What to pack for bush, beach and town

Documents and money

These are checked at the airport, the park gate and the lodge. Keep photos of each on your phone.

• Passport valid six months beyond your return date, with two blank pages
• Visa approval (e-visa printout) or cash in US dollars for a visa on arrival
• Yellow fever certificate if you arrive from or transit through an endemic country
• Travel insurance details, including the emergency number
• US dollar notes printed 2009 or later, small denominations for tips; cards work in Stone Town and most lodges
• Your trip proposal from us, with lodge names and the WhatsApp number of your consultant

On safari

Game drives start before sunrise and the crater rim is cold at dawn. By midday it is hot. Dress in layers you can shed.

• Neutral colours: khaki, olive, sand. Not white (shows dust) and not dark blue or black (attracts tsetse flies)
• A warm fleece or light down jacket for early mornings
• Long trousers and long sleeves for evenings, against mosquitoes
• Wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses, high-factor sunscreen and lip balm
• Comfortable closed shoes; sandals for camp
• Binoculars, one pair per person; 8×42 is the sweet spot
• Camera with a spare battery and a dust-proof bag; lodges have charging points but not always in the tent
• A small daypack for the vehicle, a reusable water bottle, and a headtorch for camp
• Soft-sided luggage, 15 kg maximum per person, if your itinerary includes a light aircraft flight

On the beach and in Stone Town

Zanzibar is relaxed on the beach and conservative in town. One cover-up solves both.

• Swimwear, a rash vest for snorkelling, and reef-safe sunscreen. The reef is why you came
• A sarong, kikoi or light scarf: shoulders and knees covered in Stone Town and villages
• Reef shoes for rocky and sea-urchin beaches on the east coast
• Light cotton or linen clothes; it is humid
• Insect repellent for dusk; the lodges have nets
• A dry bag for boat trips and the dhow sunset cruise

If you are climbing Kilimanjaro

Ask us for the full mountain list; it runs to two pages. The essentials that people forget:

• Broken-in waterproof boots and two pairs of thick socks per day of trekking
• A four-season sleeping bag rated to −10 °C or lower; rental is possible in Moshi
• Waterproof shell jacket and trousers, plus an insulated jacket for summit night
• Warm hat, sun hat, liner gloves and insulated mitts
• Trekking poles, a 3-litre water capacity, and water purification tablets
• A 30 to 40 litre daypack; porters carry the rest in a duffel of up to 15 kg

Health

• Any prescription medicine in its original packaging, enough for the whole trip plus a week
• Malaria prevention as advised by your travel clinic; start it before you fly
• A small first-aid kit: plasters, rehydration salts, painkillers, antihistamine, motion-sickness tablets for the boat and the bush plane
• Hand sanitiser and wet wipes for long drives

Leave at home

• Plastic carrier bags, banned in Tanzania since 2019 and checked at the airport
• Drones, without a permit that takes weeks to obtain
• Camouflage-print clothing, which is reserved for the military
• Hard suitcases if you are flying into the Serengeti; they do not fit the aircraft hold