USEFUL INFORMATION

Getting there

The Journey starts from Vienna airport or elsewhere in Europe to Kilimanjaro Airport (if flights are available). Our aim is that all participants can fly together in one plane, so we offer to organize the flight booking via our partner travel agency Pölzl in Gmünd. If you would like to extend your stay and / or book another return flight, please let us know. We are also happy to help with your individual booking and discuss a fitting offer with the travel agency. Self-bookers may have additional costs for extra transports and / or overnight stays if they do not arrive or depart at the same time as the group.

Electricity

230 Volt. A 3-pin (UK) adapter is necessary. During the first 7 days of the tour, however, there is no connection to electricity.

Food & water

Emmanuel and Lemayan will take care of drinking water and food (breakfast, lunch and dinner) throughout the safari. The drinking water is bottled in 1 or 1.5 liter bottles. It may be useful to have some snacks, e.g. cereal bars, candies, chewing gum or nuts as an energy source during the day in your backpack.

Money exchange / currency

Currency: Tanzanian Shilling, Conversion Rate (July 2019): 1 EUR = 2590 TSH

The first camp is in Ketumbeine, a very small village. Therefore, it is advisable to change your money already in the city of Arusha into Tanzanian Shilling, since there is little opportunity later. Your guide will gladly show you where the bank / exchange office is.

Attention: When changing 100-euro notes, it may be that the new banknotes from 2019 are not accepted (they look visually different than the old ones, although they are valid).

In general, 300-500 EUR "pocket money" should be sufficient for the entire trip, this of course depends on each individual. What could you need money for? For souvenirs, if you want to buy a drink (coke, beer) and for the tips for the crew. In Arusha, there are also international ATMs where you can draw cash.

Vaccination, malaria prophylaxis, first-aid kit

There are no vaccinations required to enter Tanzania. If you want to be vaccinated we recommend to consult an expert (Tropeninstitut in Vienna, or any other tropical MD). We let all travelers make their own decision. We are not medical specialists and we don’t give any recommendations. Our experience showed that there are big differences in the attitude of our travelers: there are people who are against vaccinations in general, and those who seek advice from the doctor or tropical institute.

Yellow fever is definitely - as far as I know - only obligatory for the entry into Tanzania, if one enters from a risk area, e.g. Ethiopia or Kenya, and spend more than 12 hours there. This is never the case with our planned flights. Also for the entry from the mainland to Zanzibar is not obligatory. Concerning malaria an insect spray is definitely advisable. Depending on the rain it can be humid, if otherwise very dry, and therefore always a different condition for mosquitoes. Depending on the travel time, the rain probability also varies (Nov-Apr rainy season, May-Oct dry season). However, there are two evenings where you are near freshwater, more mosquitoes. You can decide if you are already taking malaria prophylaxis (for example Malarone) or if malaria breaks out (the incubation period is between 8 days and several months), an emergency medication. Some travelers also swear on the homeopathic globuli that you take before you travel. But also here recommend to get professional advice, so you can make a decision that is right for you. On the trip, all rooms and tents are equipped with mosquito nets. So you do not need to take a net with you.

We always recommend a good first aid kit. Emmanuel and Lemayan are well equipped, but every traveler usually knows better what he might need for himself. Some tipps: plaster, wound ointment, disinfectant, gastrointestinal, something against diarrhea, throat medication, painkillers (no aspirin), possibly antibiotic, blood diluents for the flight, if you suffer from varicose veins. Make your own decision which suits you best.

Costs / Included services

The travel price is as agreed in the registration form. The minimum number of participants is 6 persons per travel date. Once this number of participants has been reached, the travel costs have to be paid. If the number of bookings is too low, it is possible to cancel the trip up to 4 weeks before departure. Alternatively, an additional payment from all participants is required (3-5 persons: 200 EUR). For the promotion/ communication we don’t charge any costs. Unfortunately, we cannot accept payment by credit cards.

Included services in the tour price: All local transport (shuttle, jeep safari, etc.), overnight stays (tent and guest house) and full board during the safari (except in Arusha), entrance fees for national parks and nature reserves, local team (guides + service ). What else does experience come from? Meals at the airport, lunch in Arusha, gift money, extra drinks (once a coke or beer, water is provided), gratuities.: for the crew, vaccinations, visa costs. In general, 300-500 EUR "pocket money" should be sufficient for the entire trip, this of course depends on each individual.

Mosquito net

All tents and rooms in the guesthouse are equipped with mosquito nets. An extra mosquito net is probably not necessary, but we recommend a mosquito spray.

Plastic ban from June 2019

From June 2019 it is prohibited to use plastic shopping bags in Tanzania. If you are traveling to Tanzania (mainland), you must not carry any plastic bags. Excluded is a zipper bag, which you use for toiletries in hand luggage. All your baggage my be checked at the airport. Longer waiting times have to be expected. The official announcement of the government can be found on our website: https://www.maasai-tours.com/tansania-verbannt-plastiktueten

Sun protection

A sunscreen with a high SPF is highly recommended, even if the sky should be cloudy. Thin, long-sleeved cotton shirts are also suitable as sun protection and to protect against insects during the daytime. Do not forget a cap or hat!

Language

Kiswahili, English. (No German tour guide!)

Team

Emmanuel Ole Killel and Lemayan Ole Sitoy are the main tour guides, founders and owners of "Enasinya Tours & Safaris", a professional tour operator in Northern Tanzania. For more than 10 years now, they have been welcoming and guiding European guests through their home country. Their team consists of assistant guides, porters / helpers, a cook and drivers. When selecting the team, the main focus is always on involving the local people.

Phone

Country code Tanzania: 00255 or +255

During the walking safari there will hardly be any network to make a regular phone call. For emergencies, however, the tour guides Emmanuel and Lemayan have a cell phone and are equipped for all possibilities. In Arusha you may have Wi-Fi in the guest house. It seems to be the cheapest option is to buy a prepaid mobile phone on site, but nowadays you need to register with your personal ID or passport which might take some time. Another option is that you just use the "time out" and get backt to regular contact with the "outside world". This is Africa!

Tips

Tips are absolutely common in Africa and are seen as a fixed part of the pay. Depending on the scope and quality of the service provided and also as a thank you for good service, the crew is very happy about it (about 10% of the travel price).

As a recommendation you can stick to the average local tips (per group per day):

Main guide 15 Euro Cook 10 - 12 Euro Assistant Guide 8 - 10 Euro Helpers / porters / waiters 5 Euro Local guides 7 Euro Safari driver 15 Euro

The team usually consists of 1 main guide, 1-2 assistant guide, 1 cook, 2 helpers / porters and 2-3 safari drivers for the national parks. From time to time, local guides join the team and support them for one or two days. It is best to hand over tips in local currency, as some of the crew have no chance to get to exchange offices. Main guides and safari drivers have the option of changing Euro or Dollar in Arusha. Accidents / illness

If something really happens, you will not be far away from a hospital, never more than half a day drive during the safari. It may also make sense to take out a travel cancellation or repatriation insurance. Many credit card providers, automobile clubs but also the travel agency Pölzl offer such insurances.

Visa

Upon arrival at Kilimanjaro Airport, you will arrive at the visa counter right in the airport building. There you need the visa application and the passport. The application forms are there. The visa costs 50 USD (as of July 2019). It must be a 50 USD bill. Please change before departure.

Laundry

There is no chance to do laundry on the walking safari. Since there are only limited possibilities of water, they will be used for personal hygiene. Since you only need what you wear on the safari, plus a second set for warm or cold, it is enough to reduce your equipment to the bare essentials.

Weather

From June to October it is generally dry and hot. This is the dry season and the daytime temperatures are between approx. 19 ° C and 32 ° C. At night and in the morning, however, it can still be quite cold (15 ° C), so you should also pack some warm clothes. From November to mid-December there are always shorter rain showers. From March to May you may witness longer rain, but then the country is usually very green at this time. The seasons can vary. A packing list with the most necessary things is provided, additionally to these tips.

Important info about the partnership with GEA / Waldviertler

The Walking Safari is an offer of Enasinya Tanzania - Maasai Tours & Safaris. GEA / Waldviertler is helping with advertising and as communication platform to enable all interested parties to travel to their friends in Tanzania. For the sake of simplicity, we establish contact with the travel agency Pölzl for the flight bookings. It is important to know that GEA or Waldviertler DO NOT act as organizers nor operators and therefore they can not assume any liability for personal injury or property damage.

Time zone

The time difference is +1 hour (summer time) or +2 hours (winter time), from Central European Time.

Tents, mattresses, sleeping bag

Emmanuel and Lemayan provide enough tents and mattresses (foam or self-inflating camping mattresses). Please take your own sleeping bag. At night it can be 10-15 ° C. We have experienced that a thicker sleeping bag and a thin blanket were often a good combination.

If you have any questions, Melanie is always at your disposal: E-mail: booking@maasai- tours.com or phone: +43 (0) 664 791 7497