Safari PlanningYou’ve booked the flights, the visas are sorted, and the gorilla permits or Big Five game drives are on the calendar. Now comes the question every first-time (and second-time) safari traveller from the UK and Europe asks us: what actually goes in the bag?
After years of welcoming British, German, Dutch and French guests through Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda, we’ve learned that packing for East Africa is less about volume and more about the right pieces. Here’s exactly what to bring for a 2026 safari, and what to leave at home.
Neutral tones — khaki, olive, stone, sand — matter more than any other packing decision. They don’t show dust, they keep you cooler than dark colours, and critically, they don’t attract tsetse flies the way navy and black do. Save the bright prints for the beach extension in Zanzibar. Pack lightweight, quick-dry fabrics rather than heavy cotton, since laundry service is available at most safari lodges and you’ll want to travel light through Heathrow, Schiphol or Charles de Gaulle in the first place.
European travellers are often surprised how cold East Africa gets before sunrise. Game drives start as early as 6am, and temperatures at altitude — think the Ngorongoro Crater rim or Bwindi’s forested hills — can dip to single digits Celsius. A fleece or light down layer, a windproof outer shell, and a warm hat for early starts make the difference between an enjoyable dawn drive and a miserable one. By 10am you’ll likely be down to a T-shirt.
Comfortable, broken-in walking shoes or light hiking boots are essential, especially if your itinerary includes gorilla trekking in Bwindi or Volcanoes National Park, or walking safaris in Lake Mburo or Arusha National Park. Waterproof boots are worth the extra kilo if you’re trekking during the wetter shoulder seasons. For camp and lodge evenings, a pair of sandals or trainers is all you need.
A handful of items come up on every single one of our pre-departure calls with clients flying out from London, Manchester and across the Continent:
Sort these before you leave Europe, not on arrival: a passport valid for six months beyond your travel dates, your East Africa Visa or single-country visa (applied for online), proof of Yellow Fever vaccination if you’re transiting through or coming from a country where it’s required, and travel insurance that explicitly covers trekking activities and medical evacuation. We always recommend a pre-travel appointment with a UK or EU travel clinic four to six weeks before departure to sort malaria prophylaxis and any other vaccinations.
Camouflage clothing is restricted for civilians in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda, so leave it at home. Large hard-shell suitcases are impractical for light-aircraft transfers between parks, which typically cap luggage at 15kg in a soft-sided bag — check this against your itinerary before you pack. And you genuinely don’t need as many clothes as you think; most lodges offer next-day laundry.
Whether you’re flying out from London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt or Paris, our team builds each itinerary around your dates, budget in GBP or EUR, and the experiences that matter most to you — gorilla trekking, the Big Five, or a mix of both. Ready to plan your safari? Contact Nature Nest Safaris at book@naturenestsafaris.com or call +256 777 131 912.
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