Travel Guide
What to pack for a safari
Less than you think, in colours that do not shout, and layers for a morning that starts cold and ends hot.
Last updated 15.08.2026
The short list
- Neutral clothing in khaki, olive, tan or grey. Avoid bright white, which shows dust, and dark blue and black, which attract tsetse flies in some areas.
- Layers. Game drives leave before dawn at perhaps 10°C and the same day can reach the low thirties.
- A warm fleece or jacket for early mornings, especially on the Ngorongoro rim, which sits at over 2,000 m and is genuinely cold at 6am.
- A wide-brimmed hat, high-factor sunscreen and good sunglasses. You are close to the equator and often at altitude.
- Closed walking shoes. Sandals are fine around camp.
- Binoculars, one pair per person. This is the single item people most regret sharing.
- A soft duffel bag rather than a hard case if you are taking a light aircraft between parks, where luggage is limited by weight and shape.
- Insect repellent, any personal medication, and a small torch.
What you do not need
Full safari costume. Nobody expects a bush jacket with epaulettes. Ordinary comfortable clothes in sensible colours are exactly right.
A vast wardrobe. Most camps and lodges offer same-day or next-day laundry, so three or four changes are usually plenty for a week.
If you are also climbing Kilimanjaro
The mountain needs its own kit: proper insulated layers, waterproof shell, broken-in boots, a sleeping bag rated well below freezing, headtorch and trekking poles. Summit night is below freezing in every month of the year. We send a full list once a trek is confirmed, and much of it can be hired in Moshi.
If you are adding Zanzibar
Light clothing, swimwear and reef-safe sunscreen. Stone Town is a Muslim community, so covering shoulders and knees away from the beach is appreciated and costs you nothing.
Ready when you are
Tell us roughly when you want to travel and what you would like to see. We take it from there.