Things Not to Forget when Camping in a Tent

The Tent – This one is pretty much a no brainer. Be sure to set up your tent at home for a trial run before you leave. Double check for rips, broken zippers and missing parts. Be sure the tent poles and stakes are in the bag, along with a small hammer, just in case.

Flashlights/Batteries – Arriving at a campsite after dark, happens! We never plan it that way, then again, we don’t plan flat tires or getting lost. Life happens! Flashlights will serve lots of purposes and fresh batteries is a must. This LED Flashlight comes with the batteries and can take a beating. It’s one of our favorites.
First Aid Kit – Accidents can happen no matter if you are at home or out camping. Keeping a well-stocked first aid kit on hand is a great idea. Band-aids, soap, water, tweezers, gauze and hand sanitizer will get you the basics for small wounds or until you can seek medical attention. You have to think like a scout and always be prepared. This first-aid kit we picked up has everything we need and then some.
Trash Bags – Obviously you can use trash bags to keep your campsite neat and tidy. They also make good makeshift wraps, keep your bedding and clothing from becoming damp and will hold lots of dirty clothes and shoes on the way home.
Sleeping Bag/Bedding – It gets cold at night, even in the middle of summer. Having padding between you and the ground is a must. Stay warm and hopefully dry in a good sleeping bag.
Matches/Lighter – You cannot start a campfire without a fire source and camping just isn’t the same if you don’t have the chance to sit around a campfire, make a barbeque and make some real camp food!

Duct Tape – Guaranteed you will have a need for duct tape. Keep a roll or two on hand. I am sure you will find something to repair it. It works great to fix not only camping supplies but the car, too. We never leave home without a good roll of tape.
Water – There are so many uses for water. Cooking, cleaning and staying hydrated will be a breeze if you bring your own clean water.
Toilet Paper/Flushable Cleansing Cloths – Campground bathrooms can be a scary place. If you are lucky you find a place with flushable toilets. If you’re not so lucky, pit toilets will be your only choice. Supplying your own toilet paper and flushable cleansing cloths is a must. Cottonelle on-the-go packs fit perfectly in a backpack, purse or pocket.
Keeping your Bum clean will prevent uncomfortable days and nights when your all up close and personal in a tent.

Once you set up camp, be sure to enjoy every minute that you can. Before you know it you’ll have to come back to the real world, the downtime will go quickly. RELAX! Have you ever gone on a trip and forgotten to pack something important??

Team Leader Safari Blog #Tanzaniaunfogettable, Adventure, Cultural Tour, Southern Circuit

Wildlife photography: Tips and Tricks

Whether you’re trying to capture a photo of a cheetah hunting or a flying pigeon in your city, the most important thing is to be prepared and be ready for anything. You have no control over what happens in the wild. You can’t ask a bird to fly a little slower so you capture the shot you want or a lion to roar in front of your camera again because you were not ready the first time.

You have to use what’s around you and have your camera set and ready. You can spend hours without seeing or capturing anything, but once you do… you will witness something incredible!
Wildlife doesn’t ever disappoint us!

Character and Environment

Another thing to remember when photographing wildlife is the old “push/pull.” Animals have personalities, and you want to show that. But you don’t want to be working really tight with long lenses all the time. You need to show their environment too—habitat says a lot. Back off and use wide-angle lenses to give viewers a sense of where the animals live.

One More Thing

When you’re out photographing wildlife, don’t just pay attention to what are called the charismatic mega fauna—the big animals that get most of our attention. Of course we all want good photos of the big guys, but there are many other forms of life around. Some of them are really beautiful, and all of them are interesting. Whenever you’re out there, whether hiking or sitting in your car waiting for something to happen, look around. You’ll be amazed at what you might discover. Photograph that too!

Practice, Practice & Practice

While everyone would like to be clicking Wildebeests on the Serengeti, you really don’t need much to start practicing wildlife photography. Before you go to a safari, make sure you know how to use your camera. Go to the park and practice until you feel confident. Know your settings.

Composition

Make sure you pay attention to what’s surrounding your main subject in the frame. Try to have clear and simple background so the viewer can really focus on the bird itself.

When you focus your lens, focus on the eyes of the bird.

Wildlife photography shooting, try to tell a story. Some birds fly. An elephant dig in the mud. Some birds eat fish, some eat seeds and wild dog during their social hunting (co-operative imperative). You can share all that information with the viewer through your photographs.

Good luck, and Happy Shooting!

Safari Team Leader Blog Adventure, Bird Watching, Kitulo, Southern Circuit, Uluguru Mountain

Kitulo National Park

Kitulo National Park covers an area of 412.9 sq km (159 sq miles. The temporary park headquarters at Matamba are situated approximately 100km (60 miles) from Mbeya town.Located in Southern Tanzania.

Perched at around 2,600 meters and (8,500 ft) between the rugged peaks of the Kipengere, Poroto and Livingstone Mountains. The well-watered volcanic soils of Kitulo support the largest and most important montane grassland community in Tanzania.

“Garden of God”

One of the most important watersheds for the Great Ruaha River, Kitulo is well known for its floral significance, not only a multitude of orchids, but also the stunning yellow-orange red-hot poker. A variety of aloes, proteas, geraniums, giant lobelias, lilies and aster daisies, of which more than 30 species are endemic to southern Tanzania.

Big game is sparsely represented, though a few hardy mountain reedbuck and eland still roam the open grassland. Locals refer to the Kitulo Plateau as Bustani ya Mungu – The Garden of God while botanists have dubbed it the Serengeti of Flowers, host to ‘one of the great floral spectacles of the world’.

And Kitulo is indeed a rare botanical marvel, home to a full 350 species of vascular plants, including 45 varieties of terrestrial orchid.Which erupt into a riotous wildflower display of breathtaking scale and diversity during the main rainy season of late November to April.

Biological wealth of the Gods garden

Kitulo plateau as bustani ya – a botanist and hiker’s paradise – is also highly alluring to birdwatchers. Tanzania’s only population of the rare Denham’s bustard is resident, alongside a breeding colony of the endangered blue swallow.Other such range-restricted species as mountain marsh widow, Njombe cisticola and Kipengere seed-eater.

Endemic species of butterfly, chameleon, lizard and frog further enhance the biological wealth of God’s Garden.

Park Highlights Include:

Locals refer to the Kitulo Plateau as Bustani ya Mungu – The Garden of God, while botanists have dubbed it the Serengeti of Flowers.
Wildflower displays peak between December and April. The sunnier months of September to November are more comfortable for hiking but less rewarding for botanists.
Good hiking trails exist and will soon be developed into a formal trail system. Open walking across the grasslands to view birds and wildflowers. A half day hike from the park across the Livingstone Mountains leads to Matema Beach on Lake Nyasa
The gap of Numbi valley is occupied by Juniper Forest, one of the most extensive in East Africa. Towering up to 50 M these are among the tallest junipers in the world.

Safari Team Leader Safari and Tour Kitulo, Southern Circuit, Wild Flower

Southern Circuit