Travel Insurance

We strongly suggest all clients to purchase travel insurance and carry with them the comprehensive insurance package. Your insurance package should include coverage of the following cancellation of the safari, emergency expenses, medical expenses, flights damage, theft or loss of personal baggage, money and goods. African Heartland Safaris will take no responsibility and is not liable for any personal costs or losses, injuries or damages to personal property or any of the above.

Health Advisory

For information on immunizations traveling to East Africa please consult your local clinic and Disease Control recommendations for illness and disease prevention for advice on a safe and healthy trip traveling within those East African countries. 

These shots are recommended:
Yellow Fever – A certificate of Yellow Fever vaccination is required for entry into east African countries
Malaria – Knowing there is risk of Malaria, please consult with a doctor on necessary precautions.
Hepatitis A – This vaccine is recommended if you will be spending time in small cities, villages and rural areas.
Typhoid – This vaccine is recommended if you will be spending time in small cities, villages and rural areas (particularly developing regions) for an extended period of time.

Documents and Accessories

Documents – Visas and passports are required to enter Tanzania and Kenya. Passports take long to process; we suggest you get one months ahead before traveling. Visas can be obtained at the Tanzania or Kenya Embassy. We recommend that you get your visa before leaving your home country.

Luggage – Spaces are limited while traveling in minivans and during transfers in charter aircraft. Luggage should not exceed more than 33lbs. You can make arrangements for your extra luggage at the safe storage at the home base hotel while traveling on safaris

Accessories – Binoculars are very helpful during game viewing. There are some lodges that turn off the electric generators at mid-night, so a small flashlight is helpful. If you wear glasses or contact lenses, bring an extra pair of each. We also recommend bringing insect repellent. An adapter is necessary for your appliances that run on 110-120 A.C Africa’s voltage is 220-240 A.C

Cameras – the best camera recommended for safari and wildlife photography is a 35mm or digital camera with interchangeable lenses, a telephoto and zoom lenses of at least 200mm. Extra batteries, a camera bag for protection (it gets very dusty on safaris) and a plastic bag for storing used film is also recommended. Be sure to also bring lenses cleaner and soft lenses tissues.  If your camera uses film, please bring extra as film is expensive when bought in town.

What to wear
Africa has a warm and hot climate. The temperature varies between 70°-90°F by day and sometimes below 40°F at night. Summer clothes are appropriate all year round, although evenings and mornings are quite cold. Dress for outdoor comfort in casual, light weight wash-and-wear clothing. You will need a sweater or a jacket in the evening. Cotton slacks and shirts are ideal with a light jacket, sweater or thin layers to remove as the day heats up. Khakis and chinos work better than jeans which take a long time to dry. A hat with a brim for sun protection cotton bandana is also advised for game drive viewing which can be very dusty.

Khaki-colored clothes are practical but olive green seems to repel mosquitoes more than any other color. A pair of comfortable shoes and desert boots are recommended. An extra pair of shoes for the evenings at the lodges and camps is recommended. Include a light weight raincoat, as some rain can be expected. Take a swimsuit for the swimming pools that are available at most lodges.

Dry cleaning is available at most of the lodges and in cities but your schedule might not allow you to take advantage of it so plan at least three changes of clothing for seven or eight days on the road.

Geography

Tanzania is home to some of the oldest human settlements unearthed by archaeologists, including fossils of early humans found in and around Olduvai gorge in northern Tanzania, an area often referred to as “The Cradle of Mankind.” At 364,875 mi² (945,087 km²), Tanzania is the world’s 31st-largest country (it comes after Egypt). Tanzania is mountainous in the northeast, where Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak, is situated. To the north and west are the Great Lakes of Lake Victoria (Africa’s largest lake) and Lake Tanganyika (Africa’s deepest lake, known for its unique species of fish). Central Tanzania comprises of a large plateau, with plains and arable land. The eastern shore is hot and humid, with the island of Zanzibar lying just offshore. Tanzania contains many large and ecologically significant wildlife parks, including the famous Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti National Park in the north, and Selous Game Reserve and Mikumi National Park in the south.

Culture

The population of Tanzania consists more than 120 ethnic groups mostly from the Bantu origin and is home to the most fascinating tribal diversity ethnic and linguistic groups in all Africa. Each ethnic group has its own language, Kiswahili is the official language, with English the principal language of commerce.

Religion

35% of the population is Muslim
30% of the population is Christian
35% of the population is Indigenous religion.

Economy

The economy is heavily dependent on agriculture, which accounts for half of GDP, provides 85% of exports and employs 80% of the workforce. Agriculture comes from coffee, sisal, tea, cotton, pyrethrum (insecticide made from chrysanthemums) cashew nuts, tobacco, cloves, corn, wheat, cassava, bananas, fruits, vegetables, cattle, sheep and goats. The industry is mainly limited to processing agricultural products and light consumer goods. Agricultural processing come from sugar, beer, cigarettes, sisal twine, diamonds, Tanzanite, gold and iron mining, salt, soda ash: cement, oil refining, wood products

Natural resources
Natural resources include hydropower, tin, phosphates, iron ore, coal, diamonds, gemstones, gold, natural gas and nickel

Environment

Tanzania has considerable land area of wildlife habitat including much of the Serengeti plain where the white-bearded wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus mearnsi) and other bovids participate in a large-scale annual migration. Up to 250,000 wildebeest perish each year in the long and arduous movement to find forage in the dry season. Tanzania is also home to 130 amphibian and over 275 reptile species, many of them strictly endemic and included in the IUCN Red lists of different countries.