The Practical Girls’ Guide on What to Wear For a Safari Drive
So you’re on your way to Africa for a Safari? YAY! Whether South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Kenya or Tanzania, the continent is filled with unforgettable experiences and dreams becoming a reality! But what to wear while out in the wild?
By now you’ll have learnt that I’m no fashionista (sorry!). I’m a practical gal who doesn’t like to be cold – with a focus on what’s going on outside the vehicle more than inside.
Having grown up in Southern Africa, I have spent a LOT of time on the back of “bakkies” (pick up trucks) and in the great outdoors. So here’s my Practical Girls’ Guide to what to wear on a safari drive:
1. Swap Skirts for Trousers
Most guests are keen to wear skirts or dresses so that they can take gorgeous Instagram pictures while on the safari drive.
The problem is to getting into the vehicle. In most cases you’re required to climb over the side (there aren’t any back doors).
It’s often only the front, passenger side door that opens and this tends to be reserved for the tracker while the ranger drives on the opposite side.
So think carefully about how practical your outfit needs to be when embarking and disembarking from the vehicle.
2. Bring a Hat or a Scarf or Both
The sun will start to lower in the afternoon and you can get quite sunburnt from the light (the UV is much stronger in Southern Africa). Either wear a cap that you can swivel to cover your neck on various sides as the vehicle changes direction or a scarf. A scart is more practical as you can also use it to cover your legs if you’re getting a bit too much sun.
Hats with a deep brim are also practical, however, they’re more susceptible to flying off your head as you drive. Ensure it has a tight cord if that’s your preference.
3. Wear Closed Shoes
Safari drives tend to happen early in the morning (6am) or late afternoon (3pm). This is because most predators are nocturnal, choosing to sleep and lounge around during the heat of the day; reserving hunting for sunrise or sunset. This means you’re likely to go out during those times when animal spotting is best. Wearing closed shoes will help in 3 ways:
3 Tips for Why Closed Shoes are Best on Safari:
4. Big Jacket and Light Sweater
The 6am drives can be chilly to say the least! Unless you’re an early bird (I’m not), it’s often a rude awakening at 5:30am to get to the vehicle at 6am. Our recommendation is to wear a BIG coat with a small jersey underneath so you snuggle in for the morning drive and peel off layers as the sun rises. The opposite is true for the evening drives.
5. Choose Skincare Over Makeup
This is predominantly for my UK girlies. It’s a funny tip, but South Africa is a very bright country. This means women tend to wear less makeup (on average) due to the brightness showcasing every single detail of application. This means any flaws or very heavy makeup are blatantly obvious.
Every time I head out to the bush I swear I’ll be “Instagram ready” at any point! But it actually starts becoming redundant as your spirits merges with the natural world around you.
Once you’re on safari you’ll find relaxing outside, swimming and early mornings can deter you from your full glam routine. Keep the skin care routine up, sunblock is a definite, but makeup can also go on holiday for a while…
6. When It Comes to Bags – Less is More
Most safari drives last around 3 hours on average. Most of us will likely have camera lenses, gimbels, iphone covers and pop sockets to ensure we can snap the best content as possible. The journey usually starts with everyone “cameras ready” from the moment the vehicle sets off, however, as the fresh air rushes over your face and fills your lungs, you’ll start to relax into the trip, focusing more on the surroundings and taking in the gorgeous landscape.
This means you aren’t permanently camera ready and will likely need to jump to attention at the first major sighting. The reality of this is that iPhone covers quickly get ripped off to fit into the gimbals, lens caps can go flying as lenses are switched and handbags fall away as the vehicle bumps over the raw roads.
Our advice – less is more. The less you can bring, the better.
The vehicle may also be full so you won’t be able to put your bag down next to you on your seat and ramage around for whatever you need. If possible, leave your iPhone cover at the hotel room – lock your phone into your gimbal ahead of time. Perhaps slip an extra lens into a big jacket pocket as camera bags can become fussy in the heat of the moment and you don’t want to drop the lenses onto the dusty vehicle floor and potentially crack one, etc.
7. Leave the Stanley Cup at Home
Most safari drives will stop with the ranger offering guests a drink. We advise waiting for this as if you drink too much and start to need the loo you’ll be very uncomfortable for quite some time. There are no toilet facilities while out in the wild and you won’t be able to go to the loo in the open due to the dangerous animals.
Tip: go to the loo before you leave – twice – and wait for the ranger to offer you a toot when the time is right (usually in the second half of the trip so no one gets too desperate).
Safari drives are absolutely incredible. Whether it’s spotting hares, ground squirrels, birds or rhinos, leopards and lions. It’s an unforgettable experience and we hope this guide on how to dress will ensure you have the best experience.
Enjoy the Wild Ride
We hope this guide will help you have a more comfortable experience and that you manage to see every animal on your big give bucket list!
