Comfort
This safari offers up a variety of accommodation styles. You will spend 2 nights in a private cottage on your hosts' farm which grants spectacular views of Kilimanjaro. You will spend 5 nights camping out in the Tanzanian wilderness in 'Out of Africa' style encampments. Your mobile camp will be made up of comfortable single person tents, a separate toilet tent and a hot shower tent or Big V-frame double / twin tents with en suite toilet / shower.
The tents are equipped with beds, mattresses and linen, bedside table and the verandah has comfortable chairs and an extra table - which doubles as a crate for any items you might not want to keep in your tent.
No electricity when out fly camping: make sure you brink spare batteries. There is no open wi-fi internet access available on Makoa-Farm.
Your meals will all be homemade from the farm's produce and all prepared by a fantastic cook!
Meals
Your meals on the safari will consist of English breakfasts: tea, coffee, egg and bacon with beans or other veggies, fresh home-made bread, cheese, fresh fruit and sweet options.
With the exception of a picnic lunch, your lunch will be served from a back-up vehicle where the chef will be waiting for you with a table and chairs all set up. Lunch will consist of – salad, often gratins, pie, pizza or quiche, etc., as well as dessert (e.g. home-made cake, biscuits or fruit).
Dinner will be a 3-course meal, usually starting with a soup, then meat or fish, vegetables, rice, potato or home-made pasta, followed by dessert.
Wine and beer are served with dinner or for sunset-drinks, together with other options.
Climate
Generally speaking, Tanzania has 2 distinct climatic zones:
- The inland climate, with its plateaus at altitudes of up to 1500m, has a moderate tropical climate
- On the coast, Tanzania benefits from a humid equatorial climate
The higher you move up into the country, the lower the temperature drops. The further you move down towards the Indian Ocean, the hotter it will become - occasionally extremely hot.
The seasons in Tanzania are quite varied. The dry season is from May to October and the hottest season from December to February. The country has a long rains season stretching from mid-March to the beginning of May, with the most substantial rainfall falling in April. The evenings during this period are often cool or cold. The lighter rains last from the beginning of November to mid-December. Throughout this period, the rain doesn't usually fall all day, only a few hours at a time.
On Mount Kilimanjaro, in January and February there is often snowfall throughout the night and nights reaching freezing temperatures through July and August.
Guide and local team
You will enjoy excellent guiding by 2 former professional long-distance riders, they are both vets and are passionate about showing their guests the beauty of Tanzania's wilderness.
Tips
It is customary to tip in Tanzania. Tips, which remain at your discretion, should be based on your level of satisfaction with the team. These tips are split across the team at the Makoa Farm - a reasonable tip would be around $20-25 (£15-20) per day. Transfer drivers should get extra tips depending on the time and effort they have shown.
Packing list
When on a horseback safari, it is best to wear clothes of a neutral colour (green, brown, beige or grey) that will blend in to the countryside.
Head
- A riding helmet is recommended. We recommend that you take your own to ensure a correct fit. Helmet makers (GPA, HKM, LAS Helmets, Lamicell, Troxel, Equithème) now offer horse-riding helmets that are ventilated, strong, light and comfortable. You also have the option of buying protective shells to go under your hats (Ranch & Rider, Lexington Safety Products) or western hat helmets (Troxel).
- Sunhat (indispensable) with a cord to go under your chin
- Sunglasses - with a cord attached so they don't fly off when riding
- Buff or bandana for protecting your neck and face from the sun, wind or rain
Upper body
- 4 to 6 polo shirts in cotton or long-sleeved shirts (to protect against the sun)
- 1 or 2 long-sleeved shirts for the evening
- 1 lightweight fleece or jumper (from September to June)
- 1 warm fleece or jumper (from June to September during the winter)
- 1 lightweight or warm waterproof jacket (depending on the season). It is always a good idea to wear a coat with a multitude of pockets to keep your cameras, snacks, other items in.
Legs
- 2 pairs of lightweight, comfortable riding trousers or jodhpurs in cotton with either mini or long chaps in leather or other synthetic materials - this will help to protect you against the long vegetation. We recommend riding in them at home before taking them on holiday to ensure they don't rub
- Casual clothes for the evenings (jeans or walking trousers)
- Non-irritant cotton or synthetic underwear
Hands and Feet
- Comfortable riding boots. We recommend short boots with half. We don't recommend taking your favourite leather boots in case they get damaged
- Lightweight shoes or trainers for the evenings
- Several pairs of warm socks
- Gloves - your hands are particularly exposed to the sun, wind or rain whilst riding
Our Recommendations
- Backpacks cannot be worn whilst riding. We recommend a small bumbag or a coat with pockets so that you can carry small items with you during the day (camera - see below, lip balm etc)
- For your cameras, we strongly recommend keeping them in a dust-proof pouch, that can be attached to you whilst riding. It should be easily accessible and not take more than 2 seconds to take out of the pouch. Keeping your camera in your saddle bag is not ideal as by the time you have extracted the camera, you can be sure that whatever you wanted to take a picture of will have moved away!
- Sunscreen can be carried in saddlebags
- A soothing cream may be useful to treat areas irritated by long hours in the saddle
- We recommend travelling in your riding boots and carrying your hat and some riding clothes in your hand luggage - then if your luggage goes astray you are still able to ride!
Photos & Extras
- We recommend bringing a camera with a zoom capacity of 200 or 300 mm to take the fantastic photos of the animals on the plains and large panorama images of the countryside
- Bring a change of batteries and a charger adapted for a vehicle cigarette lighter. We recommend you bring changes of batteries and multiple memory cards
- A pair of binoculars
- Before taking a photo of a person, you must always ask permission of the people concerned. You must consider the feelings/ opinions/ respect due to the possible subjects of your photos
-Throughout the world, and particularyl in Africa, it is forbidden to take photos on or of administative or military installations
Other useful items
- Travel bag 70-100 litres (hold luggage)
- Travel bag 25-30 litres (cabin bag
- Double saddlebags are available on request
- Water bottle (1.5 litres or 2 equivalent)
- Headtorch or torch for moving around at night - bring spare batteries and bulbs
- Toiletries
- Protein or cereal bars for the longer stretches of riding
- Toilet paper and a lighter to burn it after use
- Swiss army knife or equivalent (in checking-in luggage!!)
- Small plastic bags for you rubbish
- Ear plugs (may be useful)
- Camera and high capacity memory card. Spare battery
- A pair of binoculars
Medical kit
Make sure any allergies (to medication or otherwise) and clearly stated in your medical kit
- Any medication you regularly take
- Painkillers
- Imodium or similar anti-diarrhea medication
- Vitamin C tablets
- Sunscreen and lip balm - should be high factor
- Insect repellent
- Eye drops
- Hydrating/ soothing cream
- Plasters
- Blister plasters in case of any rubs
- Antiseptic cream, plasters, aspirin, anti-histamine, insect-bite salve etc..
- 10cm wide bandage
- Spare prescription glasses/contact lenses
- Re-hydration sachets
- Antiseptic wipes
- Handwash gel
- Game country is always tick country... make sure your insect repellent also protects you from ticks. Additionally we recommend you treat your clothes with a special repellent for clothes (e.g. from NoBite). Do this before you start your journey, the effect lasts for several weeks and it really makes a difference!
General information
- The airline allows only one bag to be checked-in per passenger. Make sure it weighs no more than the specified weight limit; if it exceeds this weight, you will have to pay excess luggage fees at check-in
- Hand luggage mustn't contain any sharp objects (knives, scissors, nail file or nail scissors, etc.) and the quantity of liquid allowed per passenger is limited to 100ml per container.
In your hold luggage
- Any liquids, such as shampoo, moisturiser, deodorant over 100 ml and all bottles can be decanted into small, clear, plastic Ziplock bags. We recommend biodegradable washing products where possible.
- We recommend taking a copy of your passport and insurance documents with you in case you lose your originals
- In your hand luggage carry any valuables, such as your camera, ipod, ipad etc.
- If you wish to travel 'light' and wash your clothes throughout the ride, please bring with you laundry detergent that is biodegradable
- All waste that could be considered toxic (batteries, aerosols, batteries, empty cream tubes, film) needs to be kept with you and transported back to the UK, where recycling is done well and efficiently. Avoid, wherever possible, to bring with you unnecessary packaging
