I love reliving our trips to Africa this summer. It was truly a dream! I’ve heard from so many of you that are planning a safari soon so I wanted to share what I wore on safari in Africa with you today.
I’ll be sharing our experience at all 4 lodges over the next few weeks but wanted to share this first because I’ve received so many questions and requests.
There are a few nuances to what to wear on safari in South Africa as opposed to Tanzania or other East African countries. Mostly avoiding dark colors like black and navy because of the tsetse flies.
The best rule of thumb is 50 shades of khaki ranging from tans to army greens so you blend into the landscape. You’ll mix and match your pieces every day. Most lodges do laundry so you don’t need pants for every day. I brought more tops as I typically changed tops from the morning drive to the evening but wore the same pants. Here is exactly what I packed for safari in Africa:
- 1 pair of boots
- 3 pair of pants
- 1 quilted jacket
- 1 down puffer jacket
- 1 utility jacket
- 3 white blouses
- 4 white tshirts
- 2 light sweaters for layering
- 3 scarves (in Tanzania the girls wore them also)
- 1 pair of cargo shorts (I wore between game drives)
- 2 baseball caps (Royal Malewane and Chem Chem also gave us hats)
- 1 straw hat (only to Tanzania, wouldn’t do it again because I only wore it once!
- Any dresses for dinner and relax time between game drives (all lodges do things a bit differently, as I learned!)
- 1 pair of sandals
- Workout clothes that never got worn!
Each morning began pretty chilly in the 50s and with the wind from driving in the open trucks, it can be cold. Check the temperatures before you go. I typically began with a tshirt or white top, sweater, puffer or quilted jacket and then utility jacket on top with my scarf. As the sun rose and temps climbed, I shed different layers ending up with my top and scarf or jacket. I’ve shared photos below on how I mixed and matched all my items over the two trips. You can see more inspiration from our first trip to South Africa and what I wore in South Africa in this post.
As for evenings, I discovered different lodges do things differently. Part of it depends on if you are in a national park or on a private concession and on the schedule the lodge has or that you create with them. On both trips to South Africa, we changed for dinner after our afternoon/evening game drive and having Sundowner’s in the bush. In Tanzania, at one lodge this is what we did and at the other, because the Serengetti is a national park and all trucks must be off the road by 7pm, we had fireside Sundowners with our guide at our private luxury tent. We didn’t change for dinner at Sayari but certainly could have. So needless to say, my dresses didn’t get worn much in Tanzania but I was still glad I packed them. I did wear the dresses I brought to wear during our off time at the lodges and at our in transit hotels and traveling between lodges to be cool.
What I Wore in South Africa
Cargo Pant / Polo Sweater / Gauze Popover / Lightweight Scarf / Riding Boot / Ballcap
Cargo Pant / Cargo Jacket / White Blouse / Sweater / Riding Boots / Ballcap / Scarf
Cargo Pant / White T / Sweater / Riding Boots / Lightweight Scarf / Ballcap / Quilted Jacket
Slim Ankle Pant / Riding Boots / Tshirt / Quilted Jacket / Ballcap
Cargo Pant / Gauze Popover / Similar Lightweight Scarf / Riding Boots / Ballcap / Similar Quilted Puffer Jacket
Cargo Pant / Gauze Popover / Riding Boots / Similar Lightweight Scarf
Similar Tiered Midi Dress / Tan Sandals / Straw Bag
Army Green Dress / Tan Sandals
Ankle Pant / Riding Boots / Sweater / Lightweight Scarf
Cargo Pant / Gauze Popover / Riding Boots / Ballcap
Cargo Pant / Tshirt /Similar Lightweight Scarf / Cargo Jacket / Riding Boots
Ankle Pant / Gauze Popover / Riding Boots / Ballcap
I loved running into this sweet friend from Dallas! We couldn’t believe we had booked the same lodge for almost the same nights!
similar Floral Embroidered Dress / Sandals / Raffia Bag
Travel to and From South Africa and to Tanzania
What I Wore In Tanzania
On Chloe: Utility Jacket / Tshirt / Stone Pant / Boots / On Me: My Cargo Pant / Tshirt / Utility Jacket / Similar Lightweight Scarf / Straw Hat / Riding Boots / On Helena: Army Green Cargo Pant / Long Sleeve Tshirt / Boots / On Laurel: Cargo Pant / Tshirt / Field Jacket / Boots / Ballcap
On Me: My Army Green Cargo Pant / Gauze Popover / Riding Boots On Chloe: Twill Pant / Tshirt / Boots On Helena: Cargo Pant / Tshirt / Boots On Laurel: Twill Pant / Striped Tshirt / Boots
Cargo Pant / Sweater / Riding Boots / Ballcap / Similar Lightweight Scarf
On Helena: Tshirt / Boots / Fleece Jacket / Cargo Pant On Me: Cargo Pant / Sweater / Riding Boots / Similar Lightweight Scarf
Similar Maxi Dress White Embroidery / Similar Floral Print Dress / Cream Midi Dress / Tan Sandals / Tan Maxi Dress With White Piping
This was the evening we changed at Chem Chem. I wanted photos by Lake Manyara our our family and thankfully everyone indulged me!
Utility Jacket / Cargo Pant / Riding Boot / Straw Hat / Lightweight Scarf / Tshirt
Stone Pant / Tshirt / Fleece Jacket / Boots / Twill Pant / Tshirt / Field Jacket / Lightweight Scarf / Boots / Cargo Pant / Tshirt / Fleece Jacket / Boots
This is what I wore when we flew between lodges. I don’t like to be hot on tiny airplanes!
On Me: My Cargo Pant / Tshirt / Scarf / Similar Quilted Puffer Jacket / Ballcap / Riding Boots On Chloe: Stone Pant / Tshirt / Utility Jacket / Lightweight Scarf / Boots On Helena: Cargo Pant / Tshirt / Fleece Jacket / Boots On Laurel: Twill Pant / Scarf / Boots
Ankle Pant / Tshirt / Boots / Stone Pant / Tshirt / Fleece Jacket / Boots / My Cargo Pant / Ruffle Blouse / Riding Boots / Twill Pant / Tshirt / Field Jacket / Boots
This was the “Top of the Rock” Bar that the amazing staff at Sayari set up for us to have an early Sundowner in the bush and head back to camp before dark.
White Midi Dress / Tan Sandals / Metro Deluxe Tote
A major shout out for my new favorite travel dress! Yes, a white dress! I wore this dress for our 60 hours of travel home from Tanzania. As you can see, it still looks fresh and amazing! The fabric is lightweight and virtually wrinkle resistant. I got something on the skirt and was able to rinse it out with a little soap and water and hang it to dry on our overnight at the Doha airport hotel! It comes in so many different colors, and is a must have! Fits TTS. I did change into pjs at the Doha hotel and into this Tshirt dress to sleep on the plane.
SHOP WHAT I WORE ON SAFARI IN AFRICA
Please let me know if you have any questions about this! I LOVE talking safari and Africa!
xo
Alicia
PS – Scott’s shirts were from Poncho (I can’t link them in the boutique) and Kuhl pants.
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