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Questions on "what to pack" list
Hi, I'm taking this trip in February. The list seems overwhelming:
Do you really need/use binoculars?
How many layers do you need in the Ngorongoro Crater? The list mentions a fleece jacket as well as an outer shell jacket. Do you need both? Did you use/need gloves and a hat?
Is the inflatable pillow for use when getting bumped around in the 4 wheel drive vehicles?
Do you need the lightweight jacket as well?
Any help would be appreciated.
Do you really need/use binoculars?
How many layers do you need in the Ngorongoro Crater? The list mentions a fleece jacket as well as an outer shell jacket. Do you need both? Did you use/need gloves and a hat?
Is the inflatable pillow for use when getting bumped around in the 4 wheel drive vehicles?
Do you need the lightweight jacket as well?
Any help would be appreciated.
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Light jacket is sufficient from what I see the the minimum temps are at that time of year. We went in August
Cannot see pillow on the packing list but roads are extremely bumpy, I remember there were roads strewn with rocks
This is a fantastic trip. We have done the South Africa trip where you definitely need hat and gloves early mornings and will also be doing the Tanzania trip in July
Enjoy!
About clothing...we took waterproof shell jackets and sweaters. I guess the sweaters replaced the fleece. We did have a couple of drizzly times, once in an afernoon at the Mt Kenya Safari Club and another on a game drive on the Masai Mara where we drove in and out of rain clouds. The balloon ride starts out a bit chilly, so we wore both then and at the Mt, Kenya BBQ dinner. I used a sweater a lot, especially for morning game drives.
You definitely need a hat for shade, and make sure it has a strap to secure it. We encountered enough wind to blow it off your head! If you need a hat for warmth, a buff can be adjusted to be a beanie hat. We brought buffs and were so glad we did...great for neck warmers, masks for dust, and as hats...Gloves?? I always throw in a small pair of thin liner-type gloves. Used them at the BBQ dinner.
As far as the inflatable pillow is concerned...for me? I would say a resounding, "No!" I am tall, and I figure the pillow would put me that much closer to the roof of the vehicle! I did bounce that high on some roads. There is no way around it...the roads are very bumpy. I really don't think a pillow would have helped. It is part of the experience, and we spent a lot of time just laughing about the "roads!" This is such a phenomenal trip, that was a minor inconvenience! The three best things I brought??? (1) My superzoom camera ( Nikon Coolpix p520), (2) the buff, and (3) a "Monster" travel to go outlet (recommended by a previous traveler on this site) that is basically a lightweight power strip with 4 outlets, necessitating only one hotel plug and adaptor!
Everyone wore a hat...wide brims are recommended. Gloves were not needed. The fleece and coat situation has a lot to do with your constitution. I see you are from California; we are from Florida. I suspect your tolerance for chill is about the same as ours. My wife and I were both very happy we took a fleece and a light wind breaker....especially on the balloon ride. We arrived at the take off spot before dawn and took off at dawn. It was anything but hot.
Most days you will have temperatures ranging from the 60s at night to the low 80s in the afternoon. By and large, it is a comfortable time of year. You will arrive after the "short rains" in November / December and before the "long rains" beginning in April. At Ngorongoro and near Mt. Kenya it will be a little cooler due to the elevation. The trick is to dress using layers that you can add or peel depending on conditions.
This next safari will be our fourth. I would not go without my binoculars. I used them a great deal. They are particularly valuable on the plains (Ngorongoro, Serengeti and Maasai Mara) where the distances are great and the animals spread out.
I think the most valuable piece of equipment we took was our buffs. It's fantastic as a dust mask or as a barrier to buzzing insects. The insects were not bad but it doesn't take many bugs to really irritate me.
This is a great trip. You will have a wonderful time...Leo M
It's hard to visualize unless you have used one. When my wife introduced me to the subject, I thought it was a bunch of nonsense. Unbeknownst to me, she order one for me and presented it to me in the middle of the Serengeti. I used it once and was sold. Not only do I now use it in Africa, I take it with me on every fishing trip to keep the bugs off. It's a very handy thing when you are trying to take photos with tsetse flies landing on you.
It works!....Leo M
I got my buff at REI, a sporting goods store very popular in California (can check them out online, too). I would suggest going to You Tube and putting "how to wear a buff" into the search window. You will then be able to see a variety of short videos about the many uses of a buff and how to twist and shape them into a myriad of uses, from masks to headbands, to beanies to bandanas, and many more!
Like Leo, my use of a buff did not stop when my trip to Africa ended. Mine went into my golf bag where it serves as a neck scarf on chilly days, a headband on windy days, and a beanie on cold days! Love it!!
I am now a proud owner of a tasteful, little woollen Buff number, which I think will be just perfect for my March expedition into the Southern Ocean and Macquarie Island. Now I just have to memorise the video so I can turn it into all manner of stylish and practical polar accessories! Without getting frostbite, or being thrown out of the zodiac … hopeful not simultaneously. Without your post to check YouTube, I never would have discovered what a Buff is, let alone the wonders and joys of personal ownership!
All set for further adventures, hot or cold, dusty or dry! Yippee!
Cheers,
Jan
PS: Thanks to Leo, too. I just need the girly, this goes with this, visual guide to really figure out this wondrous thing.;)
Joyce
I too am now the owner of a buff, a wide brimmed hat, and a shell/rain jacket and a fleece to add to all the khaki.
A question about footwear. I read somewhere that people were recommending shoes that easily slipped on and off so they could stand on the cushions in the vehicles. Do people stand up a lot? Is that a good idea or can I get by with my lace up New Balance shoes? It seems like this is a trip that doesn't have a lot of hiking.
Also, did people go swimming?
Thanks!
We swam in a number of places...the Four Seasons at the Serengeti has a pool you do not want to miss...Amboseli has a great pool as does the Mt Kenya Safari Club and the Fairmont Masai Mara Tent Camp. Of course, our trip was in October, and yours might have different weather.
You will absolutely love the trip and want to go back. We are going to Tanzania later in the year.