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Old Jan 6th, 2007, 06:52 AM
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First time African Travelers

My wife and I are embarking on our first African trip next month. Can't wait.

I have listed our itinerary for your review. This is a Brendan tour. We have gotten all the information from the CDC (including "Yellow Card) and had our shots and meds as required.

Day 1, Mon. DEPART USA. (February 26, 2007)

Day 2, Tue. ARRIVE NAIROBI, KENYA. - Nairobi Serena Hotel

Day 3, Wed. NAIROBI / SAMBURU. - Samburu Serena Lodge

Day 4, Thu. SAMBURU. - Samburu Serena Lodge

Day 5, Fri. SAMBURU / MT. KENYA. Serena Mountain Lodge

Day 6, Sat. MT. KENYA / GREAT RIFT VALLEY. - Lake Nakura Lodge

Day 7, Sun. GREAT RIFT VALLEY / MASAI MARA. - Mara Serena Lodge

Day 8, Mon. MASAI MARA. - Mara Serena Lodge

Day 9, Tue. MASAI MARA / NAIROBI. - Mountain Village Lodge (Arusha)

Day 10, Wed. ARUSHA / LAKE MANYARA. - Lake Manyara Serena Lodge

Day 11, Thu. LAKE MANYARA / SERENGETI. - Serengeti Sopa Lodge

Day 12, Fri. SERENGETI. - Serengeti Sopa Lodge

Day 13, Sat. SERENGETI / NGORONGORO. - Ngorogoro Sopa Lodge

Day 14, Sun. NGORONGORO CRATER. - Ngorogoro Sopa Lodge

Day 15, Mon. NGORONGORO CRATER / ARUSHA / NAIROBI. - N/A

Day 16, Tue. ARRIVE USA. (March 12, 2007)

We have a few questions where we need help.

1. Since we are limited to 44lbs (per person) on the commuter flight from Nairobi to Kilimanajaro, how do you pack that light and have room to bring anything back. My wife read online that the hotels won't wash underwear. We are also thinking of taking older clothes and leaving them behind. Any thoughts?

2. What type of repellants are best and can you take it with you on a plane?

3. Should dark long pants be the attire for evening meals and outings.

4. Any thoughts on what we should see at this time of year and at these locations.

5. How about temperature and rain this time of year.
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Old Jan 6th, 2007, 08:45 AM
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Your itinerary covers the biggies. I can say from experience that those parks are great.

I've stayed at Ngorongoro Sopa and thought the views and private access road to the crater were very good. If you walk around and look in the trees around Sopa you may see the tree hyraxes (look like big guinea pigs). The staff can help you find them. Many of the lodges have rock hyraxes that hang around them (also look like big guinea pigs).

If you are interested, you might want to start pushing this now with Brendan or your agent. Even with the private road, the crater can get crowded. The earlier you get there the better. Try to take a breakfast box and enter the park right away (I think 6 am but whenever it opens). That way you’ll have the place to yourself for awhile until the after-breakfast crowds descend. If you and some travelmates can agree on this plan then maybe you can do this. I’ve gone early and gone after breakfast and early is better.

I've been to Mara Serena and it is a wonderful location with excellent views.

1. Souvenirs: If you have time on your last day in Nairobi before your evening flight out, you can do your buying then. There are bomas and shops all over Nairobi that you can take a cab to or your group might even be going there together. I have a feeling you are doing an internal flight from Arusha back to Nairobi, but if not, you can start your buying after your last domestic flight.

Most curio shops will ship the items internationally. I've traveled with people who bought thousands of dollars of things and had them sent home with no problem. Brendan will take you to shopping spots with a good rep for mailing items. They don't want all their clients complaining about getting ripped off at the curio shops.

Laundry: Ladies underwear, especially, or "smalls" as they are called, are rarely washed by staff. you can do those on your own. There are various quick drying underpants out there. I've bought some from Tilley's that do indeed dry overnight whereas my regular undies do not dry overnight.

Leaving unwanted underwear behind works. Leaving other used items behind is a good strategy and the camp/lodge staff can benefit from it. I find that leaving too much behind actually increases what I must pack to begin with.

2. Bug spray: 3 oz or less in your plastic bag for a carryone. I bring the 100% or close to 100% DEET. Rarely use it, though. But I travel in the dry season. If you search for "bug repellant" or "insect repellant" in the search box, you can find some other more natural alternatives to DEET.

I'd carry some on and pack some. With 2 of you going you can use that strategy with many items.

3. I prefer zipoff pants at all times so I can decide if the weather conditions warrant long pants or shorts. Evening wear is what is comfortable and fits in your bags. You won't need to worry about fashion. Beige is never wrong but if you are sitting in a vehicle, color is not a big deal. Dark colors can attract tse tse flies and blue is especially discouraged. I’ve not seen tse tses in Kenya, but I’ve gone in July-Aug.

4. Animals: You'll have green lush vegetation with the amounts of rain that have fallen. You'll see more animals/birds than you can believe. You may want to bring a bird book even if you are not a birder. It is a good time for baby hooved animals in the Serengeti. Zebras usually give most births in Jan and wildebeest usually in Feb.

In general you’ll see lots of antelope, zebra, giraffe, and elephant, lions in most parks, some Cape Buffalo, maybe cheetah—especially in the Mara or Serengeti, but they can be anywhere. Leopards are the most elusive but are present in the parks you are visiting. In the water you’ll see hippos and crocs. Probably rhino.

Samburu and Mt. Kenya---Since you are going here first, it is good to be aware that some of the species you'll see won't be seen later. If you know that up front (and I'm sure your guide will inform you about this) you can appreciate their differences. The uniqe species are Grevy Zebra, Reticulated Giraffe, Somali Ostrich, Gerenuk (antelope that stretches up on its hindlegs), Oryx (antelope). Another poster just mentioned the opportunity for Greater and maybe even Lesser Kudu (curly horns) but I didn’t see any. Don't miss looking at the mountain at Mt. Kenya, getting an animal in front of it if you can, for a photo. If you visit the forested areas near Mt. Kenya you might be able to see the forest-dwelling black and white Colobus Monkey and maybe even the very elusive giant forest hog.

Samburu Serena baits for leopard and crocs. Samburu is one of the better places to see leopard, even without baiting.

Nakuru---Probably your best chance for rhino. A recent visitor had 40 sightings in a couple-day stay. Nakuru has a unique kind of giraffe—the Rothschild’s. Nakuru is the best place for flamingos.

You may be able to see Kilimanjaro as you go between Kenya and Arusha.

Maasai Mara---It’s all here. You’ll see lots even if the bulk of the migration is in Tanzania.

Manyara---Noted for elephants, though you’ll see them elsewhere. The hippo pool is especially active and another highlight of Manyara, though hippos are everywhere. Very good baboon action along the roads. Look for the blue monkey or black monkey (same animal different name) that is not common other places.

Crater---Greatest concentration of animals. Black rhinos are often seen. Try the breakfast box strategy.

Serengeti--Migration will probably be just south of Sopa, but can never be closely predicted. You may do some driving to find the bulk of the herds. Lots of animals in vast openness. Good time for baby prey species and those attract predators.

5. Weather link

http://www.overlandingafrica.com/africa-weather.php#ken

Summer weather—highs in 80s, lows in 50s, maybe 60s
Rain—should be not too much rain as your visit is before the big rainy season. There’s been more than normal in the past months, so who knows? Weather and animals aren't predictable but Africa always comes through.

Have a wonderful trip!
atravelynn is offline  
Old Jan 6th, 2007, 09:08 AM
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Looks as though you have a pretty good itinerary, taking you to a variety of locations and invironments. I will address only several of your questions. 1) Regarding underwear: often lodges and camps will not do women's lingerie, but will do men's undergarmets. That's not much of a problem since what most of we women wear is so skimpy that laundering it on our own is just a minor nuisance. Take a small bottle of cold water detergent (in your checked luggage). I would take mostly older clothes to begin with and about three sets of shirts and slacks/shorts should be adequate. You can use the hotel laundry at the places where you will be staying two nights. Personally, since I hate buying clothes, I wouldn't think of leaving them and having to buy more when I got home. 2) About repellents, anything with about 20% DEET is good, I believe, and whether liquid, lotion, or otherwise is your preference. Pack it in your checked luggage. 3) Dark pants for evening meals? Not necessary. All your wife and other guests care about is that you have cleaned up after a day in the bush and put on some fresh clothes. By the way, THE COLOR BLUE ATTRACTS TSETSE FLIES. It has been proven, so avoid blue jeans (a poor choice on safari, anyhow), blue shorts, blue slacks, blue socks, blue anything. Even the color black is suspect. That's why tan and khaki are the preferred colors on safari.
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Old Jan 6th, 2007, 09:09 AM
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Looks as though you have a pretty good itinerary, taking you to a variety of locations and environments. I will address only several of your questions. 1) Regarding underwear: often lodges and camps will not do women's lingerie, but will do men's undergarmets. That's not much of a problem since what most of we women wear is so skimpy that laundering it on our own is just a minor nuisance. Take a small bottle of cold water detergent (in your checked luggage). I would take mostly older clothes to begin with and about three sets of shirts and slacks/shorts should be adequate. You can use the hotel laundry at the places where you will be staying two nights. Personally, since I hate buying clothes, I wouldn't think of leaving them and having to buy more when I got home. 2) About repellents, anything with about 20% DEET is good, I believe, and whether liquid, lotion, or otherwise is your preference. Pack it in your checked luggage. 3) Dark pants for evening meals? Not necessary. All your wife and other guests care about is that you have cleaned up after a day in the bush and put on some fresh clothes. By the way, THE COLOR BLUE ATTRACTS TSETSE FLIES. It has been proven, so avoid blue jeans (a poor choice on safari, anyhow), blue shorts, blue slacks, blue socks, blue anything. Even the color black is suspect. That's why tan and khaki are the preferred colors on safari. ZZ
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Old Jan 6th, 2007, 09:18 AM
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Sorry that first post with the misspelling somehow got sent. Atravelynn and I must have been writing our messages at the same time. Anyhow, my remarks were made without knowledge of hers. ZZ
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Old Jan 6th, 2007, 09:19 AM
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Karibu reid9439
u got some pretty good advice...
now for the HomeWork department:
Please read (& summarize)
LindaS <font color="red">NEW</font> Trip Report Index
http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...en_name=LyndaS

reading others' reports on same locations will prepare you for many things you'll experience yourself, and many things you'll NOT experience, and still the surprise-factor would be great !!

Safari Njema

aby
PS
The greatest (open-air, natural) Museum on Earth, is changing exhibitions every single moment, in billions of locations simultaneously.
your tour of this Museum will be unlike any other person's before or after...
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Old Jan 6th, 2007, 10:45 AM
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Good advice in the other posts ... a couple of things, since we've stayed at a couple of these lodges ...

<b>My wife read online that the hotels won't wash underwear.</b>

We had no problems getting laundry done, including women's underwear, at the Serena and Sopa lodges in Tanzania.

<b>2. What type of repellants are best</b>

The Serena lodges in Tz had complimentary packets of bug dope in the rooms and these worked better than anything we brought with us. Ask the attendant for a few extra packets if you like it.

<b>3. Should dark long pants be the attire for evening meals and outings.</b>

Nobody gives a darn what you wear at these lodges for meals etc. Black and dark blue are the colors used to attract the dreaded tsetse flies to the tsetse traps, so avoid wearing those colors while in the jeep.

<b>5. How about temperature and rain this time of year</b>

Hot mid-day, pleasant at night except probably cold at night and early AM at the Ngorongoro Sopa because of the elevation. Usually not much rain but this year has been wetter than usual. The hotels have umbrellas in the rooms and extras around the dining area and lounges so you just grab a brolly to get back to the room if it's raining.

Good itinerary at the right time of the year ... you should have a great trip.

Bill

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Old Jan 6th, 2007, 11:50 AM
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How could I forget the lovely warthogs? They're all over too.

You've gotten pretty consistent advice.
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Old Jan 6th, 2007, 12:32 PM
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The 44/lbs you mention is too high. Limit is 33/lbs. It's doable as you rewear most of what you have. Laundry can and should be done anywhere you stay at least 2/days - hand in on arrival, you'll have it back the next.

Search for LindaS' packing list.

Don't chance leaving too much old clothing behind, the lodge may actually pack it up and return it to you by mail. In reality you don't need much more clothing that for the place you are the longest... like 3/days worth. Remember, everyone is in the same boat and it's not a fashion show. Neutral colors that are comfortable... that goes for shoes; not the time to break in a new pair.

Oh, and you don't/didn't need Yellow Fever inoculation for entry to either country.
 
Old Jan 6th, 2007, 12:41 PM
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... sorry, that's LyndaS for the East Africa Index and packing list threads.
 
Old Jan 6th, 2007, 01:14 PM
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Sandi's comment on having your discarded clothing mailed back is right. Definitely leave a note on it or give it away personally. Once I intentionally threw an exposed roll of film in the waste basket of my tent. A few months after I returned home, a small packagae arrived with the roll and a note that it was found in my tent.

Lynda's packing list should be in these links:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34802443

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34639696

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34782437

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34606894

And now that we're on an advice roll, each of you should bring your own pair of binoculars so you don't have to share. If you make a copy of a page or two of simple Swahili words from a guidebook, especially the names of animals, it makes for fun conversation with the guide and your safarimates. Or bring the whole book if it fits in your 33 lbs.


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Old Jan 6th, 2007, 03:40 PM
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If your <b>only</b> flight is the one between Nairobi and Kilimanjaro and you're flying Precision Air, then 20kg (44lbs) is OK and they didn't weigh our carry ons. You might want to bring a soft carry on as a wheeled carry on may not fit into their overhead bins or under the seat in front of you.

There are no liquid/gel restrictions on the internal Africa flights, but you'll need to stick with the 3 oz container/1 qt ziploc baggie thing when departing the US and flying through EU airports.

Have a great trip!
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Old Jan 7th, 2007, 07:46 AM
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Thanks to everyone for their help. This has been a great help.

PS: It has been confirmed by Patty that our weight limit is 44lbs. That's what we were told by Brendan. Thank goodness.
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Old Jan 9th, 2007, 05:35 AM
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We did your trip with Brendan Oct. 2006. It was great! We each had a duffle (on wheels) and a carry-on. I wore jeans and a long sleeve top on the plane. Took 3 pairs of cotton pants, beige, brown and green. 2 tops to coordinate with each color. Black pants for the evening with 2 tops to go with them. My husband and I were the only ones on the tour in Kenya. Had our own vehicle and driver. We didn't plan it that way. In Tanzania we were joined by 3 people. Saw 'the big 5' the first 2 days. If you have any questions you can e-mail me at [email protected]. Enjoy.
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