Clothing

Hummingbirds

Does anyone know the exact season in South Africa the first week of October. I was thinking of packing a pair of white capris but not sure if they are appropriate for the season? Seems like a trivial question, but just asking!

Quints06

I think it will be plenty hot in October and I think it is summer, so white would be appropriate.

British

Are you for real Hummingbirds

Hummingbirds

British,,,Have I offended you?

British

Hummingbirds. It seemed such an odd question. If you are taking this tour in October, it is just a short time away. Quints does not know what he/she is talking about, you are clearly asking about Capetown, you know to avoid white everywhere else I hope. Have you looked at the tour page and opened all the links, there is one that says Before You Go and then you open up Preparing To Go, you will find the weather information for all the areas you will be visiting. First, you must destinguish the fact that you are going to three different countries in Southern Africa. In South Africa, you are going to CapeTown which is very different to everywhere else you will be visiting both in terms of temperatures and scenery. The tourist area the hotel is in is like an up market resort town. Some parts of the city have the largest homes I think I have ever scene, even in comparison to Beverley Hills or the Hamptons, surrounded by high walls. This is the only part of the trip where you may feel it is appropriate to dress up in the evening. But it is not going to be very hot. The 24 hour temperature range is going to be around 58 to 70 degrees Farenheit historically. So you have to decide what you would normally wear in those temperatures. I have one month to decide what to pack for this part of the trip. I have been to Capetown before and cannot remember what I wore. The One and Only hotel is a world class hotel like the Cape Grace we stayed in last time. Whereas most people would disagree with the following, my observations are that in the very best hotels, the staff are trained to treat everyone with the utmost courtesy however they are dressed, and I love that. The good thing, about this tour is that from day 3 to 9, we will just have the duffel bags, ours came a couple of days ago. So anything we take for Capetown can be neatly packed in our main suitcase and transported there for us. I may indeed take some white capris myself, either or for the day stuff there or evening with a dressy top. When I pack, usually a full week before my trip, on a weekend when we are both there to discuss our packing---- Mr B is one of those men who does indeed do his own packing--- I gather that is rare of married men, he is a good packer but I hate the way he puts his underwear and socks inside his shoes and the like, but he was once told by a security checker that he had the neatest suitcase he had ever seen--- and that was at the end of the vacation! So I will make comments about what he is taking, but do not interfere too much about what he thinks are good color combinations!. So we basically have three evenings where we might want to have something more dressy but it is not going to be that warm. It will be good to get out of those safari type colors and not feel grubby and dusty. So I am still thinking what to take for Capetown, I will probably go middle of the road with what I take in terms of being 'dressy' after all we have to think what will fit in one suitcase and still have room for any souvenirs and the phenomanum that means even if we buy nothing, the clothing never fits as well in the suitcase as when we first packed it--- except for Mr B's of course. One thing we don't have to worry about is rain, it is very unlikely to rain in September or October, in fact, I am more concerned with the extreme drought that is happening in Southern Africa at the moment, will we see dead animals, will the usual vegetation be parched etc etc

sfkucker

In the "what to pack section" it says casual elegant evening wear for women. Would anyone recommend women pack a skirt/dress for September evenings in Cape Town and Victoria Falls or is it ill-advised due to possible insect bite/ cold temps? Is it best to stick with pants and a nicer blouse?

What about shorts? Is it a waste of space? Do people tend to wear pants during the day as well?

TravelGuy

British:

If you don’t like the question, you don’t have to answer. What is with "are you for real?" Hummingbirds acknowledged it was a trivial question. To her it seemed important. What is the problem with asking? This was her eight post. How welcoming to the community was your response?

TravelGuy

British

Travelguy, it's a valid question I asked. Many people are unaware that Tauck provides all the information about seasons and temperatures and rainfall and even clothing to pack right there on the tour page. I hope I have been more than helpful in answering questions she has asked over the past few days. Have you any helpful suggestions for her apart from not read my particular replies?

Quints06

Wow, I think our expert British must have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. Hummingbird, it is actually Spring in South Africa. If you want to wear white, I would wear white and I am sure you would fit in anywhere. I don't think it matters what you wear as long as YOU are comfortable. Chill out British.

Quints06

There is never a stupid question and no one on this forum should be intimidated!

British

Quints06 wrote:

There is never a stupid question and no one on this forum should be intimidated!

I thought for a moment that Hummingbird was a fake participant, it does happen on the forum. Once again, I was looking at white capris in a purely practical way, will she be warm enough strolling around the V and A waterfront at a temperature of 58 degrees F in possibly thin capris, my white capris are really thin. Also, I still would like to clarify that as long as temperatures are ok in CapeTown , capris are fine. But the tour is only in South Africa for the last few days. Hummingbird, is that the time you are referring to? But I would not say they are the best choice for the remainder of the tour, it's going to be dusty. On the safaris I have been in, several of the camp employees hand you a cool washcloth when you return from a drive, you wipe your face and it turns brown with dirt.You will be climbing in and out of high safari vehicles, riding ATVs and in a dug out boat. Most people do not bother to change for dinner during the safari parts of the tour, or if they do, they change into other safari type clothing. I would not want to wear white anything during this part of the tour, sometimes the dirt can stain your clothing so that it is difficult to wash out. While I would consider wearing clothing more than once on a tour, that looks dirty or not, most people turns their nose up at the prospect of this even if they are not one of those unfortunate smelly people. I am not sure Tauck specifies that white is not a good idea on this tour, but it certainly advises avoiding white on other safari tours.