Sure, if the guest knows to ask ahead of time.
This was going to be my exact first recommendation. The second is to get a reasonably cheap UNLOCKED cellphone (if she doesn’t have a few spare lying around) so that she can buy an inexpensive (comparatively) local SIM card for use while she’s abroad. Sure, most carriers will work (possibly with high / insanely high costs, and not ALL carriers) internationally, but a prepaid SIM will let her make local calls (hotels, transportation, calling to check if they have grilled cheese) without those worries.
This at least suggests she’s had a lot of experience with the fact food on the road is not the same as food at home. And she can tolerate finding nothing she really wants for days on end if necessary.
Unless her love of travel has so far only gotten to states adjacent to her home state.
She has been abroad so she is aware. I think her pickiness has worsened though. She used to eat hamburger and green beans, but those are out now.
I have passed along the tips and have an idea or two for a gift for her so thanks again guys. She is happy to hear any more tips you have.
My experience on the African continent was Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania, so while not directly applicable to her trip, based on that experience I am reasonably sure that American style fast food has reached every corner of the globe. I don’t know about mac and cheese, but I’m sure it’ll be no problem finding stuff like burgers and pizza.
Oh, wow. I thought the first quote was implying a sort of general pickiness, I didn’t realize it was closer to literal. That’s a very restricted diet indeed.
Hope it all works out for her and she has a good time. My suggestion was going to be along the lines of perhaps some binoculars (lightweight/compact or otherwise) if she’s doing the wildlife thing, doesn’t want to bring a telephoto camera and doesn’t already have a pair.
I suggest an insect bite relief stick like this, they work really well, I was surprised.
And to avoid getting bitten in the first place, these hats. They look horrible, but are functional.
Long sleeves have already been mentioned, but it bears repeating.
Chocolate is always a good gift.
Anybody using a cellphone while on safari should be fed to the lions, IMO.
Now now, I clearly said it “will let her make local calls (hotels, transportation, calling to check if they have grilled cheese)”. So to take care of all of those details for when you’re not actively involved in the Safari. Or if you need to reschedule, alter, or otherwise make different plans.
I don’t want to wish harm to anyone’s family for doing silly, unthinking things though, even if the nasty dark part of me would want to see the image of someone doing a live-stream of their safari and all the viewers saw said lions coming at a charge while the ‘host’ was oblivious.
They make some nice lightweight Insect proof clothes- zip off pants shorts. long sleeve shirt, hat, socks, and bandanna.
I think there’s a good argument that unless you’re a serious skilled photographer with $10k of gear, a modern high end cell phone will produce solid results for memento photos (and especially video) without any technical knowledge and without distracting you from the experience. I think if you’re not an experienced photographer and this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, it’s a mistake to have your eye constantly behind a mid-level camera trying to get shots that probably aren’t going to be of striking quality anyway. Enjoy being there.
But I would get a good cellphone if that’s your camera.
I’ve also seen remarkable results using telephotos that attach to cellphone cameras, but I have no personal experience to recommend one. That could be an interesting gift.
You could cover her vaccines, get her a supply of the best bug repellent and a water purification kit.
It’ll show you care.
You might get her a cholera belt.
They of course can be even more oblivious staring through a fancy long lens attached to a DSLR.
Back in the 35mm film days I saved somebody from being Cuisinarted by an airplane propeller. He was totally focused on what he was taking pix of, and the plane coming up behind him to park was totally focused on not hitting another nearby parked plane. Two things, one of them soft and meaty, the other metal and very spinny, came real close to trying to occupy the same space at the same time.
Not a maneuver I ever want to repeat.
They should get a rabies shot. And bring something with them, to bless the rains, while they are down there in Africa.
I once considered it (I spend a lot of time there) but decided against. It is very expensive in the US (upwards of $1000, and insurance won’t pay for it for a vacation), and the risk from a typical tourist visit is de minimis. There is rabies in South Africa, but unless she is going to be walking around remote areas she is unlikely to be bitten by a feral domestic dog. On safari, you are obviously well protected from wildlife for other reasons. There are many bats, and they infest the thatched roofs commonly found in the parks, but rabies infection has never been reported in South African bats.
In major towns and cities, medical care is first rate (she obviously needs travel insurance). In the unlikely event of an animal bite, on a typical tourist itinerary she will never be more than a day from medical care that can provide postexposure prophylaxis.
I would say she should just email the camp and let them know about her dietary restrictions in advance. Of course they want to take good care of their customers, but they have to have the ingredients on hand out in the bush.
So just be forward with the information, and there is no need to explain. “I am on a very restricted diet. Please be prepared with simply: X, Y, and Z for me.” I promise they will find her simple tastes an enormous respite from the ones who only drink the particular coffee that has passed through the intestines of a marmot.
As for gifts, I’ve never been on safari, but I would think a power bank with a solar panel would be a great thing to have. Leave it out charging while you’re away during the day and be ready to recharge camera/phone and such at night?
Good hiking boots should be purchased now and worn constantly to be well worked in for the trip. Wool socks if you can stand them. (I can’t, but I know they are the best.)
A good pair of gaiters will keep your socks and bootlaces free of stickers and pebbles out of your shoes. That site is also a good place to look for long pants and long-sleeved shirts. Don’t buy shorts unless you are really deeply tanned already.
Which brings me to “Bullfrog” brand sunscreen. Try out several sunscreens and make sure you have one that is minimum SPF 50 and comfortable on your face.
Off! Deep Woods Sportsmen. This specific product is 98.25% DEET. Most products are around 23%. Get this one. Get a couple of bottles in case somebody “borrows” one.
And she probably already knows, but it bears repeating and repeating, DO NOT get out of the vehicle to take photos of the carnivores. . . or the buffaloes. Monkees and chimpanzees are NOT NICE. Even if it’s an open vehicle, for heavens sake stay in it!
I hope she has an amazing time!
Taking pictures, yes. Yakking, no.
I’m thinking you should get ordained in one of the mail-order religions so you can bless the rains while you’re there.
Botswana has pretty limited options in Gaberone, but I assume she’ll be up in the Okavango Delta, where the luxury camps (and less luxury camps are). She’ll be fine for food. JHB is the home of fast food in RSA - though I speak as a Cape Townian, which is the home of fine dining.
As mentioned above it is mosquito season, and a malaria area. Most camps will supply a mosquito net, but long sleeves are a great idea.
None of us locals take a rabies vaccine, we wait until something rabid comes in contact, which is extremely rare.
So for gifts: the power adaptor and power pack are a great idea. Solar powered chargers just do not work, in my opinion. All camps will have generators.
A hat - wide brimmed - is too.
A decent head-torch.
Depending on her interests (my ex-wife’s parent were really into it) an book like Roberts Birds (the seminal book on Southern African birdlife) or their app could be fun. I know my last trip to the Kruger was vastly enhanced by paying attention to birdlife, not just the big game.
Getting a SIM card for a local cellphone is a bit of a pain in RSA. You need proof of residence. Data is fairly cheap and Vodacom Botswana supports Vodacom South Africa, so use them.
And then, depending on her transport options, I would recommend a visit to Tsodilo Hills, a huge granite outcrop in the middle of the desert with some of the most incredible ancient rock art. It is pretty much miles from anything, though.