Packing

Although the choice of what to take is yours, there are some things we consider essential and as a guide you should plan to take the equipment and clothing detailed below. All of the camp equipment is provided but you will need to bring your own sleeping bag, mat and towel. Luggage should be kept to a minimum. You will need a daypack to carry water, picnic lunch, waterproof, camera, binoculars, etc. The rest of your luggage will be transported between camps by the camp staff.

Probably the most essential item is comfortable footwear. Hiking boots you might wear walking in the Lake District or the Scottish Mountains are likely to be too heavy and hot. Lightweight boots or trainers will be the most comfortable footwear but you must make sure they are worn in and you will be happy walking in them for several hours at a time.

When relaxing around camp you will probably find sandals a welcome relief but even here thorns are everywhere so thick-soled leather is preferable to thin, rubber flip-flops.

The best advice about clothing is that you will need far less than you think. If you can’t fit your clothing into an airline’s cabin baggage allowance then you are probably bringing too much. However, during the walk there will be no opportunity to wash clothes so you should bring enough to last the duration of the walk.

In the daytime all you will need to wear is a shirt/top and trousers/shorts. You should be aware that exposed arms and legs will be subjected to a sun that will burn most European skin types within half an hour. The other factor to bear in mind is that you will be walking through grassland and bush where it seems every grass is spiky and every bush has thorns. Given this it is probably most practical to wear long sleeves or carry a long sleeve shirt in your daypack that you can put on if required. Lightweight trousers, where the bottoms zip off and convert to shorts are a good option. Alternatively carry shorts or trousers so you can change if needed.

In the early mornings and evenings it is often cool enough to warrant a fleece top, sweatshirt or jumper and it can rain at almost any time although showers are most likely to fall in the late afternoon/early evening. A lightweight, rainproof top will be useful and you should probably carry this in your daypack. Waterproof bottoms are not really necessary.

In the evenings long sleeves and trousers will help to prevent you being bitten by mozzies. You will be walking through an area where malaria occurs and you are better off covering up and not getting bitten. For the same reason you may want to wear socks in the evenings to protect your feet and ankles from insect bites. You should also bring a good tropical insect repellent.

A wide-brimmed sun hat will be essential along with plenty of high factor sunscreen!

Binoculars are invaluable for animal and bird watching both when walking and when on safari.

The photographic opportunities will be endless and you will take more pictures than you can possibly imagine. Given you will have no access to power during the walk, make sure you bring enough memory cards and batteries to last the 5 days.

A small torch will also be invaluable. Many people favour head torches. However, in our experience, whilst convenient in that they leave both hands free, they have the disadvantage of attracting flying insects to your face. Because there is so little ambient light, night time vision under the moon and stars is significantly better than at home.