Safari Packing List: African Safari Clothes & Essentials

Africa, Family Travel, Packing Lists, Travel

Safari Packing List: African Safari Clothes & Essentials

We’re headed on safari! I’ve always imagined going on one—and getting to experience it with my family makes it an absolute dream. We’ll be visiting Kruger National Park in South Africa, and I feel like it’s the perfect introduction to a safari adventure.

I’ve been endlessly researching and asking seasoned safari-goers all the questions—especially when it comes to my safari packing list. I’m not exactly a light packer, and the luggage limitations are making this trip a bit more of a challenge. Thankfully, laundry service is offered daily, which definitely helps!

That said, I’ll still want to change up my outfits, of course! Since packing guides are some of the most-read posts on my blog, I couldn’t resist putting together one filled with the African safari clothes I’m planning to bring. Today, I’ll be sharing what to consider when packing, why I chose certain pieces, and a few safari essentials we won’t be leaving without.

Things to Consider When Selecting African Safari Clothes

I’ve shared my must-have travel essentials and tried-and-true tips in previous posts, so I won’t dive into all the nitty-gritty details here. However, I do want to quickly highlight two important things to keep in mind when choosing your African safari clothes.

1. Research the Weather

As always, I recommend checking—and rechecking—the weather several times before any trip. No one wants to be stuck in a sleeveless dress on a chilly evening or walking around in sandals on a rainy day.

For our August trip, early morning drives are expected to be quite cool, with temperatures dipping into the 40s. By midday, though, it should warm up into the 70s. Because of this, my safari packing list includes plenty of layers I can easily add or remove throughout the day. I’ve also heard the sun can be intense, so sun protection is a must!

2. Choose a Color Scheme

Whenever I’m packing, I try to stick with a color palette that makes it easy to mix and match pieces. This trip is even simpler thanks to the classic African safari clothes color scheme—think olive green, brown, and khaki.

The best part? These are the same colors I plan to wear this upcoming season as part of my fall capsule wardrobe. So it’s perfect timing to stock up on a few new favorites while prepping for this trip!

What Luggage to Take on an African Safari

While planning your safari packing list, don’t forget to think carefully about the luggage you’ll bring. I’m slightly embarrassed to admit how long I spent researching this—mainly because of the strict restrictions on our bush flight from Johannesburg. All bags must meet specific (and very small!) size requirements, be soft-sided and squishable, and have at least one flat side. Each person is allowed up to 44 pounds, which feels nearly impossible given the limitations—but I’m determined to make it work!

Since we didn’t have anything at home that fit within those specs, I ended up ordering Patagonia Black Hole 40L duffels for all four of us. I also figured they’ll be great for the boys’ future school trips over the next few years.

We’re also allowed a small, soft-sided daypack as a carry-on. This bag has to weigh under 11 pounds and be pretty compact. I’m planning to bring my Longchamp, but TBD on what the boys will use—even their small Target travel backpacks are too bulky! So the hunt is on.

Hot tip: Always check with your flight operator about luggage restrictions ahead of time—and definitely get out that measuring tape before you pack!

African Safari Clothes

Okay, now onto everyone’s favorite part… African safari clothes! This trip is definitely different from our usual tropical island getaways, ski vacations, and European summers, so coming up with the right outfits was a bit of a challenge—but a fun one, nonetheless. Here’s what I plan to pack!

African Safari Travel Outfit

Let’s kick it off with a travel day look! I have an entire blog post dedicated to comfortable airport outfits, and any of those would work well for traveling to a safari. These are seriously long-haul flights, so comfort is key!

For this trip, I plan to wear my Tuckernuck cashmere sweater and pants set with a soft tee layered underneath. This outfit will definitely be on heavy rotation come fall, too—it’s stylish, cozy, and travel-friendly.

I always wear my bulkiest shoes on the plane to save space in my luggage, so for this trip, I’ll be wearing my sneakers. I also never fly without compression socks and my Alice Walk cashmere wrap, which doubles as the perfect in-flight blanket. I usually freeze on long flights—but you just never know—so wearing layers is always the safest choice.

I’m also bringing a small packing cube with an extra outfit inside my Longchamp bag. For this trip, it’ll be a pair of green leggings, a lightweight jacket, and a breathable top—all pieces I plan to use for workouts during the trip as well. Note: You can use code SARAH20 for a discount on this outfit!

African Safari Clothes for Daily Wear

For my daily safari looks, I plan to rotate between a few go-to tops, lightweight jackets, and practical pants.

Tops

As I mentioned earlier, I’m sticking with the traditional African safari clothes color palette: brown, khaki, and olive green. I’m bringing a brown button-down shirt, an off-white pointelle short-sleeve sweater, a green safari twill shirt, and a cream blouse. I’ll also pack my go-to pointelle layering top—one of my all-time favorites for both travel and everyday wear.

Bottoms

Given the weather, I’m only bringing pants for this trip. While many people recommend performance fabrics, I’m sticking with what I already own and what feels comfortable to me. That said, I will be packing performance pants for JB and the boys.

For myself, I’m bringing a pair of rich chocolate wide-leg jeans, khaki pants with the cutest scalloped pocket detail, and olive green twill pants. I’ll be able to mix and match these styles with my tops to create plenty of different looks throughout the trip.

Outerwear

For outerwear, I’ll be bringing my Barbour waxed chore jacket and a lightweight olive jacket. I probably don’t need both, but the frill collar on the second one is just too cute to leave behind!

Workout Outfit

The lodge we’re staying at has a small gym, and I do plan to keep up with some strength training during the trip. I love this Rhone cropped tee and leggings active set, and I’ll also be bringing the coordinating lightweight pullover jacket. I’m especially obsessed with the smoky green color—it’s perfect for fall. And if you’re interested in this look, you can use code SARAH20 for a discount!

Pajamas

I’m planning to pack two pairs of pajamas—one with pants and one with shorts. The pants set is my all-time favorite pair of PJs, and the knit shorts set is just so cozy and comfortable.

African Safari Shoes, Bags, & Accessories

When it comes to styling my African safari clothes, I’m keeping my accessories minimal. First, there’s not much room in our luggage for anything extra. And second, I don’t want to feel weighed down by shoes or accessories while we’re out exploring.

Socks & Shoes

Since we’ll be doing game drives (not bush walks) because of the boys’ ages, I’m keeping it simple with just sneakers and a pair of sandals.

For socks, I’m bringing a mix of my go-to Bombas and a few pairs of LL Bean insect shield socks.

Accessories

For jewelry, I’ll be keeping it simple with gold huggies and my Hart necklace.

Hats, sunglasses, and scarves are safari packing list essentials! I haven’t quite decided which hat I’ll bring yet, but I’ve narrowed it down to a packable fedora, a Lorna Murray Capri hat, or my favorite baseball cap. I’ll definitely be bringing my Krewe sunglasses and Tillie scarf—I’ve heard it can get quite dusty out on the bush. I’m also packing a classic belt to wear with any of my pants that have loops.

For my daily bag, I’ll be carrying my Longchamp, which will also serve as my carry-on for the plane.

Makeup & Skincare to Take on an African Safari

You all know I usually like to pack my whole medicine cabinet—eye masks, face masks, the essentials, and every little toiletry item I might need. But this trip won’t be that. While I’ll still bring a well-stocked (but abbreviated) medicine bag, I’m planning to keep everything else pretty minimal.

Makeup

For some reason, they don’t sell my favorite tinted moisturizer here in the U.S. — if you’re ever in Europe, look for ISDIN “Magic” at the pharmacy (I wear the shade medium). It’s wonderful and I’ll be bringing it! That said, this lightweight daily facial sunscreen (SPF 40), has a similar feel but without any tint.

I’ll also pack a few essentials: brow gel, concealer, mascara, lip SPF, and cream blush.

Skincare

For skincare, I’m keeping it simple: just three Cadence capsules of Elemis cleansing balm, my go-to facial moisturizer, and a trusty vitamin C serum.

I know washcloths can be scarce in Europe, and I’m anticipating the same in South Africa. So I’m also bringing face wipes to pre-cleanse at night.

African Safari Essentials & Bug Repellents

In addition to the African safari clothes, accessories, and skincare I’m packing, there are a few other essentials I’m bringing specifically for this trip.

Insect Repellents

We’ll be traveling to a malaria zone, so we made sure to speak with our doctor ahead of time. We’ll be taking the prescribed medication before, during, and after the trip. In addition, we’re bringing bug spray, insect repellent wipes and bracelets, and we’ll be washing all our socks in repellent. I also picked up a few insect guard bandanas to use as needed.

Tourist Essentials

Naturally, we don’t want to miss a single moment of this adventure—so binoculars are a must. While our lodge does provide some, we were encouraged to bring our own. I got JB a really nice pair from Nocs for Father’s Day, and picked up smaller, more affordable options (also from Nocs) for me and the boys. They’ve all worked great so far!

We’ll also be taking lots of photos. I’m bringing my Leica camera, and I’m sure I’ll be using my iPhone constantly, too. And don’t forget a travel power adapter—you’ll need one to keep everything charged!