Travel Tips · 22 May 2026 · 5 min read
The Honest Safari Packing List
Soft bags, neutral colours, and the three things first-timers always forget. What actually matters when you pack for the Tanzanian bush.
Safari packing lists tend to run to three pages. Here is the truth: you need less than you think, in softer luggage than you own, in colours you may have to buy.
The rules that matter
Soft duffel bags only — light-aircraft transfers have strict weight limits (usually 15 kg) and hard shells don't fit the pods. Neutral colours (khaki, olive, stone) matter on walking safaris and keep tsetse flies less interested — avoid dark blue and black for that reason.
Layers beat bulk. Dawn game drives are genuinely cold; by ten o'clock you're in shirtsleeves. A warm fleece, a windproof layer and a scarf cover almost everything.
The three things people forget
A headlamp (camps are dark at night), a power bank (charging is often central, not in-tent), and binoculars — one pair per person, not per couple. Nothing improves a safari more per gram than good binoculars.
