Packing for Tanzania
 

Hi,
I will be in Tanzania for September and would like to know what type of weather to expect. I hear it's chilly in the mornings so will I need fleece or will a heavy long sleeve shirt do?

Also, what's the story about the vests for safari trips? Are they really that handy and for what?

How important is to to pack a long skirt? I will be in the town of Iringa for a week, can I get by with just my usual capris, pants and shorts?

Is it better to wear long sleeve shirts with the option to roll the sleeve up or take short sleeve tops? Are sleeveless t-shirts inappropriate for a woman to wear in Tanzania?

I would appreciate any packing tips or lists you would care to share.

Thank you!
KK

We just returned several weeks ago. It was very cool in the mornings and we had polartek sweat shirts that were great - In september it might be quite a bit warmer though.

I did not have a long skirt and did not need it. I had short sleeve tees and I but a button down cotton long sleeve shirt over it when I need it for warmth - I never needed it for modesty purposes.

I asked many of our guides about what was appropriate for a woman and they all said it didn't really matter - whatever was comfortable.

Unless you are a major photographer - I can't see any reason for the vests (unless you think the look cool). There was plenty of pockets on the back seats of our trucks to store stuff during drives. We saw alot of women in sleeveless shirts.

Only in Stonetown on Zanzibar did I feel the need to cover up. DOn't know about Iringa.

THere are several threads on this board with packing lists so you can check them out.

Carol

Hi KK:

It's the dry season and summer so it will be quite warm during the day and very very dusty! It will be cool at night, particular at the Crater (fleece is totally sufficient).

I wore long sleeve SPF vented shirts and long pants (don't have to layer on the sunscreen which felt nice and kept the dust on the clothes rather than my person). Also, keeps the mosquitos and tse tse from direct contact with skin, just a little extra protection.

As for safari vest, I found mine totally handy. It's not very fashionable but I kept all my personal items handy (lip balm, eye drops, tissue, purell wipes etc) and camera lens cleaning supplies (lens pen and hurricane jumbo blower; these I used after every series of shots to keep the dust off the camera lens). Very useful when you need to do some business at the back of the vehicle while out on safari (everyone you need is on you).

You don't need a skirt, pants are perfectly fine. Shorts are questionable in town for women but they do give some leeway for foreigners.

As for sleeveless tee shirts, they're fine on safari and at lodges, again it's just in town that becomes more questionable.

The one item I was so glad I had was the inflatable seat cushion, the seats are hard and the ride is bumpy. My tushy was very glad I pack this item.

Here is my whole packing list for 12 days and met weight limit for small plane (1 duffle bag and 1 daypack backpack, both US carry on size).

Minimize weight by using non wheeled luggage (light weight duffle and backpacks). Most wheeled luggage will weigh 6-8 lbs without anything in it. The duffle bag/backpack I used weighed 1-1.5 lb each.

Packing List:
Itinerary
Tickets
Tour Emergency Contacts
Passport & copies
Immunization Card & copies
Noise cancelling headphones (plane)
Sunglasses (2)
Sunglasses string
Contacts (5 pairs)
Glasses
Waistpack
Safari Vest
Hat/Rainhat (2)
Buff Tube Bandannas (2)
Lite Gloves
Fleece
Wind/rain Jacket
Safari/Buzz off shirts (4)
Safari/Buzz off pants (3)
Resort/Dinner Top (1)
Resort/Dinner Pants (1)
Quick Dry Tech Long Sleeve Tee (1)
Quick Dry Tech short Sleeve Tee (2)
Light Quick Dry Sport Bras (3)
Casual Bra(1)
Lightweight PJs
Underwear/Old to throw away along trip (6)
Socks (5)
Swimsuit
Lite Breatheable Trailrunners
Shower Slippers

Cocoon Silk Sleepsacks
Thermarest Inflatable Seat Cushion
Thermarest Packable Travel Pillow
Earplugs
Eyemask
inflatable neck pillow (for camera)
Cocoon/Eagle Creek Travel blanket
Package lite extra totebag/backpack
Hanisack disposable packable shopping bags

Animal guidebook
Swahili dictionary
Africa Travel Journal, Animal Guide/Check list
Southern Sky Star map
Cash (Total $25/person/day in small bills)
Guide Tip ($100 bills)
ipod, headphone & charger (for plane ride)
tape deck converter for ipod (for the long drives on safari)
Voltage converter
Converter plugs
Flashlights
Diamond Headlamps w/spotlight (2)
Mini flashlights (2)
Extra battery for flashlights (AAA & AA)
Binoculars
Cameras
Nikon Digital SLR w/Zoom Lens
Sony small camera
Extra Batteries (3)
Battery Charger
Nikon Memory (9G)
Sony Memory (2G)
Polarizing Filter
Lens pen
Hurricane jumbo blower
Camcorder
Tapes
Lens Filter
Memory Card (2G)
Extra Batteries (2)
Battery Charger
Purell (pocket bottles) (2)
Purell Wipes (3 boxes)
Small Washcloth (3)
No bath Bodywipes
Huggies wet toilet paper wipes
Quick Facewipes
Q tips and Cotton pad
Shower cap
Kleenex packs
Woolite packs
Ricola sugarfree hard candy (dry mouth)
Cliffbar Mojo Foodbar
EmergenC
Ziplock freezer bags (assorted quartz & 0.5G)
Large Ziplocks for camera & clothes (1.5G & 2G)
Bug juice (nat'l & deet)
Suncreen
Lipbalm/SPF lips (4)
Travel Body Lotion
Travel Shamp & conditioner
Comb & brush
Dr. Bonner's Peppermint bodywash
Dove Facial washcloth/face wash
Face lotion

Med Kit:
Cipro
Malaria meds
Allergy meds
Bonine (car sickness med)
Lactobacillus Pearls
Patanol/Napcon A Allery eye drops (2)
Renu eye drops
Contact lens drops (3)
Contact lens solution (2)
Contact lens case (2)
Vitamin C
Imodium
Iodine
Pink Stuff tablet
Benadryl lotion
Polysporin
Calamin lotion
Cortaid
bandaid
Hair scrunchy

Have a blast!

SS

See See thanks for the list! we are going to Kenya Tanzania and SA on Setember from Argentina..your information is truly useful...great about the inflate cushion!

As with SeeSee, I say to ditch the wheeled luggage. I weighed the wheeled suitcase I was considering and a duffle: there was a 5-lb. difference. For that difference I was willing to schlep the duffel.

I don't know where Iringa is...I understand the strongly Muslim areas on the coast and Zanzibar are more conservative. But elsewhere, my wife and daughters (16 and 18) had no trouble at all with shorts, pants, and t-shirts.

As to long vs. short sleeves, we were there just two weeks ago. We made most use of short sleeves, though the mornings can be a bit chilly. Bring a fleece sweater for the mornings; merely a long sleeve shirt isn't enough for the mornings.

And bring some warm nightwear, as it can be a bit cold. Very few lodgings have any sort of heat at night. While we never needed our wool caps, it is surely a good idea to have one.

Norm

My friend wore a vest and I didn't and we both got to our stuff just fine, personal preference. The seat pockets do serve as store alls for what you want to get to. We took wheeled duffles and used the wheels only in our own domestic airport. Everywhere in Tanzania a trolley or a porter carried everything, so they weren't used at all. After our gift shopping, we ended up paying a surcharge for overweight on the local ZanAir flight to Zanzibar, which probably would have been avoided if there were no wheels (or we hadn't shopped so much...)

For me the safari vest was simply a way of getting around the luggage restrictions. I could pack the pockets with all manner of things. After my luggage had been weighed, I could take the stuff out of my pockets and put them back in my day pack. I put things like chargers, memory cards, books, batteries, etc... in my vest - basically things that were small, but heavy.