Marc Baker Safaris

• 1: Home
• 2: Safaris
  • 2.1: Northern Tanzania
  • 2.2: Southern Tanzania
  • 2.3: Western Tanzania
  • 2.4: Expeditions
  • 2.5: Bird watching
• 3: Under Canvas
  • 3.1: Permanent camps
  • 3.2: Mobile Camps
  • 3.3: Walking Safaris
  • 3.4: Classic Safaris
• 4: Safari Planning
  • 4.1: What to bring
• 5: Ethical Operations
• 6: Contact Marc
• 7: Environmental Consultant
  • 7.1: Publications
  • 7.2: Baker 2008
  • 7.3: Baker 2007
  • 7.4: Baker 2005-1
  • 7.5: Baker 2005-2
  • 7.6: Baker 2004
  • 7.7: Baker 2002-1
  • 7.8: Baker 2002-2
  • 7.9: Baker 2001-1
  • 7.10: Baker 2001-2
  • 7.11: Baker 2000

What to bring on safari

One of the most important things to bring is a good pair of binoculars. Your enjoyment of wildlife and scenery will be greatly improved if you beg, borrow, steal or buy a good pair of ‘bins’. The type is also important, if you look on any pair of binoculars you see two figures (i.e. 8x30), the 8 is the magnification (everything is 8 times larger), the 30 is the field of view, be warned, anything less than 30 and the image quality is seriously compromised. I would strongly recommend any of the following: 8x30, 8x42, 8x50, and 10x42 or 10x50. The types of binoculars on the market also vary considerably, Zeiss, Leica and Swarovski are excellent but expensive, however Canon, Opticron, Bushnell and Nikon do some very good binoculars. For first time buyers I would recommend Bushnell or Viking 8x42’s, as well as being very cost effective, they are user friendly with an excellent field of view.

People often ask what kind of Camera equipment to bring, if you are an enthusiast and are bringing an SLR and various lenses but are restricted to space, you cannot go wrong with a 80mm – 200mm or 300mm zoom for the larger mammals but photographing birds really needs a 400 – 600mm. A good camera case or bag (Ortlieb make excellent waterproof / dust proof bags) to protect you equipment from dust and bumpy roads is very important, in addition a few Ziploc bags work well for lenses and film in dusty conditions. Film is always tricky, I prefer 200 – 400 ASA slide for wildlife, however when we are planning your safari I will advise you on ‘likely’ weather conditions so you can think about the light conditions in advance. Another important point is to bring plenty of film, local film has often been on a hot ship for 2 months and in a hotter warehouse for 6 months, the results when you get home can sometimes be disappointing!

I have recently moved to a digital SLR, Nikon D70, using a 1GB card I can store 280 images, even on high resolution which I find enough for a 2 week safari. If you want to carry a portable viewing device or laptop, again dust can be a problem so include a good protective case. For the digital and video camera users a spare battery or a battery charger which works from a vehicle cigarette lighter is very useful. I have learnt the hard way that for some cameras these kind of extras may have to be ordered and can take 2 – 3 weeks.

What clothing and equipment do I bring? If you are coming on safari during the dry season (June – October), the clear night skies can create some chilly early mornings, especially in the highlands. I would recommend one good fleece or Jumper (sweater) for evenings and early mornings and a light waterproof can be useful whatever the time of year, to reduce wind chill when in an open vehicle if nothing else. In terms of footwear, a light pair of walking shoes are the best option although I spend most the time in sandles which are very comfortable in dry warm conditions. Long cotton trousers, cotton shorts and long sleeve shirts are all great for day wear, I prefer shirts to t-shirts as the sleeves can be rolled down to protect against sunburn and insect bites and the collar also offers some protection against the sun. Other useful items such as a small rucksack (backpack) and water bottle are useful. Suntan lotion, a sun hat and insect repellent (Autan is good) are all essentials.

Personal Medication You will of course be taking Malaria prophylaxis, Malarone is expensive but many people are very happy with the lack of side effects. Larium (Mefloquine) has been know to have some side effects so it is worth bringing this to the attention of your doctor. The antibiotic Doxycycline, a broad spectrum antibiotic, is often prescribed in combination as a malarial prophylaxis, again Doxycycline can cause some skin sensitivity so talk to your doctor about this. If you are taking any personal medication, insure you bring enough for your holiday and some spare packed in another bag.

It is important to realize that some medication is difficult to buy in Tanzania.

Field guides There are a number of good and not so good field guides to the various taxa, whilst on safari with me you will have access to all of the good ones so there is no need to burden yourself with several kilo’s of books. However if you are particularly interested in Birds, trees, mammals or reptiles the following is a list of the better ones.

Birds

Be preparedThe Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania by Zimmerman, Turner and Pearson Published by Russel Friedman. (Softback ISBN 1-875091-11-4) Very good for northern Tanzania with good background detail on species but not if you plan to visit the Selous, Ruaha, Udzungwa or Eastern Arc Mountains there are many species not covered.

Field Guide to the Birds of East Africa by Stevenson and Fanshawe Published by T & A D Poyser. (ISBN 0-85661-079-8) Covers the whole of Tanzania, also includes some nice biome maps and a more user friendly layout with text and plates on the same page.

Mammals

The Kingdon Field Guide to African Mammals by Jonathan Kingdon Published by Academic Press. (ISBN 0-12-408355-2) Covers all the mammals of Africa and is accompanied with excellent sketches and detailed information.

The Behaviour Guide to African mammals by Richard Despard Estes Published by The University of California Press (ISBN 0-520-05831-3) A detailed field guide which goes beyond identification and looks at the ecology and behavior of species.

Trees & Shrubs

Field Guide to Common Trees & Shrubs of East Africa by Najma Dharani Published by New Holland. (ISBN 1-86872 640 1) This new guide covers many of the commoner species with good pictures and tips on identification.

Reptiles

A Field Guide to the Reptiles of East Africa by Spawls, Howell, Drewes and Ashe Published by Academic Press. (ISBN 0-12-656470-1) Excellent coverage of the region with pictures and distribution maps.

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