What To Wear On Safari: 32 Best Items In A Safari Packing List

Deciding what to wear on safari is easier said than done. The weather in Africa is nothing like you would expect: most people think that this part of the world is constantly warm, if not unbearably hot. Nothing could be farther from reality. Africa, especially southern Africa, does get quite cold, indeed!

I have been to southern Africa many times, in what is winter in the southern hemisphere, as well as late spring. My trips have been to a variety of places including Cape Town, Stellenbosch and Johannesburg, as well as Botswana and Namibia. I went on a bunch of safari trips and know how important it is to pick the right gear and be appropriately dressed – I even made mistakes along the way.

In fact, a safari is a trip like no others and there are some items that need to be on any packing list for Africa, as they are simply essential. If you are planning your safari packing list, continue reading this post to learn what to pack!

Important Considerations When Packing For A Safari

When planning your safari packing list, and especially when thinking about what to wear on safari, there are a few things that you need to be kept in mind. My general tip, which is actually valid for all trips anywhere in the world, is to pick versatile items that can be easily mixed and matched together in terms of colors and fabrics, in order to create a good number of outfits with just a handful of items and which, with the right accessories, can be used either as casual wear or become more dressy.

Having this in mind, the main considerations when deciding what to wear on safari are comfort, ease, temperatures, colors and style. Let me go through these important factors in more details.

Look for comfort

Both men and women can look stylish on a safari, and yet stay comfortable. I wholeheartedly recommend to pick clothes that are breathable, in neutral colors and that can adapt to the changing temperatures throughout the day.

Another thing to consider is that safaris hardly involve any physical exercise – most of the day is spent sitting in the car, looking for animals. Yet, getting on and off the jeep for the occasional bush stop, or to stretch the legs, calls for comfortable attire.

And ease

Driving around the bush all day in an open car, you are bound to get covered in dust. T-shirts, pants and whatever else you may be wearing will get dirty and dusty. After all, Namibia is mostly a desert and the bush of Botswana is also mostly sandy.

Yet, especially if camping in Botswana, and even more so when in Namibia, there are no laundry facilities. It’s important to bring items that can be easily hand-washed and that are quick dry. Cotton is by far the best material, as well as technical one that dries in no time.

Layers are key

There is a common misconception that all of Africa is warm, if not even hot, throughout the day and night, and year round. Nothing could be farther from the truth. I realized this on my first day on a safari, where, after a full afternoon admiring wildlife in Botswana, the temperatures dropped dramatically as soon as the sun started to set.

Game drives are usually timed to follow the lifestyle of animals. This means that the typical safari will have two game drives per day: one starting soon after sunrise, before the animals find a hiding spot from the afternoon heat; and one in the late afternoon – with some private game reserves allowing drives to linger on a bit after dark. Thus, wearing layers is essential.

A good packing list for Africa will include plenty of cotton shirts to wear during the day, and a few sweaters and a light jacket to wear in the early morning hours and in the evenings. I also recommend bringing a scarf, a hat and gloves.

Pick the right colors

I love bright colors, and on my first safari I wore bright colored shirts. BIG MISTAKE! When on a game drive, you are expected to blend in with the bush as much as possible. Wear neutral colors, such as khaki, beige, taupe or grey. Black and dark blue are thought to attract the African tse tse flies, whereas predators identify red with wounded animals. With the amount of dust in the bush, white is hardly recommended as it gets dirty very easily.

Consider the type of safari

Picking what to wear on safari doesn’t mean being a fashion victim or mocking Maryl Streep in Out of Africa. But being dressed for the occasion (by which I mean being comfortable, fresh during the day and warm at night) is important.

The safaris I did in Phinda Game Reserve, in Botswana and Namibia were completely different one from the other. The ones in Phinda and in Botswana were luxury safaris – one in lodges and the other one glamping. However, I went mostly camping in Namibia. Either way, there was no need for me to wear anything fancy at night for the evening meals: a pair of nice pants and a nice top usually did the trick. My safari packing list was made of informal, easy to wear items.