Preparing for Tanzania

We have decided to do something different for this trip and go to Tanzania on a guided tour. As it is our honeymoon we decided we wanted low stress and to make the most of our 3 week Christmas break.

What did we have to do?

1. Choose our tour and tour group
   • We decided to go with Intrepid Travels – Road to Zanzibar. 
   • The tour includes some amazing locations, a safari, some beaches and camping
2. Book tour
   • As we were choosing the tour that ran over the Christmas break we decided to book it in early. We paid our deposit back in June 2018 to secure a spot as this trip date always sells out.
   • Also, we chose Africa due to the weather being pretty good at this time of year as it is between the short rainy season and the long rainy season
3. Book flights
   • Surprisingly flights to Africa weren’t too expensive. Considering we are leaving Auckland on the busiest travel day of the year our return flights were $1,800 NZD each
   • We are flying NZ –> Bangkok –> Ethiopia –> Nairobi
4. Visit the travel doctor
   • We are pretty well immunized from our trips in South and Central America so the only prescriptions we needed were for Malaria – unsure if you need Malaria precautions? Check out this useful Fit for Travel website – here
   • Other recommended immunizations include – Yellow Fever, Hep A & B, Tetanus, Typhoid, Meningitis, Rabies and Cholera. It really does depend on your travel style and it is best to visit a travel doctor at least 3 months before you depart
     

     
5. Get travel insurance
   • You are stupid if you don’t and it is selfish to your family back at home if something does go wrong. Getting help from the other side of the world is expensive and can cost your family a huge sum of money and may result in large debts. Trust me from personal experience this is a must, it is worth every penny if sadly you need it
   • Also, travel insurance is compulsory if you go on an Intrepid Travel tour. They do ask for it
6. Sort our single entry visas for Kenya
   • The legitimate website is here and costs USD $51 per person. (There is also a cheaper 72hr transit visa which is an option if you are using Kenya as a gateway into other African countries)
   • You should have an exit ticket for both the single entry and transit visa
   • The website is very frustrating and the visa should be applied for 7 days in advance. Once submitted I did get mine back within 4 days.
   • You will need to upload a copy of the following;
     • Your passport (including the signature page)
     • A copy of a booking reference for a hotel
     • A photo of yourself that is different from the one on your passport
7. Make a packing list
   • The tour restricts how much stuff we can actually bring. They have a pretty well put together a list. So we have just made sure we have all their recommended equipment (in typical accountant fashion I made an Excel Spreadsheet to keep track).
   • We are not going out to buy expensive new gear as we find looking as normal as possible rather than a classic beige tourist has served us well in the past
   • The essential items include;
     • Head Torch
     • Sleeping bag
     • Lightweight clothes
     • Closed shoes
     • Some warm clothes
     • Waterproof jacket
     • Sun protection
     • Towel
     • Camera + battery pack + chargers
     • Insect repellent
   • As the trip is a camping trip you make sure you bring things that make nearly 12 nights of camping more comfortable
   • Also, as it is Africa we are being really mindful of the products we are packing. We are bringing environmentally friendly products as there are nights where there is limited running water and we don’t want soaps etc polluting the environment. We also don’t want to leave rubbish behind.
8. Check your passport
   • Sadly mine didn’t have 6 months left on it. Therefore, I had to get a new one. Tanzania and Kenya require at least 6 months on your passport and at least 1 clean page
9. Book a resort at the end
   • Because it is our honeymoon and we finish on the beautiful island of Zanzibar we have decided to book a few nights at the Melia Resort. It is all inclusive and 5 nights here will give us time to recover and rest before we head back to work. Plus group travel is not so romantic!
10. Get excited! 
    • After a busy year at work and getting married, we are ready to go!

Watch this space for blog posts on our adventure. We depart on 21 December 2018!!

If you have any advice for us please let us know in the comments below.

Enjoy!

Now we are home, check out the blog posts from our visit!

• Safari in the Serengeti National Park
• 2 days in Nairobi, Kenya