Tanzania, Mikumi National Park

K333ROE

Well-Known Member
Anyone been to this part of the world, and is there anything that they found they should have brought with them. I will bring deet, amodium and take the malaria tablest but I'm looking for general advice something the average person should, but often forgets in this part of the world. Got all the jabs and visas but advise on tips for safari staff would be good, tented safari which I have never done before !!!
 
'Special airport tax' is often asked for on check in..if you shove a few shillings across the desk after appropriate negotiations - make damn sure you get the boarding card as well as baggage tags/ticket back.
 
Anyone been to this part of the world, and is there anything that they found they should have brought with them. I will bring deet, amodium and take the malaria tablest but I'm looking for general advice something the average person should, but often forgets in this part of the world. Got all the jabs and visas but advise on tips for safari staff would be good, tented safari which I have never done before !!!

I lived in Tanzania for ten years and have been to Mikimi many times - but always under my own steam. I also used to hunt just to the east of the park in Twetwatwa. Mikumi is very convenient being on the Tanzam highway and has all of the southern species you will see in Tanzania - there are lion and we have seen wild dog and cheetah there but they are not common. If its at all possible (and affordable because these things are not cheap) I would try to work in a visit to Ruaha as well - very much wilder and quieter but its a long way unless you fly. You may also want to consider Udzungwa National Park which is not too far from Mikumi but very different - high mountains. Used to hunt close to there too in the Kibasera swamp - there are millions of hippo, crocs, elephant, lion, puku (which you won't see in any park), reedbuck - oh and buffalo :D

What to take? I'm sure all of the above posters have covered most of it - but I would reiterate the need for anti-malarials having had the thing many times and almost popped it a couple of those. I would read what you can and do not take the word of your doctor reading from a forty year old book - the anopheles mosquito and its attendant plasmodium changes frequently as do the 'dawas' that can combat them. I would also take a bird book and obviously binos and a camera - you should have a 300mm telephoto or whatever that is in new digispeak? If you plan doing any walking you will need good light boots and for preference some protection for your legs - I used to wear puttees believe it or not. Otherwise the wait-a-bit will tear your legs to pieces.

In fact I am shortly off to another part of Africa in seven weeks or so - Zambia and Namibia - again under my own steam - mostly just winging it. Hiring a car is not a cheap way to go but gives you much more freedom to go where you want to go - not where the driver is programmed to take you.

Safari njema.
 
Vitamin B12 tablets (brewers yeast).
They contain vitamin B12 which is metabolised to cyanocobalamin and secreted through your sweat glands...mozzies dont like it.
Still take the malaria prophylactics but in all my travels through some pretty bad mozzie (India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Wales) areas I was never bitten whilst taking B12.
 
Ask your doctor for some pills to counteract the side effects of the malerone.
First time we went we had the bloody sh&ts the whole time.
Stopped taking the malerone in the end, 2nd trip doc told us about the pills. What a difference.
 
My contribution would be a Steripen http://www.steripen.com/journey

You can pick them up at Go Outdoors or through various sources online. It will sterilise your drinking water (COMPLETELY) in seconds and doesn't use any chemicals. I have tried them all but this is the mutts. Use it in all your water, even bottled, and you will stay safe from all waterborne pathogens.
 
Back
Top