What we provide, so you do not need to bring it
We provide the camping side of things: sleeping bags, tents, lights, and Starlink internet at camp. You do not need to carry any of it with you.
That is the single biggest thing to know before you start packing, because it removes the bulkiest items from the list.
Sun
Good protection from the sun is most of the packing problem. Plan for being outdoors all day rather than for a change of scene in the evening.
Choose a reef-safe sunscreen. You will be swimming over living coral at Dihamri and off Shoab, and the common filters in ordinary sunscreen are the ones reefs do worst with.
Shoes
Two pairs cover everything: sturdy walking shoes with a real sole for the rock and scree, and water shoes for the pools, the wadis and the coral shallows.
The water shoes are the pair people regret leaving behind. Much of the swimming here is entered over sharp limestone or coral rubble rather than sand.
Power and light
Bring a headlamp. Camp light is not street light, and a hand torch is the wrong tool when you are putting up a bag or finding a path in the dark.
Bring a power bank — 10,000 to 20,000 mAh is the useful range.
There is USB charging in the cars and a solar power charger at the camps, but both are shared across the group. A power bank is what stops you waiting your turn.
Money
Bring US dollars in cash. Local exchange is available on the island once you arrive.
Bring notes printed in 2009, 2013, 2017 or newer. Bills with older designs are routinely rejected by vendors, guides and authorities on the island, even when they are perfectly legal tender in the United States.
Around $500 is a sensible amount for personal spending across a tour. Your food, transport, guiding and entrance fees are already included, so this is for the things that are genuinely yours to choose.
What to wear
Dress is not strictly enforced, and nobody will trouble you about it. A head covering is recommended for women in town, and it is appreciated rather than required.
In towns and villages, cover your shoulders and skip the short shorts. It is a small courtesy in a place where visitors are still uncommon enough to be noticed. At the camps and on the beaches nobody minds what you wear.
The small things that matter here
A microfibre towel, because it dries between one swim and the next and an ordinary towel does not.
Biodegradable wet wipes. Washing is not always available, and what you use outdoors stays where you leave it — this is an island whose whole appeal is that it has not been worn down.
A soft duffle rather than a hard suitcase. Bags travel in the back of a 4x4 over rough ground, and something that squashes into a gap is easier for everyone than something that does not.
Health
No vaccinations or malaria tablets are needed. Taking them is a safe measure and entirely up to you.
Travellers with severe back pain should speak to their doctor first, as the roads are very bumpy. That is worth knowing before you commit rather than on day two.
What the conditions are actually like
On the camping tours the camps are basic. On the hotel-based tour the bathrooms are proper. Pack for the one you have chosen.
You need to be fit enough for rough travel — the roads are very bumpy. There is no long-distance walking on the camping tours beyond what you choose, but the driving is not gentle.