Binoculars Bring Bags Safari Video

Safari Clothing
For game drives you will find that shorts and a long sleeved shirt will be perfect (long sleeved so you have the option of rolling up or down). In many parks it gets quite cold in the mornings and evenings so you will need a warm fleece at these times.

For walks we usually wear shorts and a long sleeved shirt, though some people prefer to walk in trousers. A good compromise is those trousers that zip apart at the knee to become shorts. Unless you're climbing mountains you won't need heavy duty boots; the most important thing is that they are comfortable and well broken in. Lightweight goretex boots or something similar with a bit of ankle support work pretty well.

Colours; khakis and natural colours are probably best, but people can get carried away here. The most important thing is not to wear bright colours on safari.

For a good source of safari clothing, have a look at Active Travel Apparel.

Let's Walk is also well worth visiting for a wide ramge of everything from bags and back packs to hi-tech walking clothes.

Make sure you take hats and plenty of sunscreen / block. Game driving vehicles are either open sided or have large hatches that open so you are often in direct sunlight. As it's often quite a pleasant temperature or even fairly cool in the mornings you can easily forget how strong the sun is.

Don't forget that most of the smaller camps have excellent complimentary laundry services which are able to return clothes the same day (weather dependant) so you will not need to travel with large quantities of clothes.

Take swimming / beach things for Zanzibar or Mahale (or any of the camps with swimming pools). If you've got long journeys or waits, it's an ideal time to listen to music - we'd highly recommend bringing a small walkman or minidisc player for these moments.

Binoculars, photographic, and video.

Binoculars (see also Which Binoculars) We think these are the single most important element of your packing. We would recommend bringing the best pair you can afford and try to take a pair each. If you are buying binoculars, try lots of different pairs, don't be tempted to buy anything too small and avoid gadgets like zooms. Roof prism binoculars with internal mechanisms (Leica 8x 32 my personal choice) are likely to give you the best quality.

Photography and Video: Bring plenty of film, it is available in Tanzania in some places, but as you'd expect it's expensive. 100 - 200 asa is perfect for most places. The ideal all round lens for a trip such as this is probably a 28 - 300 mm zoom. A small bean bag is often very useful to rest the camera on to stop camera shape. If you bring the bag with you beans can be supplied locally. If you can't find a bag an old sock would work was well.

If you need video batteries charging, this can be done at most camps. You will need a UK type 3 pin plug and electricity is generally 220 V AC. Give your charger and batteries to the camp manager or your guide and they will organise charging for you. Bring plenty of spare batteries so some can be charging whilst others are being used. If you can find a 12V charger for use with a vehicle cigarette lighter, bring that too as a back up.

Baggage: Baggage allowances on light aircraft is 15kg (32lbs) per person, this must be packed in soft bags, not hard suitcases. It is often helpful to have two or more small bags rather than one large one.

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What to bring