What to Pack for a Kenya Safari (and What to Leave Behind)
Soft bags, neutral colours, layers for cold mornings and one thing almost every first time traveller forgets.
Safari packing is counterintuitive. You need less clothing than you think and more of a few specific items.
The bag itself
If any part of your trip involves a light aircraft - and most safari itineraries do - you are limited to fifteen kilograms in a SOFT bag. Wheels and hard shells do not fit in the baggage pods. Bring a soft duffel and leave the hard suitcase at your Nairobi hotel.
Clothing
- Neutral colours: khaki, olive, beige, brown. Avoid bright blue and black, which attract tsetse flies, and never wear camouflage - it is restricted in Kenya.
- Layers. Mornings on an open vehicle in the Mara can be ten degrees, and by midday it will be thirty. A fleece or light jacket plus a hat is the difference between comfortable and miserable.
- Long sleeves and long trousers for the evenings. Mosquitoes are most active at dusk.
- Comfortable closed shoes. You will spend hours in a vehicle and the ground is uneven.
The essentials people forget
- Binoculars. A pair each, not one to share. This is the single biggest upgrade to any safari.
- A power bank. Game drives drain a phone battery quickly and lodge rooms do not always have bedside sockets.
- Rehydration sachets and a small medical kit.
- Cash in small notes for tips and curios. Tips are typically ten to fifteen dollars per group per day for your driver-guide.
- Copies of your passport, insurance and itinerary kept separately from the originals.
What to leave behind
Drones require a permit and are effectively banned in national parks. Single use plastic bags are illegal in Kenya. Leave the heavy camera tripod unless you are on a dedicated photographic safari, and do not bother with a hair dryer - every lodge has one.
Booked your safari with us? We send a tailored packing list with your final itinerary once your deposit is confirmed.