Taking a good panorama is not difficult -- the best way to go about it is to get out there and start trying. You don't have to opt for an expensive setup to take a panorama. This article has listed the IDEA equipment for a landscape photographer who wants to get into some serious panorama landscape photography.
The basic requirements to take a good panorama are:
DSLR Camera
Tripod + Ballhead with Panning
Software to stich individual images together (Panorama Software)
If you have the above, you can start taking panoramas without much fuss. If you find you enjoy taking panoramas, then you might look at getting a dedicated panoram equipment (panorama panning clamp, nodal slider, L-Plate). But you certainly don't need to spend the money on this specialized equipment to get started with Panorama photography.
Here are some important notes about taking panoramas:
Camera Settings For Panoramas
Use auto-focus to determine a focal point then lock to manual
Don't use flash!
Keep exposure times and aperture the same for each image
Do not let the camera auto white balance, auto expose, or auto-focus
Composition for Panoramas
Level the tripod and camera using a bubble level for the legs and the plate OR just use a specialized panning tripod clamp such as the Really Right Stuff PCL1.
Leave an overlap of one quarter to one third on each shot (look at the degree marks on the panning base of your tripod or panning clamp, take the picture, then move the camera a specified number of degrees to the right, take the picture, and repeat).
Panorama Equipment
Ensure you are using a tripod and ballhead with a panning base
Use a Panning Clamp (OPTIONAL)
Don't use a polariser or graduated filter unless you have special reason to
Use a Nodal Slider to eliminate parallax (OPTIONAL)