Packing for your safari is fairly easy, but it may not be like packing for other trips, so here are some tips!
As a general rule of thumb, plan to dress in layers. I recommend lightweight hiking pants or zip-off pants. Wear a short-sleeve shirt with a lightweight long-sleeve shirt on top. It can be cool/cold in the mornings and evenings, so a light jacket and/or rain jacket are good to layer with. Any closed-toe shoes are fine. Remember it will be dusty, so everything will get dirty. For women, I recommend a sports bra for the bumpy roads.
The general rule of thumb is to wear clothes that are in muted colors — khaki, forest green, gray, brown, etc. Bright colors can distract the animals, and also everything looks pretty dusty by the end of the day anyway. White socks will not stay white!
When you get to your safari lodge or camp at night, most people take a shower first thing to get the dust off. You will want to have a clean set of clothes to change into for dinner. Safaris are not high-fashion, so casual-nice clothes are appropriate.
You will want to pack light, so bring 2-3 sets of clothes for getting dirty during the day, and 3-4 interchangeable outfits for the evenings, depending on the length of your safari. Keep your clean clothes clean — once you wear something on safari, you probably won’t want to wear it at dinner.
If you have any internal flights on your safari, there will be a strict weight limit for your flight — often 15kg/35lb in soft-sided luggage. Be sure to check your luggage beforehand so that you do get charged extra, or have to leave your luggage behind!
When you head out in the safari vehicle for the day, you will want to bring a daypack with the items you need for that day. These include a camera, water, sunscreen, hat, notebook and pen. People in the same safari vehicle can also pool some items, so everyone does not need everything.
You will also want to bring a reference book on the animals and wildlife checklist to mark off what you have seen.
The AWR Gear Store is a great options for getting all your safari gear in one place:
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