• Shorts (preferably long, do not wear short shorts), long trousers (lightweight), mid-length skirt. Zip pockets are very useful in travel clothing.
• T-shirts, shirts, blouses. One long-sleeved may help with the sun.
• Polar fleece jacket.
• Rain jacket with hood (not necessary from July through to October, unless visiting coast and mountain areas).
• Sandals need to be sturdy with a solid sole.
• Joggers or lightweight boots.
• Sun hat.
• Socks and underwear.
• Swimwear.
• Woollen hat may be handy on cool mornings.

Clothes Washing

At some lodges, laundry services will be available, and we will be there long enough to get it done, but it may not be gentle machine washing. Be cautious.
• Elastic clothesline/ cord and pegs.
• One-size-fits-all-plug (or flat piece of rubber car tube as a plug).
• Clothes washing soap –solid bar of pure soap works best.

• Sunglasses.
• Good Binoculars. You might share, but they add another dimension to wildlife viewing.
• Lightweight torch/or headlamp. Lodges won’t necessarily have power all the time. Especially if in tents on one or more nights. More than one torch per family is best.
• Water bottle – you buy large bottles of drinking water and you will want to decant them for your personal use
• Food snacks if you want.
• Toiletries. Some lodges will sell a limited supply of toothpaste, toothbrush, but not much else. Make sure you are self-sufficient in toiletries and personal hygiene items such as lens cleaning solution, tampons, etc. 
• Reading materials, playing cards/ board games.
• Antiseptic wet wipes/hand cleaning alcohol.
• Money belt/pouch.
• Photographic gear.
• Pen/pocket knife.
• Sewing kit.
• Bottle opener as not all soft drinks will be screw top. A corkscrew may be handy!

For Kids

A drawing pad and pencils with the right earthy colours will be handy. Between meal treats (we can’t stop off at maccas, thankfully!) Walk at Tarangire and Manyara: If you walk at Tarangire you will need sturdy footwear and a way to keep seed burrs off your socks (gaiters/duct tape and plastic).

Storage of gear

Excess baggage may be stored at the offices in Arusha while you are on safari. Please remember to clearly label any bags you are leaving there.

You need to bring your own basic medical supplies and especially a supply of any specific medicines you might need as you will not be able to get replacements once we go on the safari. Try to be as self-sufficient as possible.

Medical kit

Bring sufficient quantities of any specific medications you require, but with general medicines don’t over cater as most are readily available in Tanzania. Consult your doctor before departure so that he/she knows the conditions under which you will be taking the medication. Advise someone else in the group of any side effects of any medication you take and of any dietary requirements related to taking them.

Vaccinations 

Yellow fever is necessary for travelers to East Africa (mozzies again). You must have an International Health Vaccination Certificate – the yellow booklet – to prove you have had the vaccination, and have it ready to be viewed at immigration on the return trip. You may need to plan this vaccination a few months before you travel. It is valid for 10 years, so you can use it for South America as well! You will need to discuss all your personal medical requirements with your G.P. or at a specialist travel medical center. Vaccinations for tetanus, typhoid, hepatitis A, meningitis and polio might be considered. Apparently, cholera vaccination is no longer considered effective by the World Health Organization and is officially not required by Kenya and Tanzania. You might want to get the cholera vaccination stamped in your book as a precaution against over-zealous health officials. Always refer back to your G.P. to be sure.

Teeth 

We advise you to have a check-up prior to departure, as dental services in East Africa are not always recommended.

Travelers’ Diarrhea

To get sensible and informed information on diarrhea, go to https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/page/travelers-diarrhea or visit your local doctor.

Malaria

You should consult your doctor regarding anti-malarial tablets as there is a range of prophylactics available. Usually, these medications are taken prior to entering a malarial area. The only real prevention is to avoid being bitten in the first place! The mosquito bites between dusk and dawn, so cover-up. wear long-legged and sleeved clothing, preferably buttoned at the wrists. Take a sufficient supply of repellent.

Other biting insects

Generally, when people travel the world they focus on malaria and do not consider other biting insects. You should carry RID at all times. Apart from malaria which is endemic in the tropics around the world, there does not seem to be a high risk from the other insect-borne diseases, but you should be aware, and protect yourself.

Water

Don’t drink tap water. Buy bottled water or get boiled water in hotels.

• A general antibiotic treatment, particularly if you are prone to a recurring infection of some kind that requires antibiotics. Please discuss this with your doctor.
• Antacid tablets.
• Anti-diarrheal tablets. Remember that some adult tablets are not suitable at all for children under 12 years. Talk to your doctor.
• Cold suppressant.
• Stematil/Maxalon for nausea.
• Paracetamol or equivalent headache remedy.
• Anti-histamine tablets.
• Eurax cream for irritation from bites. (most pharmacies have this).
• Antiseptic Solution.
• Sunburn cream/sunblock, Lip balm.
• Band-Aid strips.
• Insect repellent (“RID” or any repellent containing diethyltoluamide – DEET). Roll-on, cream or pump spray. Beware of possible limitations on aerosol cans on aircraft.
• Insect spray – Knockdown type. Beware of flight limitations or buy on arrival.
• A pair of nail scissors and tweezers. Not in aircraft hand luggage.

In Tanzania, we use Landcruiser or Land Rover vehicles equipped with canvas-covered roofs, which roll back to become viewing hatches or pop-up roof hatches. All of the personal luggage will be stored on top of the vehicle or in the rear luggage area. The
vehicle will be guarded whenever it is parked in public places, but you should not leave anything of value in the vehicle overnight, or when it is unattended. Onboard each vehicle there is an animal and bird reference library, fridge and electrical charging ports.

Bear in mind that you will be travelling in some rural areas where the people have had little contact with foreigners. Ask permission if you wish to photograph people. Some Maasai dress in traditional gear and wait at the roadside and expect to be paid for photos. Don’t hand out money or sweets to the locals or children, as it encourages begging and school absenteeism. Please be modest with your clothing. Please be aware that, in many African countries, the political situation can be sensitive and local people (including your drivers) prefer not to discuss any political matters. Don’t press them for their views on government or military matters.

Language

The national language of Kenya is English, and it is Swahili in Tanzania. Most of the locals speak Swahili. There are many other tribal languages spoken in various areas. In hotels the staff will speak English and in the larger cities most people involved with tourists speak English.

Some useful Swahili words are as follows (each letter is pronounced):

Jambo / Hello – Habari / How are you? – Mzuri/Good
Mbaya / Bad – Sana / Very much – Asante / Thank you
Tafadhali / Please – Kwaheri / Goodbye – Ndio / Yes
Hapana / No – Pole pole/ Slowly – Haraka / Quickly
Twende / Let’s go – Wapi / Where is? – Ngapi / How much?
Kahawa / Coffee – Chai / Tea – Maji / Water
Pombe / Beer – Moto / Hot – Barafu /Cold
Chumvi / Salt – Pilipili / Pepper – Sukari / Sugar
Rafiki / Friend – Moja / One – Mbili / Two
Tatu / Three – Nne / Four – Tano / Five
Jina lako ni nini / What is your name? – Sielewi/ I don’t understand

When taking photographs of local people please ask their permission first and respect their wishes. All you need do is hold up your camera first and wait for a response. Whilst most people are extremely good-natured, they are generally rather camera-shy and may respond angrily to having their photographs taken without permission if they don’t know you. You may be asked to pay local people to take their photo, if so ensure that you negotiate a final price that is acceptable to both parties. This may be their only employment. If visiting a Maasai Boma (village) where, in this instance, you will be able to take photographs without additional payment. No photographs should be taken of border posts, airports, government or military vehicles or buildings. There will be unparalleled opportunity for photography. If you have one lens in addition to your normal lens, consider a 200mm telephoto or an 80-200 mm zoom for close-up shots of animals. It is generally considered that you need a tripod or a lens rest (small bean-bag on a window ledge on a still vehicle) for stronger lenses. 300mm is great, but 200mm is sufficient. A UV/Skylight is highly recommended. Make sure that you bring sufficient batteries and any other items to be self-sufficient.

Electricity 

Mauritius uses 220 volts, mostly with British style 3 pin plug or European 2 pin sockets in older hotels. Kenya and Tanzania use 240 volts, usually British 3 square pin, or 2 round pins. We will have access to 12 volts via cigarette lighter sockets in the Land Rovers, but you may need clamps for the battery for heavy drawing appliances.

Spending Money

Since almost all services in Africa are included in your tour price, there is no need to bring a great deal of money with you for meals. However, some excellent souvenirs and artifacts are available. There are cheap trinkets, but quality handicrafts are often not cheap.

Visas

You will need USD 50 per person cash for each of the Kenya and the Tanzania visas if you haven’t pre-applied online. These are readily and easily obtainable at the border crossings and airports. USA citizens are required to pay $100 for a Tanzanian visa.

Currency and changing money

It is advisable to carry U.S. dollars (USD) as well as a card for accessing ATM’s which will only give local currencies. Note that Australian dollars are not commonly exchanged in East Africa. Try to avoid bringing AUD, EUROS, or Traveler cheques in any currency. Traveller’s cheques, even in USD are NOT ACCEPTED ANYWHERE, even at banks, and if you can find someone to exchange them, it will be at about 50% face value.

Money should only be changed with licensed moneychangers. Changing money “on the streets” in the black market is illegal and risky. Banks are generally open from 9 am to 2 pm, Mondays to Fridays. Some banks are also open on Saturdays until noon. You can change money at hotels – the rate of exchange is often less than that of the bank. When you change money, the moneychanger must give you a receipt. All monies (above a value of a few dollars) should be changed back into foreign currency upon departure at the airport bank. To do this you must have the receipts from your original transactions. Be aware that this can be very time consuming, so try to change only sufficient monies for your needs. When changing your money over to the local currency ask for some smaller denomination notes, as change is often scarce in the rural areas.

Passports and valuables should be stored in safety deposit boxes or safes in the hotels where available. While travelling theft is always a possibility and precautions should be taken accordingly. A money belt or pouch is a good idea. Nairobi has a reputation for theft. Walking around the “down-town ” area is OK. Around the market and from the hotel to the city is OK in daylight, in groups. Otherwise get a taxi.

Con Men

Con men operate widely in Nairobi and are famous for their skills. These men may present themselves either as refugees asking for donations to enable them to stay in the country or as members of some anti-apartheid organisation seeking financial support for their cause. Don’t stop walking, don’t enter into conversation with these people or give them any money. Should you be convinced to make even a small donation, their confidence trick can progress to presenting themselves as undercover police officers or government officials who will then threaten you with arrest for supporting terrorist groups (unless you ‘bribe’ them with larger amounts of money)! Not all East Africans need to be treated with suspicion, but be aware that these kinds of confidence tricks have proved effective. If you can make yourself look less like a tourist in Nairobi it helps, but is not important.

Travel Insurance

Everyone is required to take a travel insurance policy to cover sickness, accident, unexpected alterations to travel arrangements, cancellation, failure of a tour operator, etc.

Passport and Visas

Both Kenya and Tanzania require a visa. Both can be issued at the border on arrival. Both cost USD 50. Kenya is a single entry visa, even though you go to Tanzania. Multiple entry visas are not required if you are re-entering Kenya from Tanzania, Rwanda or Uganda. Your passport must be valid until at least 6 months after your return.

Kenya

The wet seasons in Kenya are generally March to May (long rains) and October to November (short rains). Downpours occur mostly in the late afternoons, the earlier part of the day being warm and sunny. Temperatures in Nairobi range from 11deg.C to 23deg.C in July and 13degC to 28deg.C in February. Nairobi and the highlands can get cold, especially in the evenings during July and August.

Tanzania

Generally, April and May are the months of the long rains. November brings the short rains but it seldom rains all day. As a general rule, Tanzania is usually warm by day and cool by night. Temperatures rarely rise above 27C during the day or fall below 10C at night. These conditons are guidelines only and obviously, vary with altitude and topography. Ngorongoro Crater is usually colder. The seemingly low temperatures for the equator are due to the altitude of the safari area. On the coast, for example, the temperature is around 30C during the day and falls to about 20C at night. Be assured, the sun is hot.

Time

Tanzania is two hours ahead of GMT.

Books

EASTCO recommends these books, but our experience is that you tend to read what you can find at the library.

BURTON & SPEKE – William Harrison
OUT OF AFRICA – Isak Dinesen
SAFARI – Mirella Ricciardi
THE AFRICAN RAINBOW – Mirella Ricciardi
INNOCENT KILLERS – Hugo Van Lawick
THE WHITE NILE (Uganda) – Alan Moorehead
THE BLUE NILE (Ethiopia)- Alan Moorehead
CHIMPANZEES OF GOMBE – Jane Goodall
DARK ROMANCE OF DIANE FOSSEY – Farley Mowa
SERENGETI SHALL NOT DIE – B & N Grzmik
KILIMANJARO – John Raider
GORILLAS IN THE MIST – Diane Fossey
THE SNOWS OF KILIMANJARO – Ernest Hemmingway
GREEN HILLS OF AFRICA – Ernest Hemmingway
THE AFRICANS – David Lamb
BAREFOOT OVER THE SERENGETI – David Read
AMONG ELEPHANTS Iain Douglas Hamilton
THE TREE WHERE MAN WAS BORN Peter Mathiessen

SERENGETI HOME SAND RIVERS by Peter Mathiessen
Robert Ruark wrote a number of novels on Kenya -SOMETHING OF VALUE (based loosely around the Mau Mau rebellion), USE ENOUGH GUN (safari).

The first book that Wilbur Smith wrote was on Southern Africa and called WHEN THE LION FEEDS. It is his best by far, and you could argue it’s his only good book.

William Boyd has written many books on Africa, and his ICE CREAM WAR is set
in northern Tanzania at the beginning of the 20th Century. But there are masses of books, good and bad, on Africa.

Please feel free to share your suggestions with us.

Field Guides

“A Field Guide to the Larger Mammals of East Africa”, Jonathan Kingdom.
“Picador Africa”, Jean Dorst & Pierre Dandelot (Collins)
“A Field Guide to the Birds of East Africa” Stevenson and Fanshawe (Helm)
“A Field Guide to the National Parks of East Africa”, John G Williams & Norman Arlo . (Collins)
“Portraits of the Wild,” Cynthia Moss (University of Chicago Press, 1982)

Maps

Probably the best general maps of the areas you will be visitng are
• Michelin Series No. 155 – Africa/Central & South and No. 154 Africa/North-east.
• the Ravenstein Interna onal Road Map Series “East Africa (Ostafrika 1:2 mill)” No.