My Wife, Liz, Avoiding Hypothermia
Recommended Gear
for traveling in Tanzania
 
 Maasai, Inspecting a Swiss Army Knife

Besides your photo gear, you will want to dress appropriately for the area that you are visiting.  There are a lot of varying climates in Tanzania: Zanzibar is very hot year round, whereas temperatures on Kilimanjaro can get as low as -10 F. 

Kilimanjaro

  • Cold weather sleeping bag.  I used a 20 degree bag, and it was not enough for the higher camps on Kili.  For 3 nights above 14,000 ft., I wore my winter jumpsuit, hat, glove and expedition socks to bed and I was still cold.  My wife suffered miserably in a similar setup.  I would recommend at least a 10 degree bag, but a zero degree bag would have been ideal.  A good compromise solution, if you are combining a Kili trek with a camping safari, is to double bag.  Take a 15 degree bag and a 30 degree bag, and put one in the other on the mountain.
  • Waterproof, breathable shell.  Goretex is the industry standard, but their patent has expired, and everyone has come out with their copycat versions.  I still prefer Goretex.  The most popular jacket on the mountain was The North Face Mountain Light.  My wife and I had them, as did half of everyone else we saw.  Our Mountain Lights had performed like troopers for 3 months of rugged travel through Africa.  My brother in law had a North Face Kilimanjaro jacket which also performed quite well.  You will also need a waterproof shell pants.
  • Lightweight middle layer.  Unless you are cold blooded, you don't really need a down layer.  I used a North Face Polartec 200 fleece insert, which worked fine until sundown when we went to bed.
  • Expedition-weight bottom layer.  Patagonia makes really good bottom layers.  My brother in law had the full complement of Patagonia expedition weight gear, and he was nice and toasty warm.  My REI brand expedition weight gear performed satisfactorily, but next time, I would have spent twice as much for the Patagonias.
  • Moisture-wicking bottom layer.  I used The North Face tekwear for my skin layer.  Made from CoolMax, this incredible fabric is perfect for almost any activity.
  • Gloves.  You will want 2 pairs of gloves:  a waterproof, heavily-insulated pair, and a pair of rugged liners.  I was happy with my REI liners, which I used almost exclusively.  In fact, I think I only put my big gloves on for about 4 hours during our summit push.  I wore the liners almost 24 hours a day for 7 days.  Whereas the big gloves interfered with photography, the liners gave me freedom of movement.
  • Hat.  I fell in love with my The North Face Gore Windstopper hat.  It was an absolute lifesaver during the cold nights.  While trekking, my body typically warmed up enough that the hat was unnecessary, but as soon as we stopped for a break, the hat went on.

Game Viewing Safaris - Serengeti and Ngorongoro

The evenings can get quite chilly in the Serengeti.  Actually, the climate reminded me of San Diego, California in the Springtime.  Early mornings were foggy and cool, followed by a constant warming all day until it is quite hot in the late afternoon.

  • 25-40 degree sleeping bag.  The lodges and campsites that ring Ngorongoro crater are at a high altitude (8000 ft / 2500m), so it gets chilly at night (about freezing).  Similarly, the Serengeti was cool at night.
  • Waterproof, breathable shell.  Similar to above.
  • Fleece jacket.  This may not be necessary, but those early morning game drives can be a bit nippy. 
  • Glove liners.  Another recycled piece of equipment from my Kilimanjaro climb.  When you are on a game drive, the top is popped and you are standing up with the wind in your face.  Your hands grip a camera--ready to snap a photo at the drop of a pin.  In this scenerio, your fingers go numb really fast.  The glove liners helped tremendously.
  • Shorts & T-Shirts.  Standard fare.  I opted for North Face Tekwear.  Coolmax shirts and Nylon shorts.

Zanzibar

Zanzibar was extremely hot and humid when we were there.  Imagine the Southeast United States in August.  It was above 100 degrees f and very high humidity every day.  Having said that, if you are up at the Northern or Western beaches, this gives you a great excuse to jump in the water.  But in Stone Town, the heat drove us to seek the air conditioned comfort of our hotel room for brief stints every 2-3 hours.

Wear as little clothing as morality allows for, keeping in mind that Zanzibar is 95 percent Muslim.  This causes complications for women travellers in Zanzibar.  While Liz (my wife) never felt compelled to cover her hair, as she did occasionally in the Middle East, she couldn't walk through the streets of Stone Town in her bathing suit.  But then, neither did I.  It is simply not appropriate to be seen in skimpy clothing here.  Wear sensible T-shirts, shorts, and sandals.

Lake Natron and Oldonya L'Engai

What a shocker to travel from a Maasai village at 10,000 ft (3000m), where it was 10 degrees C at night, down to the shores of Lake Natron, where it sweltered at midnight (36 degrees C).  Plan to sleep outside your sleeping bag here.

Other Gear

  • Swiss Army knife, or equivalent.
  • Insect Repellent (20% DEET or better).
  • Flashlight.  I strongly recommend Petzl brand flashlights--the ones that strap around your head on an elastic band...OK. OK.  They look dorky when you try them on at REI, but my God.  They were an absolute lifesaver.  I had the one that converted to a regular flashlight when you unclipped it from the headband (the Petzl Saxo).  Petzl makes some that can only work as a headlight, and some that are convertable.
  • Trekking poles.  My wife was not a believer before.  She is now.  When you are climbing at altitude, you'd be amazed how a trekking pole can improve your stamina.
  • Travel towel.  Any towel will do, but I opted for a lightweight, fast-drying camp towel.
  • Water filtration System.  An absolute must!  Don't travel to Africa without one.  You can use Iodine tablets to purify your water if you wish, but after doing both, we very much preferred using the filter.  I recommend PUR.  Whichever brand you get, make sure that it can handle viruses as well.
  • Bungee cord.  My wife's idea.  It worked very well.  You use a bungee cord as a clothes line while doing laundry.  Other times, it can be used to strap things to your pack.
Home | Photography | Design | About Me |    For purchase or licensing inquiries, email me at james@jtarquin.com.
All images copyright jtarquin.com 2005, All Rights Reserved.