What to wear on your Safari to East Africa
What to wear on your Safari to East Africa: Planning an East African safari can be easy with the several the numerous tour operators across the East African region, you will have no trouble having all the details of your safari arranged to your taste from safari activities, accommodation, meals, transportation, guides etc. You will find a tour operator that can organise for you everything and more, you don’t have to lift a finger. However though your whole trip is organised and you’re ready to land in this East African country for your safari, you have to have clothes, shoes and different accessories for your safari, so what do you wear or carry to wear on you East African Safari?
One, you need to Know that East Africa is blessed with two weather seasons and both have the ability to affect your wardrobe significantly, so before you think of what to wear on your safari, find out which weather season you will be in East Africa for your safari, this will save you a lot from packing unnecessary clothing to spending extra on your safari to buy the necessary clothing.
The cold seasons in the region are between September to November and March to May and these months are quite cold with some significant rains, so in this time you need to carry clothing or attires that will keep you warm and shield you from the rains in case the rains find you outdoor. The attire you carry may include but not limited to jackets, scarfs, sweaters, gloves, socks, raincoats, headgear and other items you deem necessary.
The hot seasons in the region are between December to February and June to July, during these seasons the temperatures will be pretty high, 30 degrees and above some places go beyond 40 degrees; so plan for light clothing and sunscreen. The clothing may include but not limited to light tee shirts, shorts, light pants, light dresses and others
Two, the other thing you need to consider is what type of Safari are you taking, some safaris may require specific attires, so you need to have that in consideration. If you are going trekking, hiking, mountain climbing, water rafting or forest walking you need some specific attires or attire accessories for these trips so you have to be keen. The specifics of attires for these safaris, are mainly for your safety so you need to really make an effort to get them before you go for these specific activities on your safari.
For trekking, hiking, mountain climbing and forest walking no matter the season you’re in East Africa you need hiking boots, hiking pants, long sleeved shirts, headgear, gloves and a few other things. These are all very essential for you to successfully do these activities.
If you are hiking to the summit on any of the mountains in the region it is wise for you to carry really warm clothing and beddings the mountain summits are extremely cold.
Water rafting or any water activities you definitely need swimming attires and all other swimming accessories.
Now the quantity of clothes, shoes and accessories you carry on your safari is entirely dependent on your preference and slightly on the number of days you’re going to spend on your safari.
The colour of your safari attire is also dependent on your preference however, we advise that if you are going to interface with animals more on your safari, please keep the colours of your attires neutral or dull, the neutral or dull help you to blend in the animal’s habitat without causing any disruptions or even scaring away the animals. Colours you would opt for include Khaki, chinos, creams, browns, greys, tans or olives.
Unless you have a formal occasion or something that needs you to have formal attire, safari clothing is normally casual clothing and comfortable, wash and wear, easy to pack and wear. They may include free shirts, tee shirts (long or short-sleeved), shorts, free trousers, jeans, easy shoes, hiking shoes for hiking safaris among other things. For the rain seasons, you may need to carry warmers and rain jackets.
One thing to note though is that during the nights on your safaris in East Africa try as much as possible to wear long sleeves and long pants to minimise chances of mosquito or night insect bites. You can even wear a repellent especially if you’re outdoor in the night.
The materials of your clothing is a personal preference, however, if you are visiting East Africa during the hot seasons, you should carry more cotton clothing – light cotton; Cotton helps regulate your body temperature and you don’t feel a lot of heat.
For shoes or footwear, casual and comfortable shoes are okay unless you’re doing an activity that needs specific shoes but casual is good enough.
Other accessories may include but not limited to sunglasses, hats, throw ons etc, you carry according to your preference.
Basically most of what you wear on your safari is based on your preference, season and activities you are going to do on your safari and they are normally items you already have in your wardrobe.
