Attire South Africa an Elegant Adventure
I'm getting ready to pack for SA An Elegant Adventure May 9th. I keep on reading that men do not need a sports jacket. My husband wants to bring one for welcome reception and farewell dinner. Were there men wearing jackets at this dinners? I don't want him to feel underdressed if I don't pack one. How about a tie? I'm grappling with packing since we are only allowed 44 lbs for flights within S. Africa.
Anyone booked on this tour? Any tips are appreciated. Thank you.
Anyone booked on this tour? Any tips are appreciated. Thank you.
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Rudidot is quite right; this is a very casual trip. A jacket or sport coat will never be required; the Victoria Falls hotel does require a button down shirt for the final night, but other than that, there are no dress requirements.
At other times, smart-casual attire such as dresses and skirts for women, and polo shirts and slacks for men are appropriate. Additionally, a light jacket, fleece, or windbreaker is suggested, as temperatures get cooler in the evening.
I hope this helps!
-Tim
Cheers,
Jan
What I posted up above is actually largely copied from the official advice we give on clothes in your personal documents. I'm quite sure that dressy evening pants, or whatever you'd like to term them, will be completely fine.
Supersecdd, the advice I've generally heard about shoes is that they should be comfortable walking shoes or sneakers. I hope this helps!
Thanks,
-Tim
Special Luggage Restrictions for this Tour:
Checked luggage aboard the on-tour flights to and from Johannesburg and Victoria Falls may not exceed 44 lb (20 kg).
In addition, guests are limited to one soft-sided, carry-on bag per person not to exceed 15 lbs (6.8 kg), and no larger than an average knapsack.
Since the US airlines allow 50 lbs, I was wondering what happens if your weight is more than 44lbs.
I did call Tauck last week, and while the telephone rep may be wrong, it almost sounded like you can leave some clothes in Joburg and pick them up on your return ?
We are planning this trip for next year so I am not too worried about this issue right now.
Thanks and Good Luck
First we use the LIGHTEST suitcases we could find without paying a fortune, because from experience we have found that it doesn't matter how much you pay, the airlines will destroy your luggage so it is unusable, rip zips and so on. We also buy luggage that does not look 'fancy' so it looks less of a prime target to be noticed by opportunistic thieves.
Second, wherever we are going we pretty much take the same combo of lightweight clothing, roll it up so it does not crease and make an effort so that different tops match different bottoms. In fact, we take a ton of clothing but it weighs very little. Plus very little is 'dressy' but it is nice but very very casual. That's why I panic if the itinerary starts saying take a jacket or formal wear because it takes up so much room in a suitcase. I dread my suitcase getting permanently lost in transit because I treasure my travel clothing, I keep it years and in good repair -- yes that sounds excentric but I did grow up having to wear hand me downs a lot and in England clothes cost so much more money than in the US so I still take very good care of my clothes. I do not like or use hotel laundry because it is so expensive--- you may say to me, it's peanuts compared to the price of the trip, but I am good at saving my peanuts so I can afford lots of Tauck trips. The only place I feel it is cheap enough to get laundry done is Africa safaris. And of course no one does laundry as well as I could! Touch of the OCD, no not really, just my laundry!
Third, pare down your toiletries and make-up to the smallest and lightest containers you can. And me, of course as soon as I get back home I replenish them so that next time I go anywhere I know it is ready to go-- Several times I have had emergency phone calls to help out and was able to grab everything together in seconds for a trip and be out the door. Just part of the be prepared for the unexpected working days.
So what I am saying is, for example, on my last Tauck tour to Africa, my suitcase was stuffed with tons of clothing and it still weighed under 40 lbs.
Did anyone do laundry on Elegant Adventure? If so, where?
Laundry was available at the Sabi Sabi camp.
I took this trip in May. I took one pair of nice black pants and a couple of nice tops for the nicer dinners. One pair of black flats. Other than that, Eddie Bauer type clothing. You will need warmer clothing for the early morning and late afternoon safaris- colder and windy at these times. Very informal. We did have our wash done once and it was very cheap-one of the camps. For the trip to Victoria Falls, you can pack your items into a carry on (if it fits)- and your suitcase is left in Johannesburg. You pick up your suitcase at the airport on the way to your gate. It's all explained by your guide. Also, you will need some kind of water shoe/sandal at the Falls- not provided. It's a great trip.
Victoria Falls….depends what time of year you go, last time we went, the falls were almost dried up. We are going again in a couple of months, it will be interesting to see how it is this time. We found the rock formations fascinating and there was a guy fishing on the top of the Falls. He had been featured on a recent wildlife show we had watched.
When we did B,SA,Zambia in 2019. Tauck/TD arranged with the local vendor for water shoes/Crocs and rain parkas- it gets really wet on the Knife Edge Bridge on the Zambia side of the Falls.
I plan on wearing my own Crocs. I advantage with Crocs is that they can be rinsed with soap and water. The last time I was in Africa, I left my shoes there. They were very dirty by the end if the trip. The thought of wearing them again was not what I preferred to do.
Alan - were the provided shoes pre-worn? Wondering whether to bring my own, but would prefer not to if unnecessary.
When I went to Victoria Falls in September 2012, the falls were beautiful and pretty full though our TD said they could be fuller.
The Crocs were most definitely pre-worn but between users, I believe they were rinsed (double or triple-rinsed?) in a bucket of water, then a bucket of disinfectant (then water again?).
I don't remember anyone in our group having concerns about wearing them. The plastic can't get as dirty as and cleans easier than leather or canvas bowling shoes.
They had a large number of different sizes, but the biggest concern was finding a pair that fit 
Remember this is on the Zambia side. I don't know what they have on the Zimbabwe side.
Thank you, Alan!
On the Elegant South Africa trip, water shoes are not provided- you see the waterfalls from the Zimbabwe side. I took this trip in May of this year. You can take along a lightweight water shoe or sandal. On the Botswana, Zambia trip, water shoes were provided, but not on the South Africa Elegant Adventure.
Again, it depends on the time of year, like I said, when we did the Botswana Zambia tour, it was just a trickle.
This is what the falls look like in May. Watershoes, rain gear (double), does not matter. On the Zambia side you will get thoroughly soaked. Many of the locals just wore bathing suits and shower shoes.