What To Pack For A Kruger Park Safari

This post is dedicated to the many cute girls who have travelled to South Africa with no idea for what to pack for a safari and found themselves in the middle of Cape Town dressed in utility wear, while their closet full of stylish clothes stayed home. I’ve met more than a few visitors who felt like total “tourists” dressed in head-to-toe bug treated khaki while the South Africans on the safari looked cute in jeans and casually chick bush looks. Here’s the girl’s guide on what to pack for a Kruger Park Safari.

What To Pack For A Kruger Park Safari

What you pack for your Kruger Park safari is going to depend largely on the time of year you visit.  Make sure you pack light, cool items for summer (September – April) and heavier items for winter (May-August). In summer, the days are very hot (up to 45°C/113°F) with frequent thunder showers in the afternoon. In winter, the mornings and evenings are very cold (as low as 0°C/30°F) but the middle of the day can be warm enough to swim. The key is to pack layers.

While you don’t need to max out your credit card on khaki outfits, it’s advisable to wear neutral colours. You don’t want to be dressed in bright red, scaring the animals or attracting their attention. Stick to shades of brown, grey, greens and denim. Bear in mind that whatever you shop for can be bought from any major clothing store and doesn’t need to be from a speciality store. With this packing guide, you’ll look as good shopping at the V&A Waterfront as you will on the back of a safari truck.

Kruger Park Safari Packing Guide

• Tank tops
• T-shirts
• Long sleeve vests
• Flannel shirts
• Denim shirts
• Light knitwear/Jumper
• Hoodies/Sweatshirts
• Shorts
• Leggings
• Jeans
• Jeggings
• Body warmers
• Thermoball/Feather down jacket
• Weatherproof jacket
• Hat
• Beanie/Knit hat
• Scarf
• Leather boots
• Sandals
• Sneakers
• Swimsuit

What To Wear On A Kruger Park Safari

If you’re going to be staying at a safari lodge, you’ll most likely wake up early for a pre-dawn game drive, get back to the lodge for breakfast, relax or join a walking safari until lunch, chill out, nap or swim until tea time (3:30 pm), head out for your afternoon game drive and be back in time for dinner. If you have no idea how to dress for these various activities, here’s a handy guide to help you plan. You’ll want to layer up in the morning, but be prepared to want to rip your warm items off by around 9:30am when it starts to heat up.

Kruger Park Safari Outfit Guide

Morning Game Drive

• Tank top or T-shirt
• Hoodie/Sweater
• Leggings
• Thick socks
• Boots
• Thermoball/Feather down jacket
• Beanie/Knit hat
• Scarf

During the day/Downtime at the lodge/Walking safari

• T-shirt with an open flannel shirt over it or Light knit/Jumper
• Body warmer
• Jeans, Jeggings or Shorts
• Boots or Sneakers
• Hat
• Light Scarf (to protect your neck from the sun)

Afternoon Game Drive

• T-shirt or light knit/Jumper
• Jeans or Jeggings
• Socks
• Boots or sneakers
• Scarf
• Weatherproof jacket or Thermoball/Feather down jacket

Dinner

• Denim shirt or Light knit/Jumper
• Jeans or Jeggings
• Sandals or Boots
• Warm jacket

And here’s what you don’t need to pack…

What Not To Pack For A Kruger Park Safari

• High heels
• Bug-repellent clothing
• Anything you wouldn’t want to get dust on
• Full utility gear/fatigues
• Anything from a safari speciality store

I hope you find my guide to what to pack for a Kruger Park Safari and what to wear on a Kruger Park Safari useful! Let me know in the comments if there’s anything you wished you’d packed for your safari, or anything you packed that you really didn’t need!