I’ve had a few people ask about what I packed for Africa and I’m sure more people will ask, so here’s a pretty comprehensive list!
As I mentioned in a previous post, the weight restriction for bush planes is pretty strict at 33lbs per person, checked and carry on combined. Greg did purchase a freight seat so we could go over this limit, but I still wanted to pack light.
I took three bags with me; an Osprey Fairview 40L backpack, a Shimoda Action 30L, and an 11L black diamond backpack. The Osprey was my suitcase, the Shimoda carried all my camera gear with my laptop, and the black diamond backpack was my day bag.
Clothes:
- 4 pairs of pants (linen and hiking or safari pants)
- 1 pair of shorts
- 1 flowy maxi skirt
- 5 t-shirts (sporty, sweat wicking)
- 1 long sleeve t-shirt
- light weight kimono
- fleece
- rain jacket
- 2 buffs
- wide brimmed hat
- warm head band
- 2 pairs sunglasses
- gloves
- bathing suit
- 6 pairs of underwear
- 5 pairs of socks
- running shoes
- Teva sandals
Mom and I planned to share clothes so we would have more options of what to wear every day. I think we only swapped pants once? I also intended to borrow one of her long sleeve button up shirts as an additional layer, but I never needed to.
The only things I never wore were my long sleeve shirt, the warm headband, and the gloves. If we hadn’t gone to Zanzibar I also would not have used the bathing suit. Many of the hotels and lodges did have swimming pools, but we just didn’t have time to use them. I dipped my feet in one pool on a day that we switched camps and our morning game drive was shorter than usual, but otherwise, I just didn’t have time to sit by a pool. The mornings were cool and if it was a few degrees cooler I likely would have worn the headband and gloves. There were some mornings that I wore a buff as a headband to keep my ears warm.
I already mentioned my photography gear list, but I’ll add it here again:
- Canon R5 mkii
- Canon R6
- Canon RF 100-500
- Canon RF 24-104 F4
- 4 camera batteries and two battery chargers
- 4 SD cards (128 and 256 GB)
- tripod
- variable ND filter
- cleaning kit including a microfiber cloth, air blower, cleaning pen with brush, and cleaning solution
- Camera mount clamp (https://a.co/d/1QOjuVk)
- ballhead tripod attachment
- bean bag (empty, intended to fill it once in the Masai Mara, but I never used it)
- remote trigger
I don’t regret any of the items I took, but I barely used the R6, 24-105, and the tripod. I never ended up using the variable filter. I was really hoping to photograph the milky way while I was on safari, but every night was cloudy. I attempted it once even with the cloud, but the cloud bank fully covered the milky way core. I definitely did not need 4 camera batteries. They are small and easy to pack, so I don’t regret having the extra ones, but there was always time to charge them so I could have gotten away with just 2 batteries.
The mount clamp was one of the best photography purchases I’ve made. It was easy to clamp onto vehicle doors or the bars of a roof rack to keep my camera steady so I didn’t have to hold it the whole time. It was also quick and easy to detach before the vehicle started to move again. I highly recommend this or a similar product for any photographers going on safari.
Other tech and gear in my bag:
- 2 iphone chargers
- headphones and charger
- laptop
- 2 external hard drives
- 2 plug adapters
- surge protector
- battery pack
- flashlight
- carabiner to clip my day pack to the vehicle
- reusable water bottle
- packing cubes
- 2 air tags
I also had a fairly large bag of meds. In Nairobi or other larger centers, there are pharmacies where supplies can be purchased, but once out in the Masai Mara and area, there are no stores. My bathroom and med bags contained:
- toothbrush and toothpaste
- deodorant
- sunscreen
- bug spray (30% or more deet)
- lotion
- lip chap
- eye drops
- shampoo and conditioner
- polysporin
- after bite
- bandaids
- scrunchies
- wet wipes
- ear plugs
- Electrolyte tablets
- tylenol
- advil
- reactine
- benadryl
- dayquil and nyquil
- immodium
- pepto bismo
- laxative
- lactaid
- malaria pills
- Ciprofloxacin (antibiotic)
All of the hotels and camps had shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. If you aren’t picky/ don’t have allergies you definitely don’t need to bring your own! I didn’t end up using a lot of the meds that I took, but I was glad I had them just in case.
Things I did not have and I wish I did:
- clear glasses for eye protection from the wind and sand while on game drives
- Birkenstocks or other comfy and supportive sandals. Other than in Zanzibar I did not need waterproof sandals and I missed having a “nicer” pair of sandals
A few notes. Single use plastic bags are illegal in Kenya and carry a hefty fine. Ziplock bags are generally allowed; however, they may also be confiscated at customs. I used packing cubes and also took a few cloth bags in case I needed to pack a wet bathing suit or dirty shoes and have the rest of my bag protected. Mom brought a zippered medium sized bag that we left in luggage check at a hotel in Nairobi so we didn’t take the same items to Zanzibar that we took on safari. I could have taken fewer clothes. While I did wear most of the items I took, nobody cares if you wear the same three shirts for two weeks. Every hotel and camp had laundry, some places it is included and other places you pay per item. Laundry soap was also provided in each room for handwashing items.
J Cork Photography 