Packing List
Get your belongings together to take inventory of what you still need. Purchase travel items and pack your soft-sided duffel bag and day pack. Remember, hard-sided luggage is not allowed, and there is a 33-pound combined weight limit for your carry-on and duffel.
Families or groups traveling together may prefer to share some of the items (for example, insect repellant or first aid items) to consolidate gear and offset weight. If you plan to do laundry on your trip (available throughout for a fee), you may prefer to bring fewer articles of clothing.
Luggage
Soft-Sided Duffel Bag: Due to aircraft and vehicle space in Tanzania, your checked luggage must be a soft-sided duffel bag no larger than 30”L x 15”W x 15”H, without a rigid structure. Wheeled duffels are acceptable if they do not have hard sides. Please see our safari store for an appropriate model. Combined baggage cannot exceed 33 pounds.
Soft-Sided Day Pack: This bag will serve as your carry-on for international flights and can then be used as your day pack while in Tanzania. During your flight to Tanzania, this bag should contain one complete change of clothes, medications, essential toiletries, binoculars, your camera and other irreplaceable items, like your passport, wallet and electronics.
Spare Foldable Duffel Bag: If you tend to bring back lots of souvenirs when you travel, pack a small spare foldable duffel bag in your main duffel.
If you are extending your trip and require additional internal or inter-Africa flights, please note that you may need to adhere to the 33 lb. weight allowance and consolidate your belongings into one bag.
Additional Tips for Packing
Excess Baggage: If your trip includes multiple destinations/activities that require you to pack more than the standard safari packing list, excess baggage can be stored for you in Arusha with advance notice and if your itinerary allows. It may be possible to purchase additional weight allowance for internal flights if you need excess baggage on safari (such as professional-style camera gear). Please check availability with your trip manager.
Organizing and Labeling Your Bags:
Put your address on a piece of paper inside your bags in case a luggage tag is torn off.
Make sure important items like camera gear and documents are safely sealed in waterproof/dustproof stuff sacks.
Any liquid items like toiletries should also be sealed in waterproof bags. Please note: single use plastic bags and packaging are banned in Tanzania, Rwanda and Kenya.
Once you are completely packed, take a photo of your bags in the event you need to file a claim for delayed or lost baggage.
Laundry: Laundry is available on safari for a small fee (about $1-3/item). In most camps, and even some lodges, this is done by hand, and laundry is air dried. You may want to bring several mesh or nylon packing cubes or stuff sacks to organize your clothing.
Toiletries: Please note that camps and lodges provide shampoo, conditioner and soap. Some guests choose to bring a small amount of their preferred brand from home, but this is not required.