I spent nine days in November on a Photography Tanzania Safari with over 7000 photos taken. I will be sharing my photos, stories, tips for packing, where to stay, guides, and photography in a 6-part post. So, if you don’t want to miss anything, go ahead and subscribe to follow my adventure on a Tanzania Safari.
Table of Contents
Planning
Planning for a trip to Africa for a safari takes a little time because you have to make sure you have the right gear, Visa, and vaccinations. I started planning for about six months before. I signed up to go on a Photography Expedition to Tanzania with Great Escape Publishing. This is a company I have traveled with before to Alaska to shoot the Northern Lights. So, I knew this would be an exceptional Tanzania safari. The itinerary was:
- Arrive in Tanzania – Stay at Arusha Serena Hotel, Resort, & Spa (Part 1)
- Drive to Tarangire to begin the Tanzania Safari – Stay at Lemala Mpingo Ridge Camp with Game Drives in Tarangire National Park (Part 2)
- Drive to Ngorongoro – Lunch at Acacia Farm Lodge (Part 3)
- Ngorongoro – Stay at Ngorongoro Serena Lodge with Game Drives in Ngorongoro Crater (Part 4)
- Visit a Maasai Tribe (Part 5)
- Drive to Central Serengeti – Stay at Lemala Nanyukie Camp with Game Drives in Serengeti National Park (Part 6)
Part of the planning was making sure I had all the necessary vaccinations for a Tanzania Safari. Since I was going to be very close to the border of Kenya, the CDC and WHO recommend the following vaccinations for Tanzania: hepatitis A, hepatitis B, typhoid, cholera, yellow fever, rabies, meningitis, polio, measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis), chickenpox, shingles, pneumonia and influenza. My physician recommended going to Passport Health to get all the required shots I was going to need. Some of these vaccinations are given to us as children, but you need to check to see if you need to get an adult booster. The good thing for me is now I’m covered for life. So now I can travel without worrying about what I need to be protected.
What to Pack for a Safari
The gear you need for a Tanzania safari is a little different than other vacations. For one, you have to remember that animals can see bright colors so that khaki will be your best friend. Your best bet is to stick with neutral colors, khaki, olive green, brown, cream and gray. Try to stay away from the dark colors black and blue; the flies tend to gravitate toward those colors. One other girl and I were fortunate not to get bit, but the others on our trip were not so lucky. It looked awful, and they would tell you that all the itching was horrible. The other must-have is to make sure you spray all your clothes with Deet insect repellant. You can also pick this up at Passport Health. Or you can purchase clothing that has the insect shield built-in.
Here is a simple clothing list for packing for an African Safari:
- 3-4 t-shirts/tanks
- Two long-sleeve shirts
- One sweatshirt/fleece
- Two pairs of cotton/linen pants
- 2-3 pairs of socks
- 6-8 pairs of cotton underwear
- Two sports bras for women
- One pair of comfortable shoes that can be slipped on/off quickly to stand on the jeep seats
- One thin waterproof jacket
- pajamas
- sunglasses
- hat for the sun
- buff for neck and face to keep dust out
- flip flops/sandals
- swimsuit if your camp has a pool
If you need more ideas for what to pack on an African Safari, check out this blog for more Africa Safari packing tips.
Kilimanjaro Airport
Impressions of Arusha at night
Driving to the resort was an experience. The driver of our van was very knowledgeable and answered all our questions and boy did I have a lot of them. Some of the things I noticed:
- They drive on the left.
- There are speed bumps every so often that they call “sleeping police.”
- There are lots of scooters which share the road with cars.
- They will drive on the right to pass and stay in that lane for a bit before moving back to the left. Basically, they wait until a car is headed there way before they move.
- There were several young men walking alongside the road & on the scooters ( I didn’t see any women on the ride to the hotel). Although during the day this is a different story.
Arusha Serena Hotel, Resort, & Spa
More of Arusha Serena Hotel
Driving Through Arusha to Tarangire
I didn’t know what to expect when coming to Africa on a Tanzania safari. I was keeping an open mind to everything I saw and boy, were my eyes bugging out by all that was going on during our drive to Tarangire. It seemed quite the social scene with people hanging out on their scooters in front of the shops and people walking in groups along the road. All of the shops/stores were in sheds/buildings facing the street. I was fascinated by it all.
Another eye-opener to the African culture was to see the Maasai tribe moving their cattle or goats alongside the road. Most of the time, we saw young children shepherding these animals with only a stick. These animals seem to have the run of the place. You have to be alert when driving here.
Stay tuned for part 2 on Tarangire National Park, which is also known as “Land of Elephants.” Besides Tanzania, if you are interested in visiting more of Africa, check out these safe places in Africa to visit.
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Further Reading
If you are coming to Africa or Tanzania for a visit, check out these posts for further travel inspiration:
- Tanzania Safari – Part 2: Tarangire National Park
- Tanzania Safari – Part 3: Acacia Farm Lodge
- Tanzania Safari – Part 4: Ngorongoro Crater
- Tanzania Safari – Part 5: Maasai Tribe
- Tanzania Safari – Part 6: Serengeti National Park