Useful information

What to pack?

There are several general rules when it comes to packing for a safari trip. Firstly, we advise you to pack light, as most visitors tend to pack more than necessary for their trip. It is best to take only casual, essential clothing and other necessary accessories needed for the duration of the trip. Formal wear is really not needed as we will be in the field among other safari-goers.

Most of our trips have laundry services included in the amenities provided by camps. Several of our itineraries include internal flights on small planes, which have a luggage limit of 15-20 kg per person packed in a soft, duffel bag. Finally, please keep in mind to have breathable clothes in neutral colours. To avoid online advertising we will not mention brands, however, we can provide a ‘shopping advice’ via direct email inquiry.

The key is to have breathable, functional and easy to dry clothing.  ‘Layering’ is key, as this allows for comfortable adaptation from cold mornings to hot afternoons. The majority of our guides’s clothing is garments from merino wool, which allow for an excellent control of body temperature (even when wet, it feels warm and dries quickly) and suppresses sweat odours quite effectively. Depending on the season and destination, we may need slightly different packing, for which we will advise accordingly for each trip. However, here are examples of climates and conditions one can expect depending on the time of the year and destination: Late September to February in Botswana, Zimbabwe, Tanzania – warm to hot months, with temperatures between 20-40oC between night and day, humidity exceeding 70-80%; May to August in Botswana, Tanzania – colder months, with temperatures from 5-30oC between night and day, humidity in single digits; January to April in Botswana, Tanzania or March to May in Uganda – wet months, where one needs to have rain protection.

The complete list of recommended clothing for various scenarios:

• First layers or short sleeve shirts (5-8)
• Long sleeve, lightweight shirts that can be a 2nd layer on top of short sleeves (2-3)
• Long sleeve, zippered or over the head mid-layers or lightweight jackets (1-2)
• Windbreaker (1) for morning drives in cold months
• Heavy outer-layer jacket or fleece (1)
• Wool socks (4-6)
• Lightweight, breathable trousers (2) – zippered legs are useful to convert to shorts when needed
• Underwear (personal choice)
• Long underpants or leggings (for colder months in Botswana)
• Pajamas (can be useful in colder months)
• Shorts (1)
• Swimwear (most of our camps have small pools)
• Wool hat and gloves (essential for colder months)
• Buff or bandana (always useful protection from dust)
• Hat (1-2) with wide bream to prevent sunburn
• Waterproof jacket and trousers (for Uganda and green season in Botswana)

Shoes

This is a matter of personal preference, but please note that we will spend most of the time in a vehicle or in a boat, unless we have walking safaris in our itinerary. We suggest to bring two pairs of light hiking boots, one that will be used for travel and as a backup, and one that will be used daily for safaris. One pair of sandals or flip flops for casual walk around the camp or hanging out at the pool is recommended.
Trekking in Uganda will require waterproof, over the ankle, hiking boots to ensure safety and comfort while walking for hours in the jungle. One or two pairs of garters are recommended to protect legs from scratches.

Toiletries

Note that it is not advised to use strong perfumes and cologne on safari drives. All our camps will provide essentials such as towels, soap and basic moisturizer. However, apart from your regular travel set we encourage you to bring any extra moisturizers, especially for the winter months in Botswana.

Others

• Small backpack to carry your essentials (lip balm, hand sanitiser, or to pack your outer layers when outdoor temperature changes)
• Sunglasses
• Sun screen (at least SPF 50)
• Lip balm
• Skin moisturizer
• Insect repellent
• Plug adapter
• Phone and battery charger
• Flashlight or headlight
• Spare glasses and supply of contact lenses (as necessary)
• Eyedrops (it can be very dry in winter months)
• Earplugs
• Any prescribed medications for the duration of the trip
• Basic insect bite cream (hydrocortisone)
• Simple travel first-aid kit with medications, allergy tablets, pain killers etc.
• Binoculars – our suggestion is to have one of the following specs 8×40, 8×42, 10×42.
• Cameras
• Passport, money (cash) adequate for visa, tips and extra spending, vaccination certificates
  
  

The safaris that we offer will require a slightly different approach to photography depending on the environment, minimal distance to animals and personal preference.  In Botswana and Zimbabwe, we will be using open vehicles without windows, allowing for easy movement and ability to shoot from almost every angle.  In Tanzania, we will have opportunities to take photos from side windows but also from the open roof hatch.  In Uganda and during walking safaris in Zimbabwe, we will be mainly on foot, allowing for photography from as low as the ground level. 

Please note that the use of private concessions in Botswana and trekking in Uganda allows us to be close to the wildlife (not intentionally, but quite often when we park the vehicle and animals get comfortable with our presence they may be passing our car quite closely) therefore present day smartphones can be very handy for discreet videos or photos.

Our trips take place in both, dry and wet seasons, therefore, such accessories as rain covers for the camera/lens combinations and dust covers are essential to protect your equipment.  In addition to protecting your camera/lens combination we recommend to have some dust or rain cover for your camera backpack.  Artur is using flexible rain covers (‘rain jackets’) as dust protection for his telephoto setup.  There is a variety of protective gear available on the market and we suggest to first review opinions about their performance before the purchase.  Please do not hesitate to drop us an email for further inquiry.

Cameras

There is a variety of camera manufacturers used with Canon, Nikon, Sony leading the market but other such as Olympus, Fuji etc. having their fan base.  Regardless of the brand, we recommend to have a minimum of two bodies, to avoid frequent lens changes, being ready for action with different focal length or finally have a backup in case one camera goes down.  Many of our photo opportunities will happen in the early hours of the morning or late afternoon.  Therefore we recommend to have at least one body with the full frame sensor and high ISO capability.  We also recommend for you to have a small action camera or smartphone handy for those ‘closer to believe it’ situations. In fact, many of our participants are not photographers and manage to capture fantastic short videos or wide angle photos on their point-and-shoot smartphones.

Please remember to carry extra batteries for your bodies as they may become handy in cases of long ‘shooting’ sessions or a rare event of being unable to charge the battery in the camp.

Lenses

As mentioned in the opening paragraph, we will have the opportunity to use the entire focal range from a wide angle to long telephoto lenses during our trips.  In our experience the most utilised focal range on safaris is from 70 to 500 mm.  Nikon, Canon, Sony have great lenses to cover that ‘critical range’ including zoom and fixed focal length glasses.   Prime telephotos such as 400 mm f2.8, 500 mm f4 or 600 mm f4 provide an excellent optical quality and the reach that often is needed in National Parks where the off-road driving is not permitted or for bird photography.  However, these lenses are usually quite big, heavy and lack versatility.

Both, Nikon and Canon came out with excellent zooms, which provide the necessary versatility and are much easier to carry around.  Lower budget-end for Nikon would be their 80-400 mm f4-5.6 lens, 200-500 mm f5.6 or 200-400 mm f4 glasses which are relatively small, and provide adequate optical quality on a good body to satisfy most of the shooting scenarios.  Recently released Nikkor 180-400 mm f4 VR lens, with built-in converter that extends its coverage to 560 mm at f5.6, “shocked” the photo world with its superb optical quality in the full focal spectrum and an excellent AF performance – it is, what Artur considers ‘an ultimate safari lens’.  Having said this, it is an expensive lens and still at 3 kg, a piece of a glass to carry around.  Canon’s new generation 100-400 mm f4-5.6 zoom is a great and also very light lens, with 200-400 mm f4 and built-in TC being at the higher-end, it is an expensive zoom to consider.  Sigma’s lenses such as 120-300 mm f2.8 or 150-600 mm f5-6.3 should also be considered for photographers with a lower budget, looking for optical performance and very good glasses for both, Nikon and Canon.

The next very important focal range for large mammals or close subjects would be the 70-200 mm – most manufacturers provide either f2.8 or f4 version of these lenses and at the least, Canon and Nikon glasses are superb in their overall performance – it is a must, in every photographers bag coming on safaris.  We will use this focal range more often in Botswana, Zimbabwe and Uganda, but it is also a good lens for wider shots in National Parks of Tanzania.

Finally, the wide to mid angle zooms.  These can be 24-70 mm, 24-120 mm etc – there are many offerings for this focal range and it depends on the quality desired and budget at hand to decide on the particular choice.  We believe that this focal range is under-utilised in safari photography, yet it’s the range that often allows for putting animals in the wider context of their habitat or surrounding environment.  This is a very important addition to the photographers bag, especially at our Botswana or Zimbabwe safaris, and is essential for the Uganda trips and great apes photography.

What’s in Artur’s bag?

• Three Nikon bodies: D5, Z9, Z8
• Three Nikon lenses: 180-400 mm f4; 70-200 mm f2.8 S; 24-120 mm f4 S; 14-40 mm f4 S
• Other lenses : 105 mm f2.8 S (macro); 400 mm 2.8 S
• Remote release
• Gitzo carbon fiber monopod with RRS monopod head
• Approximately 2 TB in storage capacity between various cards
• 2 TB Samsung solid state drive for backup
• 15 inch Mac Air M2 for photo review and transfer
• Extra batteries with chargers
• Lens cleaning kit
• iPhone…

Tripod or not? Besides special safaris in Botswana, where we have the opportunity to photograph the night sky with a foreground of baobab trees, tripods are not needed.  We sometimes advise to carry a very small, sturdy tripod that can be used ‘just in case’.  For photographers carrying long, prime telephotos, a monopod may be useful – it all depends on personal preference.

All visitors to Africa must have a passport with a longer than 6 months validity. It is advised to have two to four blank pages designated for stamps and visas. It is also advised to have a scanned copy of your passport for emergency purposes.

The majority of visitors from Western countries can obtain visas upon arrival. However, it is strongly advised to check official government websites of the given countries for the latest entry requirements. In some cases, it is advantageous to apply for an e-visa ahead of arrival to speed up entry process after arrival. Please also note that many countries require a visa fee, which if paid on arrival will require cash in US dollars. For example, Republic of South Africa and Botswana do not require a fee, while Tanzania will require a fee.

It is important to have adequate medical insurance including coverage for air-lift transport to a quality hospital in the unlikely case of a serious accident or other emergency.

Everyone is responsible for seeking the advice of a medical professional prior to their visit to Africa to obtain advice on the latest vaccination requirements and to discuss the prophylaxis for malaria. Anyone travelling to countries where yellow fever is endemic will be required to show a suitable certificate of vaccination in order to gain entry (e.g. Angola, Ethiopia, Uganda). The same applies for travellers entering other non-endemic yellow fever countries but transiting from endemic countries, as border authorities may request a certificate of yellow fever vaccination.

Please note that it is at your own discretion to carry with you any prescription drugs for the duration of your stay in Africa.

It is our recommendation that everyone planning participation in our safari protects themselves with adequate travel and medical insurance. Since the majority of our safaris have to be confirmed 12-14 months ahead of the trip (in the form of a deposit), it is beneficial to protect such investment with insurance. The same applies to airline tickets and the final payment, which is due 60-75 days ahead of the safari.

We get questions related to how much cash to carry for the safari. Many of our itineraries are all-inclusive, thus the amount of cash needed is only for tips and incidentals. In some cases, alcoholic drinks are not included, as well as dinners on arrival or departure. In addition, one may want to purchase souvenirs or any ‘emergency’ clothing while on safari. Thus, we recommend to carry anywhere from $50-100 cash per person, per day of safari.

Tips vary between locations and of course depend on the level of service received. However, these are approximate ranges for tips for a solid service received: Local guide/driver – $20-30 per person per day; Tracker – $10-15 per person per day; Staff camp – $10-15 per person per night; Transfers/driver – $5-10 per transfer; Porters (in Uganda) – $20-40 per trek (it is advised to agree on this sum upfront).

Private safaris with dedicated vehicles may have a group level tipping for a local guide/driver and tracker, which will be agreed between the safari leader and participants. In order to avoid problems with change please ensure you carry 5, 10 and 20 US dollar notes.