Safari Packing List Really Need i’ve done six safaris and i STILL overpack like a paranoid squirrel every single time. here’s the list that finally works (mostly).
The Time I Offended an Entire Pride of Lions
tanzania 2018. rocked up in a bright pink tank top like an idiot. guide literally gave me his spare shirt. leopard stared at me like “snack?” never again. Safari Packing
Clothes (Beige or Become Lunch)
- 3-4 neutral shirts (khaki, olive, tan – nothing white, nothing black, nothing fun)
- 2 pairs zip-off pants (because laundry is a myth)
- 1 warm fleece (mornings are antarctica)
- 1 rain jacket that actually fits in a pocket
- wide-brim hat (sun doesn’t negotiate)
- buff (dust mask, neck thing, emergency tissue)
- like 7 pairs underwear because who has time to wash
- comfy bra that doesn’t hate you after 12 hours in a land cruiser
Shoes Safari Packing
- one solid pair already-broken-in hiking shoes (blisters + lions = no)
- tevas or crocs for camp (shower shoes + fashion crimes)
Gadgets I’d Sell a Kidney For
- binoculars (8×42, don’t cheap out or squint and cry)
- camera + ALL the extra batteries (animals don’t pose while you charge)
- big power bank (lodges have like 2 plugs total)
- universal adapter (south africa is type M, kenya is G, good luck)
Random Tiny Heroes Safari Packing
- headlamp (night drives + 3am pee missions)
- wet wipes (you’ll use 400)
- deet 100% (mosquitoes here have college degrees)
- malaria pills (don’t @ me)
- lip balm with spf (lips split, soul follows)
- tiny first aid + compeed blister plasters
- $1 bills for tipping (they want crisp ones, yes really)
Stuff I Brought and Regretted
- drone (confiscated on day 1)
- camouflage anything (illegal in half the countries)
- perfume (animals can smell your vanilla latte from zimbabwe)
- hard suitcase (laughed at by pilot)
What Fits in My Bag Now Safari Packing
40L duffel, packing cubes because i’m adulting, total 12kg because small planes are mean.
print this before you spiral at 1am like i’m doing right now.
what’s your ride-or-die safari item? Safari Packing? tell me because I’m going back to Botswana in august and my duffel is already judging me.
now excuse me while i try to zip this bag with one foot and pure spite. send gin, tonic, and zero tsetse flies.
