What to Pack for an African Safari

In the world of travel writing, there are a few “Holy Grail” experiences. A cruise to Antarctica, a few nights at the Amangiri in Utah, a luxe stay at the Four Seasons Hotel George V in Paris. Among these bucket-list trips is an African safari—and I finally got to go on my first one this month. (Two Travel + Leisure stories coming soon!)

When an email from Wilderness hit my inbox several months ago—inviting me on a trip to a couple of safari camps in Zimbabwe—I knew I couldn’t pass it up. And I immediately began plotting my green, khaki, beige, and brown outfits. I already had some pieces, mostly from L.L.Bean and Lands’ End, in my wardrobe, but I needed a few more. While I did buy a couple of brand-new items, I also scoured eBay for vintage pieces; the sleeveless Ralph Lauren shirt and the linen button-down below are both eBay finds.

There were so many aspects of being on safari that I absolutely adored—coffee and tea in the bush, sundowners, falling asleep to the sounds of elephants and hippos. I also loved the simplicity of having a uniform. Everything in my duffel bag was easily mixed and matched, and even after eight days in Africa, I still felt excited to put together my outfit.

When you go on safari, you’ll find there’s a luggage limit of about 44 pounds per person. You also can’t bring a hardshell suitcase. Luckily, I had already tested the perfect bag, my Longchamp Le Pliage Original XL Travel Bag, on February’s trip to India, so no issues there.

I also brought two film cameras for the trip, and I kept them safely tucked into the NOMATIC McKinnon Camera Sling Bag. It’s a bit pricey, but if you’re someone who travels with cameras (and you definitely should when you’re on safari), you want to keep them safe. The material is also water-resistant, which came in quite handy when one of our boats took on water while traversing the Zambezi.

As I mentioned, two of my MVPs of the trip were from eBay, but I found a similar sleeveless shirt and a nearly identical linen button-down. I also took this L.L. Bean utility shirt. Right before I left for Africa, I saw a video of someone on safari saying how they wished they hadn’t brought so many T-shirts; you either wear long-sleeves for early morning and evening game drives or tank tops during the day. They were right. That said, I did wear this simple Madewell T-shirt under this layerable, 30+ UPF Paka hoodie for a few game drives.

For pants, I stuck with three categories: these stretch cargo pants (two pairs), linen pants (which also worked for travel days and post-game drive dinners), and linen drawstring shorts (two pairs). For years, I’ve turned to J.Crew for linen pants, and this drawstring style is probably my favorite from the brand. I also made a last-minute Athleta trip to grab these high-rise, wide-leg linen pants, which I received a number of compliments on.

I kept my shoe selection simple. Water-resistant Lems boots—I wore them for the first time on this trip (technically a travel faux pas), but they were comfortable right off the bat. Sandals to wear around camp—you want to bring ones you don’t mind getting dirty. And New Balance sneakers—because I didn’t want to wear boots for the 24-hour travel days. These Paka trail socks were also equally warm and breathable; even in boots, my feet never overheated.

Readers of this Substack will recognize this machine-washable, striped long-sleeve button-down dress; yes, I bought it in the beige/brown color for this trip. And honestly, it was, once again, a win. I wore it for dinner and for in-Africa travel days. For my outerwear, I went with another eBay find, which is similar in color, structure, and function to this Barbour jacket. Alex Mill also carries a similar, cheaper style.

My best piece of advice for putting together a safari packing list is to not underestimate your accessories. I found that by bringing a few simple, packable pieces, I was able to keep my outfits feeling new and fresh each day. I wore a scarf like this either around my neck or head for extra sun protection, and around my mouth when the dust got a bit much during game drives.

I never left camp without these polarized Caddis sunglasses, attached to an eyeglasses chain I picked up in Victoria Falls (similar to this or this), or a hat—I love a solid-colored baseball hat. A belt and this travel wrap, another piece I’ve talked about on repeat, completed the safari lineup.