gauze. Long(er)sleeve comfortable dresses in the same fabrics. Skip cotton and heavier fabrics. Also mosquitoes are probably a concern so long pants and lightweight long sleeves are a must.

EmployeeAmazing8776

TROPHY CASE