Safari packing list for Kenya

Most people pack about twice what they use on safari. Camps do laundry, the vehicles have limited space, and the light aircraft that fly to the airstrips are strict about bags. A safari rewards a small bag more than most holidays do.

The list below is for seven nights in the bush, with laundry at camp. For a longer trip, do not add clothes, because the laundry covers it. If you are flying between camps, the airline sets the luggage limit, and we confirm it in writing for your flights before you pack. Flying safaris explains how the bush flights work. If you are driving between parks in our vehicle, there is more room, but a soft bag is still easier to load and unload every few days.

Two things change with the season. From June to August the first drive of the day is cold in the highlands, so the warm layers and gloves below matter most then. In April and May, and in November, expect afternoon rain: make the outer jacket waterproof and bring the second pair of shoes. The best time to visit Kenya guide explains what each month is like.

The bag

Pack the soft bag with the things you need for the last night on top, and keep anything you cannot replace in the daypack, which stays with you on flights and in the vehicle.

• Soft duffel bagLight aircraft have a shaped hold, so no wheels and no rigid frame.
• DaypackCarries water, camera, sunscreen and the layer you have just taken off.
• Dust bag or dry bagKeeps the camera clean between sightings, because dust is the real problem out here.
• Small padlockSecures the bag on transfers and the tent’s storage chest if it has one.

Clothes

Neutral colours throughout: khaki, olive, beige, stone and grey. Bright white shows the dust within an hour, and dark blue and black attract tsetse flies in the areas where they live. Layers work better than one warm coat, because a morning drive starts cold and ends hot, and you will take things off as the sun climbs.

• Short-sleeved shirts ×3Enough to rotate with the laundry.
• Long-sleeved shirts ×2Cover your arms against the sun in the day and mosquitoes after dusk.
• Light trousers ×2Zip-off legs are useful when the morning warms up.
• Shorts ×1For the middle of the day in camp.
• Fleece or light down jacketThe Mara at six in the morning is cold, and this is the item people most often leave behind.
• Windproof jacketNeeded for standing up in a moving vehicle, and it should be waterproof in April, May or November.
• Brimmed hatA cap leaves your ears and neck in the sun.
• Buff or light scarfKeeps dust out of your mouth on dry tracks and warms your neck on cold mornings.
• Thin glovesMake the early drives from June to August bearable, especially in an open-sided vehicle.
• Socks and underwear ×5Many camps will not launder underwear, so bring enough or wash your own.
• SleepwearNights in the highlands can be cool.
• Trainers or light walking shoesEnough for game drives and short walks in camp.
• Second pair of shoesLets one pair dry out in the rainy months.
• SandalsFor the tent, the shower and the pool.
• SwimwearMost lodges and many camps have a pool, and the middle of the day is for using it.
• One smarter outfitFor a last night in Nairobi or dinner on the coast.

Nobody dresses for dinner at a safari camp. Clean trousers and a shirt with a collar are as smart as it gets, and most guests come to the fire in whatever they wore on the evening drive. If a hot-air balloon flight over the Mara is on your itinerary, it lifts off around dawn, so wear every warm layer you packed and a hat that will not blow away.

Optics and camera

Binoculars matter more than a camera. Most of the animals you see will be further away than you expect, and a good pair lets you watch behaviour rather than a distant shape. Magnifications of eight or ten times are the usual choice; stronger than that is hard to hold steady in a vehicle.

• Binoculars, one pair per personSharing a pair between two means half a safari each.
• Camera with a long zoomA phone is fine for camp and landscapes, but animals are often further away than they look.
• Bean bagRests a long lens on a window ledge or roof rim, where a tripod would be useless.
• Spare batteries ×2 and memory cardsCharging can be limited to set hours at some camps.
• Power bankTops up your phone when the vehicle has no working charging socket.
• Charging cables and a type G adapterKenya uses the British three-pin plug.
• Lens cloth and blowerClear dust without scratching the glass.
• Head torch with a red lightLights the path to your tent before dawn without dazzling anyone.

The safari vehicles guide explains which seat gives you the best angles.

Health and toiletries

For vaccinations, malaria tablets and whether your route needs a yellow fever certificate, see a travel clinic six to eight weeks before you fly. The items below assume that conversation has happened. Most camps provide soap, shampoo and insect spray, so you can leave the full-size bottles at home.

• Prescription medicinesKeep them in the original packaging, in your hand luggage, with a few days’ spare.
• Malaria tabletsOnly if your clinic has prescribed them, and taken exactly as directed.
• High-factor sunscreenThe equatorial sun is strong even when the air is cool.
• Insect repellentFor dusk onwards, the type your clinic recommends.
• Lip balm with sun protectionDry air and dust crack lips within a day or two.
• Small first-aid kitPlasters, antiseptic, rehydration sachets, painkillers and antihistamine cover most small problems.
• Hand sanitiserFor bush meals and long drives.
• Eye dropsDust gets into contact lenses and dry eyes quickly.

Documents and money

Most visitors need a Kenyan eTA before they fly, and the Kenya eTA guide explains who does. Keep travel insurance details, including the emergency number, where you can reach them without signal. Card payments work in Nairobi and on the coast, less so in the bush, so carry some cash in small notes for tips and small purchases.

• PassportValid for at least six months after you arrive, with a blank page.
• eTA approval, printed and on your phoneThe airline and immigration both check it.
• Travel insurance documentsSaved offline on your phone and printed.
• Copies of your documentsPhotographed and stored separately from the originals.
• Small notes in shillings or US dollarsFor tips and small purchases in camp.
• Unlocked phoneSo it can take a Kenyan SIM or an eSIM, and the practical facts page lists the networks.

Leave at home

Hard suitcases, because they will not fit the hold of a light aircraft. Camouflage clothing, which is associated with the military and is illegal for civilians in some neighbouring countries, including Tanzania. Plastic carrier bags, which Kenya has banned since 2017. A drone, unless permission has been arranged long in advance. And about a third of the clothes you first laid out.

Travelling with children? The same list works, scaled down, with one addition: a small bag of things to do in the middle of the day, when the adults sleep and the children do not.