hausfrau

Our Stanley Wing safari is just one month away (wow!) and we are finally getting serious about our packing list. I have a few questions.

- Given that we will be in Kenya and Tanzania for 2 weeks in early February, what should our proportion of short- to long-sleeved shirts be? So far we each have one of those lightweight long-sleeve sun-protection shirts, and we will each bring 4 quick-drying T-shirts, but I'm trying to decide how many other shirts and what type to bring.

- I am planning to bring one pair of sneakers and one pair of comfortable but nice-looking black suede sandals. Will the sandals be okay at night or should I have another pair of "nicer" closed-in shoes?

- My husband's primary shoes are dark gray "nice-looking" sneakers. He doesn't wear sandals very much but he does have a pair of comfortable walking sandals. He could also bring a pair of lace-up black leather shoes. I'm sure he'd like to get away with just two pairs of shoes since they are all kind of heavy. Any advice?

- I'm wondering how cool it will get at night. Do I need anything more than one fleece, one raincoat/windbreaker, and one nicer sweater (for traveling and Mt. Kenya Safari Club)?

- I am an amateur but very avid photographer and will be bringing a digital SLR with 70-300 zoom (HEAVY), a digital point-and-shoot, and a digital video camera. Should I bring my full-size tripod (it is quite lightweight but pretty bulky) or look for some kind of smaller travel tripod?

And finally, an update: Some of you may recall that we are planning this trip while living in Germany, which makes things a little more complicated! I am happy to report that I was able to go home to Michigan for a week in December and got all my vaccinations and prescriptions while I was there (Hep A&B, tetanus/diptheria, polio, typhoid, yellow fever, and malaria medication, plus "just-in-case" prescriptions for traveler's diarrhea, antibiotics for infection, and flu), then I brought the list back of everything I got to help my husband navigate the German medical system. So far so good, although he still needs to go to some sort of special health department office to get his yellow fever shot.

We are also able to use CIBT, the company that Micato recommends to handle our travel visas - it turns out they have a branch in Germany, so we'll be sending all of our paperwork to them this week (we had to wait until now because we spent Christmas in Rome and needed our passports).

I appreciate any advice/suggestions and wish you all a happy new year!

LyndaS

Hello hasufrau-

I was just thinking of you the other day - time is getting so close - did you get the duffle bags yet? Wow, wish we were going too - but that is one of my New Years Resolutions - go back to East Africa this year!
(the other one is to finish going thru all of our pictures from the last one!)

Anyhow, yes, down to your packing!

I did up a packing list on Excel for another person going with Micato on the Stanley Wing, I could send that to you if you like - contact me at
lyndadswain at telus dot net if you would like - or, I also posted it the other day on Jan's thread (she is going on the Grand Safari very soon) at


http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...amp;dirtyBit=1

This was my 'experienced' packing list - re done after we got back. Sandi & all the others on this board are very correct & right on when they say you can get by with a minimal amount of stuff - you really can.

To answer your specific questions though -


I think 4 t-shirts (of the common variety) for everyday wear, along with 2 short sleeve shirts or blouses for a little dressier evening wear is good. Not too dressy on those two short sleeve shirts/blouses - just a little dressier than a run-of-the-mill t-shirt. One of these blouses (or shirts) could be worn in the evening for Mt Kenya with the nice sweater you were saying you would taketo dress it up, along with some black pants. Add to that one long sleeve shirt for sitting around a campfire at night (Kichwa Tembo) or the open air lounge at Amboseli in the evening.

So basically, just add two a-little-dressier shirts/blouses to what you each have that you listed & you will be fine!

Your shoes sound fine - closed in shoes for the evenings are neither expected nor required - and , hey they will weigh 2lbs each so they are better left at home! Just make sure that you have insect repellent on your feet if you will be outside at all, or after dinner, go back and change into the sneakers for sitting outside around the campfire, or an outdoor lounge. I wore my sandals all the time at night - every night - and I just made sure that I had insect repellent on my feet. I had no problems at all!

Your husband should only bring two pair of shoes, one pair of sneakers (sounds like they would be fine for the evening as well if they are grey) and one pair of sandals would be good. No need for the black lace up shoes if the grey looks good enough to go for casual dinners with!

Yes, it got quite cool at Mt Kenya and Ngorongoro in the evenings - but one fleece 'hoodie' type of jacket for each of you will suffice. What you listed will be just fine. The nice sweater for Mt Kenya and travelling will do just fine - and yes, a packable rain/wind jacket is ideal. I threw in a couple of those cheap plastic raincoats in a little package from the dollar store for us - we didn't use them, but we had them just in case out in the field - instead of carrying our rain/wind jackets on game runs. (That reminds me, they are not on my list that I made up, I shall have to add)

We bought a very light weight table top Manfroto tripod - really tiny but works perfectly with a digital SLR for sunsets at Ngorongoro. It also has a clip on for a car window, but the Micato Land Crusiers had the sliding windows - not the up and down so Jim did not use this feature. He did use the tabletop feature though. He said it was great - just perfect. Let me know if you need a model number? Jim also made a bean bag that was designed after the one that Andy Biggs recommended (the name slips me, but someone will know). We went to buy it from their website, but they wouldn't ship to Canada, so Jim made one - it turned out great. Micato did always have bean bags in the van - but they were smaller than Jim would have liked, so he was glad he brought his own.

Hope this helps - let me know if you have any more questions & I am glad you got the visas & medical stuff done all OK over there!

Oh - and Happy New Year!

LyndaS

Well, isn't that just the weirdest thing? My reply is there on this post, but it didn't move it to the top, and it still says 0 replies!.....

LyndaS

Oh, there we go, all better now!

spsand

Thanks LindaS for your advice about packing......your list is perfect for me....i was wondering if there is any truth to some things i have read about "color" Does the color black attract TseTse flies? Also, the color blue? Most of my summer type pants are cropped or capris...can i get away with them if i put insect repellent on my shins? i want to pack as lightly as possible ( concerning clothes) as my medications, first aid supplies, toiletries etc...camera....flashlight...cans of DEET ....will weigh a ton and take up most of the suitcase!!!!

matnikstym

yes it's true, black and blue attract tsetses. black is the color of the buffalo, tsetse's favorite meal. blue is the color of the tsetse traps, so it must attract them.

Patty

spsand,
Where are you going? The only place I've seen tsetses in Kenya is in Meru.

hausfrau

Lynda, thanks for all the good info. I have your post-trip list and I find it invaluable - so much better than the one Micato provides (I'm still surprised that they suggest bringing 10 pairs of underwear!).

I live in cotton short-sleeved button-up shirts in the summer so I'll definitely bring a couple of those.

I'm still trying to convince my husband that he can get away with his sneakers and sandals (same for me), but I'll win him over eventually!

Thanks for the info on tripods too. Sounds like I should look for a small tabletop tripod. What do you mean by the bean bags? That's a new one for me.

On the subject of color - I was annoyed when I went on my shopping spree at REI (my favorite outdoor store) in Michigan that they only had the lightweight sun protection shirts in white, bright blue, and bright raspberry. I was like...uhhhh...where's the African safari colors??? I bought one in white not being sure that I would find something similar in Germany (I still need to look here), and I figured white was better than the other bright colors. But now I've heard that white can "scare the animals?" Is there any truth to that? (Yes I know it will also get dirty.)

We are just two Hep A&B shots and one yellow fever shot away from having all our vaccinations out of the way, and I'm sending our passports and documents to Berlin today for express visa processing!

We haven't gotten our duffels yet, so I'm going to contact Micato and make sure they are sending ours to us here in Germany!

Oh yes, and one more thing - what did you think of the hats that Micato provided? Should we bring any other type of hat or was it sufficient?

Thanks!!!

hausfrau

Topping my previous questions and I have another: what is the best way to go about getting local currency once we arrive, and how much (realistically) will we need, if we are paying for tips, drinks, and some shopping (small items only - maybe some carvings, fabrics, jewelry)?

cassius

I really wouldn't worry too much about the colour of your clothes. As far as bright colours go look at what the Maasai wear - bright red, and all the little safari vans are white so I don't think a white shirt will bother the animals.

sandi

Since you're in a vehicle most of the time, color doesn't matter all that much. It's often suggested, however, not to wear white if going on a game walk; some guides actually ask their guests not to wear this color. Otherwise, a white t- or camp-type shirt is fine.

As to the bright colors you've been finding... it's "springtime" - so brights. If you've got a Gap Store (or the likes nearby), I've seen that they care carrying plenty of tan, brown, khaki for both men and women.

LyndaS

Hausfrau-

For KSH - There is an ATM right beside the Grand Regency Hotel, Daniel (our concierge) walked me there twice (are you at that hotel, or at the Norfolk?, once at the beginning of the trip, and once at the end.

We took some US cash for our first day (pre-Micato) with Kennedy, and then loaded up from the ATM with KSH, as wherever possible, I like to use local currency. We did take some 'stashed' away travellers cks in US, in case we couldn't find an ATM - I was worried that being on a group trip we wouldn't have a chance to. But worries were for naught, anytime anyone wanted to find an ATM, Daniel would tell the group we were stopping at an ATM, and anyone who wanted cash would then use it. We stopped twice in Tanzania that I can recall, so no major inconvenience.

In Tanzania, for some reason it was quite a while before anyone even asked for an ATM, so since I had the TC's, I cashed a couple of those at the first lodge - Taranagire. I am sure I paid a bit of a premium to do that, but I didn't mind - it was convenient.

If you have Excel, and would like my general summary of cash taken & spent on what, I can email it to you - lyndadswain at telus dot net. Hey, what can I say- I'm a bookkeeper!
It can give you a good idea of what you may need.

Sorry I missed your last reply, good you topped this!

Maybe I should send my packing list to Micato - you are right, it wasn't very realistic in some parts! And, I swear that if you packed exactly what they said, you would be well overweight! (well, your duffle, not you personally

The beanbags were Kinesis or something like that - they are a versatile little (well, not so little) beanbag that a few on this board have used and really liked. Jim went on their website and as they wouldn't ship to Canada, and we couldn't find it anywhere, he made one that was similar (zipper, same material, everything - looked- and worked- great!). But all that being said, there are always bean bags in the vans, so I wouldn't worry about it too much. You can always use two of their bags for the SLR - that's what one of the other guys in our group did. Oh big warning here - if you use your digital point & shoot from the van (actually they were extended Toyota Land Cruisers, not vans), be sure to raise your camera well above the 'bar' around the roof top. I was using a film point & shoot and I couldn't believe how many nice pictures of lions I got with a 'bar' through him. You forget with the point & shoots that what you see is not necessarily what you get.

I loved Micato's hat - you won't need to bring any other. I brought my Tilley, but it never saw the light of day. Well, actually, that's not quite true, I probably had it on on the Sunday with Kennedy before the Micato safari started. Jim preferred his Tilley, as he is a die-hard Tilley fan, and the only time the Micato one came out was on the balloon ride (in case it blew off, you see!)
Another hint here - and Dennis, are you catching this? - I took my small black Sharpy marking pen I brought and put my name inside my Micato hat. There are after all going to be possibly 15 or so other hats in the group that look all alike!

hausfrau

Hi Lynda,
Thanks as always for the helpful response! Yes, we are at the Grand Regency. I'm glad to hear that you made frequent ATM stops, since that's how we're used to traveling in Europe. I'll probably bring a small amount of Euros just in case but rely on the ATMs as we go along. I would definitely be interested in your expense spreadsheet (you're not the only one who does that! LOL) so I will drop you a line soon!

I DO think you should send your packing list to Micato. I've heard about their duffels being way to big, and between that and their list being redundant, they are encouraging people to overpack. Someone who hasn't really traveled light before (like my MIL!) could have a real problem!

Thanks for the info about the beanbags, photos, and hats too.

Sounds like I don't have to freak out about having a white shirt. I think I actually might have everything I need at this point! Now it's time to start making the "Africa pile" in the corner of the bedroom...

ComfyShoes

One should never freak out over having a white shirt. Almost everyone has one. Well, except the animals one goes to see. It even helps the animals see us

Have a great trip, HF.