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Great Migration luggage weight questions
Do they weigh your luggage or does all your stuff just have to fit into the duffel for the air flights in country and between Tanzania and Kenya? I am finding the weight of the over the counter medications I am brining, supplements etc putting my duffel over 33 pounds and closer to 40 pounds….Is this a problem? I will try to skim down the OTC stuff but wondering how precise I need to be….I think I was a girl scout in a prior life(lol) and so over think what might be needed in case we get sick with x,y or z….thank you!!
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The weight limit is important became of the small planes you are flying on. You don’t need any dress up clothes and isn’t laundry free on that tour. Can you skip supplements fro that time, after all, most are not required or regulated by the FDA.
I reread Tauck information that they recently sent out….the 1 duffel is not to be more than 40 pounds…so I will be good with that but I think you are right that I will need to think out the supplements so I can bring some gifts home…
I meant to say THIN out the supplements, but I guess I will need to think them out too!
My big suitcase rarely weighs more than 40 lbs. maybe you can bring less clothes. The Great Migration should be the very most casual and rugged of all the Africa tours, I’ve taken most of them but not the Migration, you can see that on regular tours if you go at the right time.
Just back from the Mountain Gorilla Safari: Kenya, Tanzania & Rwanda tour. About the luggage weight issues. Tauck says your main bag should weigh no more than 44 pounds, and the duffel that you carry on the occasions when you make shorter flights in smaller aircraft should weigh no more than 33 pounds. These are sensible guidelines and you really can get by with only a main bag weighing 44 pounds. You can have laundry done at reasonable prices in all the lodges you will be staying at. But, no one was checking weight of our bags every time we moved to a new resort. Also, when you have taken your final mid journey flight requiring the lighter duffel, you can then use both your main bag and the duffel bag to carry your belongings and any thing else you acquire on this trip. We packed our dirty clothes into the duffles for the trip home, as suggested by our tour director. Also remember that the airlines typically allow have a weight limit of 50 pounds, not 44 pounds. Since we flew business class, we were allowed two bags each of up to 70 pounds per bag.
John, the original poster asked about the Great Migration tour. This was also way back in 2024
Yes, and I found that original posting and responses very helpful. I just wanted to update it with my own experience on a similar trip. I found all the postings, current and past, of interest in anticipating what to expect on my own trip in 2025. What was your point?
This is what it says for the Great Migration toir. It matters!
‘Due to internal flights with limited storage capacity throughout the tour, A special rolling duffel bag (27 ½" x 14" x 15"inches) to be used for the entire tour;
will be mailed to your home prior to your tour departure. This duffel bag has been selected to provide you with adequate space for all items needed during your stay.
While larger suitcases are prohibited, each guest is allowed a small soft sided carry-on bag weighing up to 5KG (11 lbs), in addition to the duffel bag weighing up too 20 KG (44 lbs).’
My bad. I didn't realize that there were three different Tauck tours for East Africa. There is a Great Migration, a Classic Safari covering Tanzania and Kenya, and the Mountain Gorilla trip, which is basically the Classic Safari with the addition of the walk with the Gorillas. For the latter two itineraries, you can bring your own suitcase, not to weigh more than 44 pounds, and are given a duffle bag for the transfers by smaller aircraft where your duffle should not weigh more than 33 pounds. Your larger bag is then carried by ground transport to meet you at the next stop. The only really strenuous segment of our trip was the Rwanda segment where you have to walk into the jungle to meet your gorilla family. While it was a bit of a struggle getting in and out of the safari Land Cruiser vehicles, we managed that pretty well. There wasn't a lot of walking, otherwise. We took a small electronic luggage scale with us, but nobody was checking the weight of our baggage. It would have been hard to pack much more than 33 pounds in the duffle.
John, there are 6 Safari tours that begin in Arusha! I’ve taken five of the six!
Actually 7 including the Great Migration!
What is the size of the provided duffel for the classic Tanzania and Kenya tour?
Large enough for everything you need with you.
What type of souvenirs are popular on the African Classic Safari?
For me, most things were Masai related. Beaded Neck rings, I love them, beaded jewelry. Beaded and carved walking sticks. Carved wooden pieces . I love the African art…I’ve just moved house so I’ve been sorting where to put those art pieces on my walls. Some women like to buy tanzanite jewelry.
You can barter with the Masai when you visit them, but they barter hard. When we were there in 2024, the quality offed was poor, rusty earrings, things like that. Twenty years ago it was great quality and really cheap, but now they know what people are willing to pay. Alternatively. You can buy at the hotel gift shops and some hotels have local Masai who come to the hotels. The best variety of items is at the cultural center outside Arusha which is now huge, everything from carved animals to very expensive art pieces, tanzanite, everything. If you are uncomfortable bartering, then that’s the place to buy. As always, if you see something you really like, then buy it incase you don’t see it again.
My last visit, it was much easier to find African fabric, I bought already cut pieces, various lengths. I have made home furnishing items over the years from those amazing traditional prints which are so colorful.