Luxury Safari Packing List for Travelers with Anxiety
Congrats on booking an African safari! A luxury African safari was the most incredible trip I’ve ever taken, and I am SO excited that you will experience it too. But I had so many questions about what to pack for the safari — what was necessary and what I could leave at home. We had a tight connection and I did NOT want to lose our luggage. I’ve even included the soft sided bags we purchased for our trip on this luxury safari packing list.
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Luxury Safari Packing List
Clothes + Shoes
So one of the most common questions I’ve gotten about my trip is: Do I need to wear khaki/green/brown all the time? The short answer is no. But here’s why you should have at least a few pieces of neutral colored clothing.
You blend in with your surroundings, which makes you appear less threatening to the animals.
Bold colors attract bugs and scare/attract certain animals.
If you want to go on a bush walk/walking safari, “safari clothes” are a must. It will keep your skin protected from the sun and potential mosquito bites.
Optimal colors are navy, muted greens, khaki, gray, and brown. I’ve included photos of myself and my husband throughout this post to give you an idea of what we wore!
A typical outfit for me on game drives was these lightweight joggers with a cropped tank top
Here are all the clothes on my luxury safari packing list. I got all my “safari clothes” on Amazon, and I’ve linked them below for you!
Leggings or lounge pants
Shorts
T-shirts
Tank tops
Swimsuits
Sandals
Close-toed shoes suitable for walking on uneven ground
Underwear - if you go in the summer, you are going to sweat. I am glad I packed sports bras!
Socks - I recommend packing tall socks for bush walks/walking safaris
Lightweight jacket or sweatshirt
PS - spray your safari clothes with this to prevent bug bites.
This is what we wore on our bush walk/walking safari
Accessories
Wide brimmed hat to keep the strong sun off your face. Mine got really burnt. See photos for details 🤣
Lightweight jacket for early morning/late evening game drives. The vehicles are open air and it gets chilly when the sun goes down!
Binoculars are 100% necessary for a luxury safari packing list. Often the animals are far away, and it is much easier to see them with binoculars! We bought this pair with accessories to attach to your phone for photo/video recording.
Sunglasses
Minimalist jewelry
I didn’t wear a hat on our first walking safari and there were disastrous consequences 🤣
Toiletries
Conditioner - Our lodge didn’t have conditioner, so if you are a long haired girl like me who suffers from split ends, definitely pack some!
Toothbrush/toothpaste - don’t brush with the sink water!
Mosquito spray - this one is 100% DEET. I only got one bite the entire time we were there.
Hairbrush - trust me, you are going to have to work some serious tangles out of your hair after game drives
Hair ties - see above explanation
Ear plugs - the animals can get noisy at night, and if you are a light sleeper this may bother you. I usually wake up for everything, but I was so tired every night, I heard nothing.
All other beauty essentials you can’t live without - I will say that I have gotten better about not bringing my entire bathroom, and this trip I didn’t bring much and the only thing I wished I had was conditioner. I was too tired and too sweaty for anything other than mascara most days!
I wore leggings and a UV resistant shirt a few mornings when it was chilly!
Medication
All your usual medication in their original bottles
Malaria Pills - we opted to take them because I am terrified of insect borne illnesses, but in some parts of South Africa, malaria risk is low
Electrolyte packets - dehydration while traveling is a thing! I don’t go anywhere without electrolyte packets. Ultima is my favorite brand because it is sugar-free.
Around the lodge, I wore sandals, shorts, and tank tops like in this photo
Electronics
Camera
Lenses - I rented a 100-400 mm lens for the trip and it was perfect.
3 camera batteries - this was the perfect amount for me. Don’t forget a charger!
SD Cards - I had two 32 GB and one 128 GB and I ended up burning through around 50 GB with photos and videos over 5 days
Something to back up your SD cards - There is nothing worse than losing your photos! I brought my laptop even though our lodge didn’t have WiFi.
Power banks
Tablet/kindle/book for downtime at the lodge
Travel adapter - South Africa’s plugs are different from many other places, but our lodge also had European plugs. If you are coming from the US, I recommend emailing your lodge to ask what outlets they have available a few weeks in advance so you have time to buy the right adapter.
Headphones - I literally don’t go anywhere without my Sony Noise Canceling Headphones. They are an anxious traveler essential!
Phone Chargers
My husband wore pants like these and a t-shirt on our game drives
Bags + Backpacks
Camera backpack - This backpack literally has it all. I’ve used this one for years, and I love that I can put snacks or a jacket in the top portion!
Soft sided duffel bag - Not necessary if taking commercial flights, but much easier to get around than rolling bags. For chartered flights/tiny planes like if you are flying into the Serengeti, you have to have bags like these.
Final Thoughts on Luxury Safari Packing List
I hope this luxury safari packing list has been helpful. You are going to have the most incredible trip of your life. There is nothing like getting back to nature in a time when we are connected to screens or electronics all day every day.
In my post, Is a Luxury African Safari Worth It? I have additional FAQs about going on safari. If I haven’t answered your question in either of these posts, leave a comment!