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Essential Safari & Travel Supplies

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THE GREAT ZAMBEZI SAFARI!
There are few continents as harsh and wild as Africa. As a result the continent was the obvious choice for our first product test. The fact that we are The Safari Store may have played a part too - Africa is the birthplace not only of humanity, but also of the concept behind a company that provides travellers to warm climates with the best of the best in travel supplies. Indeed it was while guiding clients in Africa that Managing Director, Steven Adams, first thought up the idea, and he has not looked back since!

The next question which came up when this trip was being planned was: "Where in Africa?" A number of proposals were bandied about, until a choice was made - and with hindsight, the area we decided upon was always an obvious choice to make. Few areas in Africa are as hot, dry and remote as the Zambezi Valley. Our campsite on the Chewore River (where its sandy bed meets the deep, dark water of the Zambezi River) is located on rough dirt tracks, three hours from the ranger post on the main road to Chirundu and Zambia. In reality, the roads are not rough, they barely exist!

En route to our camp site we broke two wheels clean off our trailer, and matched this feat on the way from the camp when we departed. The 'corrugation' on the road was the culprit. We spent 7 hours toiling under the Africa sun fixing the wheels, with a constant attack not only from the fierce African sun, but also from an armada of Tsetse flies with their lethal bites. Fortunately we were protected to some degree by our LifeSystems Insect Repellent - although nothing can really keep the Tsetse fly at bay! At our camp, we were surrounded by true wilderness with herds of elephant, prides of lion, troops of baboon, and herds of plains game, and monstrous crocodiles and pods of grumpy hippos patrolling the Zambezi River.

This is the ideal place to test our hardy products. If our tailormade Safari & Travel shirts stood up to rough treatment in this environment, then they would do so anywhere in the world. We also put our travel luggage to the test by manhandling the bags when we loaded them, used the Canon EOS 30D for the photo shoot (an incredible camera!), protected our eyes from the glare, sun and dust by wearing Serengeti Salto sunglasses (the most comfortable sunglasses on the planet - liquid vision!). Most importantly we used our Bushnell binoculars just about every minute of the day to spot hippo in the water, view wildlife on the banks of the great river, for a spot of birding and to look out for sand banks that may have been crocodiles, and stranded boats. This re-iterated the importance of taking a good pair of binoculars on safari with you! Please browse through the images below, enjoy the images and shop as you go.

The Safari Store Team

*Our Safari & Travel Essentials have also been tested in the following areas:
Niassa Reserve, Mozambique | Quirimbas National Park, Mozambique | Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana | Savuti/Linyanti Concessions, Botswana | Selinda Concession, Botswana | Chobe National Park, Botswana | Okavango Delta, Botswana | Saadani National Park, Tanzania | Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania | Katavi National Park, Tanzania | Mahale Mountains National Park, Tanzania | Tarangire National Park, Tanzania | Serengeti National Park, Tanzania.

The location of The Safari Store camp.

The view from The Safari Store camp, looking north across the Zambezi River to Zambia.

A high quality pair of binoculars is without doubt the most important safari supply to take with you. Don't be fooled into thinking that binoculars are only for the birds either - even five ton elephant bulls need to be viewed through binoculars to be fully appreciated. Your binoculars will also let you know if the log floating in front of you is indeed a dead tree, or hungry crocodile. Turn your binoculars around to use as a microscope.

Travel in Africa is hard on luggage. Taking a bag that is both stylish and incredibly strong should be your priority. Soft & Squashhable to fit inside the hold of light aircraft, yet handmade to the highest specifications. The Sandstorm range is tailormade for African conditions. We bashed and battered our Pioneer Canvas & Cowhide bag and it stood up to all the punishment.

Lioness encountered while on the Tanzania photo shoot and product test. Katavi National Park.

In the Zambezi Valley, out on the river is the place to be. The urge to dive into the water to escape the scorching sun is far too tempting - until you see the resident crocodiles slip into the water. Fortunately our clothing is all 'Made in Africa, For Africa.' Our clothing will keep you cool as it is made from lightweight, technical fabric treated with built in SPF Factor 30+. If you do happen to fall into the water (Get Out Asap!), our clothing has superb moisture wicking characteristics. And boy is it strong - Ripstop Fabric, and double stitching!

Africa is not for the faint-hearted, and not for weak travel essentials. By selecting the best of the best items that we would take to Africa, and manufacturing some of our own, we are confident that you are buying only top notch products from us for your safari or warm weather adventure.

Elephant Cow, Botswana. In keeping with all our product shoots we always explore harsh environments, and Botswana did not let us down with temperatures in the high 30's, only broken by spectacular thunderstorms.