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Last checked: October 2026.
What to pack for a safari is shaped by one thing most lists treat as an afterthought: the small plane. If any leg of your trip is a bush flight, the airline sets a firm allowance and a bag shape, and everything else follows from it. The clothes are the easy part. Four layers in muted colours cover almost every safari from the Mara to the Serengeti.
This page is the checklist, in the order you will actually pack: bags, clothes, kit, power, rules at the border and the extras a gorilla trek asks for. For the beach end of a trip, use our Zanzibar packing list instead.
The detail
Bags: soft, and sized to the airline. Light aircraft have small hatches, and the airlines write their limits on their own pages. They differ, so never plan around one number for "bush flights".
| Airline | Allowance per person | Bag guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Safarilink (Kenya, Tanzania) | 15 kg, hand baggage included; 20 kg on the Zanzibar, Kisumu, Diani, Lamu, Malindi, Entebbe and Mombasa routes | Soft bags; a rigid case may be moved to a later flight in extreme cases |
| AirKenya | 15 kg under its baggage policy, with the 5 kg carry-on counted inside it | Soft-sided bags; a checked-bag guide of about 60 × 45 × 33 cm |
| Coastal Aviation (Tanzania) | 15 kg including carry-on | Small soft bags strongly recommended; soft duffel 40 × 40 × 80 cm |
| Auric Air (Tanzania) | 20 kg including hand baggage and cameras | Soft-sided recommended, not mandatory |
Heavy camera bodies count toward the allowance, so weigh the bag with the kit in it. Check your airline's page before you fly, because these limits are the airlines' to change. If your trip starts or ends in a city, you can leave a case of town clothes at the Nairobi or Arusha hotel and carry only the duffel; your travel designer can arrange this.
Clothes: neutral, layered, mostly long. Khaki, olive, stone and sand are right. Early game drives are cold in an open vehicle and midday is hot, so pack by layer:
- 2 or 3 long-sleeved shirts in light cotton or quick-dry fabric
- 2 pairs of lightweight trousers, and shorts for camp
- A fleece or light down jacket for dawn drives
- A thin waterproof shell, as showers come in the rains
- A wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses and sunscreen
- Closed walking shoes or light boots, plus sandals for camp
- Swimwear if your lodge has a pool
Colour: bright, very dark and blue are the ones to skip. Tsetse flies bite in daylight in woodland and savannah. Health agencies advise neutral long sleeves and avoiding bright, very dark and especially blue clothing; repellent has not been shown to stop their bites. The advice rests on agency guidance and trap research, not a trial on people. Camouflage is unnecessary.
Optics and cameras. Binoculars are the single best addition to the bag. A pair of 8x42 suits most people, and one per person stops the arguing. A zoom lens around 200 to 400 mm covers most wildlife; our beginner photography guide covers the rest. Bring a dust cloth, a spare memory card and a bean bag or scarf to rest the lens on the vehicle roof.
Health kit. Pack any prescription medicines in your hand baggage in original packaging, plus plasters, rehydration salts, antihistamines and insect repellent. See a travel clinic before you go; our Kenya entry requirements and Tanzania visa guides cover vaccines. This is general information, not medical advice — consult a travel clinic.
Power: one adapter covers both. Kenya uses Type G sockets at 240 V; Tanzania uses Types D and G at 230 V. Bring a single adapter that handles both and a power bank, since lodges often charge from the vehicle or a central point and in-room sockets are not guaranteed.
Plastic bags: leave them at home. Kenya banned plastic carrier bags in August 2017, and since June 2020, press reports and the tourism ministry say single-use plastics such as bottles, plates and straws are banned in national parks, forests and beaches. Tanzania's mainland ban dates from 1 June 2019, and its notice allows zip-top bags for toiletries and sets up desks at entry points to surrender other carrier bags. Pack toiletries in a zip-top bag, use cloth or dry bags, and bring a refillable bottle.
Gorilla-trek extras. Rwanda's Development Board advises long trousers and shirts for nettles, steady shoes or hiking boots, and raingear; porters are available for a small charge. Visit Rwanda's guidance also mentions gloves and gaiters. Keep 7 m from the gorillas in Rwanda and 10 m in Uganda, as the two agencies set different distances, and do not eat or drink near them or go if you are unwell.
The full list. Tick as you pack.
- [ ] Soft duffel, weighed with everything in it and under your smallest airline allowance
- [ ] 2 or 3 long-sleeved shirts and 2 pairs of lightweight trousers in neutral colours, plus shorts for camp
- [ ] Fleece or light down jacket, and a thin waterproof shell
- [ ] Wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses and sunscreen
- [ ] Closed walking shoes or light boots, and sandals for camp
- [ ] Swimwear, if your lodge has a pool
- [ ] Binoculars (8x42), camera, spare memory card, dust cloth and a bean bag or scarf
- [ ] Head torch, for walks to your tent or room after dark
- [ ] Single adapter for Kenya and Tanzania, and a power bank
- [ ] Prescription medicines in hand baggage, first-aid basics and insect repellent
- [ ] Passport, printed eTA or visa approval, travel insurance details, and a yellow fever certificate if your route needs one
- [ ] Zip-top bag for toiletries, cloth or dry bags, and a refillable bottle
- [ ] Gorilla trek only: long trousers, boots, raingear, gloves and gaiters
Most camps do laundry, so three days of clothes is enough for a longer trip; ask your travel designer about your camps.
One new line for Kenya. Kenya's eTA now includes a health-insurance step; see our Kenya entry requirements guide.
Key facts
Bag type: soft duffel. Allowances: Safarilink 15 kg (20 kg on coastal routes), AirKenya 15 kg, Coastal 15 kg, Auric Air 20 kg. Colours: neutral; health agencies advise avoiding bright, very dark and especially blue clothing in tsetse areas. Plugs: Kenya Type G; Tanzania Types D and G. Plastic: carrier bags banned in Kenya (2017) and mainland Tanzania (2019); Kenya also bans single-use plastics in protected areas (2020). Gorilla distance: 7 m in Rwanda, 10 m in Uganda. Must-haves: hat, binoculars, head torch, layers.
Planning it with Nobu
A packing list is shorter when someone has already checked which aircraft you are flying. Your travel designer tells you the airline and the allowance for each leg, and can arrange storage for a larger case in the city. That turns a general list into one tailored to your route.
Suitability, "right for you if…"
This list is right for you if you are flying between camps on light aircraft or driving a Kenya or Tanzania circuit and want a short, firm plan. You can ignore the soft-bag rule if your circuit is road-only with no light-aircraft leg: a suitcase fits a vehicle. Add the gorilla extras (in the detail above) if Uganda or Rwanda is on the route. Look elsewhere if your trip is mostly beach: the Zanzibar packing list covers that.
Journeys to consider
- The Mara, unhurried — five days in Kenya's Maasai Mara, usually by light aircraft. The Mara, unhurried
- Tanzania, one chapter at a time — eight days in northern Tanzania. Tanzania, one chapter at a time
- Uganda forest journey — six days around Bwindi, where the gorilla extras apply. Uganda forest journey
