‘What shall we wear on safari in South Africa’ (or to any other destination in Africa) is a frequently asked question. The answer to this varies alot by season.
The South African spring runs broadly from mid-August to mid to late October. So I will summarize some essential pointers for people travelling in the African spring months from mid August to October…
Note on Geographical Variations: In the Cape spring starts and ends later than up in the Kruger area. So you may like to check out our Winter Clothing article if travelling in August to the Cape. Similarly further north towards the equator, Zambia and Botswana are getting very hot by mid to late September. So best to look at our Summer Clothing article.
Safari clothing in South Africa – Spring
The ‘shoulder months’ of Spring and Autumn are always a tricky one as far as packing is concerned. Temperatures may vary considerably within an average two-week vacation period. As you never know when Winter will change to Spring. Or indeed Spring to Summer…
Spring-like weather starts in mid August (but later in Cape Town, the Garden Route and Eastern Cape). However there is no guarantee of this. As in the States & Europe, spring brings variable weather – beautiful for days and then a bit cold and rainy for day or two. Rain may well occur if you are in the Cape so bring a rainproof jacket and comfortable walking shoes.
Even if the days are warm and sunny, night time temperatures will still be noticeably cooler. So have a warmer jacket for the evenings – for women pashminas also work well.
Whilst you are on safari, be prepared for low temperatures once the sun has set, and also in the early morning (especially taking the wind chill factor into account on a moving open air game vehicle).
So bring variety – both cool and hot weather options – t-shirts, short-sleeved tops, swim gear – especially if you are spending time in the Kruger, But be ready for temperatures to change from one day to the next.
