What to pack for Zimbabwe

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: From Oct to Mar make sure you bring a raincoat. It doesn't rain all day...but better safe than sorry.
Layer your clothing as the temperature varies widely throughout the day. Yes, you'll need a sweater or sweatshirt for evenings and early mornings.
Zimbabweans tend to dress up more than Americans. To be safe, make sure you bring at least one collared shirt/blouse and a pair of trousers or skirt. You will see men in suits and women in heels even in the rural areas.

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: Bring toilet paper rolls with the cardboard insert taken out to make more space or the small packages of tissues. Only the nicest restrooms will provide paper.

Photo Equipment: Bring your own batteries for whatever equipment you take. Batteries are available, but are expensive.

Camping/Beach/Outdoor Gear: Make sure you have a flashlight.

Miscellaneous: The Zimbabwean government currently measures the Zimbabwean dollar at 99,210.00 to US$1, however the black market in the country trades at 210,000.00. To give a true comparison of costs the latter exchange rate has been used.

PEDZI'S MONTHLY BUDGET
Per month Zimbabwe $ US $
Pay 7,296,667 35
Study fees 333,333 2
Rent 2,000,000 10
Dependents 3,000,000 14
Electricity 200,000 1
Water 150,000 1
Transport 960,000 5
Food 4,150,000 20
Phone 500,000 2

Luggage and bags: Take plastic bags to insure, that your personal belongings and camera don't get soaking wet while you approach the Falls!

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: And the same holds true for yourself, so be sure to have a good raincoat with you! And good shoes as well!

Miscellaneous: Hey, just bring a good pair of boots! A good
camera. At least 5 rolls of film per-day!! But,
also: Your humor, sense of adventure, and
a good attitude "A MUST!" Everything else
will fall into place!!
Need boots for a walk in a dry river bed. Have
to stop and have a BEER or a GIN & TONIC!!
Laugh at and have some fun when your truck
gets stuck!! Maybe some other truck will
come by and pull you out. If not, WHO CARES!

Luggage and bags: VERY IMPORTANT:

Packing space is limited on all modes of safari transport, so you will need to restrict your baggage to 12 - 15kg (preferably packed in a soft bag) plus a reasonable amount of camera equipment.

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: WHAT TO PACK

Generally, casual comfortable clothing is suitable throughout the year. The most practical items to pack for safari are:
Blouses with long sleeves (even in summer - they will protect you from the sun and from mosquitoes)
T-shirts Shorts or a light skirt Jeans or trousers for evenings and cooler days
Fleece or sweater and a windbreaker for game drives (necessary, even in summer)
Comfortable walking shoes Sun block, sunglasses, hat, insect repellent - essentials!
Binoculars and a camera are a must Tracksuit - good for sleeping in during winter months
Light, compact raincoat is a good idea for the summer
Swimsuit, as most hotels/lodges have swimming pools
Towel, torch and sleeping bag for camping safaris (sleeping bags can be hired from most safari operators)
Elegant casual outfit for dinner and/or cocktails at the smarter hotels and restaurants - men are generally expected to don collar, jacket (sometimes even a tie) in cocktail bars and restaurants after 18:30, except in the warmer parts of the country and at the game lodges.
Layers are most practical for the fluctuating day/night temperatures of Zimbabwe.
Dull and/or neutral colours are more suitable for safari - white is not practical.
It is best to pack hardy, durable clothing.

Photo Equipment: PHOTOGRAPHY

Film is available at most game lodges, but stocks are usually small and of the common sizes only. For game and bird photography a telephoto lens of between 200 and 300mm is strongly recommended. Larger lenses which require a tripod are generally impractical for game photography from vehicles, as are double lens reflex cameras. A lens hood and ultra violet filter are advisable and a dust cover (plastic bag) is essential. Remember to bring spare batteries for your camera as these are seldom available on safari. Binoculars are invaluable for bird and game viewing.

Miscellaneous: TIPPING

Tips of 10% are usually expected by taxi drivers and at hotels. Service charge is often included in a bill, but when not, a 10% tip is acceptable. However tipping is purely at your discretion

CURRENCY

The unit of currency is the Zimbabwean dollar (Z$), which is divided into 100 cents. Foreign currency is widely accepted and prices are usually also displayed in US$. Foreigners are requested to settle their accommodation payment in foreign currency, preferably US$.

CURRENCY

The unit of currency is the Zimbabwean dollar (Z$), which is divided into 100 cents. Foreign currency is widely accepted and prices are usually also displayed in US$. Foreigners are requested to settle their accommodation payment in foreign currency, preferably US$.

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: Not a very good tip in my LP guide: dont take sandals! Hello! Sandals are crucial for your feet in this heat! You need walking sandals and the one that can get wet and wont easily slip off - for rafting. Both of these you can buy cheap in Zimbabwe. But if you have good walking sandals back home - bring them with you! I had my sandals custom made in Harare. They were great, but their life has ended by the end of my journey.

Zimbabwe is dusty in September and October, so dont expect to be too clean or to have clean shoes. I had also my mountain shoes with me, but it was too hot to wear them. I had them in Chimanimani mountains, where they were good, but the rest of the trip they were just an extra luggage I didnt need.

Miscellaneous: EXTERNAL PAGE
Visit my complete trip at:
http://www.geocities.com/kinma_es/Namibia/namibiaingles.html

Luggage and bags: its nice and warm in zimbabwe, shorts and light airy pants are great for safari and for visiting the falls.
a light sleeping bag/ blanket is also good.
BRING A TENT! you may not end up using it, but you dont want to end up at a backpackers place only to find out that all thier dorm rooms are full and you have no tent! :-)

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: well if you are taking your lariam (this means you are american) dont be fooled, you can still get malaria EVEN WHILE TAKING LARIAM! Lariam itself will only protect you against the malarial parasites only if they are in a beggining stage of developement. You well if you are taking your lariam (this means you are american) dont be fooled! you can still get malaria EVEN WHILE TAKING LARIAM! Lariam itself will only protect you against the malarial parasites only if they are in a beggining stage of developement. You CAN get bitten by a mosquito carring an advanced stage parasite and STILL GET MALARIA. (This happened to my roommate, so its first hand information). but, dont panic! if you do end up getting malaria, the local doctors have thier own medicine that should clean you up in no time!

Photo Equipment: I reccomend bringing a regular camera, i brought a digital camera when i went (all the photos on my pages were taken with that camera). And only to find myself getting shot in the foot when it came time to send the pictures home via the net. They have inetrnet cafes... but they are slow... or should i say slower than what i am used to (which would be a cable modem).

Camping/Beach/Outdoor Gear: if you are camping then bring light blankets. its not really cold at night. A good idea, if you are american, would be to buy a few citronella candles (5-6) and some 'Off!' spray repelent (2 cans). Bring them outside and share them with your fellow campers... its a quick and easy way to ward of the mosi's and make some friends.