Tips On How To Pack For Your African Safari to Tanzania

Preparing for your African safari can be an adventure of its own. Along with knowing where to visit and your accommodation settings, it helps to know what to pack. If you’ve never been on safari before, packing can feel intimidating, especially when you start hearing about all sorts of restrictions, like how you can only bring luggage under 20kg/44lbs on small charter planes or how it is better to bring clothes in colors that easily blend with the natural environment.

Not to worry, as we’ve put together this general rundown of what you should definitely include in your travel bags when visiting Africa and what it means to pack for a purpose.




CLOTHING
Apart from selecting reasonably neutral or ‘non-bright’ colored clothing, safari-wear is generally casual and practical. Be sure you take clothes that you feel comfortable in – especially when it comes to walking shoes. Newer quick-drying fabrics, shirts with ventilation and trousers that convert into shorts are all worth considering. Wearing clothes in layers is the most practical way to cope with fluctuating day/night temperatures and cool evenings. As the day warms up you can peel off another layer. Then as it begins to cool toward evening, you can put them back on.

Starting from the bottom, you’ll want to pack at least one pair of sturdy, but comfy shoes. Open-toe sandals and flip flops suffice while you’re in the safari vehicle or at the camp, but you’ll definitely need sturdy shoes/sneakers when you’re out and about in the wild and at night (to avoid mosquito bites).

For the actual clothes, you’ll want to choose lightweight, moisture-wicking materials, preferably in khaki or natural colors that make you blend in with the environment. This is because overly bright colors can cause you to stand out in the bush and may irritate the animals, while dark colors like blue and black attract tsetse flies and other bugs, and an encounter with them can cast a slight pall on your safari experience. Bring a mix of t-shirts and shorts as well as long-sleeved shirts and long pants for different weather situations. Early mornings and late nights can get quite chilly so don't forget to pack a lightweight jacket or a warm sweater/hoodie. Other items to consider include wide-brimmed hats for when you’ll be out on game drives. Bring your swim wear if you will stay at hotels or lodges that have a pool, or are planning a visit to the beaches of Zanzibar after your safari.

Check the weather: ask us at Sababu Safaris (or check online) and find out what the weather will be like where you are going. You may not need any serious cold weather gear at all (and that will really help with the luggage limit!). Alternatively, if you are going to visit Tanzania in the dry season when temperatures drop dramatically once the sun goes down, you may need a scarf, a thick jacket and even a beanie.  Certain spots in the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Conservation area can become very cold in the early mornings and late evenings during the dry season/winter months (June through October).

YOUR LUGGAGE
Due to weight restrictions, it’s important that you utilize the space available efficiently and look for ways to reduce the total weight of your luggage. For instance, we recommend opting for a lightweight, spacious duffel bag instead of a regular suitcase with wheels. It is important to know that hard shell suitcases are not allowed on most domestic flights in Tanzania. For your carry on, don’t forget to pack any medications and other essential items just in case your checked bag is lost or delayed by the airline.

Don’t panic about limited space! Same-day laundry service is usually available at most safari camps and lodges. This means you do not need a change of clothes for each day you are on safari! The exception will be for some mobile tented camps where it is often difficult to offer laundry service. It may also be possible to leave a bag with the charter company, or the person meeting you, for the duration of the safari portion. When in doubt, ask us at Sababu Safaris.

SAFARI GEAR
Africa is a photographer’s dream. Not only does the boundless wildlife come in all shapes and sizes, but the continent is also blessed with stunning landscapes, colorful people and fabulous light! Don’t miss out. Buy a camera, if you don’t already have one. If you want to bring your phone and music, do not forget to bring chargers and country-specific adaptor plugs (UK sockets are used in Tanzania). All our safari vehicles have charging outlets so you will be able to keep them charged at all times. However, we encourage you to try to leave your tablet and laptop at home – they can be a distraction from your beautiful surroundings.

Sababu Safaris provides binoculars in each safari vehicle but feel free to bring your own as well, if you like! Binoculars are essential for optimum wildlife viewing on safari (and a good pair of binoculars will make a big difference to your safari).

You’ll also need to bring along a functional bag where you can store your gear and be able to access it quickly. Other essential gears include extras for your camera (batteries, memory cards, lens cleaners, etc). Most camps and lodges will provide a flashlight, and will walk you back to your tent at night as required, but being self-sufficient is always a good idea (usually the flash light on your mobile phone is sufficient as well).


SELF-CARE
Items for self-care include sunscreen, lip balm, polarized sunglasses, medication, personal toiletries and any other items that you may need, like a small first aid kit and hand sanitizer.

If you wear prescription glasses, be sure to pack more than one set (in case you lose one or they get broken). You will be outdoors for much of the time, so be prepared. If you wear contact lenses, definitely bring glasses, too, because it can get dusty!

Just in case the worst happens, consider bringing the following medication: diarrhea and indigestion medicine, pain killers, heartburn medicine; insect repellent, antihistamine (for allergic reactions against bug bites), throat drops (lozenges), eye drops, and most important – anti-malarial tablets.
It is also recommended to bring some cash for tipping the lodges and camps you will be staying at as well as your guide, and for purchasing gifts and souvenirs during cultural visits to local markets, for example.

PACKING FOR A PURPOSE
While it is vital to know what to pack, it is also equally important to understand that you don’t have to just pack for yourself alone. Most airlines allow you to check two full bags (23kg each), so we encourage you to bring a few useful items that some people of Tanzania might not have access to. This is what it means to Pack for a Purpose. Not only does it benefit the local community without adding a burden to you, but it also helps fulfill one of the tenets of responsible and sustainable travel. Families can use this as an opportunity to teach their children a valuable lesson while being on a holiday: it's not only all about making this trip fun for yourself but “giving back” can add a lot of value to your trip.

Packing for a purpose is growing in popularity and local tour operators such as ourselves at Sababu Safaris have seized on the initiative as a way of using travel to create a lasting impact among local communities in Tanzania. If you’re interested in packing for a purpose, you could bring along general school supplies (school bags, books, pencils/pens and educational games, among others). Other helpful items that you could include in your travel bags are art supplies, sports equipment like spring ropes or soccer balls, first aid materials, and office supplies for the teachers.

Nowadays, traveling should be more than just experiencing the thrill of a new destination but also making an impact. Packing for a purpose is a good way to achieve this. Why not give it a go for your next trip?

A WORD (OR TWO) OF WARNING
It is not advisable to wear any form of clothing that may be construed as “camouflage”. By this we mean any form of brown/green “combat” style coloring. Even if it is the latest fashion statement - and even if it is your 14 year old wearing it - and even if it is just a cap. Many African authorities have a disproportionate phobia of such garments and this could conceivably result in you being questioned or harassed by the police. It has the potential to cause you grief, so don’t do it.

Do not take any expensive personal jewelry on safari. Be minimalist or take only those everyday items that you normally wear, like your wedding band, inexpensive earrings.

With regard to securing your luggage, we would strongly suggest using a combination lock to secure zips together if your suitcase does not have its own locking mechanism. Luggage tampering in airports does occur, unfortunately. Luggage straps that wrap around your suitcase can also deter, whilst shrink-wrapping facilities are available at some airports. Most lodges and camps have a safe in the rooms…and if not, these combination locks on your suitcase will keep your valuables safe.

Original source: Sababu Safaris

Traveling to Tanzania? These Are The Places You MUST VIsit

From snow-capped peaks to safaris and paradise-like islands, Tanzania is reveling in its status of being a hot destination for both luxurious and adventurous travelers. With the help of the experts at Sababu Safaris here are some spots you should definitely consider including in your itinerary:

NORTHERN CIRCUIT

Serengeti National Park
 Serengeti National Park offers the classic African safari setting. The migration of millions of wildebeest and zebra starts here. The vast expanse of grasslands makes the Serengeti a fantastic for spot to potentially witness a lion or cheetah kill because you can see the whole spectacle clearly. The best time to go is between July and October, but you can't really go wrong any time of the year. A hot-air balloon ride at dawn is a truly magnificent experience.

Tarangire National Park
 During dry season Tarangire has one of Tanzania's highest concentrations of wildlife. It's an excellent location for those who love watching elephants, zebra, giraffe, impala, and wildebeest. Tarangire is also a good place to enjoy walking safaris and an excellent birding destination. Be ready to swat tsetse flies here, at certain times of the year they can get annoying. 

Lake Manyara
 This national park is located in both the Arusha and Manyara regions of Tanzania. It’s known as an excellent place to spot wildlife, especially flamingos. If you visit during the wet season you’ll get to see around 300 different species of migratory birds but when the lake waters turn into mud-flats during the dry season you can also see elephants, hippos and giraffe.

Ngorongoro Crater and Conservation Area
 The Ngorongoro Conservation area borders the Serengeti and includes the world's largest intact caldera which contains almost every species of wildlife found in East Africa, including the extremely rare black rhino. Here you'll witness some of the densest population of wildlife in the world and it's an amazing place to take memorable photos. The Maasai still live within the conservation area, and it's also home to Oldupai where some of the man's earliest remains have been found.

Lake Natron 
A soda lake at the base of the active Ol Donyo Lengai volcano (the only volcano in the world to produce black lava), the area around Lake Natron is often described as having a desolate and almost lunar beauty. Lake Natron is found in the northern part of Tanzania, close to the Kenyan border. It is the most important breeding site for Lesser Flamingos in the world. They are able to overcome the strong alkaline content of the lake, and flock to its shallow waters annually to breed and feed on the lake's blue-green algae.

Mount Kilimanjaro
 Mount Kilimanjaro, at 5.895m (19,336 ft) the tallest freestanding mountain in the world, is actually a dormant volcano with three volcanic cones (Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira). It’s also a beautiful and imposing place where you’ll get to see many diverse levels of flora and fauna. There are agricultural fields at the base of the mountain followed by rainforests, fresh meadows, desert and when you finally reach the top, you have chance of seeing snow.

ZANZIBAR

Zanzibar is one of Tanzania's top destinations because of its fascinating past and its beautiful beaches. Famous for its spices, Zanzibar used to be a slave trading post under its Arab rulers. Zanzibar's capital, Stone Town, is a World Heritage site and contains beautiful houses, a Sultan's palace, narrow alleyways and plenty of mosques. Some of the nearby islands offer paradise for the luxury traveler with Mnemba Island being idyllic for a romantic vacation.

Mnemba Island
 You couldn’t get any more beautiful and romantic than this tiny heart-shaped island. Mnemba is just off the East coast of Zanzibar and caters to the luxury traveler. With its beautiful lodge style accommodations Mnemba is the perfect place for a romantic getaway. The surrounding waters are also full of marine life with regular sightings of large schools of fish, turtles and dolphins. If you’re not staying on the island, you can easily take a day trip and snorkel along its beautiful beaches.

Mafia Island 
With fewer than 1,000 visitors per year, Mafia Island is an undiscovered Tanzanian gem with a Swahili culture unspoiled by tourism. It is one of the best places to snorkel, deep-sea fish or dive in Africa. Most of the island and its beaches have been designated as a marine park. You can watch whale sharks, turtles, and many other species of wildlife.

WESTERN TANZANIA

Mahale Mountains National Park 
Located on the shoreline of Lake Tanganyika, Mahale Mountains National Park is one of the best places in the world for close encounters with chimpanzees. It’s also a beautiful place where green forested mountains cascade down to the lake shore, clear waters lap against white sand coves and Mount Nkungwe can be seen in the background. Besides the large chimp population the mountains are also home to other primates.

Katavi National Park 
Katavi is one of the top wildlife destination in Africa. It is beautiful, unspoiled and full of animals but is located in the very remote Western part of Tanzania, which makes it great to visit if you're looking for a unique safari experience. There are only two camps and you can only get there via light aircraft. Katavi is best to visit from June to October (dry season) when the pools can be filled with thousands of hippos.

SOUTHERN TANZANIA

Ruaha National Park
 Ruaha is remote and full of wildlife. There are lions, cheetah, leopard, and almost every other African mammal you'd like to see, particularly elephants. The park is home to the Great Ruaha River and during the dry season (from July to December) you can enjoy some spectacular game viewing.

Selous Game Reserve
 The Selous is Africa's largest reserve, a world heritage site, and not as crowded as the Serengeti. Among its wildlife you will see lots of hippos, crocodiles, elephants, cheetahs, black rhinos and African hunting dogs. The Selous swamps, rivers and wetlands allow travelers to go on their safari by boat, which is a big attraction but walking safaris are also popular and you can enjoy night drives as well. Accommodations are limited but they all offer a very intimate and unique safari experience. 

Transformational Travel - Social Impacts Of Journeys Abroad

Want to Help Someone? Shut up and listen! is an excellent TEDX talk by Ernesto Sirolli regarding working abroad for charities. Whether someone is setting up a business, charity, or both -- there exists fundamental problems with how Westerners, in particular, help. In this talk, he points out that many supporters either patronize or are paternalistic towards the communities they are supposed to serve. And they often do this without understanding the history, needs, or region’s current state of affairs. This is a template for failure.

In order for any program to be successful, however, & paraphrasing Ernesto Sirolli, you never arrive in a community with any ideas, instead you sit with the local people. You don't work from offices, you meet at the cafe or a pub. You have zero infrastructure. Instead you become friends, and you find out what the person you want to help wants to do. You don't come in as a hero, you come in as a sidekick.

Denise Brown, Co-Founder and Sales & Marketing Director and Robert Tarimo, Co-Founder and Operations Director of Sababu Safaris are exemplifying this practice in the Safari Industry.


Who are you? What is your organization/business/performance? Who are the clientele/audience that you hope to serve/ help? And why is diversity important to such clientele/audience?
I am Denise Brown, Co-Founder of Sababu Safaris. We are a small safari business operating in Tanzania (with an office in New York) that aims to unite safari guests with local communities to build bridges, foster understanding and ultimately make a difference in their lives. We want to give our guests the opportunity to easily do good while they’re having the time of their lives on safari.

We think it’s important for visitors to not only experience Tanzania’s beautiful scenery and amazing wildlife that is unparalleled in the safari world but to also get to know the human side of Tanzania. This is what made me fall in love with the country in the first place. Tanzania’s people are some of the warmest, kindest, happiest and most welcoming and graceful human beings you will ever encounter in your life. And what struck me the most when I first visited the country was that little to no effort is required on our end to make a positive impact in their lives.

Some people might argue that a white savior complex might play a role here, which is a reasonable assumption. However, I didn't come here to lead but to listen and learn. My business partner and our co-founder, Robert Tarimo, is Tanzanian and has lived there all his life. Together, we want to support and work with local projects that are mostly run by the Tanzanian community. We do not claim to know the answers to all the problems, but communities have a pretty good idea of what they need to be able to help themselves. And we just want to support those existing efforts – together with our guests.


What is it that your organization/performance does? What does it hope to accomplish? What is its purpose/mission? How does diversity concepts tie into it? 
Our mission is to use responsible travel experiences to raise awareness of and support successful community projects in Tanzania. We want to create a win-win situation: on the one hand guests will be able to immerse themselves in the Tanzanian culture and gain experiences that will change their hearts and minds and have a long lasting positive impact on them. We believe in the power of transformational travel and how it can be the catalyst to inspire us, touch our souls and make us feel truly connected and alive.

On the other hand, the local communities we support will benefit in two ways. There is the short-term monetary aspect (our guests are charged a fee for their visit(s), which will go directly toward these projects and of which we will not make any profit) and there is the long-term effect we hope to achieve: that our guests will spread the word and maybe even decide to support the project(s) they visited in the long-run, like sponsoring a child and providing for their education, for example.

Where is the office/performance? Where is most of the work done? Is it local? National? International? 
We have offices in both New York and Arusha, Tanzania. All our operations are in Tanzania, since that is where the safaris take place.


When was your performance/organization created? -- i.e. what is some of the history of how this event came about?
 Sababu Safaris was created early this year. I had fallen utterly in love with Tanzania, its awe-inspiring wildlife, spectacular nature and beautiful people, and it was clear to me that I wanted to stay involved and do something on the ground that has meaning. My business partner Robert used to be my guide on my first visit to Tanzania and we became close friends.
We came to the conclusion that we share a brain and – more importantly - a heart, and that is how Sababu Safaris came about. The idea to create Sababu Safaris came naturally and grew organically. Utilizing Robert’s extensive experience in the safari business (over 18 years!) and my own personal experience in event management and in planning amazing experiences was a no brainer. But we wanted to offer more than just “regular” safaris like so many other safari companies do – it had to be something with a purpose and a meaning. And that’s why we decided to call our organization Sababu - the Swahili word meaning “purpose”.


Over time, how have trends in diversity affected your organization/performance? 
That is tough to answer, since we are such a young enterprise. But there is a clear trend in the travel industry toward transformational travel experiences. People want more than just a simple visit to a new destination and crave an authentic, meaningful and life-changing travel experience. And this involves meeting people from all over the world.


Why was your organization/performance created? What needs does it fulfill? What does it do to promote diversity? 
We created Sababu Safaris because we saw a gap in the safari industry. Most safari companies are all about the wildlife and nature – which is absolutely amazing in and of itself but there aren’t a lot of opportunities for visitors to authentically connect with the communities on a deeper level. You land at the airport, get into your safari vehicle, do your safari and return to the airport afterwards but other than being with your guide, you won’t get to interact much with the local population nor will you get a better idea of the true Tanzanian way of life that exists outside the National Parks.

Most safari companies offer to take you to a local Maasai village on the side of the road but these aren’t authentic; sadly, many of them have been commercialized. These visits also usually only take about a half hour, and you will be pushed to buy some bead work. There is nothing authentic about that. We want to show people EVERYTHING Tanzania has to offer and that includes its culture and people –but it has to be done in a genuine way.

Meeting the people in the community and getting to know them and their way of life puts your own life into perspective and might change your view on others back home. It might open your heart to those around you that you might not have previously connected with in your home town. If travel shifts our perspectives of the world, of our self and others, then we will shift our behavior. Ideally those behavioral shifts are positive shifts. When you have positive behavioral changes, they trickle down to those around you, including family, friends and the community.


How does it accomplish it goals? How can someone help the organization/performance? 
We accomplish our goals every single time we take our guests on safari with us. Every single time we connect our guests with the local communities we hope to change their hearts and minds and to make a difference in the lives of everyone involved.

*Article and Interview by Christine Fischer.

Travel to Tanzania On A Yoga & Safari Healing Retreat

Sababu Safaris, a boutique safari company that customizes the African experience for travelers to Tanzania, is pleased to announce that it is offering a Yoga & Safari Healing Retreat in Tanzania, November 9-16, 2019. In addition, it has just added private yoga safari retreats upon request. The retreats include daily yoga sessions and meditation.

At the same time, guests will explore the country’s breathtaking lands and wildlife, and immerse themselves in all manner of local culture in a purposeful way, which ranges from time at a school to giving the gift of light to remote villages. This special combination of personal yoga and social giving is an expression of the fundamental philosophy of Sababu Safaris - traveling in an intentional and meaningful way can transform lives and create lasting change in the world.


“In our disconnected modern Western cultures pressured for time, the opportunity for a yoga and safari healing retreat can create lasting bonds across continents,” said Denise Brown, co-founder of Sababu Safaris. “Tanzania is a truly special refuge for mindfulness and deep reflection.”

Both group and individual retreats will be led by Tanzanian resident and professional yoga teacher Marissa Lipovsky. The practice of yoga in Tanzania’s Great Plains is an immersive experience. Daily practices are aimed at expanding awareness, awakening one’s true nature, and thus healing wounds. Meals are cultivated from the fertile land of the Kilimanjaro region. Time is also taken away from yoga to mindfully engage with the community—not consuming their culture—but learning deeply what it means to live there.


“We will experience travel in a completely different way,” said Lipovsky. "We will do so from a fully embodied perspective as our reflective practices will clear the lens through which we see the world and ourselves. It will bring visitors to a place of true understanding, a deep peace with which they can return to their home countries.”


Sababu Safaris’ wellness adventures embed the wisdom of the Maasai elders whose lineage includes some of the region’s most important healing traditions. The Maasai have a deep and cultural knowledge of natural medicines and remedies and will show participants how herbs are prepared and administered.



About Us
Sababu Safaris is an owner-run boutique company committed to creating unique journeys to Tanzania that change hearts and minds, and leave a long-lasting impact on both guests and local communities alike. Where most safari companies pledge to pour resources back into the community, Sababu Safaris allows guests to see the difference -- and in most cases, make the difference themselves. All safari itineraries are crafted and tailored to the specific month of travel and to the guests’ individual travel style, preferences and interests. Our all-inclusive, private, transformational luxury safaris will take you deep into the isolated wilderness and connect you with the people that call Tanzania home. No mixed groups, no competing for views with strangers, and no conflicting interests. Sababu Safaris unites conservation, communities and sustainable travel by seamlessly integrating unique and impactful experiences, giving visitors the opportunity to completely immerse themselves in the rich Tanzanian culture few truly get to know - and to make a difference at the same time.

For more information about Sababu Safaris’ group and individual Yoga & Safari retreats, visit www.sababu-safaris.com.