What to pack for a trip to South Africa or East Africa

Musts

• Passport
• Visas
• Vaccines (example: yellow fever)
• Phone (+charging cable and adaptor)
• Wallet

For this trip of a lifetime, it’s important to pack smart, and pack light. It’s also important to pack sun protection: both sunscreen and clothing.

In general when going on safari one should wear lighter colors. This means embrace your Wild Thornberry and the muted colors of khaki, gray, olive, tan, beige, brown, and pastel yellow. The stereotypical safari outfit is worn for a reason: you blend in and don’t alarm the animals.

Sure, you’re in a big loud truck on a game drive so does it really matter? Yes, to a certain extent it does.

On the flip side, skip pure white cause it’s dusty out there, and avoid dark blue and black! The Tsetse fly (which can carry sleeping sickness)—and mosquitos—love these colors and will flock to it. Save the vivid colors for your evening wear and other outfits.

Remember, just like at a resort, you are going to end up wearing the same items over and again. It is important that you pack lightly so really scrutinize what you are bringing with you. The only “just in case” item you will need is a swimsuit. The advice I would give is to pack for 3 outfits, and make sure they are interchangeable. Most lodges offer complimentary laundry service (except underwear-gotta wash your own), so you’ll be able to have a healthy rotation of clothes.

On the move

Another reason to pack light is that you will be on the move, in and out of 4x4s and small planes, and you just don’t need much variety. If you’re bringing camera gear, save room for that over another top.

Safaris are intentionally casual. You may want to wear something other than your dusty game drive clothes at the end of the day, but it doesn’t mean you need to dress up. That being said, if you want to dress up, feel free.

Prioritize comfort because you will be sitting for long stretches of time (game drives are 4-6 hours long). Elasticated waistbands, relaxed fit tops, breezy pants, etc., are key. A note for those who wear skirts: modest knee length is culturally appropriate. For tops: modest tank tops and sleeveless tops are fine (be mindful of one’s décolletage).

On this trip

I will be packing for both a safari and mountain hike in East Africa, and then city and wine tourism in South Africa. So much in one trip! I admit this is a packing challenge–even for me!

OKAY, ONTO THE LIST!

Clothes

-organized in dry bags

Tops

• 2x Long sleeve linen shirts (Sun protection!)
• 3x Short sleeve wool shirts (I like Icebreaker, but Quince has them too)
• 1x Long sleeve merino wool sun hoody (for hiking & game drives)
• 1x Wool cardigan (for chilly evenings or early AM game drives)

Bottoms

• 1x Quick dry pant with pockets (for game drives and hiking)
• 1x Linen pant (elastic waist, wide leg and breezy)
• 1x Trousers (tech fabric that looks luxe, has belt loops and pockets)
• 1x Quick dry shorts
• 1x Pair merino wool leggings (with pockets)

Other

• 2x Merino wool dress (for dinners, wine tours, & city days)
• 1x Bikini (I always pack one)

A quick note on laundry…

I fully expect to do sink laundry every day or at every opportunity. Although you shouldn’t trust the tap water for drinking, it’s fine to use to wash your clothing. I bring a Dr. Bronner’s bar of soap and 9’ of paracord with me for this exact purpose. It doesn’t take that long to do and I’ve done it for decades so it’s become part of my daily routine on the road. A reminder that many lodges will do complimentary laundry (check if yours offers this service). If you are DIY-ing this and tent camping, nice work! You will most likely be on your own for laundry though.

Under layers

• 4x Merino wool unders (I usually pack 2 but on the hike I won’t have running water)
• 2x Branwyn Merino wool sports bra (recommended for bumpy roads)
• 1x Regular wired bra (the unpadded bras pack down smaller)
• 2x Pairs of Darn Tough merino wool socks (great quality, excellent warranty!)

Speaking of Merino wool…

Yes, you guessed yet, most of my travel wardrobe is made of merino wool. Merino wool is an excellent fabric for travel because it is wrinkle resistant, odor resistant, breathable, temperature regulating, continues to insulate even when wet, sustainable, and it dries quickly. The downside is it can be expensive and more delicate than cotton or man made fibers. I highly recommend adding some pieces gradually with sales at sierra, icebreaker, backcountry, quince, wool&, REI, or Eileen Fisher/Eileen Fisher Renew.

Weather

What may be surprising to some of you is that it is CHILLY in the early morning in South and East Africa. This means layering is super important because you’ll be shedding them as the day gets warmer (make sure you have some kind bag to put them in, too).

• 1x Rain jacket
• 1x Down puffer jacket
• 1x Merino wool crewneck jacket
• 1x Wool buff
• 1x pair Wool magic gloves

Footwear

• Chacos lowdown sandal (💖💖💖! Or flip flops for showers)
• Trail runners
• (3rd shoe if desired for city days: ballet flats or flat espadrilles)

Meds/First Aid

I keep these in tiny ziplock baggies in a pouch.

I am not a doctor. Please consult your own primary care physician!

• Electrolyte chewable tablets (it’s easy to get dehydrated if taking malaria pills or having digestive issues)
• 1x Bottle Picaradin lotion (insect repellant)
• Zinc oxide cream (for heat rash if you’re prone)
• 1x “Swiss army knife” (never had an issue with TSA or EU equivalent)
• Assorted meds in a 1 oz. tin or tiny zipped baggies
  • Imodium, gas x, Pepto, Tums, Tagamet (for sensitive travel-bellies)
  • ibuprofen, Excedrin, melatonin (for sleep)
  • malaria medication (if taking)
  • Cipro (emergency antibiotics)
  • Dramamine or equivalent (for nausea and dizziness)
• 1’ of Anti-blister tape (wrapped around a q tip) or Compeed (if needed)
• 1x Contact lens container (with hydrocortisone cream and bug balm)
• 1x Pack of hand soap flakes (bathrooms tend to lack soap)
• 1x Travel bidet (or more portable bidet)
• 1x Pack of body wipes
• 1x Travel bottle of hand sanitizer
• 4x Bandaids (different sizes)

Miscellaneous

• 1x Sunglasses (polarized, UPF protection)
• 1x Baseball cap or bucket hat (the sun is no joke!)
• 1x Bandana (sun protection, headband, board game)

• Sleep kit: eye mask, ear plugs
• 1x Packable shopping bag
• 1x Kula cloth (for those who squat to pee–way better than tp!)
• 1x 1 Liter collapsible water bottle

• 1x Phone strap/lanyard
• Various ziplocks
• Binoculars (safari tours sometimes include them. Check if yours does)
• 1x Travel towel (The best of the best. Not all are made equally! Most hotels provide them, but if you’re going to a beach it’s BYOT.)
• 1x Travel headband “pillow” (great for car rides and flights)

• Multiple photocopies of all important documents (especially important if crossing country borders)
• 1x International Driver’s Permit (if you plan to rent or drive a car)
• 1x mini pen (with duct tape wrapped around it. Works for lights and mosquito net holes)

• Laundry kit: Downy wrinkle spray, Tide to Go mini pen, detergent sheets in a ziplock (for machine washes), mini sewing kit (or a needle with a long thread attached to it in a baggie), 9′ of paracord (DIY laundry line)

Toiletries

(decant your liquids, and opt for solid toiletries when possible)

• UL toothbrush (or a more reasonable Travel toothbrush)
• 1x Bite guard (optimizing tip here)
• Toothpaste tabs (or tiny airplane tubes)
• 4x Tooth flossers (clean and reuse)

• SPF 50 Face moisturizer (decanted into a lip gloss tube)
• Tinted sunscreen in a 1 oz tin or smaller (for my face)
• Sunscreen stick (for everywhere else)

• Baking soda deodorant (decanted into a small tin)
• Diva cup 
• Travel Razor
• Solid conditioner bar in matador case (they also make solid shampoo)
• Dr Bronners soap in a matador case (soap for body, hair, & clothes)

• Hair Kit: hair brush, 1x hair clip, 2x hair ties (great for thick hair!)
• Optional makeup: SPF lip balm/blush, mascara, tinted brow gel, makeup remover wipes in a ziplock baggie
• Lanolin lip balm (The best for chapped lips. Ignore the packaging in the link. I buy this one and decant it into lip gloss tubes)

Electronics

• 1x External battery bank
• Adaptor (South Africa uses Type M, East Africa uses type G)
• 1x 6’ Charging cable (6’ minimum cause plug locations can be awkward)
• 1x Air tag (for your bag)
• 1x Set of AirPods or headphones (I bring an adaptor to use on airplanes or audio tours)
• 1x Headlamp (your phone flashlight can work too in a pinch)

Camera Equipment

Heads up: Drones are not allowed in the parks.

• 1x Digital camera
• 1x Zoom/Telephoto lens (70mm and tighter range)
• Multiple memory cards (300MB/s write speed) in a case or zippered pouch
• Multiple batteries
• Charger and cables
• 1x Memory card reader (to transfer photos to a computer or phone)

• 1x Lens cleaning pen
• 2x Sensor cleaning sticks
• 1x Air blower for dust
• 1x Bottle of cleaning spray and a microfiber cloth (I decant the cleaning spray into a small perfume atomizer)

• 1x Protective layer for your camera and lens. I personally love the Matador Camera Base Layer because it’s waterproof, dust proof, expandable, and easily accessible. A domke wrap is another good option, or even a small pillowcase. The dust really does get everywhere.

Other camera gear

GoPro with magsafe mount, floaty case, and other mounts

A magsafe tripod

Baggage

On this trip, soft sided bags are queen. 👑 No hard suitcases! You’ll need to fit your luggage in awkward places (like small airplanes or backs of 4x4s), so your bag needs to mold to the space available.

I like to bring some sort of sling for my valuables, and a very packable bag for day hikes (here’s a fave of mine—look at how small it packs down!!).

Depending on the activities you’ll be doing (e.g. Kilimanjaro trek plus a safari) and how long you will be traveling, a 70-90L bag if often recommended. For trips with less activity variety, a 40L duffel is more than enough.

Here is a fantastic 40L duffel bag, and an *excellent 70L bag that I love. They are well made, the compartments are useful, and the interior is a bright color so you can see everything packed inside it. Bonus is they have straps so you can wear the bag as a backpack.

*If you pack a 70L bag, be prepared to downsize for flights on small bush planes. If your tour operator has a local office, ask them about bag storage if needed.

If you want to pack even lighter, I love my 32L Cragsmith from Patagonia. It fits everything I need, looks streamlined, opens fully from the back panel, and opens from the top. It has a little stash pocket in the lid for quick grabs, water bottle pockets on the sides, and a comfortable hip belt.

eSIM

I use Airalo when I travel abroad because it’s easy, works well, and the price is right. This is a data only eSIM. Through experience I’ve learned that I only need a data plan, and that it’s much cheaper than upgrading my domestic cellphone plan. Use referral code GWACO8480 to receive $3.00 off your next eSIM with Airalo!

I hope this list helps you pack lighter on your next trip. Remember, less is more!

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