The right kind of suitcases depends basically on your travel plan. In any case, do not bring an expensive set of suitcases. Your luggage will end up full of dust and a fancy suitcase may also result too "attractive". If you travel with a driver, they usually carry blankets to protect luggage from dust. If you self-drive, you can bring a couple of old blankets or sheets for this purpose. Unless you plan to camp, it is not necessary to carry a backpack, suitcases are well suitable for lodge accommodation. But keep in mind that your luggage will remain at the lodge during your game drives, so some sort of handbag is usually pretty useful.

If you plan an overnight stay at Treetops or The Ark, you should know that these lodges have a special plan. You will access the lodge from a base hotel (Outspan Hotel and Aberdare Country Club respectively) where you will leave your bulk luggage. You will only be allowed to carry one handbag or backpack per person. In this bag you will have to stuff all the necessary things for your overnight stay, including some warm clothes you will definitely need if you go to Treetops.

Clothes:

Excuse me those of you who already know the country or who have seeked information, but experience teaches me that the following is not obvious for the rest: Kenya is not at all a hot country. Forget all your pre-formed ideas. Kenya is not Egypt, nor Cuba, not even Chicago or Southern Europe in summer. In the area where most safaris take place, from the Highlands to the Rift, temperatures are between moderately warm and cool, even cold at night (please, read the section on climate). Hence, avoid joining the legion of poorly informed tourists that stuff their cases with just shorts and tank tops.

This said, and as a general rule, the best is the "onion's phylosophy", i.e., dress in layers. Safari clothing must be comfortable, light and loose, mainly cotton or linen. Avoid tight clothes, keep in mind that you will spend plenty of time seated (or rather bumping) inside a vehicle. Lighter clothes allow to tolerate the burning midday in Samburu, but cool nights in general, even chilly at Aberdares and Mount Kenya, require a thick pullover, a polar sweatshirt and/or a thermal vest. In Treetops, where nights are very cold, you will be provided with blankets.

With regard to safari outfits sold in the specialty stores, they are not at all required, though khaki colours help to conceal the dust stuck to clothes. Trousers with detachable legs are very useful, since they are conceived after the onion phylosophy. Shorts are suitable for midday, but jeans are perfectly valid as well, except if your skin is sensitive to sores. At dusk, temperature drops and invites to cover arms and legs, which also helps preventing mosquito bites. And don't forget your bathing suit, most lodges have a swimming pool.

On the other hand, some lodges and hotels, for instance Mount Kenya Safari Club, still keep the remains of a dressing code. Fortunately the black tie is no longer required, but shorts, jeans, sports shoes and T-shirts are not acceptable for dinner. This does not apply to most lodges, where there is no dressing code.

Concerning complements, a shesh or bandana helps withstand the dust of the tracks. Hats and caps, conversely to what might appear, are not very useful, since for the most time you will stay inside a vehicle. Unless, of course, you plan to hike or sunbathe. Last, even if you travel in the dry season, rain can show up, specially in the mountains and in Masai Mara. A plastic coat or cape is effective, light and takes little room once folded. A must if you plan to camp.

Shoes:

The basic rule for shoewear is: wear whatever makes you feel comfortable when seated inside a vehicle. The standard safari does not require much walking. In any case, and for the short hikes through authorised areas, closed shoes are always more suitable, mainly sports shoes or safari boots. The latter are safer when there are acacia thorns on the ground. For girls, Ava Gardner's high heels are probably not the most comfortable choice for safari, though the night is a different matter. Remember, dressing up for dinner is not a must, but if you choose sandals, don't forget to spread mosquito repellent on your feet. This implies that sandals should better not be made with plastics, since DEET melts them. Naturally, for those of you willing to walk up Mt. Kenya, trekking boots are indispensable.

Drugstore:

Don't forget sun protection: sunglasses, solar milk with a high factor, and aftersun lotion. Remember you are in the Equator, two hours under the sun at the coast without protection and your body will end up full of blisters.

At the lodges you will find shops that sell all the basic toiletry items, but prices are high, so you'd better bring everything you need from home. If you plan to camp, don't forget toilet rolls. For all purposes, wet tissues are the most essential element for safari, after the passport.

If you use glasses, bring a spare pair to cover contingencies. Remember that most of the time you will be away from large cities. If you use contacts, don't forget your glasses and bring enough amount of your cleansing solutions.

Read the health issues page for information regarding antipaludic prophylaxis, mosquitoes and first aid.

Safari gear:

The basic safari equipment consists of maps, guides, binoculars, flashlight and a compass or GPS.

No matter if you are driven, you will like to know where you are. There are several good Kenya maps in the stores, some of them covering all East Africa. You can either bring them from home or purchase them in Nairobi. Concerning the guides, there are many good ones. And of course, you will also need some safari field guides.

It is very unlikely to obtain maps of parks and reserves in your country. Some guidebooks include basic maps, useful to know where you are if you travel with a driver but useless if you self-drive. You can obtain maps either at the parks' gates or at the lodges' shops, as well as some field guides. If you travel on your own and you want to keep free of contingencies, better buy more than one map for each park, when there are several available. Many of them, if not all, are quite incomplete. And better purchase as soon as you find them, sometimes it is easier to find a map of Tsavo at the lodge in Amboseli than at Tsavo itself.

Include in your luggage a pair of binoculars for you. This means each one should carry his own pair: during the game drives, binoculars are as intransferable as your toothbrush. Each person calibrates his binoculars according to his needs and very often there is no time for recalibrating. Sometimes you will spot a distant animal, but if you get your sight off, you may not find it again. Binoculars should not be too powerful or heavy since you will be handholding them. The best for wildlife viewing are 8x40 or 10x50 with good optics.

A flashlight is useful under many circumstances. It is good for reading the map if you drive by night, which by the way shouldn't be done outside the parks for security reasons and is forbidden inside the parks. However, it is wise to cover contingencies, and if night falls when you are stuck in the road with a puncture or a breakdown the flashlight is essential. If you drive on your own, bring more than one flashlight and spare batteries. On the other hand, sometimes lighting may be scarce at the lodges, and some of them cut power at certain times. The flashlight is a must if you camp. The speleologists' head lights are very useful since they leave your hands free.

If you are renting a car, positioning systems are between useful and essential. Parks' maps are not always accurate and in some of them it is quite easy to get lost, especially in Masai Mara. A simple compass can be helpful, mainly if the sun is not visible. With a little more investment you can purchase a GPS, much cheaper nowadays, and more precise since on May 1st 2000 the US government removed the induced distortion known as Selective Availability. On this site you will find plenty of Kenya waypoints. You have waypoints as well in Hans-Georg Michna's website.

If you go camping and travel on your own, you will need all the basic camping gear. However, if you are travelling through an agency in an organised camping trip, you will probably need just your sleeping bag and little more, most of the gear will be provided by the agency (read the lodging section).