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Safari guide · Namibia, Botswana & South Africa

What to pack
for safari.

Crisp dawns on an open vehicle, hot afternoons at the waterhole, dust that finds everything, and stars that make you forget all of it. Packing for safari is a balancing act — here's how we do it after thirty years of getting it wrong so you don't have to.

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06:00 · ±2°C FLEECE + BEANIE + WINDPROOF 13:00 · ±26°C SHIRT + HAT + SUNSCREEN 19:00 · ±12°C FLEECE BACK ON

One winter safari day, one 24-degree swing — which is why layers beat bulk, every time

The one rule
Layers, not bulk — days swing 20°C+
Colours
Khaki, olive, beige — dust-proof and game-friendly
Pack light
Most camps do same-day laundry
Fly-in trips
Soft bags only, strict weight limits

The essentials — every trip, every traveller

Get these six right and the rest is detail

Safari days run cold–hot–cold, the sun is serious, the dust is personal, and the best sightings happen far away. Everything below follows from those four facts.

Clothing: light, neutral, layerable

Breathable natural fabrics — cotton and linen — in earthy tones that don't startle game or show the dust.

  • 3–4 shirts, at least two long-sleeved for sun and mosquitoes
  • A warm fleece — non-negotiable for dawn drives
  • Windproof / packable rain jacket for open vehicles and summer storms
  • Beanie for winter mornings; buff or bandana against dust
  • Swimwear — the midday pool is a safari institution

Footwear: broken in, not brand new

You'll walk on sand, gravel and uneven ground — comfort beats fashion by a wide margin.

  • Sturdy walking shoes, worn in before you fly — blisters ruin dune climbs
  • Sandals or light sneakers for camp, with grip for wet surfaces
  • Warm socks — feet freeze first on an open vehicle

Sun: the African sun means it

Sunburn and heat exhaustion end more safari days than anything with teeth. Take it seriously.

  • Broad-brimmed hat — packable ones squash into a day bag
  • Polarised UV sunglasses for glare off pans and water
  • High-SPF broad-spectrum sunscreen, sweat-resistant
  • SPF lip balm — desert wind is merciless on lips

Gear: see it, and keep it

The whole point is watching wildlife — a little optical help transforms the experience.

  • Binoculars, 8x or 10x — one pair per person, not per couple; sharing causes divorce at leopard sightings
  • Camera + spare cards and batteries — you will shoot triple what you expect
  • Small drybag to keep dust and rain off everything above
  • Power bank — some camps only run generators part of the day

Health & personal care

Nothing exotic — just the things that are annoying to find in a small desert town on a Sunday.

  • DEET insect repellent, especially for evenings in malaria-risk regions
  • Refillable water bottle — heat dehydrates you faster than you notice
  • Personal medication + basics: painkillers, plasters, rehydrate sachets
  • Hand sanitiser and wet wipes — dust, again

The bag itself

How you carry it matters as much as what's in it — especially if a small plane is involved.

  • Soft-sided duffel if your trip includes any fly-in camp — hard shells get refused at airstrips
  • Day bag for the vehicle: water, camera, layers, sunscreen
  • Leave room — you will buy something carved, woven or biltong-shaped

Our packing motto after thirty years: if you're debating whether to bring it, you don't need it — with two exceptions. Bring the fleece. Bring the binoculars.

Your trip, your extras

Then add the list for how you're travelling

The essentials above cover everyone. What you add depends on whether you're driving yourself across Namibia, flying between lodges, or sleeping under canvas.

A gravel road stretching to the horizon in Namibia

Self-drive · Namibia & beyond

Behind your own wheel

Distances are huge and towns are far apart — your vehicle is your lifeline, so pack for the road as well as the bush.

  • 5 litres of water per person in the car, always
  • Cooler box + padkos — picnic stops beat petrol-station pies
  • Offline maps downloaded + a paper map as backup; signal vanishes for hours
  • 12V charger for phones and cameras on long drives
  • Headlamp or torch for camp arrivals after sunset
  • Some cash — small fuel stops don't always take cards
  • Spare glasses if you wear them — the nearest optometrist is far
A light aircraft on a bush airstrip, ready for a lodge transfer

Fly-in · Okavango & private reserves

Lodge to lodge by air

Light aircraft transfers — the standard way into Botswana's Delta camps — change the packing rules completely.

  • Soft-sided bag only, usually 15–20 kg total — we confirm your exact limit when booking
  • 3–4 outfits maximum — camps do laundry, often same-day
  • One warmer smart-casual layer for dinners under the stars
  • Motion sickness tablets if small bumpy planes worry you
  • Everything valuable in your day bag — it stays with you
A tent pitched at a campsite in Namibia

Camping · NWR sites & 4x4 campers

Under canvas

The most Namibian way to travel — and the one where the temperature swing gets personal at 3am.

  • Sleeping bag rated below 0°C for winter — desert nights freeze
  • Beanie and thermals to sleep in, June to August
  • Headlamp per person + spare batteries
  • Camp shoes — something to slip on for the midnight walk
  • Biodegradable soap and a quick-dry towel
  • Firelighters and matches — braai wood is sold at most camps

Renting a 4x4 camper through us? The vehicle comes with the big kit — tents, bedding, fridge, cooking gear — so this list shrinks to the personal items. We'll send the exact inventory with your booking.

Tick it off

The safari packing checklist

Clothing

Footwear

Sun protection

Gear

Health & personal

Documents & money

Self-drive extras

Fly-in & camping extras

Tip: hit "Print this checklist" for a clean paper copy to stick on the fridge — ticks and all the website clutter removed.

Questions we answer every week

Packing, honestly answered

What colours should I wear — and what should I avoid?

Neutrals: khaki, olive, beige, brown, grey. They don't startle game and they hide the dust. Avoid white (shows everything) and, in the tsetse-fly areas of northern Botswana, avoid black and dark blue — those colours genuinely attract the flies.

How cold does it actually get?

Colder than anyone believes until their first 6am game drive. Winter nights in the Namib and Kalahari touch freezing, and an open vehicle doing 40 km/h before sunrise feels well below that. Fleece, beanie, windproof — then peel them off by 10am.

Can I really pack for two weeks in one soft bag?

Yes — because most lodges and camps offer laundry, often back the same day. Three or four outfits on rotation covers a fortnight. In drought years, keep laundry to essentials; water is precious out there.

Do I need malaria tablets?

Depends on your route and season: much of Namibia is malaria-free, while the northern strip, the Okavango, Chobe and lowveld South Africa carry seasonal risk. Pack DEET repellent regardless, and talk to a travel clinic about prophylaxis for your specific itinerary — we'll tell you which regions on your route carry risk.

What's the one thing people forget?

Binoculars — or rather, the second pair. One pair between two people works until the leopard appears, at which point it very much does not. The second most forgotten: the fleece, by everyone who read "Africa" and thought "hot".

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30+ years in Southern Africa

Namibia, Botswana and South Africa, put together properly since long before online travel agents.