Preparation
What to bring: Equipment and Clothing for your safari
By far the most important piece of equipment that you should not be without on a wildlife holiday is a good pair of binoculars. Your enjoyment of the wildlife and scenery will be enhanced hugely if you ensure that you beg, borrow or buy a decent set of glasses of power x7 or higher. Look for any of the following: 7x42, 8x42, 10x42, 8x50, 10x50. It is the second number that is critical. Less than 30 and image quality is seriously compromised. Higher than 50 and you will have a hard job holding them steady. If you can afford Zeiss, Leica or Swarovski, all the better, but Canon, Nikon and Opticron do very good reasonably priced glasses.
Also see lower down the page for field guide recommendations.
No two safaris are the same, but there are many basic standard things that are essential for a comfortable and successful safari, and this is particularly important if you are coming to climb a mountain or walk in the bush.
Please contact me for information on recommended equipment for the climbs and safaris.
What to watch and read before travelling
If you're the sort of person who likes to read up on your destination before travelling, or at least to watch a few videos to get the juices running, then this is the place to look. I grew up avidly consuming every wildlife documentary and film about Africa, reading all the books on wildlife conservation and its cast of colourful characters, and poring over the glossy picture books that littered both ours, and most friends' coffee tables. I still remember the Survival Anglia film of elephants and baboons eating marula fruit and becoming inebriated, a film I must have seen when I was four years old. My Uncle was a BBC director and was sent every year to cover the East African Safari Rally. Although the roar of a speeding Ford Escort was exciting to an impressionable young boy, it was the footage of wildlife that he took along the way and showed to us back in the cold of the British winter that really stamped an impression. Films and books feed both the myth and the reality of Africa, and both have the their place in inspiring and enriching a visit to the great continent.
topWhat to watch
A small selection of films and videos relevant to Tanzania and Africa in general.
Wild Africa (BBC 2002): This great two video set is a perfect introduction to the major habitats of Africa (Tanzania has them all!). The photography is extremely good, with attention to detail breathtaking. The first and second episodes deal with mountains and savannah respectively should be on the list of must-sees for anyone planning a safari.
Serengeti Jigsaw: A very informative BBC Natural World production with hundreds of fascinating facts about the Serengeti, plus some great footage of rarely seen denizens of the great plains.
Playing God with Nature (National Geographic): Balanced documentary treatment of the wildlife management debate, in terms of conflict with people and culling as a management tool.
Crater of the Rain God: A Wildlife on One production showing the Ngorongoro Crater in all its aspects. Excellent wildlife images and mouth-watering landscapes.
Out of Africa (1984): Beautifully filmed production of Karen Blixen's memoirs. Really worth re-watching if you have seen it before, its still inspiring and very moving.
African Queen (1950): Filmed along the Kagera River in western Tanzania on the border with Rwanda, this film still looks good and evokes that romantic element of Africa.
Films not to watch!!!
Hatari: Terrible John Wayne jaunt through Tanzania of the fifties. Memorable for its dead animals and dead acting.
The Ghost and the Darkness: Unnecessarily melodramatic account of the Man Eaters of Tsavo.
The Rise and Fall of Idi Amin: Awful re-telling of the awful Ugandan dictator's rule of terror - not for the queasy.
The Road to Zanzibar: Hope at his cheesiest - not a classic.
But do try to see the IMAX production "Kilimanjaro" released in the States in spring of
2002 and in Europe later in the same year.
What to read
Photographic Books
- Ngorongoro, by Reinhard Kunkel: Spectacular rendition of the Ngorongoro Crater and its resident wildlife. Do not try to compete with the picture range and quality, just enjoy the amazing images.
- Among Predators and Prey, by Hugo van Lawick: Classic record of the Serengeti ecosystem concentrating on the big predators and their various prey. Hugo van Lawick's books are particularly appealing because of the personal enthusiasm that comes through for the country and wildlife.
- Maasai, by Tepilit ole Saitoti, pictures by Carol Beckwith: Good background to Maasai traditions and culture, with sumptuous large format pictures.
- Tanzania, Portrait of a Nation, by Paul Joynson-Hicks: Excellent overview of the country, with off-beat and interesting images. The photographer is a long-term resident and his portrait is very faithful to the real Tanzania.
- Kilimanjaro, by John Reader: Includes inspiring pictures of the icy summit for all those hoping to get there themselves. Good background local history and facts about the mountain as well.
Literature
- Serengeti Shall Not Die, by Bernhard and Michael Grzimek (1960): Compelling account of how this father and son team contributed significantly to the establishment of the Serengeti National Park. It describes their scientific work that drew worldwide attention to the wildlife spectacle that is the wildebeest migration, and the need to recognise its geographical limits in order to safeguard it for the future. The reason I find this book so inspiring is that the efforts that were made back then, and which some thought would be fruitless, are being paid back a hundred fold as Tanzania can now boast of one of the world's most renowned and ecologically intact wildlife sanctuary's.
- The Tree Where Man Was Born (1971): Peter Mathiessen's classic account of East Africa, and especially Tanzania during the sixties, fro nm the perspective of an traveller and anthropologist. His descriptions of the Maasai, the bushmen and the landscapes in which he finds them are as evocative today as they were then, and in some cases not much has changed.
- Africa: A Biography of the Continent, by John Reader: Impressive and accessible starter for African history. This academically sound yet engagingly written book gives you a great perspective on Africa. On one hand how ancient it is, being generally accepted as the birthplace of mankind, and how young it is in terms of modern nation states and all the trouble they entail.
Field Guides
One of the best bits of being on safari is the fun of identifying new and unusual creatures, birds, trees and flowers using the many guidebooks that are available. If you have travelled to Africa before, or intend to do so again, having your own guidebooks for your particular area of interest is very rewarding. A few are listed here that I have found indispensable during my days (and nights) in safari.
- The Kingdon Field Guide to African Mammals, by Jonathan Kingdon: Comprehensive and attractive, the only African Mammals treatise that comes close to being inclusive and scientifically accurate at the same time. The author also illustrated the book with his unique style of drawing which brings the animals to life often better than a photograph could.
- The Behaviour Guide to African Mammals, by Richard D. Estes: Thorough treatment of terrestrial mammal behaviour, especially concentrating on the larger mammals encountered on most wildlife safaris. Excellent information ranging from lurid descriptions of mating displays to earthy notes on
- The Safari Companion, by Richard D. Estes: More user-friendly, less academic version of the above.
- Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania, by Dale A. Zimmerman, Donald A. Turner and David J. Pearson: Excellent field guide to just about all species that can be encountered on a safari in Tanzania's Northern Circuit. The paperback edition is the one to go for while on safari.
- Field Guide to the Birds of East Africa, by Terry Stevenson and John Fanshawe: Sturdy, long-awaited attempt to encompass the needs of bird watchers visiting countries other than Kenya in East Africa. The above volume is all you need for Kenya, while for those visiting Southern or Western Tanzania, or Western Uganda this 2001 book will be a great boon. The production is of the highest quality and the plates generally very good.
And for those star-gazers out there, I have been very well served since 1994 by
- The Collins Pocket Guide to Stars and Planets - 2nd Edition, by Ian Ridpath and Wil Tirion: This is a compact volume that has all the major constellations in and no Northern Hemisphere bias to speak of. If it's your first trip south of the equator, you will be astonished by the quantity and brightness of the constellations on view to the south. My favourite statistic from the book is that on average 5 or 6 shooting stars are visible per hour on any clear night of the year!