African Safari Packing & Trip Preparation Checklist
Packing for a safari in Africa can be both exciting and daunting, given the continent’s diverse climates and activities. Whether it’s your first or fifth safari, having the right gear is essential for a comfortable and enjoyable journey. In this guide, we’ll help you navigate the essentials, from versatile clothing and travel gadgets to health and safety items, ensuring you’re well-prepared for every adventure an Africa safari has to offer.
In Africa, the main thing to consider is minimizing weight, as many bush flights have strict luggage weight limits (as strict as 15 kg including your purse/carry on, depending on the countries you are visiting). Most luxury safari lodges have daily laundry included (with some limitations) so, at a minimum, you should bring 3 of each item that you wear daily, such as socks. This will allow you to have enough to make it through days where you are traveling between lodges and can’t do laundry that day.
Some items that I have used that worked well:
Osprey Transporter Duffel Bag - If you will be flying on safari bush planes, a soft-sided duffle bag is required. Depending on your itinerary, you can sometimes bring an additional normal suitcase and store it in the capital city. For the duffel bag, I do not recommend one with wheels as that typically adds about ~7 lbs (which is so difficult with the super strict luggage weight limits). Instead, I love the Osprey Transporter bag series (multiple sizes available). It has a set of backpack straps that can easily be clipped in and out, which allows for easier carrying of your bag.
On safari, it’s best to stick to neutral, earth tone colors, such as brown, green, and tan. Wearing bright colors, such as red, blue, or yellow, can increase your visibility to animals.
Even though it tends to be quite warm on safari, you will still want a jacket or sweatshirt for the early mornings and late nights. It can get chilly as the sun goes down.
Don’t forget a swimsuit! You’ll definitely want to enjoy the plunge pools and lodge pools in between game drives.
Rain jacket and waterproof pants: You always want to be prepared for a rainstorm because there’s nothing worse than sitting in wet clothes. A waterproof but breathable outfit is smart to pack, just in case!
A Good Hat: Not all safari hats are created equal. You will want a hat that is water repellant, moisture-wicking, breathable, one with a broad brim for sun protection, and a hat with a chin strap of some sort (or you WILL lose your expensive hat when the wind catches it). I am a huge fan of the Tilley Hats, in particular the Airflo Broad Brim Hat.
Sunscreen or UV Protective Clothing: Tanzania and Kenya sit right on the equator so it is very easy to get sunburned, especially since you are outside almost all day.
Leave your jewelry, fancy clothing, and all valuables at home. You won’t need them and they will just add weight to your suitcase! Things will get dusty, wet, and/or muddy on safari so you don’t want to bring anything you would be sad about getting dirty or that requires dry cleaning.
Treat your clothing, safari bag, and shoes with Permethrin in advance. I recommend doing this at least a few days before packing since it takes a couple days for it to fully dry.
I prefer insect repellent with picaridin instead of DEET. It's proven to be just as effective but the smell isn't as strong.
High socks that cover your ankles and tuck into your pants (especially if you are participating in walking safari) go a long way towards preventing bug bites, especially if you treat them with Permethrin ahead of time.
In terms of shoes, boots are mostly unnecessary unless you will be doing serious trekking or hiking Mount Kilimanjaro. For the rest of us, regular running shoes or sneakers are fine. An older pair that you are okay getting dusty/muddy are perfect!
My Buff was my most used item; it had so many functions! I mainly used it to cover my ears to keep the tsetse flies out of them but also worked to protect my scalp or neck from sunburn and as a dust mask.
Sea To Summit Pocket Laundry Wash: With the strict luggage limits required by most safari destinations, doing some laundry in the sink will allow you to bring less clothing. Many luxury safari camps include daily laundry in their rates but some religious countries (such as Tanzania) won’t wash underwear.
Osprey Ultralight Stuff Pack: This daypack weighs practically nothing and packs perfectly flat, which makes it perfect for you to toss in your luggage and fill it with items you need while out on safari once you arrive. Note that you don’t want to bring a nice purse; you want a bag that you are okay throwing on the floor of the safari vehicle and getting dirty.
Occer Compact Binoculars: These binoculars are not the fanciest but I loved them because they were very light and packed up small. Luxury safari lodges will also include full size binoculars for you to borrow.
LE LED Flashlight: I also love this tiny flashlight for being small and light but very useful when you are walking around before sunrise and after sunset.
Electrolytes: I always travel with and take electrolytes daily when I travel. I prefer when they have Vitamin C included as well, since I tend to get run down and sick when my travel schedule is super packed.
Packing Cubes: The most annoying thing about packing everything into the required duffle bag is the lack of suitcase organization.The solution to this is packing cubes! I prefer packing cubes with mesh tops where I can see inside so that I can easily know what is inside each.
Ask your PCP or a travel doctor about any immunizations and malaria prevention they recommend for the specific countries you are visiting in Africa. The CDC details recommendations for specific vaccinations and preventative medicine here. Select the specific countries you are visiting for more specific recommendations. The yellow fever vaccine is required for certain countries and is harder to find in the US so here's where I was able to find it (don't forget to bring the yellow fever vaccine certificate with you on your trip). Typhoid is another one that most people in the US haven't had unless they travel internationally to certain countries.
Lastly, I typically ask my doctor for an antibiotic prescription in the event of a bad case of food poisoning and bring it with me, just in case. I always travel with antibiotics, Imodium, and electrolytes, because better safe than sorry!