Earth tones, layers and zoom lenses, here's exactly what you need (and what you should leave at home) for a Kenyan safari, from your guide.
The packing rules
Light, layered, neutral. Most safari camps have laundry service (often free). Most internal flights have a 15 kg per person luggage limit, and they're strict about it. Soft duffel bag, not hard suitcase.
Clothes
- 3× lightweight long-sleeve shirts (khaki/olive, protects from sun, mosquitoes, thorny acacia)
- 2× safari trousers (zip-off legs are useful)
- 1× shorts
- 1× warm fleece or jacket (mornings are 8–12°C in the highlands and Mara)
- 1× rain jacket (April–May, November–December)
- 1× wide-brimmed hat
- 1× swimsuit (for camp pool, beach add-on)
- Sunglasses (essential, bush is bright)
- Walking shoes + sandals/flip-flops for camp
- Buff/scarf (dust protection on game drives)
What to AVOID wearing
- Bright colours, wildlife spooks easily
- White, turns red within an hour in Tsavo
- Camo military patterns, illegal for civilians in Kenya
- Black & dark blue, attracts tsetse flies
- Strong perfume
Camera gear
- Camera body with 70–300mm zoom minimum (or 100–400mm if you're serious)
- Wide-angle lens for landscapes
- Spare batteries × 4 (charging at camp can be limited)
- Multiple SD cards, you'll shoot more than you expect
- Bean bag (better than a tripod in vehicles)
- Lens cleaning kit, dust gets everywhere
- Phone with offline maps (maps.me or Google Maps offline)
Health & hygiene
- Malaria prophylaxis (consult your doctor, Malarone or doxycycline are common)
- Insect repellent with DEET 30%+
- High-SPF sunscreen (50+)
- Lip balm with SPF
- Hand sanitiser
- Wet wipes (essential)
- Personal first-aid kit, Imodium, antihistamines, plasters
- Prescription medications in original containers (with copy of script)
- Reading glasses + spare
Documents
- Passport (must be valid 6+ months past your travel dates, with 2+ blank pages)
- Kenya eTA approval (printed)
- Travel insurance certificate (mandatory, must include emergency evacuation)
- Yellow fever vaccination certificate (if arriving from a yellow fever zone)
- Photocopy of passport (separate from original)
- Credit cards + some cash USD (small denominations for tips)
Money
- USD cash in small denominations ($1, $5, $10, $20) for tips and incidentals
- One credit card (Visa or Mastercard accepted at most lodges)
- Avoid traveller's cheques, useless in Kenya now
- M-Pesa isn't accessible to short-term visitors but lodges accept all major cards
Tipping guide (USD)
- Driver-guide: $20–$30 per day
- Camp guide: $10–$15 per day
- Camp staff (group tip): $5–$10 per guest per day, given to camp manager
- Porter: $1–$2 per bag
- Hotel staff in Nairobi: 10% on bills
What to leave home
- Drone, you need permits, often confiscated
- Hard suitcases, won't fit in small planes
- Camo gear, illegal
- Big tripods, useless in vehicles
- Loud bright clothing
- Blow-dryer (often not enough power, lodges supply on request)
Final tip
Your camera will have less battery, less memory and less zoom than you wish. Bring more than you think you need. And come with comfortable, broken-in walking shoes. The bush is forgiving on most things, but not on blisters.
