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South Africa an elegant adventure attire for women
Veterans of this tour and particularly someone who went in August please tell me what clothes you took for the safari portion - well, you can also tell me about the tour portion. Things I've read are that anyone on a safari should wear natural colored clothes like brown, khaki or green. Then on a posting on this site there was a picture of someone getting into a vehicle to go on safari and she looked like she had on blue or black pants and white linen shirt. Can you wear clothes of the colors more like you wear at home if on a safari drive vs. walking?.Thank you for your advice.
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Yes. You can wear anything you like. But most wear safari clothing for that portion of the tour. The most important thing is to have warm clothing for the early mornings and after nightfall as it can be very cold in August, think hat and gloves and blankets in the safari vehicles. We have been there in August.
I agree with British. The key is to be comfortable,warm and comfortable. I did dress up a bit for Capetown and Joberg - my NYC and other big city uniform consists of black with pops of color like a scarf or jacket.
wear anything as long as you're comfortable and for early mornings a sweater, blue & black are not recommended at the Serengeti Park, (not sure if you will go there...) because of the Tsetse flies- but other than there you should be fine- I would not wear bright red or yellow but if you do nothing will happen.
In big cities just dress as you would in your own town and at the hotel's cocktail casual is perfect.
No tsetse flies in South Africa so that helps.
Like2travel - we took this tour during August and it was wonderful. The neutral colors are recommended for the safari portion of the tour so that the animals are not distracted. You do not need to go overboard on safari clothing if you do not already have some, but a couple of pairs of pants and some neutral tops will come in handy. It has been awhile, but I do recall wearing shorts a handful of times, during lunch break and at the elephant sanctuary. I brought a fleece and a jacket, which could be worn separately or together for the colder mornings and evenings on safari - also gloves. I also had a hat with straps, so it would not fly off. Sometimes the jeeps were driven through rough terrain at a fast pace in order to arrive at animal sightings. And I did bring and use binoculars.
Wear a wide-brimmed hat with a chin strap. You don't want to ask to stop a fast moving vehicle to retrieve it!
Hi, Ilike2travel! We went in the month of October but I can tell you - black or blue clothing is totally fine. The tse-tse flies are not an issue in South Africa and they are the critters attracted to black and blue colors. I would avoid bright colors. Safari shirts are great but if you don’t have them, dri-fit clothing worked well for me. But anything comfortable will do. For the bush walk, I’d wear pants. I brought water resistant/wrinkle-free fabrics although the only rain we got was in Capetown one of the days. I wore shorts for parts of the trip (especially in Victoria Falls) but it’s warmer in October. I also often wore capris on safari and while touring. My husband had convertible pants that he could zip off for shorts which worked great. I agree totally about wearing a wide-brimmed hat with a chin strap! I wore lightweight, waterproof hiking boots for safari, Capetown and in Zimbabwe. We loved this tour!! So memorable and a wonderful mix of experiences.
Hi, We were on this trip last August. What everyone else points out about dark clothing is true in terms of the tsetse flies. They are not a problem where you will be. Keep in mind though that there is a lot of dust, so the more typical safari colors will probably wear better. I also agree with avoiding bright colors. Blending in is likely better for you and the animals. It will be very cold in the early mornings. Lots of layers are essential. They will provide you with blankets and a soft heated water bottles for your lap. They are wonderful. You can keep your hands on top of your lap when driving around but if you are prone to cold hands, you will need gloves first thing in the morning as well. Do a little experimenting with your phone or camera to make sure you can operate it with the gloves you take. You will shed layers as the morning drive continues and then add layers back on the evening drives, though not to the same extent, so having layers that are easy to add and remove while seated in the vehicle is very helpful. Laundry is available at both Lion Sands and Sabi Sabi so you don't need a lot of safari clothes if you have no other use for them. Almost all of our group wore safari-appropriate clothing for the entire trip with the exception of a hand full of dinners. It is very casual.