There should be rules about what to carry on an African safari than the guidelines of what to pack most especially about the foot wear that is comfortable for the safari experience. You are therefore advised to travel lightly. The foot wear can also be a baggage difficulty due to its bulk as well as weight. We have also found out that the light trail shoes and the hybrid shoe plus the sandals are most common for the regular travel and the normal safari conditions. Some of the comfortable shoes include; Teva, HiTec, Keen, Merrel, Salmon, and Garmont. More so, the walking trails and the flying camping tours along the rough terrain doesn’t allow hiking boots when the conditions are very dry.
The safari foot wear also requires change with altitude most especially with the Rwenzoris and Mount Kilimanjaro and also during wet and rough forest conditions are anticipated. In countries like Uganda, Rwanda, the light and robust as well as waterproof boots should be a must. However, the walking trails and the treks in the dry season require regular trail shoes that can be used with ankle support.
The safari foot wear, with visiting the national parks as well as the game reserves always we encourage using two types of safari foot wear, the boots and sandals. The boots will be used when going for a walking safari, also a good pair of hiking boots is a must, and if you are intending to stay with in the camps, have a comfortable pair of boots since these are advisable. The boots will protect you from wild insects, snakes and thorns on the ground. More so, the soles of the foot wear should have thick and no slip soles that are so comfortable.
About the safari sandals, there are two types of sandals which are comfortable for any safari in Africa, there is the thick bush soled sandal for using while outside and a thin soled sandal for inside using. The thin soled sandal will also protect you from the thorns from hurting and damaging your foot.
The safari boots are also comfortable with the thick and light soles plus the supple uppers which are good for the safari. When trying to look for the good hiking boots, just try to look for the following combination of features below; the weight of the boots: this means that the lighter the boots the easier the walking will be and this boots must maintain the arch support, longitudinal and the lateral rigidity, the tongue, by this the flap in the boots where you insert the feet should fully be gusseted, and it should be stitched on each edge to the upper to prevent sand, water and stones from getting into the boots, the boots should be water resistance, since the moisture can be too much in the wet season, the scree collar , since these will protect your ankle and the Achilles tendon from chafing , the best of these are the ones that have half-moon cut out at the back that allows the ankle to flex more when moving to avoid chafing.
And about the Trail buster boots, they should have a sole that has an aggressive tread which helps in ensuring good grip and should have stiff shank which will protect the foot against thorns, rocks, glass and other sharp objects. The laces should be braided nylon cords and the flat laces have less strength and will break more easily. You shouldn’t carry fashion boots with flat laces since these are not genuine hiking boots.
Caring for your foot wear is so important and below are the ways of doing this; always apply polish once in some months or after every safari so that you try to preserve the leather layer, If you go for bush walks, you will have to cross streams and the inside of the boots will get wet, don’t put them near the fire to dry or use a dryer, this will dry out and stiffen the leather. Always leave your safari boots to dry out naturally , in most cases when the outside part of the boots have become muddy, use the water and a soft brush to get rid of the mud.
