Safari Packing List: The Complete Guide to What to Bring on Safari

What you pack for a safari matters more than most people think. Too much luggage and you cannot fit comfortably in a small aircraft to your camp. Wrong clothing and you are cold on pre-dawn drives or sweating through cotton shirts in the heat. No sunscreen and you burn through the open roof hatch in fifteen minutes. Our guides have seen every packing mistake — here is the definitive list of what to bring and what to leave behind.

Luggage Rules: The Critical Starting Point

Light aircraft transfers between airstrips in Tanzania and Kenya have a strict luggage limit of 15 kg total — including hand luggage — and the bag must be soft-sided (no hard-shell suitcases). This is not a suggestion; it is a hard rule enforced at check-in and on the aircraft. If you are doing any combination of camps connected by bush flights, bring a soft duffel bag that fits within these limits.

If you are doing a road safari only — driving between all camps — you have more flexibility on bag size, but a soft-sided bag is still preferable for fitting into vehicle roof storage. Hard-shell suitcases are impractical on safari and annoying to deal with. Pack light, pack in neutral colours, and leave the wheeled luggage at home or at your Arusha hotel.

Clothing: What to Pack

• ›Three to four long-sleeved shirts in neutral colours (khaki, olive, tan, beige, light grey)
• ›Two to three long trousers or safari pants with zip-off legs
• ›One pair of shorts for camp and casual wear
• ›One lightweight fleece or down jacket — morning game drives below 2,000m can be cold
• ›One heavier fleece or light down jacket for high-altitude destinations (Ngorongoro, Kilimanjaro base)
• ›Waterproof shell jacket — essential even in dry season for afternoon rain and wind at altitude
• ›Four to five pairs of moisture-wicking underwear — merino wool or synthetic
• ›Two to three pairs of lightweight merino wool socks for game drives; separate pair for hiking
• ›Comfortable walking shoes or trail runners for camp and short walks
• ›Ankle-height waterproof hiking boots if doing gorilla trekking or bush walks
• ›Sandals or flip-flops for camp and lodge use
• ›Wide-brim sun hat for game drives — the overhead sun is intense through the open roof
• ›Warm beanie for cold-morning drives — more useful than most people expect
• ›Buff or lightweight scarf — useful for dust and cold on open-vehicle drives

Camera Gear

Photography is one of the main reasons people go on safari. Your camera setup determines how much of the experience you capture versus how much you simply watch. For most people, a mirrorless camera with a 100–400mm telephoto zoom is the ideal all-in-one system. The Canon RF 100–500mm, Nikon Z 100–400mm, or Sony 100–400mm GM are excellent options. For budget-conscious photographers, a superzoom bridge camera in the 400–600mm range gives solid results without the cost of a dedicated telephoto.

• ›Camera body: mirrorless or DSLR preferred; modern smartphone cameras are surprisingly capable as a backup
• ›Lens: minimum 300mm; 400–500mm is ideal; 600mm is useful for very shy or distant animals
• ›Extra batteries: charge every night; cold mornings drain batteries faster
• ›Memory cards: bring at least 128 GB total; SD card failures happen
• ›Beanbag: rests on the vehicle window rim for a stable shooting platform — better than any monopod on a moving vehicle
• ›Lens cloth: dust is omnipresent; clean your front element daily
• ›Dry bag or camera rain cover: for unexpected showers on open vehicles

Health and Medical Supplies

• ›Malaria prophylaxis (doxycycline, Malarone, or mefloquine) — consult your GP or travel clinic; start before travel
• ›DEET-based insect repellent (30–50% DEET) — essential for dawn and dusk
• ›Sunscreen SPF 50+ — the equatorial sun through an open roof hatch is severe; reapply every two hours
• ›Sunglasses with UV protection — polarised lenses reduce glare significantly
• ›Antihistamine cream for insect bites
• ›Imodium and oral rehydration salts for travellers diarrhoea
• ›Basic first aid kit: plasters, antiseptic wipes, blister plasters, ibuprofen, paracetamol
• ›Personal prescription medications with enough supply plus extra for delays
• ›Altitude sickness medication (Diamox) if ascending above 3,000m — requires prescription

Safari Essentials

• ›Binoculars (8x42 is the ideal safari specification) — essential for spotting distant animals
• ›Head torch — useful for navigating camp at night; wildlife may be around after dark
• ›Power bank — charge devices between drives if your room does not have 24-hour power
• ›Universal travel adapter — Tanzania uses Type G (UK) plugs; Kenya uses Type G also
• ›Dry bag or zip-lock bags for electronics in dusty or rainy conditions
• ›Field guide — Kingdon Field Guide to African Mammals or Birds of East Africa enriches every game drive

What to Leave Behind

• ›Camouflage clothing — illegal in some East African countries, looks inappropriate everywhere on safari
• ›Perfume and strong aftershave — attracts insects and disturbs wildlife
• ›Hard-shell suitcases — impractical on bush flights and in vehicle storage
• ›Excessive jewellery — theft risk and inappropriate for the environment
• ›Too many shoes — you will wear two pairs at most; one pair of boots, one pair of sandals
• ›Hair dryer — most quality camps provide one; it is dead weight in your bag