What to Wear on Safari in South Africa?
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The insider's guide What to Wear on Safari in South Africa? ‘… it is not really necessary to buy it just for the safari…’ ii | The insider’s guide: What to Wear on Safari The insider’s guide to: What to Wear on Safari? By Kate Bergh Kate Bergh is the South Africa Managing Director of Cedarberg African Travel, a specialist travel company. She co-founded this company to help people who were unsure where to turn to for friendly and well-informed safari planning. Kate has lived in South Africa since 1993. She’s travelled extensively to the countries marketed by Cedarberg, travelling either alone or occasionally with colleagues. She especially likes some of the more remote areas such as Coastal Maputaland in South Africa, the Makgadikgadi pans in Botswana and the Lower Zambezi in Zambia. Her home is in the Cedarberg mountains of the Western Cape (hence the company’s name) where she enjoys hiking and cycling. She also enjoys testing out, with the aid of her three children, the family appeal of our South African hotels and safari lodges. Cedarberg African Travel has been designing tailor-made holidays and safaris to East and Southern Africa since 1995. A fully licensed and financially bonded tour operator in the UK and South Africa, we assure you of great value and unbiased, expert advice. Download an e-brochure Get a brochure by post Contents What to Wear on Safari in South Africa? ........................................................................................ i Contents .................................................................................................................................. 0 Tips for all Seasons ................................................................................................................... 1 However, there are some general principles .................................................................................. 1 Neutral colours for Safari Clothing ................................................................................................. 2 What to wear through the Seasons in South Africa .................................................................... 3 What to Wear in Winter ................................................................................................................. 4 What to Wear in Spring................................................................................................................... 6 What to Wear in Summer ............................................................................................................... 7 What to Wear in Autumn ................................................................................................................ 8 What to Wear in Camp ................................................................................................................... 9 Always have a hat ........................................................................................................................... 9 Going Out in Cities and Towns ................................................................................................ 10 Eating out at Restaurants .............................................................................................................. 10 Smart Casual in South Africa ......................................................................................................... 10 Washing at Bush Camps ......................................................................................................... 11 Walking Safaris ...................................................................................................................... 11 Why the stricter dress code for walking? ..................................................................................... 12 Safari Clothing & Insect Life .................................................................................................... 13 Tsetse Flies .................................................................................................................................... 13 What Clothes to Pack ............................................................................................................. 14 What Else to Pack ................................................................................................................... 15 Cameras ................................................................................................................................. 16 Money ................................................................................................................................... 16 What about medical emergencies? ......................................................................................... 17 1 | The insider’s guide: What to Wear on Safari Tips for all Seasons ©Norman Carr Safaris ‘What shall we wear on safari?’ is a frequently asked question. The complete answer to this, as I will reveal, differs by season and by country. In this guide I will be concentrating on South Africa, but much of the information will apply to other destinations. The images on Safari websites mostly show very few people and those you do see are perfectly ‘attired’ in the ‘traditional’ khaki. It is likely that most, but not all, of these people are locals. However, there are some general principles © Okonjima 2 | The insider’s guide: What to Wear on Safari Neutral colours for Safari Clothing If you don’t own any clothing in neutral colours, it is not really necessary to buy it just for the safari, unless you are intending to do a proper walking safari (see box). ©Norman Carr Safaris However if you are staying at one of the smarter game lodges, many fellow guests will have the classic safari gear (in brown, khaki or green) and you may want to blend in with your fellow guests and not just with the bush. This is a matter of personal preference. However, please don’t feel that you need to dress like Robert Redford in ‘Out of Africa’, however positive the connotations. Nothing marks a person out as a tourist as much as being dressed head to toe in khaki and wearing a photographer’s jacket! 3 | The insider’s guide: What to Wear on Safari What to wear through the Seasons in South Africa The above principles remain the same throughout the year. But your packing will change with the seasons… Dry winter season from June to mid August (Wet winter in the Cape) Autumn Extra Variable Spring - tip… fromApril Mid August to to May September (September to (mid March to October in the mid May in the Cape) Summer Cape) November to March (Mediterreanean in the Cape) Summer rainfall in the rest of Southern Africa 4 | The insider’s guide: What to Wear on Safari What to Wear in Winter June to mid-August During winter, you will need to pack a range of clothing as the South African winter varies in intensity from province to province. © Simbavati In the Cape, where the winters are similar to Mediterranean Europe (think Spain or Italy or Southern USA), the hotels and lodges are reasonably well-equipped with under-floor heating, fireplaces, even electric blankets! You also might have some rain in the Cape so come prepared with a rainproof jacket. The rest of the country has dry winter with pleasant sunny days. It is not uncommon for the daytime temperatures to be 25°C so bring some lightweight shirts and t-shirts as well. © Wolwedans Namibia 5 | The insider’s guide: What to Wear on Safari However it’s the diurnal range in winter which usually flummoxes visitors. A South African may say that it’s 25°C during the day, but forget to mention that the day could have started at around 5°C. In fact it’s the clear sunny days which produce the sudden drop in evening temperatures as there is no cloud cover. If you are on safari in June or July, you will need to come fully prepared with hats, jackets and so on. The South African game lodges do not have central heating and are fairly open to the elements. So you will need to wrap up warmly in the evening and to take spare clothing for the game drive (for after the sun sets). Did you know? Swimwear: very few hotels have heated pools so you probably won’t swim in winter unless you head to the sub-tropical beach destinations or stay at a hotel with a spa. Extra tip… I also like to throw in a hot water bottle (easily purchased in South Africa) just in case your hotel bed does not have an electric blanket.it is also handy for early morning game drives and al fresco boma dinners (though many of the more switched-on game lodges now provide them). See our Packing List at the end of the Guide 6 | The insider’s guide: What to Wear on Safari What to Wear in Spring Mid August to September (and to October down in the Cape) The ‘shoulder months’ of Spring are always tricky ones as far as packing is concerned. Temperatures may vary wildly within an average two week holiday period as you never know when Winter will change to Spring or Spring to Summer… © Governors Kenya Spring-like weather starts in late August - later in Cape Town and on the Garden Route, but there is no guarantee of this. As in Europe and the States, spring often brings variable weather – beautiful for days and then a bit cold and rainy for a day or two. Rain might occur if you are in the Cape. Hats and umbrellas can be purchased easily if needed. Did you know? So bring a variety of clothes- both warm and hot weather options – t-shirts, short-sleeved tops, pedal pushers, swim gear – especially if you are spending time in the Kruger but be ready for temperatures to change quite suddenly. Extra tip… Even