Preparing for trip to Tanzania
Prepare copies and electronic versions of all necessary documents (passport, driving licenses and vaccination certificate against yellow fever)
Do all necessary vaccinations for travel to Tanzania
Make sure that the credit card of your bank can be used abroad. Inform your bank about your travel beforehand and note phone numbers for contact in case if your card has been lost / blocked.
During your flight, take the living essentials in your hand luggage, avoiding items prohibited for carriage in the cabin – nail polish, perfume, cosmetic sprays.
In 5% cases the luggage arrives in Tanzania with delay of 1-2 days. In this case, it will be delivered to you right to the hotel or we find necessary means to bring to you wherever you are.
In Tanzania
Tanzania is a prosperous country but you should not abuse it. It is not recommended to go in the streets with big amounts of money, documents, laptops, it is better to use a taxi. If you just want to walk in the city, it is enough to have a necessary amount of money, leaving other things at the hotel or at the office of our company.
Try to avoid conflict situations with the locals, in most of cases the police will be on your side but do not spend your time and nerves. If this situation happened, call us and we will try to help you.
Avoid conversations with intrusive local people because their only aim is to earn money, whether it be an attempt to sell a safari 3 times more expensive or a bracelet for 5 dollars.
Do not exchange money in the street. In Tanzania there are a lot of small exchanging offices in every street when it is better to go to and from by taxi.
While climbing Kilimanjaro / Meru
Do not take valuable things to the mountains, such as laptops, phones. Chance to break them is quite high and without charging they become useless. All guides have radios / mobile phones for communication.
Try to drink 3-4 liters of water a day, it speeds up the process of high-altitude adaptation and reduce such unpleasant consequences as vomiting, headache.
All crossings in the mountains take place in the morning and the afternoon is free, so you can think about any activities, it can be a book, a board game, cards or MP3-player.
Do not forget to leave tips for the team after climbing. It is better to do it at the office of our company upon return, provided there was a high level of service. We can help you to share them among all the team that accompanied you in the mountains according to their posts.
While on safari
If your path runs through Ngorongoro, take the warm clothes. The crater is situated at an altitude of 3000 meters, due to this when night time temperatures drop below zero.
Take more of wet wipes; in high season it is very dusty because of big quantity of cars, especially in tourist places.
If you have any respiratory diseases, take a dust mask for safari, just in case.
Take the clothes to change, preferably a new set of clothes for each day.
Avoid bright colors on safari (white / yellow t-shirts, blue jeans), they will become dirty very quickly. The ideal variant is the clothes of khaki, dark-green, grey colors.
It is recommended to take on safari cameras with specialist lenses that let you do great images with the powerful zoom. The animals are not always in couple meters off the car.
Do not forget to leave tips for safari-guides. Tips are also welcomed in the hotels, $1-2 is enough when carrying the baggage and small tips in the restaurant for waiters. Even in the most expensive hotels the staff salaries are low and they will thank you very much.
In Zanzibar
Do not forget that main part of the population in Zanzibar are Muslims. Primarily, it concerns girls, avoid the vulgar clothes, be more modest.
Do not use the services of “helpers” and “beach boys” or you will pay in 2-3 times more for the same service that you can buy 100 meters away, in the principal company office.
Do not be very shy when locals are trying to fool you, refuse them strongly, do not be looking friendly.
WHAT TO TAKE ON SAFARI
When you pack your bags for safari, the most important thing is not to run into extremes. Those who accustomed to travel with the minimal baggage, can be puzzled by the search of necessary things on endless expanses of African savannah. But prudent tourists who grabbed a million of things, are running the risk of enjoying the beautiful nature looking through a narrow slit of their bags. Therefore let’s remember the main safari rule: travelers move on SUVs with their baggage in the parks, except as if your program begins and ends in the same hotel, then you can leave your luggage there. If there are too many bags, they will be carried on the car’s roof and you will lose a chance to drive with open roof and take nice pictures of animals. It concerns most of all the big groups, since all Land Cruisers are seven-seater and if there are two of you, you can take even 3 bags but if you are 6-7 persons, in this case you should prepare your baggage with some trepidation. In spite of the minimal luggage you should not suffer of the lack of the comfort.
So, let’s have a look at the list.
Shoes and clothes for safari
Most of your travel time you will spend sitting in the car. Therefore, clothes should be comfortable, of soft natural fabrics, with a minimum of rubbers, laces, tightening belts and decorative elements such as massive buttons.
Note that to see some animals, you have to go early in the morning, and at this time the weather can be cool and warm clothes would require. Consider the time of the year and weather conditions in this area. For example, in the reserves of the northern regions the daytime temperature can be about + 22-25 ° C, and in the southern part of Tanzania and on the islands is as high as +35 ° C.
For the safari you will need:
- long sleeves shirt;
- warm sweater or light jacket (the temperature in the Ngorongoro falls to 0 degrees in the evening and in the morning);
- a pair of T-shirts / T-shirts (preferably 1 pc for every day safaris);
- light cotton trousers;
- shorts;
- swimsuit / trunks (if lodges are equipped by pool);
- headwear (wide-brimmed hat, panama or cap with a visor would be perfect).
- Note that during your trip off road, the dust enters inside the car through the open windows / roof, so don’t choose blindingly white clothes, it is better to choose featureless and pale tones like khaki.
- Light running shoes, sandals or slippers would be perfect.
- Much depends on the place of lodging and the hotel level. For example, in the Ngorongoro most hotels are at an altitude of 3000 m, where at the night time the temperature falls to zero, so warm clothes will be useful. In the central part of the Serengeti, on the contrary, it can be hot in sneakers, however the journey in sandals would be more comfortable.
Other important tips
Even if your program includes all full board hotels and lodges, we recommend you to take nonperishable food for snacking. Adrenaline, drive, emotions and fresh air can work wonders with an appetite!
On a road you might have need:
- biscuits, corn bread and other snacks;
- fruit (pre-washed);
- chocolate bars;
- Various mixtures of nuts / dried fruit.
Important stuff necessary for the safari
Even if the weather forecast guarantees the lack of sun, don’t hurry up to lay out protective glasses. They will help protect your eyes from wind, dust and small insects while you pop out of the window or through the open roof of the running speed car in search of objects for observation.
Put in your backpack:
Spare batteries / batteries for photo, video (in our safari vehicles have a device to recharge your battery);
Binoculars to see the details of the surroundings and animals (in the car there is always one pair of binoculars, so take extra only at your discretion);
Paper copies (passports, visas, traveler’s cheque, tickets, insurance), which is better to keep separately from the originals;
Dry and wet wipes;
Hygiene items (shower gel, toothbrush);
Disinfectant gel / spray for hands;
Adapter for the socket (when requesting, our company provides it free).
An ideal packed luggage for safaris must fit into a small suitcase. You can bring additionally a case for the video/photo cameras.
If you still have some questions about the luggage set, our managers will always tell you the right decision. Contact us!