There are a lot of things to keep in mind when traveling to South Africa. In the weeks prior to my trip, my brain was flooded with questions, worries, doubts, excitement, and everything in between. I was told I needed to “pack lightly” – a concept that is rather foreign to me. From the packing phase to touching ground in South Africa, here is your guide to making the most out of your travels for two weeks.

What To Pack (and how to do it lightly)

As you pack, keep in mind that the seasons are flipped because South Africa is in the Southern Hemisphere. I was not properly advised of this and was rather cold on a few windy mornings.

1. Four pairs of long pants
2. Four long sleeve shirts
3. Four short sleeve shirts
4. Four pairs of shorts
5. Two nice outfits
6. Two bathing suits

I had a packed itinerary during my trip. My family and I hit two different safari lodges and spent four days in Cape Town in between.

1. Madikwe Safari Lodge
   • Madikwe is pretty far up north in South Africa so it definitely gets a bit cold when the sun is down – prepare for that! There are a bunch of schools in the villages nearby, visiting the kids there was my favorite part of the whole trip.
2. Cape Town
   • If you’re looking for a taste of cosmopolitan life in SA – Cape Town is the place to go. The city is stunning and jam-packed with art, culture, and history. The city has a really strong feminist presence so be sure to keep an eye out for feminist artwork strewn across the city and surrounding villages.
   • The Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa reminded me of the Perez Art Museum Miami in its wide array of artists from all over the world and its heavy focus on human rights and social justice based artwork.
   • The Cape of Good Hope is a beautiful hiking spot, just make sure you don’t make a wrong turn and end up almost walking off a cliff like I did! Whoops.
3. Lion Sands River Lodge
   • This place is really special because they have so many lion prides on their grounds so lion sightings are much more frequent here than other places.

The “Big 5”: Animals You MUST See

1. Lion
2. Elephant
3. Buffalo
4. Rhino
5. Leopard