At first glance, these mistakes might seem obvious, but it's quite amazing how many people make them. Don't you be one of them. Avoid them at all costs and you will be off to a very good start.

An absolutely essential item of safari wear that you have to take with you is a hat for shade from the African sun. You could just take your favourite baseball cap, but it won't really get the job done properly.

And then there is the matter of which jacket and vest you need to take with. Both these items of clothing have some critical characteristics to keep in mind if they are going to make the grade.

The choice of vest becomes more important if you are a keen photographer because you need to keep all your equipment close at hand. Remember the safari wear rule...Take enough to be prepared and keep the really important stuff close at hand.

When I go looking for safari wear, I find that a good place to start is at Orvis and Cabelas as they give a great idea of what's available in the market at the right price/quality ratio.

I've set up an item by item checklist of the most important things that you need to pack for your trip such as clothes, documents, toiletries & first aid and a whole bundle more.

It forms part of the free travel diary that I send out to people going on a safari trip. The diary has some other goodies that might interest you too like a competition to win a trip to the Kruger National Park and access to a free online journal of your vacation when you get back.