From what I can tell the temps in TZ during July should be quite pleasant. Short sleeve shirts and short pants might be all I need. However, I've never hunted in an area that has tsetse flies. Are they enough of an annoyance for them to influence what I should wear?
For a July hunt, is it long or short sleeves and pants?

Spring,

Kisigo will be unpleasantly cold in the early AM. Gloves and a warm coat will be your uniform of the day until about 9 AM and again as soon as the sun goes down. Masailand will be warmer but still cool in the early AM. Riding on the back of those TGTS Landcruisers can be brutal.

The tetses in Kisigo are the worst I have ever seen. They were a nuisance in Zambia and Zimbabwe but they are savage in Tanzania. I recommend long pants and long sleeve shirts. Perhaps the pants that zip off and the shirt with the tab to hold the rolled up sleeve would be the trick. Masialand of course has no tetses but the dust is unreal.

A good bug repellent is a must. We really had good results from the OFF pruduct that is both a sunscreen and repellent.

Regards,

Mark

You need to order the Bug Tamer Jacket and Pants from me...the jacket for sure as those flies will eat you alive. They love the taste of any DEET product and thrive on it.
Take a good pair of leather gloves (not those pootie skeet shooting gloves) but the real thing
and if nothing else tuck your pants into your socks and tape the bottom of your pants closed.
The jacket also has an attached hood with face mask that allows you to wear your hat too. Keeps the flies out of your face etc. Worth every damn dime you pay for it. It says on my web site that this was the most valuable clothing I took to TZ.
www.hunters-hq.com...the African page.
As to weather...take a down jacket or any of the poly fleece stuff esp. that which has the windstopper stuff inside. It is cold early and late in that safari car.
Leave your cute little shorts at home. You can alway make shot sleeve shirts from long and the same with long pants.
Have fun!

Just out of curiosity, when in July are you going?? JudgeG and I will be there in the last week of July and the first week of August.

You'll get there just as I leave as I'll be there the 1st 3 weeks of the month. I'll just let my guys know some fellow Georgians are coming over to pick up my tab...

Spring:
I have hunted in Kisigo and twice in the Lake Rukwa area (Lukwati)at about the same time you are. As represented the tetse are bad. If you have never been in fly country then you had better take some long pants and shirts. I wore short pants and shirts in Kisigo but the flies weren't the problem. Running through the bush was. My legs were so cut up by thorns that I alternated between long and short pants.
In the mornings and the drives back to camp after dark you will need a sweater and a wind breaker at a minimum.
You will love Kisigo. Many of the lions that were shown on the post about TGT's lion standards were photographed on my safari. You need a real good understanding of the age and standard of lion that you will be allowed to shoot. Remember, they decide which lion you can shoot, not you.
I believe Kisigo(Kizigo) is the best place for a trophy lion and buffalo on the same hunt. Good luck and tell me how you do.

You might reconsider your hunt in Tanzania in July. The grass is too high and green even in dry years unless you are in the Maasi. We were sold a hunt next to the Selous reserve and saw poor game counts. We spent most of our hunting time burning the long grass. Game was scarce and I would not risk my money ever again on such a venture.

1115 ----- Good to see you survived Dallas. I particularly enjoyed that Porterhouse steak saturday night as well as the beans, of course they accompanied me home the next day. Good luck on your hunt in July, let us know how you do. Good shooting.

Sounds like I need to be prepared for an onslaught! I looked at the gallery of pictures on the TGTS web site and saw that most everyone there was dressed for the beach in Florida. In your view, were these people sitting targets for the flies or did they simply not have the good fortune of being able to query friends like you that have traveled there previously?

Shorts and shortsleeves are worn in the north, but I'd never wear 'em. As someone already said, the thorns will chew you up. Also the flies. Light- to mid-weight trousers and featherweight long sleeved shirts are the best, I think.

Of course, all of the Maasai trackers show up in the morning dressed in the Tanzanian version of ski clothes--heavy coats, wool hats or balaclavas and gloves. And they don't take 'em off until noon. It's hilarious.

Vic,

I just remembered that you will be hunting Monduli as well as Kisigo. You can see Monduli from where we hunted at Natron. I assume you will hunt at least bushbuck on the Monduli mountain if not buffalo. This will be a wonderful experience as the hunt on Mt. Galai was for us but the stinging nettles are really dangerous if your skin even touches them you are in for serious discomfort. Of course on the valley floor everything stings, sticks or bites too. None of our crew wore short pants on the safari at all.

Regards,

Mark

Thanks, Mark, and this series of posts has been very helpful to me. Remember that I am having to make sure than not only me, but also that my son is prepared for all that we will encounter.
The more I hear about the sticks and thorns, the more I start wondering if I should pull out the brush pants that I use when quail hunting....

I was in the Ugalla area in September of this year and tsetse are a real bother when you get into a pocket of them. They will bite right through light clothing and in my case anyway they like the "between the shoulder blades where you can't them" area. Take some warm clothes and you might get rained on as well. Have a great time, I always do in Tanzania.

I got an e-mail from my PH this week and this is what he suggested. Sounds very similar to advice heard here.....

I would suggest that you should bring long pants and long-sleeve shirts together with one pair of shorts and a lighter shirt or two for the evenings at camp or for a travelling day. Laundry is done daily. You may also consider a head net for the tsetse as Moyowosi can be bad and Gators ( I believe they are called ) which go around the ankles and over your longs to stop the tsetse climbing up your longs.

And after having dinner tonight with some friends that have visted Tanzania several times, I think I've been sold on Bug Tamer!

Vic,

From your last post it would seem you have changed ares from Kisigo to the Moyowosi. I have heard from a number of people that the tetses are absolutely the worst there. What do they say about the graas that early in the season? Franz Wengert told me that the Moyowosi wasn't really huntable until much later in the season.

Regards,

Mark

Mark,
Yes, my hunt will indeed include Moyowosi and Monduli. 2 years ago when putting this trip together we had discussed including Kizigo, and for some reason, for a while I thought that's what we had selected. But looking into the trips details, I recalled that it was Monduli and not Kizigo that will be the second area I'll hunt. I was very glad to have this clarified as a combination of hunting around the Masai will provide opportunities unique to Tanzania, while Moyowosi offers some of Africa's best lion hunting.
As for the huntability of Moyowosi in July, I have no doubt the grass will be a factor. How much of one I do not know, though it was suggested to me that being the first hunter of the season in that area had advantages. The grass may make the hunting more of a challenge, but that's when we're going so we'll have to deal with it!

Vic,

Being the first lion hunter of the season definitely could be a good thing. Hunting buffalo in the long graas should be a challenge. I'll be very interested in your hunt report. I'd love to hunt the Moyowosi myself for sitatunga etc.

God Hunting,

Mark