If you want to explore Africa, Tanzania is the perfect first stop.

After a 20+ hour flight from Shanghai via Doha, we arrived in Dar es Salaam. As the largest city in East Africa, it truly lives up to its name, stretching beyond the horizon even from the plane. Dar es Salaam means "haven of peace" in Swahili. It's helpful to remember the spelling, as it's easy to confuse with "Saddam Hussein." Traveling to Africa can be daunting, with concerns about hygiene and safety often fueled by negative news. Just the mention of required vaccinations can deter many. However, Tanzania has a long-standing friendship with China, dating back to Zheng He's voyages in the 15th century. Recommended supplies: - Hiking jacket (essential for hot air balloon rides, as temperatures can fluctuate by 15-20 degrees Celsius between day and night) - Long-sleeved pajamas and a sleeping cap (tents are drafty, and combined with the temperature swings, I felt the wind on my head the first night I slept in a tent) - Slippers or sandals (easy to slip on and off in the car) - A change of clothes for each day (it's dusty and windy, so clothes get dirty easily) - Sunscreen, sun hat, cooling sleeves, face mask, scarf (vehicles don't have air conditioning, relying on natural ventilation, so sun protection is crucial) - Disposable underwear (a lifesaver), disposable bath towels, toothbrush and toothpaste - Hair dryer (some places don't provide them, but many camps don't allow them due to high wattage) - Wet wipes and wet toilet paper (essential for dealing with the daily dust) - Binoculars (optional if you're using a telephoto lens for photography) - Telephoto lens, 400mm minimum, 600mm ideal - Air blower and lens cleaning wipes (for cleaning cameras, binoculars, and glasses) - Cold medicine, antidiarrheal medication, fever reducer (I didn't end up needing them, thankfully) - Power adapter (I didn't need one, as the car and hotel had Chinese-style outlets) - SIM card (usually purchased upon arrival, but I'm mentioning it here because I used my Oppo phone's "Xiaoyaoyou" feature, which provided 1GB of data for 7 days for 50 RMB. The speed was comparable to local SIM cards, with slightly weaker signals in some areas. However, due to daily safaris, I had limited time and signal, relying on hotel Wi-Fi, which was unreliable in the same areas where the SIM card struggled)