For wildlife lovers, an African safari is most probably the trip of a lifetime. We have been watching documentaries from the Masai Mara for years, most of the time with the familiar voice of Sir David Attenborough, and daydreaming of seeing those animals with our own eyes. When you decide to take this journey (in Swahili safari means journey), you’re excited about the possibility of a close encounter with a lion or to catch a glimpse of the elusive leopard. But you may also be worried about the weather, the mosquitos, the possible electricity blackouts and what to pack for a safari in Kenya.
Your luggage should be light and small, so try to fit everything in your carry-on to move faster in airports and avoid storage problems in the jeep. The contents of your luggage may vary depending on the season you decide to travel to Kenya (rainy or dry seasons) but the basics remain the same all year around.
Clothing – What to wear for a safari in Kenya
When choosing your perfect safari attire, you should take into consideration two main factors: the mosquitos or flies, and the cold. You’d think that a country located around the Equator would be hot, but Kenya actually gets quite cold at night.
Generally, the best clothes to wear on a safari should be light, with a decent sun protection factor (SPF), breathable and in neutral colours. It would be best to have adjustable clothes that can be adapted to temperature variations.
Tip: Get a pair of long convertible trousers that could be easily transformed in shorts and shirts with rollable sleeves to adapt to temperature variations.
Everyone will tell you to wear neutral colours like light brown, khaki or beige to blend in as much as possible. Before travelling, we read that we should avoid red, as it’s associated with blood or the Masai tribe, white which is the most visible to animals, dark blue and black attract the malaria carrying mosquito, while camouflage clothing is only for the army or poachers.
However, unless you plan to do a walking safari, which some camps or tour operators provide, don’t stress too much about the colour code because you will be spending most of your time in the car. We saw many people wearing odd colours in their jeeps and doing perfectly fine.
After sunset or on early morning game drives, long sleeves and long trousers will keep you warm and add an additional barrier against mosquito bites. To be honest, we saw no mosquitos in the Masai Mara and only a few around the Naivasha and Nakuru lakes, but prevention is key in a malaria prone zone.
Last but not least, leave at home your favourite baseball hat and get a floppy wide brim hat with a strap. Even though you will spend most of the day in the jeep, the hot sun can peer through the roof. It is highly recommended for any walking safari or outdoor activities in general.
We were quite happy with the omni-shade line by Columbia, but any similar brand will do.
Shoes – Trekking boots or sandals?
Maybe the most difficult question to answer is what shoes to wear. You’ll find people advising you to go with proper trekking shoes for protection, others recommend open sandals to fight the hot temperatures during the day. However, the key aspect you should consider is comfort. You will spend hours in the car and only seldomly will you have a chance to walk around.
During the day we felt comfortable with closed shoes, Mara’s trekking and Andre’s gym shoes, which guarantee added safety against bites and scratches. We saw people walking in the savannah with sandals and shorts but honestly, we would not recommend this outfit. We saw a black mamba on the road and that was enough to convince us that closed shoes are advisable.
Nevertheless, take walking sandals or flipflops with you anyway, as they will be useful for walking in the camp.
Toiletries & co. – The essentials to survive in the savannah
Toiletries are a very sensible subject when travelling, especially for women. We always argue because Mara tends to overpack on all possible creams, lotions and perfumes she may need, while Andre sometimes doesn’t carry even the essentials. Even though the camp and lodge we stayed at provided all the basic toiletries like soap, shower gel and shampoo, there was no hair conditioner and the treated water left our hair dry and difficult to comb, so bring a small bottle with you.
There are no grocery stores or shops in the national parks, while those in the villages en-route are very basic, so come prepared and don’t count on buying anything on the way.
Another thing to note is that some perfumes can attract insects, so avoid taking strong deodorant, flowery perfume, creams and make-up items.
Tip: Ladies, bring what you need for your intimate hygiene. Pharmacies are not always at close hand and quality products can be very expensive.
What you really need to take with you is:
- Toothbrush and toothpaste
- Hair conditioner
- Antimalarial prophylaxis (ask your doctor, we usually use Mefloquine)
- Sun cream with high SPF (the sun is strong at the Equator)
- Ibuprofen or similar pain killer
- Antidiarrheal pills like Imodium
- Few plasters for cuts and scratches
- Hand sanitizer and antibacterial wet wipes (sometimes there is no water or sink)
- Insect repellent with picaridin rather than DEET (it is odourless and less aggressive on materials)
- Yellow fever vaccination booklet (nobody checked ours, but just in case)
Safari Gear – Add-ons for a fantastic experience
Camera
Other than beautiful memories of a great experience, you will want to take home outstanding photos and videos. You don’t need to buy the most expensive camera on the market (we saw people using only their phones or tablets), but we strongly advise to have a good zoom lens if you want to take spectacular close-up photos of animals and birds.
We managed to take pretty cool photos with an old CANON 500D and a rather cheap CANON lens EF 75-300 mm on sale. The 300 mm lens is great for close-up photos and it is light enough to be handled without the need of a tripod or other support.
Tip: A DSLR camera with long lens is the best choice for spectacular photos, even at amatorial level.
For videos we used our GoPro Hero 5 black with the Feiyutech G5 gimbal and an advanced point & shoot Canon Powershoot with x20 zoom for filming animals at a long distance.
Don’t be stingy with the memory cards, you’ll need plenty. Better to have an extra one you won’t use than be forced to start deleting photos during the safari to free up your memory card.
Binocular
Another gadget you should bring is a good binocular. It comes in handy when exploring the area around you or when you want to get a closer look at a bird or a wild animal nearby. There are binoculars of all kinds, sizes and prices in the market so be careful what you buy. Choose something light but with a good optical system keeping in mind that a high magnification does not always means better performance.
The National Geographic’s 8×40 porro binocular we got on Amazon at a very reasonable price was perfect for our needs.
Tip: While not mandatory, a binocular can add details to your safari and help you spot hidden animals!
Other electronics
Electricity is usually produced by diesel generators in Masai Mara’s camps. Therefore, it is quite common to have planned outages during the night or the afternoon to reduce consumption and pollution. Bring a power bank or spare batteries to reduce the risks of running out battery when you need it the most. At night, a flash light or head lamp may come in handy.
Sockets are the type G, also known as British standard. If your country has a different plug system, you need to take with you an adaptor. If you feel unsure about it, you can consult World Power Plugs a worldwide database of plugs and sockets.
What else to pack for a safari in Kenya
Kenya is not entirely safe and it is advisable to always keep a low profile, so best to leave at home your jewellery or expensive watches. We didn’t even wear our wedding rings.
Bring some cash with you, but not too much, especially if you have an all-inclusive tour package. We paid our tour operator in advance via bank transfer and handed over the balance in cash the moment we arrived in Nairobi. We had few hundred US dollars in small notes stashed in different travel wallets and just a credit card for safety reasons.
The Kenyan Shilling is the national currency but we didn’t need to exchange any since everyone accepts US dollars. Just make sure the dollars are in new bills from 2006 onwards. Euro and pound sterling are somehow less known and not widely accepted.
Remember to take with you a pair of good quality sunglasses with high UVA & UVB filter lenses. A light scarf or buff is also useful when it’s chilly outside or to protect your face from the dust on the dirt roads.
It’s good to have with you some energy bars or snacks in case you get hungry on the road.
Packing List Summary
To summarize, this is a quick list of what to pack for a safari in Kenya of 6 days (applicable for men & women):
- 2 pairs of long trousers, preferably convertible
- 1 pair of shorts
- 1-2 shirts with long, rollable sleeves
- 1 wide brim hat
- 1 or 2 warm sweater or jacket
- A pair comfy closed shoes
- 1 pair flipflops or sandals
- 3-4 t-shirts
- Long pyjama
- Swimsuit (if your accommodation has a pool)
- Essential undergarments
- Sunglasses
- Scarf/head buff
- Camera(s)
- Binoculars
- Toiletries
- Power bank, adaptor & chargers
- First aid kit/medicine
- A small backpack
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