My wife and I are going on this trip as well. It will be our first Tauck trip and we are really excited! As for what to bring, I would suggest going through the older forum posts. There are lots of tips as well as links to blogs that other travelers have written from their past experiences.
Just returned last week from this tour. You're going to have a great time. Here are a few tips:
1. LLBean has some great safari shirts for $49. You can do laundry at the hotels; would recommend doing it at the Serena Lodges are they are way cheaper than the Four Seasons & Fairmonts.
2. Buy the Cannon Powershot 50x zoon camera. This gives you the equiv. of a 1200mm zoom. You'll need it. I brought my SLR with a 300mm zoom as well as this new Powershot with 50x zoom and I was one of the only people to get quality pictures of the animals up close. A good majority of the people on my tour wanted to buy my camera. It's on Amazon for $399. Well worth it.
3. Bring a flashlight - The hotel walkways are not very well lighted. You can find a pocket one on (LED) on amazon for a few bucks.
4. Bring a vest. It gets cold in the mornings and at night. LLBean has a micro poof vest that packs itself into it's own pocket for $89. It's awesome.
5. Hat - Bring one. No need for an actual safari hat; a baseball hat works just as well. The only difference is you'll need to spray some sunblock on your neck if you go with the baseball hat. Try to bring a light colored hat ( no blues or blacks).
Actually, each of the hotels has flashlights so we never used the ones we brought. Also, though everyone stresses light colored clothes, there is only one place (Serengeti) where you can't wear dark blue and black. Though you can go out and get all your safari shirts, T-shirts are fine. Those lightweight pants you can get at REI and LL Bean are very helpful. Any July is a cold-ish month in East Africa. You may wear slacks the whole time. As SM1218 said, a hat is a must! Sneakers are fine...I wore boat shoes almost every trip as I found the slip on/off easiest in the Jeeps when you're jumping on and off the seats to view the animals. The "roads" are awful so be forewarned. I felt like a bobble head during each game drive. Coleman DEET spray (40%) was excellent. Face wipes were handy as you get so dusty during the outings. BEST TRIP EVER!!!!!!!
Hello PSlatts...We took this trip in January / February 2012 and published a photo illustrated blog afterwards. Our blog ends with a list of what we took with us on the trip. That list was compiled from comments submitted by Tauck travelers who preceded us. We have used the check list on two subsequent safaris and will use it again later this month on our fourth safari.
I think the check list will serve you as well as it has us and the 9,800+ readers of the blog. Our thanks to all the Tauck travelers who helped us with their feedback.
Have read your blog and am getting very excited about our trip to Tanzania and Kenya on June 21! Your info was wonderful and greatly appreciate your taking the time to write about your wonderful journey! loved your photos too! Lots of good info and I'm sure lots of wonderful memories for you and your wife. Thanks for taking the time to post everything!
Carol
Thanks for the reassurance about the camera. It's actually a 42x so better than I thought. Considered returning it and getting one like yours, but it's already more camera than I am used to. Now to learn how to use it-ugh!
My husband, son, and I will be taking the tour this August.
I have a million questions about lots of stuff, but right now I'm trying to plan my packing -- particularly with respect to accommodating camera gear.
I understand Tauck provides a duffel bag for the safari days. How big is the bag? How much will it accommodate? If I understand the guidelines correctly, you may also take a backpack for these days. Is that right?
For the photo enthusiasts out there, I'd love to get an understanding of the best mix of gear to bring. Here's what I'm currently thinking & questions I have:
- Two DSLR bodies (Canon 5D Mark III plus another -- see questions below)
- All-purpose kit lens (24-105mm F/4)
- 200-400mm F/4 telephoto zoom lens (with integrated 1.4X extender)
- Maybe a wide angle lens. Do I need wider than 24mm?
- Additional point & shoot -- probably 50X Canon
- Support:
--- Refillable bean bags
--- Monopod
--- Skimmer ground pod for support on the bean bag
--- Tripod???
Questions:
- I'm debating whether the second body should be full-frame or APS-C. The additional crop factor would provide significant effective focal length when paired with the 200-400. Anyone have any opinions / experience / recommendations?
- I'm thinking I don't want to change lenses while out on a dusty safari. Hence my plan to bring two bodies. Anyone have any thoughts on that strategy?
- Is there any need for a flash?
- Any recommendations on the lens mix? Should I try to cram in a 70-200mm F/2.8? I'm concerned about adding another 4 pounds.
- What were your experiences / recommendations regarding bean bags & monopods? Do you have any recommendations about other support gear? What works best with the safari vehicles? If you used bean bags did you have any difficulty finding fill material?
- Is there value in bringing a tripod? Full-size tripod or small one for the roof of the land rover?
- Can anyone share your experience with transporting your gear? Did you manage to fit all your equipment in your carry-on luggage? Did you stuff lenses into vest pockets? Did you run into any problems going through security or meeting weight & space requirements?
- I'll wind up with about 20 pounds of camera gear. I'm willing to sacrifice clothing real estate for photography space, but want to make sure I really can get laundry turned around every night. Anyone have any success (or horror stories) to report?
- I'd like to take most of our belongings (except liquids and some non-essentials) as carry-ons for our international flights, so would like to take wheeled rollaboards for our flights to AMS and JRO, and then use the rollaboards as "base camp" luggage from which to supply the safari duffel bags. Anyone have any problems with rollaboards as your "big" luggage?
- How's the security in the hotels and lodges? If I bring a laptop, can I leave it in my room while we're out on game drives? Is there a safe in the hotel rooms?
OK ... I'll stop now. Would really appreciate any comments and insights.
I and my 4 sisters and eldest niece will be traveling on the Aug 21, Kenya and Tanzania tour!
One question we had was about our prescription meds. Do we have to have those each in their own containers with documentation or can we combine
them together in a container?
My husband, Bob and I will also be traveling on the Aug. 22 trip. This will be our first trip with Tauck, but our third Safari.
On both of our other safaris I used a Cool Pix P90 and got great photos.
As to clothing, I recommend bringing older clothing. It is certainly not necessary to buy new items. A good insect repellent might be needed at times, but I never avoided blue or black clothing. The flies can be rather annoying and a face net might be worth the inexpensive investment.
On our other trips we took all our meds in individual bottles and no one even checked. I'm probably going to consolidate this time. Do be sure to get any shots you may need at least 4 weeks ahead and do bring any OTC meds you may want as they are incredibly expensive if available at all.
For anyone who has already made this trip could you please tell me the dimensions of the "free"duffle bag Tauck is sending. If we can make do with the duffle and a carry-on that would be perfect. The most I've ever carried is 32 pounds. We do travel light.
Looking forward to meeting all our fellow travelers.
Pat
My husband, Bob and I will also be traveling on the Aug. 22 trip. This will be our first trip with Tauck, but our third Safari.
On both of our other safaris I used a Cool Pix P90 and got great photos.
As to clothing, I recommend bringing older clothing. It is certainly not necessary to buy new items. A good insect repellent might be needed at times, but I never avoided blue or black clothing. The flies can be rather annoying and a face net might be worth the inexpensive investment.
On our other trips we took all our meds in individual bottles and no one even checked. I'm probably going to consolidate this time. Do be sure to get any shots you may need at least 4 weeks ahead and do bring any OTC meds you may want as they are incredibly expensive if available at all.
For anyone who has already made this trip could you please tell me the dimensions of the "free"duffle bag Tauck is sending. If we can make do with the duffle and a carry-on that would be perfect. The most I've ever carried is 32 pounds. We do travel light.
Looking forward to meeting all our fellow travelers.
Pat
We just received our Tauck duffel bags. The model is the Eagle Creek "No Matter What" duffel, size Medium. Dimensions are 24 x 12 x 11 inches (3600 cu in).
YaYas ... how old is your niece? We're bringing a 16-year-old. Anyone else traveling with a young adult?
Boston Traveler-
I am in Kenya, on the trip now. Yes, you can leave your electronics in the room while you are out. Some of the hotels do have safes, but I left myi iPad in the room every day, charging, while we were out on game drives. It is much warmer than I expected and didn't bring enough T-shirts. Do laundry at the Serena lodges. Their prices are very reasonable. I brought a hat but never wore it. I also plan to return my inflatable seat cushion as I've never used it either. All the jeeps have cushions in them. And do be prepared for the roads. It is like Space Mountain in daylight and you really rattle around. The rides are teeth jarring and bone crunching! It is better in Kenya than Tanzania. We saw The Big 5 almost immediately which was awesome! I'm happy to answer any other questions. Today we were at the Maasi Village and market. I will never forget it. It was a privilege to be there! You are in for the trip of a lifetime, as only Tauck can do it! Enjoy..,,
No you do not need to carry your prescriptions in their individual bottles. Do consolidate, and nobody ever checked our Yellow Fever record, though I did get the shot and am taking malaria pills. Happy to answer any other questions! Enjoy your trip. It is awesome!
Karen
Our niece is actually 50 years old. Sorry it will not be someone your son can hang with.
We are getting so excited to leave next week. We were a bit worried when we heard the news on the Nairobi airport fire.
We are from Iowa, Illinois, Colorado, and Texas.
We'll be coming in a day early. Is anyone else doing a preday?
Ya Ya's.
My wife and I are from Ontario, Canada. We seem to be in the minority as Tauck is an American based company but we are really excited to be going on safari. We will be arriving on the 20th at 7:00pm with KLM. I'm not sure if we'll be doing any activities on the 21st or if we will be recovering from jet lag.
Don't worry about being Canadian on this tour, we are from Peterborough and were there last year. Of the 4 tours taken with Tauck so far 3 had Canadian tour directors including yours. It is a fantastic trip and you will never forget it. We start our 5th in September going from Rome to Malta with 2 other American couples we meet in the Galapagos and have travelled together ever since. We just booked our 6th trip with Tauck for next year so you can tell Canadians are well accepted. Have a great time.
Gary
Comments
My wife and I are going on this trip as well. It will be our first Tauck trip and we are really excited! As for what to bring, I would suggest going through the older forum posts. There are lots of tips as well as links to blogs that other travelers have written from their past experiences.
Chris
1. LLBean has some great safari shirts for $49. You can do laundry at the hotels; would recommend doing it at the Serena Lodges are they are way cheaper than the Four Seasons & Fairmonts.
2. Buy the Cannon Powershot 50x zoon camera. This gives you the equiv. of a 1200mm zoom. You'll need it. I brought my SLR with a 300mm zoom as well as this new Powershot with 50x zoom and I was one of the only people to get quality pictures of the animals up close. A good majority of the people on my tour wanted to buy my camera. It's on Amazon for $399. Well worth it.
3. Bring a flashlight - The hotel walkways are not very well lighted. You can find a pocket one on (LED) on amazon for a few bucks.
4. Bring a vest. It gets cold in the mornings and at night. LLBean has a micro poof vest that packs itself into it's own pocket for $89. It's awesome.
5. Hat - Bring one. No need for an actual safari hat; a baseball hat works just as well. The only difference is you'll need to spray some sunblock on your neck if you go with the baseball hat. Try to bring a light colored hat ( no blues or blacks).
Any other questions - happy to answer.
Recently bought a Nikon with a 40 x zoom. Cost 499. Really don't want to carry anything bigger. Will this be sufficient? thanks
I think the check list will serve you as well as it has us and the 9,800+ readers of the blog. Our thanks to all the Tauck travelers who helped us with their feedback.
Here is the link....
http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/leomcyr/1/1326885220/pod.html
Have a great trip...Leo M
Have read your blog and am getting very excited about our trip to Tanzania and Kenya on June 21! Your info was wonderful and greatly appreciate your taking the time to write about your wonderful journey! loved your photos too! Lots of good info and I'm sure lots of wonderful memories for you and your wife. Thanks for taking the time to post everything!
Carol
Thanks for the reassurance about the camera. It's actually a 42x so better than I thought. Considered returning it and getting one like yours, but it's already more camera than I am used to. Now to learn how to use it-ugh!
Francesca
I have a million questions about lots of stuff, but right now I'm trying to plan my packing -- particularly with respect to accommodating camera gear.
I understand Tauck provides a duffel bag for the safari days. How big is the bag? How much will it accommodate? If I understand the guidelines correctly, you may also take a backpack for these days. Is that right?
For the photo enthusiasts out there, I'd love to get an understanding of the best mix of gear to bring. Here's what I'm currently thinking & questions I have:
- Two DSLR bodies (Canon 5D Mark III plus another -- see questions below)
- All-purpose kit lens (24-105mm F/4)
- 200-400mm F/4 telephoto zoom lens (with integrated 1.4X extender)
- Maybe a wide angle lens. Do I need wider than 24mm?
- Additional point & shoot -- probably 50X Canon
- Support:
--- Refillable bean bags
--- Monopod
--- Skimmer ground pod for support on the bean bag
--- Tripod???
Questions:
- I'm debating whether the second body should be full-frame or APS-C. The additional crop factor would provide significant effective focal length when paired with the 200-400. Anyone have any opinions / experience / recommendations?
- I'm thinking I don't want to change lenses while out on a dusty safari. Hence my plan to bring two bodies. Anyone have any thoughts on that strategy?
- Is there any need for a flash?
- Any recommendations on the lens mix? Should I try to cram in a 70-200mm F/2.8? I'm concerned about adding another 4 pounds.
- What were your experiences / recommendations regarding bean bags & monopods? Do you have any recommendations about other support gear? What works best with the safari vehicles? If you used bean bags did you have any difficulty finding fill material?
- Is there value in bringing a tripod? Full-size tripod or small one for the roof of the land rover?
- Can anyone share your experience with transporting your gear? Did you manage to fit all your equipment in your carry-on luggage? Did you stuff lenses into vest pockets? Did you run into any problems going through security or meeting weight & space requirements?
- I'll wind up with about 20 pounds of camera gear. I'm willing to sacrifice clothing real estate for photography space, but want to make sure I really can get laundry turned around every night. Anyone have any success (or horror stories) to report?
- I'd like to take most of our belongings (except liquids and some non-essentials) as carry-ons for our international flights, so would like to take wheeled rollaboards for our flights to AMS and JRO, and then use the rollaboards as "base camp" luggage from which to supply the safari duffel bags. Anyone have any problems with rollaboards as your "big" luggage?
- How's the security in the hotels and lodges? If I bring a laptop, can I leave it in my room while we're out on game drives? Is there a safe in the hotel rooms?
OK ... I'll stop now. Would really appreciate any comments and insights.
Thanks!
Karen
One question we had was about our prescription meds. Do we have to have those each in their own containers with documentation or can we combine
them together in a container?
On both of our other safaris I used a Cool Pix P90 and got great photos.
As to clothing, I recommend bringing older clothing. It is certainly not necessary to buy new items. A good insect repellent might be needed at times, but I never avoided blue or black clothing. The flies can be rather annoying and a face net might be worth the inexpensive investment.
On our other trips we took all our meds in individual bottles and no one even checked. I'm probably going to consolidate this time. Do be sure to get any shots you may need at least 4 weeks ahead and do bring any OTC meds you may want as they are incredibly expensive if available at all.
For anyone who has already made this trip could you please tell me the dimensions of the "free"duffle bag Tauck is sending. If we can make do with the duffle and a carry-on that would be perfect. The most I've ever carried is 32 pounds. We do travel light.
Looking forward to meeting all our fellow travelers.
Pat
On both of our other safaris I used a Cool Pix P90 and got great photos.
As to clothing, I recommend bringing older clothing. It is certainly not necessary to buy new items. A good insect repellent might be needed at times, but I never avoided blue or black clothing. The flies can be rather annoying and a face net might be worth the inexpensive investment.
On our other trips we took all our meds in individual bottles and no one even checked. I'm probably going to consolidate this time. Do be sure to get any shots you may need at least 4 weeks ahead and do bring any OTC meds you may want as they are incredibly expensive if available at all.
For anyone who has already made this trip could you please tell me the dimensions of the "free"duffle bag Tauck is sending. If we can make do with the duffle and a carry-on that would be perfect. The most I've ever carried is 32 pounds. We do travel light.
Looking forward to meeting all our fellow travelers.
Pat
We just received our Tauck duffel bags. The model is the Eagle Creek "No Matter What" duffel, size Medium. Dimensions are 24 x 12 x 11 inches (3600 cu in).
YaYas ... how old is your niece? We're bringing a 16-year-old. Anyone else traveling with a young adult?
Karen
I am in Kenya, on the trip now. Yes, you can leave your electronics in the room while you are out. Some of the hotels do have safes, but I left myi iPad in the room every day, charging, while we were out on game drives. It is much warmer than I expected and didn't bring enough T-shirts. Do laundry at the Serena lodges. Their prices are very reasonable. I brought a hat but never wore it. I also plan to return my inflatable seat cushion as I've never used it either. All the jeeps have cushions in them. And do be prepared for the roads. It is like Space Mountain in daylight and you really rattle around. The rides are teeth jarring and bone crunching! It is better in Kenya than Tanzania. We saw The Big 5 almost immediately which was awesome! I'm happy to answer any other questions. Today we were at the Maasi Village and market. I will never forget it. It was a privilege to be there! You are in for the trip of a lifetime, as only Tauck can do it! Enjoy..,,
No you do not need to carry your prescriptions in their individual bottles. Do consolidate, and nobody ever checked our Yellow Fever record, though I did get the shot and am taking malaria pills. Happy to answer any other questions! Enjoy your trip. It is awesome!
Our niece is actually 50 years old. Sorry it will not be someone your son can hang with.
We are getting so excited to leave next week. We were a bit worried when we heard the news on the Nairobi airport fire.
We are from Iowa, Illinois, Colorado, and Texas.
We'll be coming in a day early. Is anyone else doing a preday?
Ya Ya's.
Where are you from? Chris, where are you from? We are going in a day early. Anyone else? YaYa Sisters.
My wife and I are from Ontario, Canada. We seem to be in the minority as Tauck is an American based company but we are really excited to be going on safari. We will be arriving on the 20th at 7:00pm with KLM. I'm not sure if we'll be doing any activities on the 21st or if we will be recovering from jet lag.
Can't wait to meet everyone on our tour.
Just a side note regarding the fire at the Nairobi airport. I was reading in one of the african newspapers online that full operations are resuming at the airport at midnight on August 8. Here is the link to the full article if anyone would like to know more: http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/?articleID=2000090435&story_title=jkia-full-operations-to-resume-at-midnight
Chris
Gary