Happy Wanderlust Wednesday! Today, I am sharing with you what I wore on safari in South Africa. I am hard at work on the destination posts on the safari that Natural World Safaris hosted us on that will be coming to you beginning next week. You can find out more about their specialized safari company on their website and in this blog post.

I shared my full Safari packing list the day we arrived at our first lodge.  It is filled with items I took and other ideas for you at several price ranges.  I’ve gotten so many questions about what I wore and how I packed and I hope today’s post will answer all of your questions.  Tip: Our lodges did laundry so I was able to repeat a few things each day so that saved on packing.  Check with your lodge to see if laundry is included.

Day One – Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge Evening Game Drive

Camo V-neck T-shirt  / J Brand Cargo Pants / Sam Edelman Tall Boots / Bahadu baseball cap

Midday and afternoon were pleasantly warm in Sabi Sabi Reserve. Once we arrived at the Earth Lodge, we changed for afternoon tea before our evening game drive. I wore this camo T-shirt that will be a staple this summer. I’ve already worn it once since I’ve been home! It’s super soft. I paired it with cargo pants from one of my favorite brands. I bought these pants in both green and navy. I’ve worn a similar style for many years and love the new version.

I chose tall boots and a soft brown leather to wear on the game drives. Our packing list said to wear boots that our pants could tuck into. I also wanted something that I would enjoy wearing at home as well. These boots are super comfortable with a padded sole and I know I will wear them a lot this fall. I packed a packable Safari type hat but wore these Bahadu baseball caps every day. These are designed by women especially for women. I’ll tell you more about this amazing brand soon.

Dinner Look

Banana Republic Skirt (old and first seen here but found it here and here!) actually wore with: Jimmy Choo Sandals / Basket Bag

Believe it or not…I forgot to photograph this look!  We were so in awe of where we were and taking it all in!  Here is a photo of what I wore though from another time I shared it.  I’ve worn it a lot so if one of these above is your size, snag it!  I wore the same sandals each night at dinner.  They went with everything and took up very little space!  Same with the basket bag.  I carried it as a crossbody bag in Cape Town and at night, too.  I love this little basket bag!

Day Two – Morning and Evening game Drive at Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge

Navy T-shirt (old similar here) / Navy J Brand Cargo Pants / Tall Leather Boots / Bahadu baseball cap / Barbour jacket / Gold Scarf

Our first morning game drive was a beautiful, clear but cool 55° morning. Even cooler when we were moving in the open truck.  I wore several layers this morning:  Tshirt, Sweater, Vest, and Barbour Jacket were plenty for this morning drive.  There were blankets in the truck to put over your legs first thing in the am.  The evening did get quite as cool so just took the Barbour Jacket and scarf.

Dinner Look

Gal Meet Glam Green Addison Dress / Jimmy Choo Sandals / Basket Bag

This was one of my favorite dresses from last summer.  I took it to Italy with us and love wearing it.  I’m so glad the brought it back and it’s fully stocked in all sizes!  The color was perfect for the earthy tones of Africa.  Turned out to be a perfect choice as the staff surprised us with a special anniversary dinner in their wine room!  So amazing!  This was extra special because we didn’t really do anything for our actual anniversary because we were packing for this trip!

Day Three – Morning Game Drive at Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge, Travel Look and Evening Game Drive at Royal Malewane

Green T-Shirt / Tan Sweater / White Shirt /  White Nano Puff Vest / Green J Brand Cargo / Boots / Gold Scarf /  Barbour Jacket / Gap Safari Jacket / Hermes Belt 

This day I really used all the layers in different combinations!  It was a but cooler this am so I wore al my layers!  It was even cooler when the truck was moving so I’m glad I did!  When it warmed up after an hour or so, I took off the coats, vest and scarf.  For travel, I removed the sweater and used the white shirt as a “jacket” for our drive to the next lodge.  I reworked the combo for the Evening drive and Sundowners at Royal Malewane.

Dinner

Dusty Pink Sliky Maxi Dress / Jimmy Choo Sandals / Basket Bag

I featured this dress in my 21 Dresses for Spring post and it has been a reader favorite and mine, too.  It took up almost no room so it was the perfect choice for packing.  It would roll up to almost nothing if you are a fan or the rolling packing method, too.  I brought this cape for the plane and wore it when it was cool at night.

Day Four – Morning and Evening Game Drives at Royal Malewane

Navy Tshirt / White Shirt / Navy J Brand Cargo Pants / Tall leather Boots / Bahadu baseball cap / Utility Jacket / Barbour Jacket / Printed Scarf

These cargo pants held their shape well and we didn’t really sweat or get dirty so it was easy to wear the pants several times.  Many people sent me messages about these boots asking if they were comfortable and YES!  They have great padding in them and are very soft leather so wearing them most of the day and evening was not an issue.  The shaft collapses flat so they took up almost no room.

Dinner

Blue and White Silk Ikat Dress / Jimmy Choo Sandals / Basket Bag

I love to dress for dinner at home and when we travel.  Everyone did dress for dinner at Royal Malewane so this dress was perfect.  I’m favoring long/maxi dresses right now, too.  The silk ikat seemed the perfect print to bring with me and the colors fit in perfectly with this gorgeous lodge.  You’ll see this dress more this summer.  You’ll notice one again the same shoes and bag.  I brought another but never took it out of my suitcase!

Day Five – Morning Game Drive at Royal Malewane

White T-Shirt / Tan Sweater / White Shirt / Green J Brand Cargo / Boots / Gold Scarf / Barbour Jacket / Gap Safari Jacket / Hermes Belt

A repeat of all my favorites and every layer for our last chilly morning!

Travel Look

Black Jumpsuit / Cardigan / Similar Sandals 

Since our lodge did laundry, I replayed this super soft and comfy jumpsuit for our 29 hour trip home!

A Note on Packing

Because we did not take any light aircraft flights we did not have a limit on luggage. That worked well in my favor since we had spent six days in Cape Town and the Winelands. The items that I wore at the two lodges would easily meet the weight requirement and pack into a soft sided duffel.

This is the suitcase that I used to pack everything for the 12 day trip. It’s the same one that I took on our two week trip to Italy and packed all of my things in. I love that the zipper side acts as a built-in packing cube and compresses everything.

This is the duffel that I know everything would fit into because we own one and I packed all of these things in it so I could let you know it would work! If you are adding another day or so to your Safari, I might suggest an additional pair of pants and another T-shirt, button-down and sweater, especially if your lodge does not do laundry.

I hope this post is helpful for all of you going on a safari soon or thinking of going.  I’d love to know more of your questions so please leave them below!  You can see more of this amazing trip on my Instagram feed and in Highlights.  I’ll be sharing destination details beginning next week!

xo

Alicia

Thank you to Natural World Safaris (website here), Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge and Royal Malewane for hosting us on this amazing adventure!  If you are interested in planning your journey of a lifetime, please contact Carina at Natural World Safaris.