LyndaS

mish45-
You are going to have an incredible time! Not a day goes by that we don't think of something we did, or someone we met in East Africa. It really gets in your blood, and Micato certainly does an INCREDIBLE job!
Our group was choc-a-block full - they close the groups at 18, and that's what we had. But not all the time - our group, on the Stanley Wing was 15, but once we got to Tarangire, 3 people from the Hearts & Splendour tour joined our group for the rest of Tanzania & the Mara. I believe they closed our group at 15 so that they could accomodate the three on that tour along with us. I liked the group at 15 actually, it gave us enough people to interact and get to know each other, but at the same time we could maintain an independence if we wanted.

I actually never used the Deet at all. Our first lodge - Amboseli Serena - had some very convenient packs of 'bug wipes', and our second lodge - Tarangire Sopa had nice little bottles of repellent as amenities. I used those, didn't even touch mine. Besides the fact that Sherry and Sandi et all scarred the beejeebers out of me for using anything over 35% - I think I was little leary to use it all! Actually I really never noticed the mosquitoes much - maybe only one place and I think that was at Kichwa Tembo. Tse tse flies, yes... another story....

I have the stuff you spray on your clothes from a previous trip to South Africa - but I didn't bring it. Never thought of it actually until you mentioned it just now! But, had I remembered, I probably wouldn't have used it, I never really felt the need! Save some room - just bring some 'Deep Woods off wipes' or something similar just in case.

Yes, there is plenty of room in the vans for day packs - I loaded my vest with the stuff I thought I would need, but a daypack would work great. There are huge pockets on the back of each seat, you could throw your day pack in there - or there is always extra seats even if you have a full group. The vans seat 8 passengers, and they only ever take 6 in a van max. If you are sitting at the back, you will have the extra space beside you.

There is always water in the cooler, the driver keeps it stocked. Sometimes there was juice and pop also - but always water. Each van has 6 prs of binoculars also - but if you like small binoculars - take your own - Micato's are huge and they are only 7x. Bean bags were in every vehichle, probably 4 or 5 of them. The van is ideal for photography with the pop top roof - BUT - if you have a film camera (like I did) WATCH the bar!!!! With a digital you would see right away that you were getting the bar in, but with film in a point and shoot (non SLR) I didn't know until I got home & developed my films. That stupid bar is front and center on quite a few of my shots - you have to raise the camera higher than you think in order not to get it in!

No problem on questions - keep them coming!

And - I WILL be finishing this report - company is gone now and maybe I can even finish the last day this weekend!!!

mish45

Hi Lynda,

I can't wait....thanks for all the good info and tips

Do you think 8 x 42 binoculars will be ok..not just adequate, but good? The deet is quite a controversy....our travel docs said it is an absolute neccesity...so I bought 30%..what was the deet warning from Sherry? What did you do about the tse tse flies?

Did you lock your valuables (for me, that would be my medication) and passports at the lodge when you left for the day? Did you bother to bring anything resembling "dress up" clothes...packing seems to be anxiety provoking for me at this point..take less, take more..I change my mind day to day.

Can't tell you how helpful this all is to me..thanks.

marsha

LyndaS

Hi marsha-
8 x 42 sounds like they would not be compact and light, but they would have a reasonable width of field. The ones in the van were 7 x 35 as far as we can remember, which made them really heavy to hold. Jim's were 10-30 zoom x 25 and very lightweight and we could see much further with them then the ones in the van for close up (ie that elusive leopard in the tree). For that leopard we REALLy needed the 30x zoom. You are so restricted in weight that if yours are heavy you maybe should reconsider! But the zoom and the width of field on yours would be good for most viewing, yes.

Hmmm, nowhere in my docs did it say deet was necessary - but you are going at a different time of year - so maybe that is what the difference is. Wouldn't hurt to bring it then. Sherry was talking about the near 100% deet - it can be a killer if you put too much on, or put it on the wrong spots! I really liked the 'off' wipes that were individually packaged, really light & easy to carry.

Light, light, light - that's wahat packing in that duffle boils down to!

I swatted the tse tse flies with my journal book. Not sure whether that hurt my legs more than them biting or not....

For the security question - go to Day 9 in this report and read the last paragraph - I let my guard down once and paid for it. YES, lock your valuables in the front desk's vault each time you change camps. Your medication will be OK in the room, but lock your money in the vault.

No, you don't need anything even remotely dressy. For Mt Kenya you will need something more than shorts or convertibles - but I just wore my pants, white top and jacket that I traveled in (after cleaning of course!) and I felt just fine. I sent them to the laundry as soon as we got to the Grand Regency in Nairobi on the first day (Sunday), and asked for them to be back by the next afternoon in time for the Pinto's dinner that night. It worked great. Some of the group though I noticed did bring cocktail dresses, they looked really nice - but really not required.

For the packing have you seen my comprehensive thread on the packing before we went? I have a packing list now AFTER the fact - it's really brief - let me know if you would be interested & I will post it here. Next time I know for sure I will not be overweight!

mish45

Hi Lynda,

Yes, would love to see your after the trip packing list...thanks

Marsha

LyndaS

Ok - here goes Marsha - this is TRULY all you will need on the Stanley Wing Safari:

CLOTHES
- 4 t-shirts
- 2 short sleeved shirts or blouses (to go with black pants for Mt Kenya)
- 1 long sleeved shirt for evenings when mossies are out
- 1 'travel' type of blazer or jkt (ie doesn't wrinkle) for Mt Kenya & traveling in
- 2 pr convertible pants
- 1 pr plain black pants for Mt Kenya and travelling in
- 1 pr capris
- 1 safari vest – (optional)
- 1 fleece hoodie for warmth
- 1 rain/wind jacket
- 1 pr walking sandals
- 1 pr closed-in shoes
- 1 pr pyjamas if you wear
- 2 pr socks
- 6 pr underwear/bras
- 1 bathing suit
- 1 cover up

PERSONAL TOILETRIES: take basic stuff in small travel containers, but you won't need shampoo. Take some conditioner, not all lodges had. Take a small washcloth, most had, but some we had to ask.

OTC DRUG STUFF: a small travel pack with Band-Aids, Gravol, Imodium, Contact C, Advil, Neosporin, and non-drowsy anthistamine.

SUN & BUG STUFF: a few packages of 'off' or similar wipes, or a small bottle of insect repellent. I looked up my notes - it was Amboseli that had the most mossies (at night only), anti-itch cream, sun lotion if you burn

BUSH LOO STUFF: a travel roll of TP (invaluable), antiseptic wipes, and a few sandwich bags in case for 'waste'

LAUNDRY STUFF: a small bottle of hand wash soap (like Zero) and a clothesline - the best type are the ones that need no clothespegs. And if you are a slop like me throw in a Tide to Go pen, you'll be everyone's friend.

BOOKS & WRITING STUFF: one paperback book (not much time to read on this trip!) journal, a few pens, pencils & eraser if you sketch or do crosswords, small note cards with envelopes for tips for drivers & guides (rest of tips are prepaid by Micato), small calculator, cheap dollar store plastic file pouch for any papers you may want to keep (ie Balloon certificate if you are doing that, or animal checklist, hotel bills, etc)

MISCELLANEOUS:
- airline neck pillows (inflatable) which will also double for a back cushion in the vans if you need!
- cameras & gear
- some bubble wrap (it's light...) for purchases or gifts given to you,
- small pkg of Kleenex
- converter and an adaptors for the area
- a very small multi-plug outlet (2 - 3 outlets on it)
- binoculars
-travel alarm clock
-extra batteries
-extra glasses & sunglasses, and sunglass cords
-really small basic sewing kit
-some duct tape (wrap some around the end of a pen as Sandi has suggested)
-your Micato issued flashlight/reading light

And, really - that is all you will need!

We took small travel mugs for coffee - we loved bringing coffee on the game drives with us.

I took the documentation Micato sent us on the details of our trip - and didn't look at it once, but someone said she read it everynight before going to bed to see where they were going the next day. Me, I could have been the tour leader I knew the itinerary so well!

matnikstym

what Lynda, NO stapler????
anyway, I found some of those wine gums that you talked about and they are quite good! Will be bringing some along with me next week to Zim.
Aloha, Dennis

mish45

Lynda,

One week to go and with your absolute list, I have everything set out and ready to pack. You are a treasure for your trip report and all the tips.

Somewhere along the way, I read that it is good to bring pens, paper, pencils for the children we encounter along the way...is this something you are familar with? Did you use TSA locks for your luggage?

Oh, the excitement.

Marsha

hausfrau

Hi Lynda,
Yup, I'm still reading and soaking it all up! I LOVE YOUR LIST. I know it is going to come in handy when we all really start thinking about packing in another couple months! (Our departure - for me, DH, and my in-laws - is early February 2007.) I'm sure I'll have questions for you later!

Can't say I want your trip report to end...maybe you can just keep telling us more stories????

LyndaS

Dennis - OHMIGOSH you are right! How could I forget that tiny stapler AND the tiny tape? They definitely came in handy to taple and staple the bubble wrap closed!
So, please, yes, consider those two items added to my packing list!

Aren't those wine gums incredible? If you are flying through Heathrow, go to one of the little stores there that sells candy, newspapers etc and look for the Maynards 'sour' winegums - mmmm mmm mmm good!. I really am addicted to them

Wow, next week to Zim - are you still going to do the Lion Walk?

Marsha see note above - take a tiny roll of tape, or a mini stapler, or elastic bands to close up the bubble wrap around the purchases!

We did the America Shares program, which is where I had tons of pencils & pens, but others in the group did bring some. Our guides asked that we only give them out to school children - ie children walking to and from school in uniforms, as that way children are not encouraged to skip school to hang around tourists for pens etc. On the way to Mt Kenya, probably somewhere around Nanyuki, the other van in front of us (part of our group) threw them out the window as we drove past a group of school children! It was SUCH fun to see this - the girls were estatic! (I guess it was a girls school....) They dove for them as Lilly threw them out the window, it was such great fun to see!

TSA locks could be used - we zap strapped them going to and from on the international flights with cable ties, and then during the days on safari, we locked them with our regular combination travel locks. I left the front and one of the side pockets unlocked and just kept 'incidentals' there - dirty laundry, bubble wrap, zip lock bags, etc. The other side I kept zapped with a zap strap and just cut it and used a new one everytime I needed to go into it.

Hausfrau, I am SO glad you are still reading!!!! One more chapter to go, thanks for the nice words on my stories!

Patty

Lynda,
I would think that throwing items out of a window while driving could be very dangerous as children would be running toward the vehicle (and possibly other traffic) to retrieve them.

LyndaS

Yes, you could be right Patty - I shouldn't have said it quite that way! oops...

The driver slowed down and stopped when Lilly threw them out the window. At first we wondered why they would pull over and stop and what the girls were diving for, it took us a few times to figure out what was going on. It wasn't on the highway - it was on the dirt road that goes up to Mt. Kenya Safari Club off the highway. (ie read 2 mph for normal travel...)

Sorry about that for giving the wrong impression!

mish45

Hi Lynda,

Well, my husband is totally envious now that I have the "absolute" packing list. He has asked if you or your husband would be willing to share the "guy" version of what to bring re clothing. Today is the first day he has been extremely excited about the trip..giddy, actually!

Thanks,
Marsha

LyndaS

Hi Marsha-

The 'guy' version gave me a chuckle as this is what it consists of in our case:
-no list made or thought of
-a bit of thought beforehand, but only when I probed him by asking 'hey, do we need to buy anything for you before we go next Friday?
-his packing was started on the Friday afternoon by this sentence: 'What did you say we needed, dear? Socks? Shoes? Shirts? Shorts? and some convertibles? OK here you are....'


But, since <b>I</b> was the one who put them in the duffle, I could make a list, more or less, for your husband!

3 short sleeve shirts (2 were Cool Max)
1 long sleeve shirt
2 polo shirts (Cool Max)
1 pr khaki pants (like Dockers)
2 pr convertibles
1 pr walking sandals
1 pr closed in walking shoes
4 pr socks
8 pr underwear
1 fleece jacket
1 stuff-in-sack rain jacket
1 multi-pocket vest
1 bathing suit
1 light weight cotton bath robe (not a fuzzy thing...)
His Tilley hat (I wore my Micato hat, but he preferred his Tilley)

All of the clothes &amp; the vest were Tilley clothes (that's really all he wears normally) so he didn't need anyhting different for Mt Kenya or travelling - as Tilley looks dressy enough. All of his pants/convertibles were khaki or olive green while his shirts were white or khaki or plaid in the khaki tones.

As for the things - well, most of that was covered on my list as it was for the two of us, other than his personal toiletries, a Leatherman tool, and a TON of batteries and some electronic type stuff - a GPS for one. I don't know what was in that one bag that had tons of wires and chargers in it.... Guy stuff I guess!

Hope this helps - and HAVE A GOOD TRIP! Is it next Fri you leave?

mish45

Hi Lynda,

This made me laugh out loud....my husband just realized we are leaving next Friday (even tho' the date has been confirmed for months and he has the itinerary). I, too, have been buying him clothes for the trip which I thought he needed so after a moment of panic (his) this morning, I reassured him he is ready. His idea of packing is to grab a handful of clothing from each drawer and announce he's &quot;all set&quot;. Gotta love 'em!

Appreciate the list.

Marsha

kimburu

Lynda, don't take this personally, PLEASE...but if you are saying various tacky stuff was thrown from a (even slow) moving vehicle to a group of kids who had to scrabble around on the ground to get them, that's pretty awful behaviour. Sure, the kids enjoyed it, and they'd enjoy it if an extremely wealthy white person threw a pile of coins over the fence into a school playground in a less affluent area of predominantly non-white kids in the US... but I think the teachers and parents wouldn't be too happy - especially if it was an area which had a history of racism and disenfanchisement - as Kenya does. It might even make it into the newspapers (sorry if the analogy is weak but I think it'll help you to see what I'm driving at).

The key word is dignity. Sensitivity and the responsibility of privilege are also something to think about.

NOT a poke at you Lynda - would that the world had another few million of you - but I was just so surprised to see what you had written and thought you'd in turn be surprised (and want to know) that someone else felt fairly strongly about it (although being British maybe I have a guilty conscience).

I'm really sorry to post this on this thread - it's been such a fun thread to read and is still turning up chuckles and smiles ...just ignore me (at least as far as posting goes) and move on.

LyndaS

No problem Paul on your post!

Upon thinking about it, you are probably right - even though it wasn't dangerous, that wasn't very dignified. Sometimes you get caught up in the moment though - we were all laughing along with the girls that were picking them up (it was pens &amp; pencils) and laughing and smiling - but yes, once you think about it, it probably wasn't the wisest thing to do.

Our guide asked that we did not give out the pens and pencils to children that were begging on the street, and I could see his reasoning. For ourselves, we participated in the America Shares program, which put a walloping duffle-bag full of school supplies etc right at the orphanage with the school. But, I must admit, I had a few 'Canadian' pencils in my bag, and I did give some to kids at a gas station in Mosquito Creek when we were fueling. There was this little guy - he was just too cute to resist....

Anyhow, again, no problem on your post - I don't take it personally and I appreciate it when someone points out things that I may not have seen or thought about!

RonHB

I just returned from a&quot;Stanley Wing&quot; with MICATO, and I have to say Lynda's list for men is pretty close to right on. I had quick dry underwear from Ex Officio and they dried overnite so I only took 3 pair instead of 8. Some areas (at the crater) it was foggy early morning and night at the lodge so socks and other things didn't dry as well.
Convertable pants two pair were perfect. I had the &quot;Titanium&quot; brand from Columbia. They are a little heavier synthetic and don't look as flimsy as some of the others I tried. The other important feature to look for is the bottom of the pant leg zips open a little so it is easy to remove without removing your shoes.
Laundry services were good at all the lodges if you needed it. One thing to remember is the water you will be washing out your clothes in will be &quot;tan&quot; in the white sink before you begin the wash so the concept of clean is relative.
We have traveled extensivly, but this was our first trip to Africa. My wife and our friends we were with were celebrating their 60th birthdays which was the premise for the trip.
We chose MICATO after a little research and we couldn't have been more pleased with our entire trip.
( I have read the other thread re: professionals on this site. I am a dentist in California and have nothing to do with the travel business)
There were only six of us on our trip and we eventually merged with another Micato group for a portion of the trip while in Tanzania. We were all impressed with how smooth everything seemed to run. I know there were many people working in the background to make it seem that way for us but it was quite impressive. All the plane connections were timely and went smooth.(can't say that about the U.S.) The border crossings and transfers from Kenya to Tanzania were seamless.
We never had Africa near the top of our list of destinations. I think my wife envisioned snakes, heat , bugs etc. It was none of those things. In fact at the end of the trip she said she would go back again without me if she could go with Micato as she felt so secure with them.
Africa was a real adventure and we both have a desire to return and see some other areas. We were fortunate to see the big five several times in various areas. Our driver spoke three languages, had been an auto mechanic for 8 years, was an expert in birds, and had the eyes of an eagle! He saw things we couldn't belive were really there, but sure enough he would always be right. I don't think we would have had the opportunity to see the things we did without him.
We took four duffle bags for the America Shares program. We had childrens clothes, school supplies in two of them, and the other two were full of toothbrushes that I got Butler to donate.They were generous enough to send me two large cases. Most went to the orphanage in Nairobi, but we packed what we could in our green bags without going over weight and had the opportunity to distribute some along the way. I had no idea the impact they would have. One toothbrush costs as much as a months supply of sugar so no one has one. I have a great picture of about 40 Maasai all holding toothbrushes smiling with a small sign labeled &quot;ASANTE BUTLER&quot; I sent it to the company with a letter thanking them for the donation. Hopefully they will continue.
This board is a great resource for everyone thinking about Africa. I actually found out about the America Shares program on this board, as Micato doesn't mention it in their brochures.
I learned alot of usefull information prior to leaving. I think most people's trips will vary according to the weather at the time they go, but we never had any problem with mosquitos or tse tse flies. A few downpours in the afternoon. There were ponchos in the trucks if we needed them but I had a Pac-lite Gore Tex windbreaker which worked great. I had a pair of Bose noise reduction earphones for the flights. I found them useful on two of the long drives as the road noise can be loud depending on where you are.
Managed to use my roll and my buddies roll of duct tape out at Oldupai Gorge helping another outfitter repair the coolant overflow resevoir that had been punctured when their shock absorber broke off the mount and punched up through it and the hood. Used the rest of it to repair a broken zipper on a zip off pant leg (very attractive).
As Lynda says it gets in your blood and we will return.

LyndaS

RonHB - I'm so glad to hear that you had a good time, they really do put on a good trip! And, some really good info you posted - I never would have dreamed of that particular use for duct tape, that must have been priceless!

Where will go when you return, will you do East Africa again?

RonHB

LyndaS... I am waiting for all my VISA tabs to clear befor I plan my next trip!(15 nights of bar tabs and wine with dinner)
We had originally planned to start in South Africa and go to some of the game parks there. I know so many people that have gone back to Africa multiple times so I put it at the top of my list. We just picked a trip that coincided with the aforementioned birthdays....very little research. I think when I go again I will try to glean some information from this site and customize my second trip. I asked our guide with Micato what he would do if he could go anywhere and he gave me some great ideas as he has guided with Micato for over 20 years. All I know is I will return, most likely with them.

sandi

Lynda -

A stapler, but not duct tape! Surprised.

I never leave home without duct tape wound around a thick black marker. Duct tape is the miracle &quot;fixer&quot; of the 20th Century and can be used for just about anything - torn luggage, shoes, holes in screens, rubber hoses, etc.

Be sure to pack this on your next trip, anywhere.