Anonymous wrote:We went on Safari in Tanzania a couple of years ago. It was amazing.

I'm sure you know what colors to take to wear. As far as clothing goes, I'll just say to make sure to take a fleece and warm long pants; mornings and evenings can be quite cold. And I'll add that we didn't wear the hats we took. I wouldn't bother to buy expensive "safari hats" lol. Everyone does; you don't need them. Do take sunglasses, though.

Do take binoculars, and take a pair for each person if possible.

As far as tipping goes, you have probably been given a guide by your TA? For how much to tip guides/lodge staff/etc? I would recommend that you add up the money you think you need based on that ... and then double it. We found we needed tip money a lot more often than we thought we would. For example, on flights from one lodge to another someone would handle our bags -- they needed a tip. We booked a tour in Zanzibar and there was a driver and a guide -- and both needed a tip. And on and on. We used American dollars, which seemed to be preferred, and using them as opposed to local currency helped me keep track of things a little more easily. We organized tips in advance before we left -- I had an envelope for the guide at lodge one, for staff at lodge one, for guide at lodge 2, etc. Oh, one other piece of advice about tipping at lodges: I had budgeted tips per day, and I kind of screwed it up because I'd thought of "per day" as the number of nights we were staying there, when really the staff was helping us a huge amount for each day we were there, if that makes sense, including the day we left. For example our guide took us out the moment we arrived and took us out early morning the day we left. So I had wrongly counted out tip money for Guide at Lodge 1 for 3 days in advance and put it in the envelope, when I should have counted it out for 4 days. I adjusted while there, but then started running out of tip cash. So consider that. If this doesn't make sense let me know.

And I will disagree with PP who suggests staying in one location. It was very much worth it for us to fly from the Serengeti on the Mara to Ngorongoro.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our outfits were primarily sourced from REI. We were the only ones in the group. In retrospect, I wish we packed more "normal" clothes for pictures.

Thanks for the suggestion on "normal" clothes - will do.

Do you mind sharing what you packed in terms of tech gear? And were you in East Africa? If so, what time of year?

Thanks again!

DP but I was in East Africa this past September.

I would concur about the clothing, however I also found that the khaki color hid the dust. There is a lot of it and you will be covered in it everyday. It was chilly in the morning and at night.

It was an A&K tour so it was "luxury" and I don't recall anyone getting very dressed up. Polo shirts for men. Women had blouses and nicer pants. Luggage was limited.

As for electronics, I brought 2 mirrorless cameras and several lenses. Canon if that makes a difference. I rented a Canon RF 100-500mm lense from Aperturerent (they have a location in downtown DC but will ship). That lens was crucial. The other camera (as a backup) and lenses were unnecessary. Anything closeup I used an iPhone 13 Promax. Of the 17 people in my safari group, 14 or 15 used only their phones and got some beautiful pictures. Given that I had the cameras I did I also brought a laptop so I could download and do a little editing everyday.

I brought Deet but really didn't use it much. Maybe 2 or 3 times when I knew I would be near wetland at dusk or in the evening.

The balloon rides (I did one over the Serengeti and one over the Maasai Mara) were spectacular! As far as I am concerned, one of the highlights.

Tipping is disclosed. Usually 10 dollars a day for your driver/guide and 15 per day for the safari director. Generally small denomination used USD is appreciated most (no tears or defacement). You can get USD from ATMs in both Kenya and Tanzania but typically only larger denoominations (100s and 50s).

Tanzania does require yellow fever and a yellow card. But if travelling from Kenya and your have a connected tour director, 50 bucks and the nice Kenyan officials will happily provide you with an international yellow fever cert. No injection required.

Have fun!

thanks for the details, including about tan masking dust.

we all have yellow fever shots/cards from a prior trip. i've never had a reaction to the shot, so I don't mind getting it. i've had my butt kicked by typhoid but the later versions are a lot less painful.

you said you didn't use deet - were you taking a prophylaxis?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our outfits were primarily sourced from REI. We were the only ones in the group. In retrospect, I wish we packed more "normal" clothes for pictures.

Thanks for the suggestion on "normal" clothes - will do.

Do you mind sharing what you packed in terms of tech gear? And were you in East Africa? If so, what time of year?

Thanks again!

DP but I was in East Africa this past September.

I would concur about the clothing, however I also found that the khaki color hid the dust. There is a lot of it and you will be covered in it everyday. It was chilly in the morning and at night.

It was an A&K tour so it was "luxury" and I don't recall anyone getting very dressed up. Polo shirts for men. Women had blouses and nicer pants. Luggage was limited.

As for electronics, I brought 2 mirrorless cameras and several lenses. Canon if that makes a difference. I rented a Canon RF 100-500mm lense from Aperturerent (they have a location in downtown DC but will ship). That lens was crucial. The other camera (as a backup) and lenses were unnecessary. Anything closeup I used an iPhone 13 Promax. Of the 17 people in my safari group, 14 or 15 used only their phones and got some beautiful pictures. Given that I had the cameras I did I also brought a laptop so I could download and do a little editing everyday.

I brought Deet but really didn't use it much. Maybe 2 or 3 times when I knew I would be near wetland at dusk or in the evening.

The balloon rides (I did one over the Serengeti and one over the Maasai Mara) were spectacular! As far as I am concerned, one of the highlights.

Tipping is disclosed. Usually 10 dollars a day for your driver/guide and 15 per day for the safari director. Generally small denomination used USD is appreciated most (no tears or defacement). You can get USD from ATMs in both Kenya and Tanzania but typically only larger denoominations (100s and 50s).

Tanzania does require yellow fever and a yellow card. But if travelling from Kenya and your have a connected tour director, 50 bucks and the nice Kenyan officials will happily provide you with an international yellow fever cert. No injection required.

Have fun!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our outfits were primarily sourced from REI. We were the only ones in the group. In retrospect, I wish we packed more "normal" clothes for pictures.

Thanks for the suggestion on "normal" clothes - will do.

Do you mind sharing what you packed in terms of tech gear? And were you in East Africa? If so, what time of year?

Thanks again!

Anonymous wrote:Our outfits were primarily sourced from REI. We were the only ones in the group. In retrospect, I wish we packed more "normal" clothes for pictures.

Anonymous wrote:Absolutely don’t go out and buy khaki. Lightweight hiking gear with sun protection is good. We liked having Buffs to pull over our mouths when dust picked up or to wear as a headband to keep hair out of our face during drives

Anonymous wrote:We went on Safari in Tanzania a couple of years ago. It was amazing.

I'm sure you know what colors to take to wear. As far as clothing goes, I'll just say to make sure to take a fleece and warm long pants; mornings and evenings can be quite cold. And I'll add that we didn't wear the hats we took. I wouldn't bother to buy expensive "safari hats" lol. Everyone does; you don't need them. Do take sunglasses, though.

Do take binoculars, and take a pair for each person if possible.

As far as tipping goes, you have probably been given a guide by your TA? For how much to tip guides/lodge staff/etc? I would recommend that you add up the money you think you need based on that ... and then double it. We found we needed tip money a lot more often than we thought we would. For example, on flights from one lodge to another someone would handle our bags -- they needed a tip. We booked a tour in Zanzibar and there was a driver and a guide -- and both needed a tip. And on and on. We used American dollars, which seemed to be preferred, and using them as opposed to local currency helped me keep track of things a little more easily. We organized tips in advance before we left -- I had an envelope for the guide at lodge one, for staff at lodge one, for guide at lodge 2, etc. Oh, one other piece of advice about tipping at lodges: I had budgeted tips per day, and I kind of screwed it up because I'd thought of "per day" as the number of nights we were staying there, when really the staff was helping us a huge amount for each day we were there, if that makes sense, including the day we left. For example our guide took us out the moment we arrived and took us out early morning the day we left. So I had wrongly counted out tip money for Guide at Lodge 1 for 3 days in advance and put it in the envelope, when I should have counted it out for 4 days. I adjusted while there, but then started running out of tip cash. So consider that. If this doesn't make sense let me know.

And I will disagree with PP who suggests staying in one location. It was very much worth it for us to fly from the Serengeti on the Mara to Ngorongoro.

Anonymous wrote:We went on Safari in Tanzania a couple of years ago. It was amazing.

I'm sure you know what colors to take to wear. As far as clothing goes, I'll just say to make sure to take a fleece and warm long pants; mornings and evenings can be quite cold. And I'll add that we didn't wear the hats we took. I wouldn't bother to buy expensive "safari hats" lol. Everyone does; you don't need them. Do take sunglasses, though.

Do take binoculars, and take a pair for each person if possible.

As far as tipping goes, you have probably been given a guide by your TA? For how much to tip guides/lodge staff/etc? I would recommend that you add up the money you think you need based on that ... and then double it. We found we needed tip money a lot more often than we thought we would. For example, on flights from one lodge to another someone would handle our bags -- they needed a tip. We booked a tour in Zanzibar and there was a driver and a guide -- and both needed a tip. And on and on. We used American dollars, which seemed to be preferred, and using them as opposed to local currency helped me keep track of things a little more easily. We organized tips in advance before we left -- I had an envelope for the guide at lodge one, for staff at lodge one, for guide at lodge 2, etc. Oh, one other piece of advice about tipping at lodges: I had budgeted tips per day, and I kind of screwed it up because I'd thought of "per day" as the number of nights we were staying there, when really the staff was helping us a huge amount for each day we were there, if that makes sense, including the day we left. For example our guide took us out the moment we arrived and took us out early morning the day we left. So I had wrongly counted out tip money for Guide at Lodge 1 for 3 days in advance and put it in the envelope, when I should have counted it out for 4 days. I adjusted while there, but then started running out of tip cash. So consider that. If this doesn't make sense let me know.

And I will disagree with PP who suggests staying in one location. It was very much worth it for us to fly from the Serengeti on the Mara to Ngorongoro.