I have now been to three safari countries in East Africa. Technically I have also been to Egypt a couple of times, but Africa is a huge place so I wanted to give you a snippet on why I am the right person to give you the best safari packing list. I am not creating this list just based on research. I have been to Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda and can tell you exactly what we needed (and what we didnt) based on the time of year we traveled.
I will tell you that all of my trips to East Africa have been in the dry season (July and August) because that is the best time to go. If you are going in the wet season, you may need to pack a little differently. So here we go!
Your Complete Safari Packing List for Kids
As I mentioned, I have traveled from Canada to Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya in the last two years. I have learned a few things about what to pack and what not to pack. I have packed extremely light as we have used bush planes on all three trips and their luggage rules are usually 13 kg and soft sided bags. While our bags were never weighed and we saw people with hard sided FULL size suitcases, we actually found it quite easy to travel light and I will give you a hint as to why – Safari’s are very casual and you can travel with just the shoes on your feet!
The Basics
Regardless of which country African safari takes you, you are going to want to pack these things when you visit.
Permethrin Spray for Clothing
Before you even leave you are going to want to spray all of your clothes with this. Then you do not need to bring it with you.
Soft Sided Luggage
A lof to safari itineraries require soft sided luggage. Here is an example.
Travel Insurance
Every time you leave home you should have travel medical insurance. It offers peace of mind and access to emergency doctors when needed as well as handy coverage for theft! Check out SafetyWing for a price quote!
Travel Adapter
A travel adapter is something that you will be happy to have. I love how this one has USB outlets as well (and you can use it anywhere in the world)!!
Reusable Water Bottle With Filter
Most lodges or tours will provide bottled water and some luxury lodges have filtered water in camp. If you want to cut down on your plastic usage but are not sure what kind of water situation you will have, you can use a Grayl or Lifestraw to ensure all dangerous particles are filtered out. If you are trying to pack light, this is something you can skip as the lodges all have filtered water.
Battery Pack
This is NOT something to go without! While your phone battery may last you all day at home, there is a good chance that you will go through a lot of battery life taking videos and photos during your day! This is the one I currently use for my phone and I have this one for all of my other devices!
Small First Aid Kit
I have the basics in mine, nothing special but kids are kids and playing in the lodges can often mean small bumps and bruises. I also travel with motion sickness meds, anti-diarrhea meds and basic pain kilers.
Hat
We brought Tilley hats. I wore a medium and Markus (who turned 10 on the trip) wore a small. I love how they scrunch up without wrinkling etc and sit flat in the bottom of any bag!
Sunscreen, Sunglasses and Chapstick
The nice thing about overlanding is that you have a hardsided Jeep and mostly stay out of the sun, but there are some times that arms end up exposed and of course in camp there is sun. If you are doing day trips from camps you will likely not be in a hardtop jeep and will be much more exposed to the sun. Plan accordingly. The photo above is a hard top overlanding jeep.
Pack of Kleenex
Depending on where you go, the bathroom might be behind the back tire of the jeep! In Tanzania we had clean park washrooms every day. In Kenya, we used the back tire daily! Bring a ziplock to put your used kleenex in so you can discard of it properly in the camp at the end of the day.
Entertainment
This looks different for everyone. We packed ipads and headphones for travel and for our long overlanding moments. If was an effective way to keep the kids enterained.
Snacks
The biggest different between mid-range and luxury safari camps is usually the food. Luxury camps will have food and snack options and mid-rang basically tell you what dinner is. For this reason (and for our very long travel from Canada, we packed a lot of snacks). Aim for snacks that will not melt. We kept the snack bag with us each day.
Bug Spray
Keep the deep woods scented stuff and home and do not waste your time on “family friendly” or “natural” bug spray. If Africa you want the good stuff! You only put it on exposed skin.
Passport
This is obvious but I want you to have the whole list
Yellow Fever Vax or Exemption Card
Check where you are going or transiting through as you may or may not need this. A local travel clinic is most helpful.
Headlamp
Useful for after dinner walking back to your tent or room.
Shoes to Pack on Safari with Kids
Shoes are pretty easy in Africa. Likely you will be at camp or in a Jeep. There is not a lot of walking on African safaris. Bring comfortable walking shoes and a pair of sandals if you like options. Typically out in the park you are going to want closed toe shoes! My kids were fine with just running shoes, but if we were ending our trip on a beach like Zanzibar I would have added sandals.
Colors to Avoid
It is suggested to avoid black and dark blues as these can attract biting insects. Camels, greys, browns and olive greens are the most common colors as they do not show dirt and dust.
Mom’s Packing List
After three African safari trips in 2 years I found some real gems. You can see the cream colors button up and the light colored pants become a sample. The shorts were great for hot days! You do not need a ton of options, opt for comfort and layers.
- sandals
- comfortable shoes
- swimsuit for hotel pool and coverup
- comfortable evening ware for dinners. Usually there is a lot of road dust and it is nice to change for dinner
- long pants / trousers (I like linen pants even jeans)
- shorts
- layering shirts such as long sleeve linen shirts
- t shirts / tanks
- hat and sunglasses
- sweater / light jacket for evenings and cool mornings
- socks
- underwear
- pajamas
Dad’s Packing List
Aim for comfort and casual with a warm layer.
- comfortable shoes
- sandals or an alternate pair of footwear
- swimsuit for hotel pool
- comfortable evening ware for dinners. Usually, there is a lot of road dust and it is nice to change for dinner
- long pants / trousers
- shorts
- layering shirts
- t shirts
- hat and sunglasses
- sweater / light jacket for evenings and cool mornings
- socks
- underwear
- pajamas
Kids’s Packing List
Comfortable and casual is the way to go when it comes to packing for kids. As you can see in the photos above, you want a hat and layers!
- sandals
- comfortable shoes
- swimsuit for hotel pool and coverup
- comfortable evening ware for dinners
- long pants / trousers
- shorts
- layering shirts / t shirts / tanks
- hat and sunglasses
- sweater / light jacket for evenings and cool mornings
- socks
- underwear
- pajamas
Considerations for Rainy Season
In the rainy season you are going to want to add a raincoat and a more waterproof shoe or hiking boot option. Most of the time you are in covered vehicles but when a rainstorm came through our camp in the Serengeti we went out and enjoyed it! For wet clothes, pack a laundry wet bag to bring your dirty clothes home in!
Packing list items on Amazon
If you visit my amazon safari list you can see a lot of these items all in one place! Have a great trip!
Other Articles on Family Travel to Africa
Lindsay Nieminen hails from Vancouver, Canada and shares her love of travel on this website. She is passionate about showing others that they should not put off traveling the world just because they have children or are single parents. She aims to encourage them to seek out adventure, whether it is at home or abroad by providing information on how just about everywhere can be a destination to explore as a family.