h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Some tips from my two weeks in Kenya and Tanzania:

1) Sometimes you should leave your tent open (but empty). Baboons in the Serengeti have a habit of breaking into tents to see if there is anything interesting in there. If they see a tent open and empty they leave it alone (though they did manage to distract our cook and steal our cornflakes).

2) When they say "don't take photos of Masai warriors", they mean it. One of our group came very close to being clobbered with a club for taking photos without asking.

3) Look under your tent before packing it up. Another guy in our group found a black mamba under his.

In 6 weeks i am travelling to Iringa, Tanzania for 4 months. i am staying i a rural village, what wildlife am i going to see? i am very respectful of wildlife, but more than a bit aprehensive- i don't want to end up sharing my bed with a green/black mamba!

That's way south of anywhere I've been to, but I'm sure you'll see lots of wildlife. Don't worry about it too much, though, your hosts should be able to advise you on how to avoid any nasty encounters. Tricks like keeping your bedding rolled up until you go to bed and shaking out your shoes before you put them on should keep you safe.

Probably the most potentially unpleasant wildlife you'll meet is the anopheles mosquito, so remember to take your malaria tablets and, most importantly, avoid getting bitten. Sleep under a mosquito net and use insect repellent after sundown.

My experience of Tanzania is that it is a marvellous place, with friendly people and fascinating wildlife. I'm sure you'll have a great time there.

I was only there for a couple of weeks holiday in the north, but I think outside the gameparks the wildlife will be apprehensive of you too. On the other hand my brother had a resident spitting cobra in the wall where he lived in Lindi....But on the other hand again in five years in Zimbabwe I only saw two snakes.

All you need is commonsense, as Adam was saying with all his stories. If you get a chance to go to Arusha to find a safari ask for Adam Mligite.

Harry's right, it's a great place to go to.

thank you for reassuring me, it's nice to hear from people who know what they are talking about. (My granny keeps ringing me up and asking me what i'll do when i'm a white sex slave to an indian chief. i don'ttheink she realises that africans are slightly more common in afria than indians...)
Mossies are going to be a huge problem. it's raining where i live, and on a one hour walk to town i got bitten three times. they ADORE me. Malaria here i come...
I wonder if i could pick your brains once more. i am told i will need to take my own hypodermic needles for when i (inevitably) get malaria. what say you? and drip bags? i'm getting all panicy and so shall go count my mossie bites and have a cup of tea. thank you once again, cate.

I'm not that expert on today's Africa I'm afraid. But my brother spent two years in Lindi, ending in '94, and was back in Tanzania last February. I will ask him. From memory I think he did take syringes, to be on the safe side. I'll let you know what he thinks.
Mozzies loved him too, he did get three or four doses of malaria. When I was there I didn't get bitten - they went for him!
You need a good mosquito net.

There's someone on h2g2 just back from spending a lot of time out there. She had an entry in h2g2 post - a search on Tanzania might find her.

BTW my niece was very worried about my brother going to Africa - not because of indians, but because she was certain he'd starve out there.
When do you go?
Wz.

You should take a set of sterile sharps - some hospitals or doctors in remote areas re-use needles, which is pretty dangerous with AIDS so prevalent in the region. If the worst happens and you need an injection or blood transfusion, having your own set of sharps eliminates that risk. You can buy some neat little sharps sets from most outdoor shops, like the YHA shop or Field & Trek (in the UK). Alternatively talk to the nurse who does your yellow fever vaccination - some travel clinics sell that sort of thing.

If you get malaria you won't need injections, just lots of rest, water and mefloquine, but I hope for your sake you don't get it - it's not very pleasant, a bit like flu but about twenty times worse I'm told. The mosquito that spreads malaria is only active after dark, so you don't have to be totally paranoid about every insect bite you get.

Hi, Cate,
I've been waiting for my brother to e-mail an answer but gave up and rang him instead. Harry's right, you should take syringes just in case. It can't do any harm to have them with you. All I'd add is that if you're going to the middle of nowhere, (I'm not sure where Iringa is), it may be worth taking a supply of a malaria prophylactic in case you get malaria, that's different from the one you take to prevent you getting it. The point being that if you do catch it it may be from a strain that is resistant to your preventitive prophylactic.

The best way is to get bitten as little as possible. Nets for sleeping under have already been mentioned. They're essential and you want a good one. Small ones coming to a point where you hang them up are not the best. The net goes over the bed quite close to you and you may end up with an arm against it getting bitten through the net. The best are the ones hung from a large square frame - but they're not common. And make sure it has no holes in it and tuck it in round the bed at night.

Have a torch for hunting them at night should one sneak into the net.

Make sure the net is firmly hung up. I have vivid memories of waking up to see my sister leaping about her bed completely entangled in netting one night. And equally vivid memories of my brother's antics trying to hang his (massive) net up at a hotel. He had strings all over the place, from the hook on the door, the top of the wardrobe, the centre light cord...

Harry's right too about them being out mainly at night but they spend the day in dark places, like under tables or under beds, so just watch for that.
Having something long sleeved to wear in the evening will help. You don't want to tempt them with too much bare skin!

Have a good time, I loved Tanzania, it was a really friendly place. Malaria risk or not, I'm very envious.
Wz

Sorry Cate I am the brother whos been too disorganised and busy. I hope this is just in time.

About malaria. When i went UK doctors recomended the use of chloroquine and paludrine, and only meflaquine for short stays and if yiou experience no reaction to it. Americans on the other hand used meflaquine even long-term, so at that time thetre was no consensus on the side-effects of meflaquine. Things may be different now! The downside to meflaquine (brand name 'Lariam') is that some people experience depression / halucination / nightmares etc. You can probably try it and if you dont expereience any side-effects go on with it. The upside of meflaquine is that it is very effective. In Tanzania malaria is very resistant to chloroquine, which means that you are very likely to get malaria if you are on chloroquine. I took chloroquine and got relatively mild bouts of malaria three times in two years.
Do take syringes - there is no harm in that. But you dont need them to treat malaria and i wouldnt. You should take drugs for treatment and carry them with you anywhere. There are loads of anti-malarial drugs which is a bit confusing, but they may all work. It is obviously adviseable NOT to treat malaria with the same drug as you have been using as a prophylactic. I had a stock of quinine which is very effective BUt very unpleasant (lots of ringing in the ears and depression). Meflaquine may be used as treatment. S-P (branded 'Fansidar) is often used. I have even treated malaria with a strong dose of chloroquine. Once I used a french drug called halfan altho' I think research has suggested complications for some people with a rare heart condition..
I think the important thing is to carry some with you. They are pretty easy to get hold of in Tanzania but be sure to check the expiry date. And there is no harm in self-tretaing if you suspect malaria and the majority of people do this. To prevent serious malaria the key thing is to treat quickly and you may find that you are too weak and too far from a health centre to get a test, so I think you should self-treat. The official approach (and the best way if you can) is to get a test. This is done in all health centres. It involves pricking the finger with a pricker, and testing under microscope a drop of blood on a bloodside. The prickers are disposed of, but you may wish to take prickers and bloodsides and do it yourself. Testing for malaria is not that easy a job. Testers tend to be cautious and assume malaria even if there are only small traces of parasite in your blood. But better safe than sorry.
Symptoms of malaria do vary across individuals. My experience of malaria was that it came on quite suddenly. I felt weak over the whole body, with pulsing sensations throughout. Most people have headaches (altho' i didnt), and on two occasions there was no fever. I found that it was intermittent, so it would lift off of me but come back again 24 hours later. In serious attacks there is fever and you need to take treatment very quickly. It is wise to assume that you will get malaria, and be aware of any feelings of general weakness
The following is not very scientific, but anyway....In my experience youre susceptible to malaria when the body is weak, so beware drinking alcohol, late nights, tiredness etc...There is no reason to get tired in Tanzania - life has a slower pace to it...
MUSTS - have abednet - you can buy them there if necessary. And travel with it. Bednets in hostels/ hotels are often poor.

Other tips:
Theft: Tanzanians dont like theft and you may find that in the village your possessions are incredibly safe - more so than in Englan. However, there are places where theft is widespread. Beware Dar es Salaam/ beaches in DES (theft is endemic on beaches), walking off centre streets(especially marketplaces) , and nightime. As a general rule life transforms at 6-00. Nightlife is not really cool as it is here. Ceratinly: going out to pubs etc is not the culture it is here. You will find that pubs/ hotels etc are a bit downtrodden, and as a woman you will be treated differently!
Your great advantage is that for very little effort Tanzanian women will take you under their wing. Do take advantage of friendship/ hospitality from the right people. People are the most important resource, and friendship is fundamental to life there, and will give you security/fun etc. You simply cant get the same pleasure/ opportunities being independent as you can here IN eNGLAND. Travel is tough, buses are awful, systems generally are hopeless, electricity cuts off, hotels can be grubby, there is no information.


Im only trying to make aware of potential probs. Enjoy it. Tanzania has a unique charm. Go to Ngorongoro /Serengeti before all else.

This post has been removed.

Found your way here then, Researcher 127640? And about time too.

If we have missed Cate someone else might still find all this useful. It was Mefloquine that I took, for a two week stay. I quite liked the weird dreams too. But not every night thanks.
Wz

Harry, when this entry was approved I kept the original entry that it was based on. I'd like to use it to add more safari survival stories and tips to. Would you mind if I added the three you started this forum with? I would reference you as a contributor.
Wz.

I wouldn't mind at all. Feel free to use them as you want.

Hi!
In march I want to traval to Kenya. We've just two weeks. We want to travel around with our backpacks. Do you have any tips where to stay? Is it possible to sleep in your tent in the national parks or is it to dangerous?
Thanks for your help.

The Nairobi Youth Hostel is a good starting place. You can find out about safaris, other places to stay and things to do. There are some good camp sites at Lake Naivasha as well. Fisherman's Camp is a lively party place, other camp sites are quieter. From there you can walk or cycle in Hell's Gate national park, take boat trips, or visit Elsamere (Joy Adamson's old home). If you're going into the bigger national parks like the Masai Mara use a safari company. They'll sort out all of your camping (and provide a man with a spear to keep the lions away!), food, transport and game drives. You'll probably have to take a bare minimum of gear with you - put what you need into a day pack and leave the rest in storage at the Youth Hostel.

Hi schrist, I'd second what Harry has said. You can only go round the larger safari parks in vehicles, or on guided walking safaris. We met up with someone trying to do what you suggest. He would have had to camp in the open outside the park and then try to hitch a tour with a safari vehicle as it went in. I don't think that he would have been safe camping like that and he may have spent a lot of time waiting for a ride into the park - not good if you only have two weeks. In the end he hitched a full safari with us. Joining us unofficially at Thompson's Falls for the whole camping safari trip.

One more thing, you need to choose your safari company well. You can find cheaper/budget camping safari operators in Nairobi. The deal is that you join up with others to make 6 to 8 on a safari bus, which shares the cost out. That can take a little time to sort out. The best way to choose a company is to ask other backpackers - you'll find plenty in the cheap hotels around Nairobi or at the Youth Hostel.

Some companies are excellent but some will shortchange you on gamedrives and food, some of their vehicles aren't roadworthy and their drivers know less about the wildlife than you. This matters because they don't know where to find the animals. On our holiday we found one of each sort. But I still enjoyed even the bad one! They can't spoil the scenery, the sun or the wildlife.
Have a great time
Wz

...and tell us about your trip when you get back.