Clothes for A Safari in Kenya: Packing List & How to Dress

Planning clothes for a safari in Kenya can be tricky for first-timers. If you’re anything like me, you want to look stylish on your game drives, but also need outfits that are practical and comfortable to maximise wildlife viewing opportunities. 

Thankfully, after heading on a 5-day African safari as part of our honeymoon to Kenya and the Seychelles, I have a solid packing list to share. 

It includes all the things we found invaluable and the things that aren’t worth taking. I’ll cover all the clothes you need for a safari in Kenya, how to dress for game drives, and tips on the best shoes to pack too.

I’ll also go over some essential accessories, tech and can’t-live-without items for your luggage. 

This guide is primarily aimed at women who want to enjoy a safari and look cool doing so. 

For men, many of the core items remain the same, but clothes can be simplified.

My husband lived in white, cream and khaki t-shirts, short-sleeved shirts, cargo/corduroy trousers, and boots for the whole five days. He also had a warm fleece for the mornings and evenings. 

Download the One-Page Printable Safari Packing List

Looking for a printable safari packing list you can use to tick things off as you go? I’ve created a handy one-page PDF which contains all the items in this article, plus some space to add your own.

Click the link below to download the free printable safari packing list PDF!

Otherwise, read on to see the full list broken down into categories, with handy links for each item.

Clothes for a Safari in Kenya: Essential Tips 

• Choose neutral or muted pastel tones to blend in.
• If you’re travelling by air to one of the national parks, your luggage MUST be in a softshell duffel bag (hardshell suitcases are not allowed), and under 15kg. You can also bring a small handbag/rucksack into the plane.  
• Lightweight, long sleeves are your best friends for the cooler mornings and evenings.
• Toiletries and tech are very difficult/impossible to pick up in Kenya, so double check you have everything you need before leaving your home country. 
• Kenya has two wet seasons and two dry seasons, so adjust your packing list according to the typical weather during your season of travel. 

Packing List for Safari in Kenya

This packing list incorporates all of the clothes for a safari in Kenya that I recommend, as well as all the essential accessories, toiletries and tech you’ll need. 

For reference, we travelled in July, during the dry season. Early mornings were crisp and cool, with a dry heat building from the moment the sun came up. Afternoons were hot and sunny, and evenings were cool again once the sun had set.

The dry seasons in Kenya are June – October and January to February. These are also known as the high seasons as they are the most popular times to visit.

The wet seasons run from March to May and November to December. You can usually get better deals on accommodation during these ‘low’ seasons. 

Clothes 

When it comes to clothes for a safari in Kenya, I recommend a good mix of comfort and classic style.

Opt for quality but lightweight fabrics like linen and try a few tailored pieces to give your safari style a nice silhouette. Don’t forgo a few warm items for the early mornings. 

In terms of colours, stick to a nice mix of whites, creams, beige and brown neutrals and of course, the classic khaki safari green.

If you wear bright colours you will stick out like a sore thumb and you may even startle wildlife on a game drive, so I would strongly advise against this. 

• Comfy underwear
• High-quality socks 
• Warm pajamas 
• 7 vest tops/ camisoles/t-shirts
• 3 loose-fitting button-down shirts 
• 2 pairs of shorts 
• 2 pairs of cargo trousers 
• 2 warm jumpers/cardigans 
• 1 warm/utility jacket 
• 1 raincoat if travelling during the wet season
• 1 pair of linen trousers 
• 1 pair of comfortable boots 
• 1 pair of walking sandals
• 1 pair of trainers
• 1 maxi dress 
• 1 jumpsuit/co-ord 
• 1 pair of jeans 
• Swimsuits/cover-ups/flip-flops (if your accommodation has a pool/spa)

Accessories 

I would say things like sunglasses and a hat are essential while on safari in Kenya, but some of the others are nice-to-haves. 

• A wide-brimmed hat (I love a classic straw or felt fedora, but you can also opt for a safari-style)
• Sunglasses 
• Leather belt 
• Camera bag 
• Backpack/crossbody bag (doesn’t need to be comfy to wear since you’ll just have it in the vehicle with you mostly)
• Smaller purse for the evenings 
• A lightweight scarf/necktie
• Sunglasses chain (It’s bright and dusty on the game drives, so you’ll want your glasses on while moving. A neck chain makes it easy to whip them off when you need to get behind the camera for some wildlife). 
• Costume jewellery (I wouldn’t take anything too expensive, but some chunky gold earrings or a necklace help you feel ‘dressed-up’ in the evenings).

Tech 

After forgetting a spare memory card for the camera and film for my Polaroid, I can tell you it is NOT easy to buy tech supplies in Kenya. 

We went into central Nairobi on our layover to search for these two items and failed to find a single camera shop selling what we needed. There was a tiny stall at the domestic airport but unfortunately, this did not stock what we were looking for. 

Moral of the story: make sure to pack all of the tech you need and associated chargers and accessories, or risk going without. 

• Camera
• Camera charger 
• Spare camera batteries 
• Zoom lenses (if using a DSLR)
• Spare memory cards 
• Torch/flashlight 
• Smartphone 
• Smartphone charger 
• Adapters for type G plugs (3-prong, same as UK)
• Power bank
• Kindle or E-Reader and charger 
• Polaroid camera (just for fun!) and spare film 
• Laptop and charger (if you want to process your images while you’re there)

Toiletries 

Since we were travelling for our honeymoon, just two days after the wedding, there were a few toiletry items I forgot to bring from home. No biggie, I thought – I’ll just grab them from a pharmacy in Nairobi on our layover. 

Well, this turned out to be another huge mistake. Whilst we did find a pharmacy selling what we needed, the prices were extremely high (I can only assume we got charged a different price to the locals).

Therefore, I strongly recommend double-checking you have all of your toiletries packed before you leave your home country. This is especially important if you’ll be travelling straight to the Masai Mara or some other national park, where there are no accessible stores. 

• Medication (don’t forget the nearest pharmacy could be several hours away).
• Insect repellent (we didn’t find mosquitos to be a problem but you should protect yourself in case of tsetse flies). 
• Broad spectrum SPF sunscreen 
• Aftersun and afterbite
• Lip balm 
• Shampoo
• Conditioner 
• Shower gel 
• Deodorant 
• Toothbrush and toothpaste 
• Female sanitary products 
• Hand sanitiser 
• Nail scissors 
• Makeup 
• Skincare 
• Hairbrush 
• Hair ties and accessories 

Miscellaneous 

A few random but equally important things to bring. The most important lesson here is that cash is still very much KING in the Kenya wilderness.

Technically, the lodges and national park gates take cards, but they rely on a temperamental solar power supply. AKA, when you’re trying to access the park before sunrise on a morning game drive… they don’t work. 

Be sure to bring enough cash to get into the park every day, plus plenty more to tip your drivers and lodge staff. You can pay in Kenyan shillings or USD, both are accepted. 

• Binoculars (the game drivers will have these but it’s great to have your own pair)
• Plenty of cash (essential for paying to get into the national park and tipping your drivers). 
• Passport (seems obvious, I know! But you also need to have this on you every day to get into the national park)
• Visa, if required
• Medical certificates, if required
• Travel insurance information

Best Shoes for a Safari in Kenya 

The best and most essential shoes for a safari in Kenya are a solid pair of boots, whether you opt for a combat style or a more nostalgic knee-high.

You don’t need proper walking boots unless you’re doing a long walking safari. Most days, you’ll be sitting in the game drive vehicles and then just walking around your camp, so ‘fashion’ boots are more than fit for purpose. 

You may want to opt for a waterproof pair if you’re travelling during the wet season. But again, it’s hardly like you’ll be trekking through the mud, so not especially essential. 

I also took a pair of trainers, a pair of flip-flops for the pool, and some chunky flat-form sandals for the evenings. Apart from the flip-flips for the pool, I could have quite easily got away with just taking my boots. So I would prioritise these two if you’re short on space.

How to Dress for Safari in Kenya 

Layers, layers, and more layers. On a typical morning game drive in Kenya, the temperature ranges from crisp and cold before sunrise to blazing hot by midday. 

Most decent game-drive vehicles have blankets, so you can usually get away with wearing shorts, but combat or wide-leg trousers work just as well. You can then layer on top with a vest, camisole or t-shirt, a lightweight button-down shirt, a warm fleece or cardigan, and a utility jacket if required. 

You won’t need as many layers if you’re headed out on a daytime game drive that leaves after sunrise, but you’ll still need warm safari clothing for an evening/sunset game drive. 

Be sure to grab your hat and sunglasses before you head out of camp, it’s easy to forget when it’s still dark out! 

Pack your morning game drive bag the evening before so you’re not rushing around in the morning. 

Make sure you have your camera, spare (charged) batteries, a portable power bank, lip balm, high SPF sunscreen, insect repellent, cash and passports (to get into the national parks), sunglasses, hand sanitiser, and any essential medication. 

What Not to Put on Your Safari Packing List For Kenya

A few items you can definitely leave off your packing list for a safari in Kenya include:

• Single-use plastics (these are banned in protected areas throughout Africa)
• High-heels (Just not practical – even in the evening as you’ll likely be walking through the bush to get to the dining tent/lodge)
• Mini-skirts (not practical either as you’ll be climbing in and out of the safari vehicle during the day and the evenings are usually too cool for a short skirt).

What To Wear In The Evening On Safari in Kenya 

Evenings on Kenya safaris are a fairly casual affair, there’s certainly no need for formal safari clothes. Many people at our camp wore similar clothes to the outfits they wore on their game drives, so there’s no need to dress for the evening if you don’t want to. 

Since we were on our honeymoon and I do like to feel a little fancy in the evening, I did switch it up a little from my daytime attire. This mostly consisted of linen trousers and cute knitted tops, khaki co-ords, or a jumpsuit. I also wore a chocolate-brown linen dress for our final evening (pictured above). 

Short sleeves were perfectly acceptable until sunset, after that, a cardigan or jumper was required since most of the tents were open-air. 

Clothes for a Safari in Kenya: Final Thoughts 

This guide to clothes for a safari in Kenya is not exhaustive but should cover most bases for practicality with a few style tips thrown in. As you can see, I enjoyed having a little animal-print moment here and there, which made a fun change from the typical khaki safari uniform.

Since it is also in East Africa and experiences a similar climate, this packing list could also work for Tanzania safaris, although temperatures may vary depending on altitude. 

African safaris further afield, like in South Africa, can have vastly different climates, so you’ll need to double-check the possible weather conditions for the season you’re travelling in. 

It’s also important to consider the different activities and tours you may have booked during your trip. For example, if you’re heading on a walking safari, you’ll need proper walking boots. If you’re headed on a boat safari at any point, you may want to consider clothes you don’t mind getting wet. 

What do you think? Is there anything else you’re adding to your Kenya safari packing list? Let me know in the comments!

**You may also be interested in reading about The Ultimate 5-Day Kenya Safari Itinerary or a Safari and Seychelles Honeymoon: The Full Planning Guide.**