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East Africa is one of the most touristed parts of the continent and with good reason. The Masai Mara National Park, Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, and Zanzibar are just a few of the highlights in this region. Keep reading for tips on what to pack for Kenya and Tanzania!
What to Pack for Kenya and Tanzania
Written by: Deborah Conway Read
Take a maxi dress.
Maxi dresses are very useful in several ways. I traveled in a maxi dress, with a shrug and a linen jacket for warmth, plus a scarf for style and to make a pillow on the plane.
In Nairobi I wore the dress and, shrug for sightseeing and having dinner with friends. I wore the dress on its own for dinner on the beach under the stars in my island resort.
Versatility is the key to a capsule wardrobe. Learn more in my guide!
Do you really need two pairs of shoes?
I took walking shoes in case I wanted to do a walking safari, and black walking sandals. I didn’t really need the walking shoes, as I found them too hot most of the time and didn’t do the walking safari.
The sandals were invaluable – comfortable and they coped with all sorts of conditions, including wading through seawater to get on the boat for my island resort.
I bought Maasai beaded sandals at the airport on the way home. I could possibly have bought them on arrival if I had known about them. Some safari camps have a small selection, but the Maasai markets are the best place to buy them, if you have the chance.
Packing cubes make the perfect shoe bags to protect your luggage from dirty shoes. Take a look at other shoe bag ideas here!
Keep an outfit for the evenings.
Lace Detail Cotton Top / Linen Beach Pant
I took a lightweight long sleeved cotton shirt and some linen trousers which I kept for wearing in the evenings. After a dusty day on a safari drive, a shower and a change of clothes is very welcome.
I had a camisole and a sleeveless T shirt to wear underneath if it was a bit chilly. This outfit was also useful when staying in the island hotel at the end, and , with my linen jacket and scarf, for traveling home.
Bring enough safari clothes.
BugsAway Tunic / Himalayan Green Pants / Pullover Shirt / Prana Navy Pant
Two pairs of safari trousers and two-three safari shirts are enough for 7 days if you have the other outfits. Trousers with pockets are useful in the jeep for keeping bits and pieces of camera gear, plus long sleeved shirts for fending off sunburn and insects.
Game drives can be all day, and even though the jeeps are shaded, it’s a long time to be out in the sun if you are not used to it. Wearing shorts can mean you end up with sunburnt knees.
Black and blue attract tsetse flies
In areas where tsetse flies are prevalent, you will see black and blue “flags” that are there to attract and kill them. The flies can give you a nasty bite and possibly transmit sleeping sickness.
So even if it means a new wardrobe (it did for me), ditch those colors on safari, and go for the sand/stone/khaki colors. These are better for wildlife watching anyway, as they blend with the landscape colors.
Bright white is also not a great idea – the contrast makes it stand out to the animals, and besides it gets too grubby too quickly. I found charity (thrift) shops to be a good source of safari shirts at very reasonable prices.
A broad brimmed hat and sunglasses are invaluable to avoid sunburns
Apart from it keeping the sun off, you can spray the brim of your hat with insect repellent to reduce the number of bites from tsetse flies and mosquitoes.
Take half the underwear you think you will need plus a bathing suit
You can rinse out the underwear and it will dry very quickly. If you’re really desperate you can wear your bathing suit as underwear.
Take a lightweight fleece
Early mornings and evenings can be cold. You can also sleep in the fleece or wear it on the way home if you are going to arrive in a cold climate. I traveled in October, so had my fleece ready in case it was miserable weather when I arrived back in London.
Don’t bring jewelry, buy it there!
If you are going to Kenya you can buy the beautiful Kazuri bead necklaces, as sold in high end stores in the UK and US, from the workshop in Nairobi or numerous outlets.
Kazuri means “small and beautiful” in Swahili. All the beads are made by hand by local women. Buy some fun Maasai earrings as souvenirs, or maybe some wooden bangles. Then you don’t have to worry about stuff getting lost or stolen.
Do you have any tips on what to pack for Kenya and Tanzania? Please comment below!
For more safari packing tips, please read these:
- Africa Travel Packing Tips: Cities, Safaris, and Camping
- Safari Clothing Packing List: What to Wear on an Overland Africa Trip
- What to Pack for African Safari Tours
Suggested Travel Resources:
- Lonely Planet Africa on a Shoestring
- Lonely Planet Tanzania (Country Guide)
- Lonely Planet Kenya (Country Guide)
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Author Bio: Deborah Conway Read is a 61 yr old retired teacher. She worked with children with emotional and behavioral problems, which she loved, but the snag with teaching is that while the holidays are good, the costs are high because all the families are traveling at that time as well. Throw in being single, and the costs become prohibitive. So she decided to retire at 60 and do some of the traveling she had missed out on.
This is a very helpful article as I get ready to travel to Africa in October. Than you!
Wow! What a great list and suggestions. Planning my safari within the year. So helpful. 😍
We just went on safari in Kenya and Tanzania. Depending on how often you are moving between camps/lodges, I would take enough underwear for at least half the length of the trip. We washed underwear, but some nights we were too tired or the undies were not dry in the morning. I ended up taking regular lace undies that dried almost immediately, but my husband’s boxer briefs were another story.
This list is great. I followed your advise for my safari and it was perfect! Thanks!
Helpful info!
My husband and I visited Kenya and Tanzania–my dream trip! We were gone 12 days. My husband and I each brought 4 pairs of performance type pants that would wash up in a sink and dry over night. We brought 8 tops–an assortment of long and short sleeve plus a couple tanks for layering. One pair of sturdy hiking shoes and one pair of sandals only. One neutral colored jacket and a neck scarf were very helpful in protecting us from the dust on safari. A broad brimmed hat was essential. I used packing cubes to keep the clean and dirty clothes separate as we moved locations frequently. Super helpful! Days were warm and nights were cool. We did not realize how dusty we would be at the end of each safari day so hand washing was essential to keep the clean clothes in rotation. I wish I had brought one maxi dress for dinners. Bring laundry strips and test the fabric to make sure it will dry quickly! I did not test my socks and I found cotton to dry slowly. Any recommendations on socks for future adventures?
Hi Traci, sounds amazing!!! And brilliant job with your packing.
Have a look at this roundup of our readers recommendation in your search for quick drying socks: https://www.travelfashiongirl.com/best-hiking-socks-for-women/
Also what about electric toothbrushes or hair dryer? I guess I shouldnt bring these??? Thanks.
Hi Jackie, have a look at this post for our roundup of recommendations for a travel hair dryer: https://www.travelfashiongirl.com/best-travel-hair-dryer/ You may also find this post helpful: https://www.travelfashiongirl.com/travel-blow-dryer/ Also have a look at this post which talks about an electric toothbrush: https://www.travelfashiongirl.com/travel-beauty-hacks/ Its great for short term travel as it has great charge so I do not need to pack the charger so it saves me time and space! Hope this helps! Have an amazing trip! 🙂
What about stripes or animal prints? In charcol or brown or blue and cream/white? What about grey? Yellow? Also, I’m seriously considering skirts for ease of relieving myself- is there a challenge getting in and out of the jeeps on walking drives? Is a bag for sundries, camera items useful, or in the way in the jeeps? Baseball cap sufficient or wider brim? Thanks so much!
Hi Alix, thank you for reaching out! The focus of your safari attire should be on comfortable safari clothing in neutral colors and light fabrics. For more tips read our complete guide to find out exactly what to wear on safari:
https://www.travelfashiongirl.com/safari-clothing-packing-list-what-to-wear-on-an-overland-africa-trip/ Hope this helps. Have an amazing trip! ?
I visited Kenya in June a few years back and didn’t understand just how cold it was going to be! I didn’t pack enough layers and so wished I had a beanie and gloves to cover up during those early morning game drives!
Loved this post! You’ve got some excellent tips here, especially about the colors of clothing to wear.
Thanks Agness!
I thought I would need close toed shoes on the safari due to the flies?? Are you saying that’s not the case??
The open toe sandals are great for the heat 🙂
This article was extremely helpful for my trip to Kenya and Tanzania.
Now that I have returned from a one month Kenya/Tanzania/Zanzibar trip, this useful article means even more to me. Thanks for the good tips.
Our 14 day safari was during the rainy season in November. Cold and Wet. Surprise!
Zanzibar: super HOT and humid. The challenge in Zanzibar was to stay covered up due to the burning hot sun and also due to the strictly conservative culture. 95% Muslim population means women are covered up. Solution: THIN Cotton skirt below the knee and THIN silk short sleeved blouse, and a wide brimmed hat.
After 8 months of carefully planning my travel wardrobe, I ditched a dress, a skirt, umbrella, and walking sandals along the way. I bought the cotton skirt at a beach shop in Zanzibar. Happy travels to you all.
Thanks Elizabeth! I’m glad you can appreciate the tips even more after experiencing the trip first hand 🙂
Unfortunately several of the photos in the article show dark blue or nearly black pants. Also the maxi dress I own does not cover the shoulders…but a thin shawl should help with that.
When I shop, I am hearing that cotton is not a good choice due to the fact that it stays wet too long… so I am taking all synthetic, quick drying fabrics…I am going from mid-Sept till early October. Thoughts on this? Thanks, Jackie
Hi Jackie, here is a helpful guide that explains more about how to use our packing lists: https://www.travelfashiongirl.com/how-to-use-the-travel-fashion-girl-packing-lists-and-guides/ You may find this helpful! The product images shown in the packing lists are simply to provide you with ideas that you can use. For tips about the best fabrics to have for warm weather, take a look at this post: https://www.travelfashiongirl.com/how-to-choose-the-best-fabrics-for-travel/ Hope this answers your question! Have a wonderful trip!
Good advice