Great thread, Hatari!
I agree almost completely with your OP. There are a couple things I'd say differently, though:
1. Bullets: Barnes bullets are all the rage these days, but premium lead-core softs like Woodleigh and Swift A-Frame are still the "gold standard". I shot all my game this past August with 300 gr A-Frames.
2. If you are saving money and don't think you're
quite there yet, consider borrowing the extra $5000 you need rather than waiting another year to go. I've heard dozens of guys tell me how they almost made it to Africa, but then something came up (usually a health problem) and their dreams were dashed. Go as soon as you can reasonably afford to.
3. If you have the chance to hire a professional videographer, do it. My only true regret from my safari was that I failed to do this. I can't state this strongly enough.
As for these characters and their "medical" advice:
Visit your Doctor a month before you leave
Tell your Dr you are going to Africa for 2 weeks or 1 month....whatever your trip length is
Have your Doctor write scripts to cover several possibilities
Sleep aid....airplane sleep issue or jet lag trouble after you arive
Motion sickness....jet taxi and stormy weather
Diarrhea.....this happens for several reasons be prepared
Nausea.....same
Antibiotics....broad spectrum to fight off an ear infection or sore throat ect ect
In 2014 my wife made such a bag of meds
She also included Ibuprofen Tylenol Pepto tablets and a couple other things I can't remember
Of the 8 people in our group there wasn't anyone that didn't benefit from this medication assortment
PH's and staff included
I would add to this ( if your Doctor is open to it...) some high octane pain killers if you are going to hunt Dangerous Game.
I did and I thought we were going to need them during a wounded leopard follow up. Turns out we didn't, but my PH needed them for a killer toothache 1000 miles from a dentist he could trust....
I heartily concur with this advice. Get a bag of Rx and non-Rx meds, to include:
1) Cephalexin (or Bactrim if you're allergic, and vice versa)
2) Ciprofloxacin
3) Imodium
4) Zofran and/or Phergan suppositories (you can't puke out a suppository, just sayin'...)
5) Melatonin +/- Clonazepam for the flight
6) Ibuprofen AND Tylenol
7) Benadryl (tablets and topical cream) for bites and allergies
8) Afrin nasal spray for sinus congestion. Take it in your carry-on. It can be a life-saver during the descent into Africa.
9) "High-octane" pain-killers. Hydrocodone 5mg is a good standard choice. Oxycodone 5mg is stronger, but fewer doctors will prescribe it. You probably won't need it, but if you DO need it, you'll need it very, very badly.
Oh, and when you pack to go home, leave your meds with your PH. He will thank you for it.
