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Active Kilitop and Safaris

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Practical · 8 min read

A Tanzania safari packing list that fits a 15 kg soft bag

A short list that survives contact with a 15kg bush-flight limit.

Active Kili Top · Arusha · Updated 3 October 2026
Two Active Kili Top safari vehicles parked under trees with their guides
Our vehicles, ready to leave.

Most of what is written under the heading of a Tanzania safari packing list is too long. A safari is days in a vehicle and evenings in a camp, and the camp washes your clothes. The real constraint is the bag. If any leg of your trip is flown in a light aircraft, you may be held to 15 kg in a soft bag with your hand luggage counted in, and a list that ignores that is no use to you.

So this list starts from the bag and works inwards: what the limit is and who sets it, what to wear and in which colours, the few pieces of kit that earn their weight, and what to leave behind. If you are driving the whole way from Arusha the limit is looser, but the list is the same. The flights themselves are covered in internal flights and the 15 kg bag.

The short answer

Pack for a Tanzania safari in one soft duffel of 15 kg or less, hand luggage included. Take three or four days of neutral-coloured clothes, a fleece and a windproof jacket for cold mornings, a hat, sunscreen, repellent, binoculars and a power bank. Camps do laundry. Leave plastic carrier bags, hard suitcases and dark blue or black clothing at home.

At a glance: a Tanzania safari packing list for one soft bag

Quantities assume laundry every two or three days, which most camps and lodges offer.
WhatHow muchWhy
Shirts and T-shirtsFour, at least two long-sleevedSun in the day, mosquitoes at dusk
Trousers and shortsTwo pairs of trousers, one of shortsLong trousers for evenings and for tsetse country
Warm layersOne fleece, one windproof or light rain jacketDawn drives and the crater rim are cold
FootwearTrainers or light walking shoes, plus sandalsYou are mostly sitting; boots only if you walk
Sun and insectsBrimmed hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, repellentOpen roof at the equator; malaria risk
KitBinoculars, power bank, adapter, head torchLimited charging hours; dark paths in camp
PaperworkPassport, visa, insurance, vaccine recordChecked on arrival, and not replaceable in the bush
Next: The 15 kg soft bag ↓Contents ↑

The 15 kg soft bag: where a safari packing list starts

The limit comes from the aircraft. The light aircraft that serve the park airstrips carry bags in a shallow hold, and the load is calculated to the kilogram. Coastal Aviation and Regional Air both publish an allowance of 15 kg per person, and both say it includes carry-on. Auric Air and Air Excel publish 20 kg, again as a total. You will not always know which airline you are on when you pack, so 15 kg is the number to pack to.

The bag matters as much as the weight. Regional Air asks for soft-sided bags and gives 60 by 45 by 33 centimetres as a guideline for the checked bag. Coastal strongly recommends soft bags. A duffel or a soft holdall can be pushed into an odd-shaped space, and a rigid case cannot. Put the bag on a scale at home, with your camera bag beside it, because both are counted. Our page on flying between the parks explains what happens at the airstrip.

If you are driving throughout, nobody will weigh anything. A safari vehicle still has a finite boot, and the luggage of four or six people has to share it, so a soft bag of sensible size is the polite choice either way. It also keeps your options open. People often decide late to fly one leg back from the Serengeti, and a trip such as our Serengeti Fly-in plan is flown in both directions.

Next: What to wear ↓Contents ↑

What to wear on safari in Tanzania: colours and layers

Wear neutral colours: khaki, stone, olive, light brown, grey. They do not show dust, and they do not draw tsetse flies. Tsetse live in woodland, including parts of Tarangire and the Serengeti, and their bite is painful. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says they are attracted to bright and very dark colours, and the traps built to catch them are made of blue and black cloth for that reason. Leave navy and black at home.

The same CDC advice says tsetse can bite through thin fabric and that repellent does little against them, so a medium-weight long-sleeved shirt and long trousers are the better defence on days in woodland. White is not harmful, only impractical: the dust is red and fine and it gets into everything. Bright colours do not matter in a vehicle as much as people say, but they do on a walking safari, where your guide will ask for muted clothes.

Then pack for cold. Game drives begin at first light with the roof open, and it takes a couple of hours for the day to warm up. The rim of the Ngorongoro Crater stands at about 2,300 metres, and nights there from June to August are properly cold. A fleece and a windproof jacket are enough for most people, with a warm hat if you feel it. By midday you will be down to a T-shirt, which is why layers work better than one thick coat.

Next: Kit worth its weight ↓Contents ↑

Safari essentials worth their weight

Binoculars are the one item people regret leaving out. A leopard in a tree at two hundred metres is a shape without them and an animal with them. One pair each is better than one to share, and a mid-sized pair is easier to hold steady in a vehicle than a large one. If you are bringing a camera with long lenses, weigh it early, because it comes out of the same 15 kg. We cover the camera side in photographing from a vehicle.

The sun is directly overhead for much of the day and the roof is open. Bring a hat with a brim and something to keep it on when the vehicle moves, sunglasses, and a high-factor sunscreen. For the evenings bring an insect repellent and cover your arms and ankles. The CDC and the UK’s TravelHealthPro both advise antimalarial tablets for travel below 1,800 metres in Tanzania, which covers the parks. Which tablet is a question for a travel clinic, and it is covered in visas, vaccinations and yellow fever.

Power is the last thing. Many camps run on solar panels or a generator and charge devices at set hours, sometimes in the main tent only, so a power bank earns its place. Tanzania uses the three-pin British plug, type G, and in some buildings the older round-pin type D, at 230 volts, so a universal adapter is the safe choice. A head torch is useful on the path to your tent. Take your prescription medicines in your hand luggage, with a few days to spare.

Next: What not to bring ↓Contents ↑

What not to bring to Tanzania

Plastic carrier bags are banned. Since 1 June 2019 it has been illegal to bring them into mainland Tanzania, and visitors arriving by air are asked to hand them over. The government’s notice to travellers makes one exception: the zip-lock bags used for toiletries are allowed, because they leave with you. Pack shoes and laundry in cloth or mesh bags, and take the duty-free carrier out of your hand luggage before you land.

Camouflage is a different case. Many packing lists state that camouflage clothing is illegal for civilians in Tanzania. We could not find that rule in the British government’s travel advice for Tanzania or on an official Tanzanian page, so we do not repeat it as law. Camouflage is military dress across East Africa, though, and it can bring you questions you do not need. It weighs the same as a plain shirt. Leave it at home.

The rest is weight. A hard suitcase may not fit the aircraft hold. Heavy walking boots are not needed for a vehicle safari. A hairdryer will not run on a camp’s solar supply. Leave expensive jewellery behind as well. Drones need permits that a visitor is unlikely to obtain, so ask us before packing one. Bring one set of clothes that covers shoulders and knees for towns and for Zanzibar, where the British travel advice notes that visitors have been fined for dress considered inappropriate.

Next: Laundry and storage ↓Contents ↑

Laundry at camps, and what to leave in Arusha

Laundry is what makes a short list possible. Most camps and lodges will wash clothes if you stay two nights or more, usually returned the next day. At some it is included and at others it is charged per item, so check your quote. Clothes are generally washed by hand and dried in the sun, which is hard on delicate fabrics and can fail on a wet day. Many camps will not wash underwear and leave soap in the bathroom for it instead. Pack with that in mind.

The arithmetic is simple. If you can have clothes washed every second or third day, four days of clothing covers a trip of any length. On an itinerary of one-night stops, which we try not to plan, laundry cannot be done, and you will need a little more. Quick-drying fabrics help. Cotton is comfortable but slow to dry in the highlands, where the air is cool and damp in the mornings.

Anything that does not belong in the bush can stay in Arusha. If you are climbing Kilimanjaro before the safari, or going on to the coast afterwards, you will have kit that is useless in a game vehicle. We can store a bag for you while you are away, and most Arusha hotels will do the same. Put your town clothes and any hard case in it, and take the soft bag to the parks. If your plans are not fixed yet, the questions page covers the other things people ask before they travel.

Next: Questions ↓Contents ↑

Questions people ask

One soft bag of 15 kg or less. Inside it: three or four days of neutral-coloured clothes, a fleece and a windproof jacket, comfortable closed shoes and sandals, a brimmed hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, insect repellent, binoculars, a power bank, an adapter and your medicines. Camps do laundry, so you do not need a change for every day.

Avoid dark blue and black in areas with tsetse flies. The US CDC says tsetse are attracted to bright and very dark colours, and the traps used to catch them are blue and black. White shows the dust within an hour. Khaki, olive, stone and grey are the practical choices.

On a road safari you can, though a soft bag is easier to fit in the vehicle. On light-aircraft flights a rigid suitcase may be refused, because the hold is small and oddly shaped. Regional Air specifies soft-sided bags and Coastal Aviation strongly recommends them. A duffel avoids the problem.

Yes, on the airlines that apply it. Coastal Aviation and Regional Air publish 15 kg per person including hand luggage, and bags are weighed. Auric Air and Air Excel publish 20 kg in total. Excess may be carried for a fee if there is room, but that is not something to rely on at the airstrip.

Early mornings and evenings can be cold, particularly from June to August and at altitude. The Ngorongoro Crater rim is at about 2,300 metres and nights there are chilly all year. Bring a fleece and a windproof jacket. The middle of the day is warm to hot almost everywhere.

Most camps and lodges do, if you stay at least two nights. It is included in the price at some and charged per item at others. Clothes are usually hand-washed and sun-dried, and many camps do not wash underwear, leaving soap for you to do it yourself.

Yes. Plastic carrier bags have been banned in mainland Tanzania since 1 June 2019, and arriving passengers are asked to surrender them. The government’s notice to travellers allows the zip-lock bags used for toiletries. Use cloth or mesh bags to organise your luggage.

It is often said to be illegal for civilians. We could not confirm that from an official Tanzanian source or from British government travel advice, so we do not state it as law. Camouflage is military dress in East Africa and may attract attention from officials. The simple answer is not to pack it.

Last updated 3 October 2026

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