Having never been on safari but being *slightly* obsessed with fashion, packing for my trip to Africa was a bit stressful. The anxiety only grew when I learned that intra-African flights have strict weight limits of 20 kilograms (44 pounds). Look, I can easily get by on a 5-day business trip to Europe with one small international roller. But, two weeks in Africa is different. And I needed a wardrobe that could accommodate a safari, the city and wine country.

I read tons of blog posts and articles for advice. And they were good though I had to take bits and pieces from several posts for my type of trip. Hopefully this compendium will help you! After much thought and angst, I threw caution to the wind and ultimately ended up with one packed bag - containing only what you see in the photos just below and weighing 19.4 kilograms (yippee!) - and my backpack as a carry-on. It didn't happen by chance. This took careful planning and trade-offs but really doesn't need to be stressful for you. You can learn from my experience! Below is my advice for packing for safari (as well as city and wine country jaunts).

General Advice

• Heed the weight limit and number of bags warnings. I saw too many people failing to successfully check-in due to overweight bags. The planes to and from safari areas are small. Weight has to be perfectly measured and distributed for the plane TO NOT CRASH. There is no first class on these tiny planes. So if you flew business class with 2 free checked bags to Africa, that does not mean you can fly with those same two bags within Africa. 
• Soft-sided bags and packing cubes are your friend.
  • I love my Tumi and Away rollers as much as anyone, but they were not meant to be for this trip. I ordered several sizes of L.L. Bean's Rolling Adventure Duffel Bag and ultimately went with a size large. It was perfect - fairly lightweight, soft-sided, with a sturdy handle and durable wheels.
  • I am 1000% devoted to packing cubes. They make a HUGE difference in how much you can pack. I've tried several over the years but my all-time favorite is the Eagle Creek Packing Cubes - lightweight but not flimsy, breathable and durable.
  • Lastly, I traded my beautiful leather Cuyana toiletry bags for these lightweight Baggu pouches. I LOVE them. One for makeup, one for toiletries and one for my converters and electrical cords. (By the way, this converter was AWESOME.)
• Pack medicine, more than you think you need. I travel a lot and always have a little kit with me. Unfortunately, I didn't pack enough cold medicine and suffered through a bad cold for most of my trip. (Shockingly, there is not a CVS on every corner in the bush.) I am sure the Emergen-C helped but I needed real cold medicine after 17 hours of recycled air within a steel tube flying high in the sky.
• On that note, a few more things to pack. Bring your own sunscreen and bug spray with you. You can't buy it in the bush and you'll need it. I brought sun cream and spray, the latter of which proved handy while on game drives. Most lodges will supply bug spray, but I wanted to use my all-natural spray (Captain Blankenship's Sail Away Bug Spray) which worked quite well.
• Take a backpack or small tote for game drives. I used my trusty Everlane backpack. It was the perfect size for what I brought with me on every game drive: my Nikon camera with extra lens, iPhone for photos + videos, a light jacket/sweater, bug spray, sunscreen, lip balm, sunglasses, a hat and binoculars. 

In general, I think I nailed the packing. Doing laundry midway through the trip was key (and only US $2). Light colors and a neutral palette were also critical. Africa is hot (!) and one palette allows you to mix + match. I share below my packing list of clothing with adjustments I'd recommend based on my experience.

• 2 pair of "travel pants" 
  • I ordered these Halle and Keeley Prana pants and LOVED them. I'd take 3 pair if you will be on safari for more than 5 days because you have 2 drives a day and will at some point want to have laundry done while out on one.
• 3-4 comfortable dresses or jumpsuits
  • After being in the heat all day, it was great to throw on a simple dress for dinner. I took an old Isabel Marant dress as well as this super comfy and soft Prana dress, both of which were also great for dinners in Cape Town and the Winelands.
• 1 jean skirt
• 2 pair of shorts
• 2 pair of jeans/pants - if jeans, one blue and one white
• 2 lightweight pajama sets - the Lunya pima cotton set was a gift from my sister and perfect! 
• 2 long-sleeved tees/button-down shirts
• 6-7 tank tops or t-shirts
• 1 bathing suit
• 1 light sweatshirt or fleece
  • I took this awesome Patagonia fleece (in white) but honestly wish I had taken one that had windbreaker material. Most trucks have blankets to use but it wasn't really cold except for the wind we'd encounter on early morning and late evening game drives.
  • I made a last-minute run to Lululemon on the morning of my trip and am so glad I did. For both the plane rides and game drives, I used this sweatshirt and this scarf/wrap ALL the time.
• 1 jean jacket
• 1 baseball cap + 1 safari hat purchased years ago in Australia
• 4 pair of shoes
  • I packed Birkenstocks which were perfect for game drives, my trusty Superga COTU Classic trainers, one pair of "updress" sandals for evening and Havaiana flip flops.
• 4 pair of socks
• 3 bras + 8 undies
• 1 small cross-body purse

  Voila! There you have it. That's what I took and it served me really well. I hope it helps you.