What to Pack for an African Safari

For our first trip to South Africa, I probably consumed hundreds of Youtube videos and blog posts about what to wear and what to pack. So I decided I’d write this post about what to pack for an African safari, to hopefully help you narrow down what you actually need! Also, at the end of the post, I’ll list everything I packed, with links.

We spent a week in South Africa, 3 of those nights in Cape Town, and then 3 of those nights at Arathusa Safari Lodge (I have a full Arathusa Review you can read here!). We visited in early May, which is their fall season, so it was very chilly in the mornings and evenings, but hot during the day! Keep in mind, your exact packing needs could vary slightly depending on the region of Africa you’re visiting, and the time of year you’re going.

South African Safari Photos to Inspire You

Packing Tips

1. Pack light! This is something I struggle with a lot. I like to have multiple outfit choices for each day. But when it comes to safaris, you’re usually taking small planes with lower luggage allowances. I made sure to narrow my outfits down A LOT, and kept toiletries to a minimum. I love my makeup and perfumes, but safaris aren’t really the time for all that. I will go more into details on the clothing and toiletries I packed later on in this post.
2. Be sure to check the luggage allowances for each mode of transportation on your trip before packing. A lot of times, going on safari requires taking bush planes, jeeps, and various other aspects of travel, and they’ll all have different luggage policies.
3. Look into the laundry policy for where you’ll be staying. When we went to Arathusa, I went in knowing they offered laundry services, so I only brought along one pair of pants to keep my packing light. Unfortunately, I didn’t know they have a 24 hour turn around window for the laundry. So since I only brought one pair of pants, I couldn’t have them washed or I wouldn’t have pants to wear for 24 hours! Whoops!
4. Pack layers. In May in South Africa, it was very chilly in the mornings and evenings, and I was typically wearing a thick turtleneck and a fleece sweatshirt over that, and still used the blankets they provided. But mid-day, I was in a short sleeve shirt, and still sweating! You’ll want layers that are easy to remove/add while you’re on your game drive.

Clothing

1. Lightweight, neutral-colored clothing: Khaki, beige, and green are ideal to blend in with the environment and avoid attracting insects or looking like prey to the animals. Avoid blacks or blues, as they attract tsetse flies, which have a painful bite. You’ll want to avoid white as well, as this makes the animals think you’re prey. (One woman in our safari group was told to change her shirt because it was white, so some places are strict on this).
   • Busy Bee Tip: Old Navy was a gold mine for finding khakis and greens for our trip, without spending a ridiculous amount!
2. Long-sleeved shirts and pants: You’ll want atleast one pair of pants if you plan to do any bush walks (which I recommend doing)! Long sleeve shirts are also great for layering for the mornings and evenings.
   • Busy Bee Tip: Look for convertible hiking pants with the ability to zip off the lower portions and turn them into shorts! Then you’re only packing one item, that ultimately works as two.
3. T-shirts and shorts: By mid-day, I had removed all my warmer layers and was just in my short sleeve shirt. I didn’t up bringing a pair of shorts, which I totally regret!
4. Warm layers: Early mornings and evenings can be chilly on game drives, especially with the wind as you’re driving around. I recommend atleast a long sleeve shirt & a heavier jacket or fleece.
5. Waterproof jacket: In case of rain. Personally, I didn’t end up needing this at all, but I still recommend bringing one in case. Something with a hood is best!
6. Comfortable walking shoes: Closed-toe shoes for bush walks and game drives. During the game drives, you’ll typically stop for a snack break and get out to stretch your legs. So I’d recommend close toed shoes even for the drives, as you’ll be standing in the brush during your breaks.
7. Sandals: For casual wear around camp/lodge. Just something comfy here will do! If your lodge has a pool, spa, etc, you’ll want something to walk around in.
8. Swimwear: If your lodge/camp has a pool.

Accessories

1. Hats: You’ll want a warm beanie for the cold mornings and also a ball cap or wide brimmed hat to keep the sun out of your eyes!
2. Sunglasses: I recommend looking for something polarized.
3. Belt
4. Socks: I preferred my boot socks which covered my ankles from bugs!
5. Jewelry: Obviously, not necessary. I don’t recommend bringing anything fancy, nice, or sentimental. But I did like having a few inexpensive pieces to dress my outfits up a tad.

Toiletries

1. Sunscreen
2. Insect repellent: Mosquitos are prevelent in the majority of Africa, and malaria is something you’ll want to be careful of. We opted for Sawyer Picardin lotion & spray (& used both), as it’s better rated for the area we were in. I highly recommend reading up on the types of mosquitos in the area you’re travelling to and what types of repellant are recommended there. I typically applied the lotion twice a day and then used the spray for touch ups. If you’re really concerned, you can also pretreat your clothing with Permethrin spray, but we didn’t do this and we were fine.
3. Lip balm: Africa can be very dry, leading to chapped lips! I recommend a lip balm with SPF.
4. Personal toiletries: Toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, etc.
   • Busy Bee Tip: Bring a good moisturizer! Africa is very dry.
5. Medications: Any prescription medications, pain relievers, etc. Most African safari locations are not near convenience stores, so try to bring what you’ll need!
   • Busy Bee Tip: Make sure to research what medications you’ll specifically need for Africa. We took Malaria prevention medication every day of the trip, and we also got a typhoid vaccine prior to the trip. Speak with your physician about what’s recommended based on which region you’re going to.

Miscellaneous

1. Binoculars – not all animals on your safari will be super up close, so these will help!
2. Outlet Adapter – a must for charging cameras, phones, using hair tools, etc!
3. Notebook / Guidebook + Pens – Guidebooks for animal species, notebooks to keep track of what you saw or write about your experiences, etc. These aren’t necessary, but would be fun to keep as a souvenir from your trip!
4. Snacks – depending where you’re staying, you’ll get up very early for the first game drive. Breakfast is generally served after the morning game drive, so if you’re someone who likes to eat first thing in the morning, I’d try to pack granola bars or something for those early morning drives!
5. Things for entertainment (books, etc) – usually there’s a few hours of free time between the morning and afternoon drives. You can use this time to visit the spa, do bush walks, swim, or lounge! I’d bring books or something to do while you lounge! Or use this time to journal about your game drives if that’s something you like to do! Even card games with the other people in your group could be fun.

Camera Gear

I will list all my exact camera gear later in the post, so keep reading for links to my recommendations!

1. Camera / Smart Phone
2. Memory Cards
3. Camera Charger
4. Portable Phone / Camera Charger
5. Camera Strap
6. Memory Card Case

What I Packed (+ links)

This is a list of the actual things I wore on safari. I had a hard time putting together outfits at first, as I wanted to dress appropriately, but still look cute! I also didn’t want to spend an arm and a leg to buy my wardrobe for this trip. So hopefully this helps you!

Tops

• Short Sleeve Tops: I brought three of these, as this was my layer under my warm layers each day. By mid-day this was all I was wearing, and still was getting a little sweaty. I bought cheap, lightweight tops all in the same color so I could easily pair them with my green jeans.
  • Hollister Crew Tee – I wore this in the oatmeal color
  • Old Navy Snug Crop T-Shirt – I wore this in “Wishbone”
  • Amazon T-Shirt – I wore this in the beige shade. This was my favorite option I brought and wish I would’ve just brought this is different colors.
• Turtleneck (Mid Layer): This is what I wore as my 2nd layer, over my short sleeve, but under my fleece. It was nice to have because as it warmed up, I didn’t need my fleece anymore, but was too cold for short sleeves yet. This exact one I wore is old and no longer linkable, but here’s two options that are very similar. I recommend just bringing one of these.
  • Amazon Turtleneck Option 1: Apricot is the shade closest to what I was wearing!
  • Amazon Turtleneck Option 2: I would probably go with beige!
• Outer Layers: For our days around Cape Town, I was wearing my rain jacket. On safari, I was wearing my thick fleece, and didn’t need my jacket at all. I would still recommend bringing both just incase though. I bought my fleece at a thrift store, so I couldn’t link the exact one, but I found similar options for you! The rain jacket, is the exact one I brought.
  • Fleece Pullover
  • Hooded Fleece Pullover
  • Levi’s Rain Jacket

Bottoms

I probably underpacked in this category. I only brought one pair of pants, thinking I could have them washed. And I didn’t pack shorts, thinking it wouldn’t be warm enough (big mistake)! If I was you, I’d pack 2 pairs of pants & 1 pair of shorts. Here’s what I brought:

• Old Navy Green Jeans: I got these in “Alpine Tundra”

Shoes

I wore my combat boots for all the game drives & our bush walk. I liked being able to tuck my skinny jeans into them and wear thick socks over my ankles to protect my legs from bugs! Plus I liked the look it gave. I did bring sandals as well to wear around the pool and spa, as well as cute sneakers for meal times.

• Amazon Combat Boots: These are true to size, and I wore them in brown.
• Adidas White Sneakers: I bring these on every single trip. They’re comfy to walk around in for a long day, but still cute with lots of outfits! I typically wear an 8.5, but size down to an 8 in most Adidas shoes. I have the “White/Magic Grey/Clear Pink” color.
• Sandals: My favorite travel sandals. They’re waterproof, and they have great arch support so they’re definitely comfy! I also size down to an 8 in these, and I have the “Taffy” shade.

Accessories

• Jewelry: I love to elevate my looks a bit. I didn’t bring any expensive jewelry, just some cheap earrings and necklaces to kind of dress up my basic clothes!
  • Earrings: I wore the 40mm in 14k gold – very cheap, nothing fancy by any means, but helped me a feel a little cuter!
  • Gold paperclip necklace: again, nothing fancy, just to feel a little cuter!
• Hats: I brought my ball cap to keep the sun off my face & a beanie for cold mornings. I started off the day with my beanie, but always switched to my ballcap mid morning. My exact ballcap isn’t sold anymore, but I’ve linked similar options.
  • Ballcap option 1
  • Ballcap option 2
  • Beanie
• Sunglasses – these are polarized, making it easiest to see!
• Belt – I only brought the brown one with me!
• Boot Socks – wore these to cover my ankles from bugs, but also to look cute with the boots!

Toiletries

I kept my toiletries pretty light for this trip. I typically love to pack different makeup options and have fun getting ready when I travel, but for this trip I just packed the essentials. Like I mentioned above, Africa is dry and I really recommend bringing good moisturizing products!

• Makeup: I did apply makeup before each game drive, because I knew I’d be taking lots of photos, but obviously you don’t need to do this! I brought my absolute holy-grails and that was it!
  • Primer – makes your makeup adhere to your skin better and helps it to last longer!
  • BB Cream – this is lightweight and evens out my skintone without being heavy or cakey. It’s also got SPF in it for more sun protection.
  • Undereye Corrector – those early mornings are rough.. I needed a little something to look more alive and help with the dark undereyes.
  • Powder
  • Eyeliner – super long lasting and water proof (+ sweat proof)!
  • Mascara – the best mascara there ever was. Seriously.
  • Blush – tiny bottle for travel, very pigmented, very long lasting!
  • Bronzer
  • Blush Brush
  • Bronzer Brush
  • Powder Puff
  • Beauty Sponge
• Skincare: I can’t say this enough, pack a good moistuizer and lip balm! Spf is important too, the sun is shining directly on you for a lot of the game drive.
  • Lip Balm: my favorite ever. I own like 5 of these.
  • Night Cream: very moisturizing. I would put this is a more travel friendly container though.
  • Day Cream
  • Face Wash: bar form is easier to travel with & doesn’t count towards liquid allowance!
  • SPF: I used Bliss Block Star for my face & a generic spray from Walmart for my body.
• Bug Repellant: SO IMPORTANT. Malaria isn’t something you really want to get.
  • Lotion: I applied this twice a day.
  • Spray: I typically applied this whenever I felt I was sweating a lot and needed a touch up.
• Medication: I just brought Ibuprofen, Immodium, & our Malaria prevention meds!

Misc

• Binoculars: these even come with an attachment for your smart phone, so you can sort of use these as a zoom lens for photos!
• Outlet Adapter: make sure the one you buy has South Africa (or wherever you’re going) specific prongs!
• Entertainment:
  • Books: I brought my iPad Mini and read on the Kindle app. I recommend either an iPad Mini or Kindle, rather than actual books, since it’s easier to read in the dark (when the lights are off on the plane) and easier to pack! I also use my iPad for games like Sudoku, wordsearches, crosswords, and more.
  • Games: I brought cards for the long plane rides and chilling around the lodge.

Camera Gear

• Camera / Smart Phone:
  • Camera: I use my Fujifilm Camera and LOVE it. It’s got weatherproofing, it’s lightweight, has awesome autofocus, and takes great pictures.
  • Lenses: I brought the Fujfilm 100-400mm (and regret that) & the Fujfilm 18-55mm kit lens. In hindsight, I wish I had something in between, maybe the Fuji 18-135mm. The 100-400mm was SO heavy and took up a lot of my packing room and I barely used it.
  • Smart Phone: My husband used his iPhone 12 and was happy!
• Memory Cards: I brought 2 of these & had to off-load images to my laptop to make space. I’d recommend bringing 3!
• Camera Charger & Extra Batteries: I HIGHLY recommend an extra camera battery. I ended up switching batteries on most of the drives from all the footage and photos I was taking.
• Portable Phone / Camera Charger: Really lightweight and small, making it easy to bring on game drives with you to quickly charge up your phone or camera!
• Camera Strap: I like this strap because it’s adaptable to different systems. I can easily remove the strap and hook the camera onto the backpack attachment.
• Memory Card Case

Arathusa Safari Lodge Review