Preparing For Field Studies: Tanzania

Please read the following information carefully to best prepare yourself for traveling to Tanzania.  If you have questions, please call our office at 800.458.0588. 

A.  Dealing with Culture Shock
B.  Passports & Visas
C.  Special Health Requirements
D.  Climbing Kilimanjaro - Physical Preparation
E.  Field Studies: Tanzania Packing List

A. Dealing with Culture Shock

Knowing that you will experience culture shock upon arrival in Tanzania is essential to your enjoyment of the program. Culture shock is the reaction of your mind and body to the change from a familiar environment to another environment that is unknown. Tanzania is a nation of contrasts: beautiful landscapes and fancy hotels are not far from poverty and rural life. Tanzania is a developing country.  The infrastructure is not in great shape: dirt roads, buildings in poor repair—it’s not nearly as tidy as we’re used to. You will grow to love it, but it may take some time. Understanding that you will experience culture shock, avoiding labeling differences as “good” or “bad”, focusing on all you are learning and experiencing and maintaining the ability to laugh at your mistakes will help you to deal with culture shock. 

B.  Passports & Visas

In order to travel to Tanzania, each student must have a passport and a visa.  

The passport must not expire within six months of the date the student leaves Tanzania (August 4, 2010) and should be applied for as soon as possible in order to obtain a travel visa. It can take between four and six weeks for your passport application to be processed.  Complete information on applying for a passport is available online on the U.S. Department of State website.  Please note special instructions for students who are 16 & 17 years old and for students who are under 16 years of age.  If you do not already have a passport, please apply for it immediately.   You need to have a valid passport in order to apply for your visa and later in the spring the turn-around time for passport applications will lengthen as the busy summer travel season approaches.   We recommend you have your passport application expedited, either by the US State Department Passport Office or by a private passport expediter, to avoid processing delays.

In order to avoid significant delays at the airport with a group of our size, we ask that all students apply for a visa this spring before the trip start.  Visa applications, which can take several weeks to process, are easily obtained by downloading the application from the Embassy of Tanzania website.    As with your passport application, please apply for your visa as soon as possible to avoid delays.

To apply for a single-entry travel visa to enter Tanzania, you will need to mail (1) a completed visa application (please check "leisure/holiday" as the purpose of your visit), (2) your passport, (3) two 2' x 2' passport photographs, (4) a self-addressed, postage-paid envelope to facilitate the return of your passport, (5) proof of travel plans (download here), (6) a notarized letter jointly signed by the parents or legal guardians authorizing travel to Tanzania and (7) visa fee ($100, payable by check, money order or credit card) to:

The Embassy of the United Republic of Tanzania
1232 22nd St. NW
Washington, D.C. 20037

New address, effective March 1, 2010.

Please note that if you pay by check you must include a photocopy of your driver's license.

Please visit the Embassy of Tanzania website or call our office at 800.458.0588 for more information about obtaining a visa.  

C. Special Health Requirements

All Overland students must be current on their routine vaccinations.  Overland advises students traveling to Tanzania to consult with their family physician for information about protection against hepatitis A, hepatitis B, typhoid, rabies, yellow fever and malaria.  Please check with your physician as soon as possible about receiving the necessary immunizations and to learn more about taking an antimalarial drug prior to departure.

Overland requires all students to travel with an international health certificate, showing proof of yellow fever vaccination, to present at passport control.   For complete health and safety information regarding travel to Tanzania, please visit the CDC Website.

Please make at least three photocopies of your passport, visa and international health certificate.  Leave one copy of both documents with your family and put photocopies of each in both your checked luggage and carry-on luggage for the flight, separate from your actual passport, visa and international health certificate.   If the parents or guardians of the student will be traveling out of the country for any period of time between July 1, 2010 and August 5, 2010, we recommend mailing or faxing a copy of your passport and visa to our office.

D. Climbing Kilimanjaro

During the last week of the trip, the group will hike the 5-day Rongai Route on Mount Kilimanjaro (19,340 feet) with professional guides provided by the African Walking Company.

In addition to providing general guiding and logistic support, our mountain guides will monitor each student's and leader's overall health and fitness as we hike.  Our leaders and students need to be honest with one another and communicate clearly with their guides about how they feel as the climb progresses.  If any of our students are experiencing significant discomfort due to the altitude, our guides will send the group member, accompanied by an Overland leader, down to lower elevation, and they will administer Diamox (also called acetazolamide) to speed the hiker's recovery.  Diamox does this by increasing the amount of oxygen in the bloodstream.

Many hikers on Kilimanjaro take Diamox as a prophylactic - not in response to any altitude-related symptoms, but rather on a daily basis from the first day of the hike - to ease the transition to a higher altitude. For this reason, you may consider taking Diamox on your Kilimanjaro hike. Our policy is to leave this decision to each student, his/her parents and their family physician.  Therefore, we encourage all families to consult with their family physician regarding the use of Diamox as a prophylactic on Kilimanjaro. If  you decide to take Diamox, please have your physician prescribe it for you and report that to us on your physician’s report.  Please note: Diamox is a sulfonamide drug and should not be taken if the student is allergic to sulfa drugs.

As with everything we do, safety is our first priority. Hiking Kilimanjaro is a great experience and well worth the effort, but reaching the summit will simply be a goal, not a necessity.  We’ll enjoy our time on Africa’s tallest peak and we’ll stay safe.
 

E. Packing List

Clothing

• Fleece Jacket or Pullover & Long Fleece Pants
  To stay warm on cool nights and while climbing Kilimanjaro. Your fleece can also double as a pillow. Please do not bring jeans or sweatpants. They are heavy, bulky and will not keep you warm if wet.
• Insulated Vest
  Fleece, Thinsulate, or down. To stay warm on cool nights and while climbing Kilimanjaro.
• Thick Insulated Jacket
  Optional.  To stay warm while climbing Kilimanjaro.  Students will have the option to rent these from the African Walking Company for USD 50, payable in cash at the time of our climb.  Please let us know if you intend to rent an insulated jacket; we need to reserve jackets with the AWC ahead of time and they have a limited supply available.
• Synthetic Long Underwear Top & Bottom
  To stay warm on cool nights. Top can also be worn while hiking on cooler days.
• Winter Hat & Gloves/Mittens
  To stay warm on cool nights and while climbing Kilimanjaro.
• Waterproof, Breathable Rain Jacket & Rain Pants
  Your rain gear must be waterproof (not just water and/or wind resistant). GoreTex is one of the better-known waterproof, breathable fabrics, but there are many of these fabrics to choose from. Ponchos are not acceptable as they are difficult to hike in and don't provide the same protection that a rain jacket does. Rain pants provide protection from wind and rain and are an extra warm layer when needed.
• Lightweight Travel Pants
  Three pairs, three-quarter length or full length.  Made of synthetic material.   Girls can bring skirts (past the knee) if they choose.
• Shorts
  Two pairs, made of synthetic material.   
• T-Shirts
  Five, synthetic material preferred.  Please no spaghetti strap tanktops.
• Underwear
  Five pairs.
• Socks & Sock Liners
  Three pairs of wool or synthetic socks made for hiking and three pairs of synthetic sock liners (thin socks worn to prevent blisters). Five pairs of athletic socks for use with sneakers.
• Pajamas
  One pair only. Pajamas aren't required as many students sleep in shorts and a t-shirt.
• Bathing Suit
• Sneakers
• Sandals
  

A note on clothing in Tanzania: Modesty is highly valued in Tanzanian culture and this reflected in the way Tanzanians dress.  Men typically wear long pants and women and young girls often wear long flowing skirts.  Very few Tanzanians wear shorts, with the exception of young boys.  Though tourists often wear shorts while visiting the National Parks or the beaches, our experience traveling in Tanzania has shown that you will feel most comfortable if you are prepared with appropriate clothing that reflects the culture of Tanzania.  Lightweight travel pants (three-quarter length or full-length), capri-style pants, long skirts, t-shirts and loose-fitting clothing are all appropriate.  Please avoid spaghetti strap tanktops and excessively short shorts or skirts. 

• Hiking Boots
  Waterproof backpacking boots (recommended price range $150 to $225). Choose a comfortable boot that is designed for hiking with a medium-weight pack. Your boots should have a durable leather upper than can be treated with waterproofing wax or liquid, or have a waterproof fabric/leather combination. If the boots you like have a GoreTex liner, that is great, but boots do not need to have GoreTex liners to be waterproof; good quality leather when treated properly is waterproof. Follow the waterproofing instructions from the boots' manufacturer prior to the start of your trip; typically you must wear the boots for at least a week before they will accept waterproofing treatment. Wear your boots on the plane.
• Backpack
  4,000-5,000 cubic inches. Before you purchase a backpack, find your backpack size by measuring your torso length and your hips. We recommend getting fitted at a store where you can try on a number of different packs. 
• Waterproof Pack Cover
  If your backpack does not come with a cover, choose one that fits your pack well.
• Pack Duffel
  Optional. To protect your pack during the flight, choose a lightweight pack duffel that will compress easily so you can carry it in your pack for the duration of the trip. We like Osprey's Airporter LZ.
• Daypack
  1,300-1,800 cubic inches.  Cary on plane with you.
  
• Water Bottle
  One 1-liter Nalgene (or similar) water bottle. Overland will provide you with a second water bottle on arrival. A CamelBak or similar water bladder is acceptable if you have one already, but water bottles work just as well.
• Gaiters
  Optional. Knee-high gaiters keep water and mud off your boots and legs. Another option is to wear pants, instead of shorts, for hiking, to keep your legs covered.
• Four season sleeping bag OR sleeping bag and liner
  Lightweight and compact. Synthetic or down is acceptable, though synthetic is preferred as it will be more effective when wet.  A sleeping bag with this temperature rating is essential for climbing Kilimanjaro.  As an alternative to purchasing a four-season sleeping bag, we recommend purchasing a fleece liner to use in combination with a sleeping bag with a higher temperature rating.  Use the fleece liner while climbing Kilimanjaro to increase the warmth of your sleeping bag and remove the liner during the rest of the trip. 
• Sleeping Pad
  Compact, full length.  Closed cell foam (thin and firm—e.g., RidgeRest) or self-inflating (e.g., Therm-a-Rest) is acceptable.
• Utensils
  6" to 8" plastic dish or bowl with top, spoon, fork and insulated plastic mug. These don't need to be special camping utensils. A Rubbermaid (or similar) dish and regular spoon/fork are fine.
• Headlamp
  Small and lightweight. This comes in very handy in camp when it's dark and you're using both hands.  Bring backup batteries.
• Small Safety Whistle
  Plastic or metal with string or lanyard attached.

• Towel
  Medium size cotton towel or synthetic camping towel.
• Plastic Bags
  Five large ziplocks and three tall kitchen trash bags. The trash bags will be used to line your backpack and to wrap your sleeping bag and pad in. The ziplocks will be used to organize and waterproof the rest of your gear.
• Toiletries
  All travel size (in a plastic bag). If necessary, you will be able to restock basic items during the trip.  Contact solution is difficult to find in Tanzania; please bring a full supply for the five weeks if you intend to wear contacts.
• Moleskin or Molefoam.
  One full package to use for blister treatment if needed.
• Hat (with a visor), Sunglasses, Sunscreen (SPF 15+), Chapstick (with SPF protection) & Insect Repellent 
• Paperback Book and/or Journal
  Optional. Your group will collectively keep a group journal, and you will receive a copy of the journal after your trip. If you would like to keep your own journal, you should bring one.
• Camera/Batteries/Memory Card
  Optional.  Interested in seeing your photographs or videos on Overland's website next year?  Bring a camera with lots of pixels (10 or more) and lots of memory (4GB or more).  Buying a new camera?  One of our favorites is the Canon PowerShot SD960 IS digital camera. 
• Converter (optional)
  Tanzanian outlets are typically "Type G " British BS-1363, also known as a 13-amp plug.  American electronics will not be compatible with this outlet.  If you wish to charge your camera while in Tanzania, please bring a converter with surge protection capabilities. 
• Valid Passport, Visa & International Health Certificate
  Please make at least three photocopies of your passport, visa and international health certificate.  Leave one copy of both documents with your family and put photocopies of each in both your checked luggage and carry-on luggage for the flight, separate from your actual passport, visa and international health certificate.   If the parents or guardians of the student will be traveling out of the country for any period of time between July 1, 2010 and August 5, 2010, we recommend mailing or faxing a copy of your passport and visa to our office.
• Spending Money
  $150 total is suggested.  US dollars can be exchanged for Tanzanian shillings (TSh) upon arrival.  As an alternative to carrying cash, ATM cards are also easy to use and widely accepted in Dar es Salaam and Arusha.  Please be sure to inform your bank before traveling that your ATM card will be used outside the country.