What to Pack for a Tanzania Safari

Stick to neutral, muted tones: khaki, olive, brown, tan, soft green. The reasons are practical, not aesthetic. Bright white shows every speck of dust within an hour of the first game drive. Dark blue and black attract tsetse flies, which are drawn to those colours and bite hard, so leave them at home for daytime drives.

One colour to avoid entirely: camouflage. Wearing military-pattern clothing is illegal for civilians in Tanzania, and it is reserved for the armed forces. Tourists do get stopped over it. Leave anything camo out of the bag completely.

A safari day starts cold and ends hot. Early game drives in an open vehicle, especially up in the Ngorongoro highlands, can be genuinely cold, near freezing at the rim on some mornings. By midday on the plains you are in strong sun and real heat. One outfit will not cover both.

Pack a warm fleece or light down layer for mornings, long-sleeved shirts and light trousers for the day, and something to strip down to as it warms. A wide-brimmed hat and a buff or scarf for dust round it out. Evenings at camp are cooler than you expect, so keep one warm layer back for dinner.

If your trip includes a light aircraft transfer between parks, and many Northern Circuit and Serengeti trips do, you are held to a strict luggage limit, usually around 15 kg including hand luggage, in a soft duffel bag only. Hard suitcases do not fit in the small holds and will be refused.

Use a soft, squashable duffel. Most camps offer same-day or next-day laundry, often included, which means you can pack for four or five days and have clothes washed rather than carrying two weeks of outfits. This is the single biggest space saver, and almost nobody believes it until they are there.

Bring your own binoculars if you can, one pair per person rather than sharing, because the moment two people want the same pair is always the moment the leopard is in the tree. A good pair changes the whole experience.

Sun protection that works: high-factor sunscreen, lip balm with SPF, sunglasses. Insect repellent with DEET for dawn and dusk. Any personal medication in its original packaging, plus a small kit for the basics, because the nearest pharmacy can be hours away. A power bank and the right plug adapter (Tanzania uses the UK-style three-pin socket). And a headtorch, which you will reach for at camp every single night.