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Baggage:
It is important to travel light, and luggage not required
on safari can be stored at either your Nairobi hotel or
at the Ker & Downey offices. Duffel type bags are most
suitable, and absolutely necessary if traveling in light
aircraft. In EAST Africa Fifteen Kilos, (33 lbs.) is maximum
per person, including cameras, if your safari includes flying
in light aircraft. In SOUTHERN Africa Twelve Kilos (25lbs.)
is maximum per person, including cameras, if your safari
includes flying in light aircraft. This may be negotiable
depending on the aircraft being used so please check with
us. Please also let us know if you are above average weight
or height as this may affect the baggage allowance.
Packing
On safari, dress is informal with outdoor comfort the essence.
Loose fitting cotton clothes are best for game viewing.
You will need a warm sweater for the early mornings and
evenings when it can get surprisingly cool. “Layers
of clothing” is the best system. A waterproof rain
jacket can double as a windbreaker. There is a same day
laundry service in camp (weather permitting), so don’t
over-pack. We recommend the following:
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5-6 cotton shirts/T-shirts
including 1-2 with long sleeves for evenings.
-
3-4 pairs cotton shorts
or skirts.
-
1-2 long trousers or
jeans.
-
1 warm jacket (fleece
jacket, lined windbreaker, or similar).
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Light rain gear
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2 sweatshirts or sweaters.
-
1 sleeveless fleece
(gilet)
-
Swimming costume.
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Hat for sun protection.
(Wide brimmed is best)
-
Comfortable shoes (running
shoes, or topsiders)
-
Flip flops, or Tevas.
-
Underwear and Cotton
socks
-
Sports bra (roads can
be bumpy!)
-
Jacket and tie (only
if desired for Nairobi dinners).
Specialist clothes:
Comfortable hiking boots (Rwanda Gorilla Safari)
Gardening gloves - good for preventing nettle stings (Rwanda
Gorilla Safari)
Warm Anorak or Parka and scarf / gloves for the cold winter
months (May to September) (Southern Africa)
Colors: For
walking safaris, white and very bright
colors should be avoided while walking, as they tend to
scare the game.
Essentials for all safaris:
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Flashlight and spare
batteries.
-
Insect repellent.
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Sunglasses and sun block
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Plastic bags, to protect
your camera and binoculars from dust.
-
Diary.
-
1 or 2 12 Volt chargers
for your camera equipment, ipod etc
-
If you wear contact lenses,
we recommend that you bring along a pair of glasses
in case you get irritation from the dust
-
Good qaulity sunglasses
- preferably polarized. Tinted fashion glasses are not
good in strong light
Binoculars
While game viewing, binoculars will become the most important
piece of equipment in your possession. The best field binoculars
are lightweight with central focusing, and good light-gathering
capability. Here are a few points to consider:
-
Every person should have
his or her own pair of binoculars as no one wants to
share when something exciting is happening.
-
The best magnification
is between 7 and 10.
-
The bigger the objective
lens diameter, the brighter the image.
-
As most of our game
viewing will be done in low light conditions at dusk
and dawn, the recommended minimum objective lens diameter
should not be less than 35 mm. Opera glasses are not
suitable.
-
The best combination
binoculars are therefore anywhere between 7 x 35 and
10 x 50.
-
A good pair of binoculars
will last a lifetime.
Photography:
Taking photographs or video can add immensely to the pleasure
of a safari, and guides will help with camera tips and best
angles. Our safari vehicles are fitted with roof hatches
for unobstructed viewing of wildlife, but often a better
photographic angle is obtained from a lower viewpoint. We
provide sand or bean bags for use as camera rests; tripods
are too unwieldy in the confines of a vehicle.
The choice of the correct camera
equipment will determine the quality of your photographs
on the trip. For good photography of birds and animals,
a good SLR camera and telephoto lens is necessary. A zoom
lens can be extremely useful on safari and the minimum recommended
size is 70 - 200mm, though a 100 - 400mm is ideal. Modern
image stabilized lenses are best as they allow photographers
to hand hold their cameras at slower shutter speeds with
sharp results.
The new high-resolution digital
cameras are outstanding and give superb quality images,
especially if you are using a digital SLR camera body, with
inter-changeable lenses. Camera bodies like the Canon 20D,
Digital Rebel and Nikon D70 are excellent. The advantage
of digital photography is that one can get instant feedback
on images and adjustments can be made in the field to ensure
that your photographs are correctly exposed. Spare batteries
are essential and a storage device of some sort is recommended.
Make certain you have enough card storage - most people
take more photographs than they expect to. Make sure you
have a 12-volt battery charger with spare batteries, which
can be charged off the cigarette lighter of the car (our
cars are 12 volt negatively earthed). Our camps and most
lodges have facilities for recharging batteries and storage
devices. We can provide 110v or 240v on request in camp
from inverters. Strips for charging more than one device
are suggested for more serious photographers. A “Happy
Snap” camera is ideal for camp and people photos,
but generally not adequate for animals.
Consider a macro lens for insects
and flowers, and a flash for campfire and tent scenes. For
the enthusiast, two camera bodies would be ideal.
Before taking photographs of any people in East Africa,
obtain their consent first (Often only given for a
fee). Your guide will help with this.
Taking photographs of airports, military installations,
policemen, or the President is strictly prohibited.
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The temperatures tend to be
mild, warm during the day with low humidity, and chilly
in the evenings in both Kenya and Tanzania. January to March
are the warmest months with July to August being the coolest.
Our seasons are defined by wet and dry, with the “long-rains”
usually from April to May and “short-rains”
from mid-November to December. Have a look at World
Weather.com for forecasts. Look at current
weather forecasts.
Fun Sites to look at before you come on safari
Earth
and Moon Viewer Interactive server which lets
you view the Earth and Moon, as illuminated by the Sun at
the time of your request, from a variety of viewpoints.
Your
Sky makes custom maps of the sky for any location
on Earth and any date from 4713 B.C. into the distant future.
Maps can include stars as faint as magnitude 6.5, constellation
names, outlines, and boundaries, the Moon and planets, deep
sky objects from a database of more than 500, and a comet
or asteroid whose position is calculated from its orbital
elements. A variety of display options allow customizing
the map for its intended use.
Journal
of African Travel Writing. A site with poetry
and essays on travel in Africa. For more writing on travel
visit Literary
Traveler.
Interested in birds? Check out this site on Kenya
Birds
Have a look at an interactive map
of Kenya, or download google
earth to map out your safari route.
Did you know Elephants hate chilli?
Find out more.
Other Links
If you are interested in gemstones from Africa such as Tsavorite
and Tanzanite
as well as other precious and semi precious stones we can
arrange a private view with Lapigems,
who are highly regarded in their field.
International
Dialing Codes,
if you are traveling
with children get some tips
Universal Currency
Converter
Swahili
to English dictionary,
Kenya's
current exchange rate
Kenya - Wikipedia,
the free encyclopedia with information on Kenya covering
topics that range from government and politics - to language
and culture.
For more inspiration prior
to your safari have a look at some of the books on our suggested
reading list
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