Tanzania Safari Packing List : What Colors To Wear On Safari In Tanzania? Colors to Wear on Safari in Tanzania: Tanzania has long been regarded as the best wildlife safari destination in the world. Tanzania provided a safari experience unlike any other African safari destination, including South Africa’s Kruger National Park, Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve, and Namibia’s Etosha National Park. In short, Tanzania is the king of all Africa when it comes to wildlife safari experiences; simply put Tanzania at the top of your African travel bucket list and you will never be disappointed.
Despite Tanzania providing the best wildlife safari experiences that are enjoyable for everyone, one of the most important things to consider is what to wear on your safari to ensure you have a more enjoyable Tanzania safari experience. Despite being perceived as difficult when it comes to planning what to wear and what essentials to bring on your upcoming safari in Tanzania, everything you require is most likely already in your closet! Our clothing recommendations apply to all seasons on a Tanzania safari, but they differ depending on whether you’re climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro or visiting the famous Zanzibar beach.
The colors of your clothes are an important consideration when going on safari in Tanzania. I grew up in East Africa and know a thing or two about the region. When going on a Tanzanian safari, dress in neutral colors that blend well with the Tanzanian Savannah, such as brown, jungle green, and beige. Avoid wearing black or dark blue clothing because they attract tsetse flies. Also, avoid white and bright colors because they are easily soiled. Let’s delve deeper into the subject and talk about the different colors you should wear in different situations when visiting Tanzania.
TANZANIA WEATHER
Tanzania’s best wildlife viewing months are from late June to October, during the dry season. The best months to see wildebeest migration in the Serengeti are June and July, and the best months to see wildebeest calving are late January to February. Tanzania’s main rainy season, known as the “long rains,” lasts from March to April and May.
WHY DOES THE COLOR OF SAFARI CLOTHES MATTER?
The truth is that color is an extremely important consideration when assembling your safari capsule wardrobe. But why is the color of safari clothing important?
Blending in with your surroundings
The point of going on safari is to see the incredible wildlife. You will definitely stand out in your bushy surroundings if you wear neon clothing. We recommend wearing colors that will help you blend in with the surroundings if you want to see more animals. This is important whether you are going on a game drive safari or a boat safari, but it is especially important if you are going on a walking safari.
Keeping clean
It should come as no surprise that going on safari is not a sterile experience. Even if you go on a game drive safari, you will almost certainly get dusty and dirty, especially if you go on a walking safari. So that you don’t appear filthy in your photographs, wear colors that will hide the dirt. So now that you understand why it is important to wear and not wear certain colors on safari, we will go over each color in greater detail to assist you when packing.
PACKING A CAPSULE WARDROBE
Maintaining this restricted color scheme will also assist you in developing and adhering to a capsule wardrobe for your Tanzania safari, which will enable you to pack lightly, which is crucial for those who use light aircraft to travel to their safari lodges. Even though this safari packing list is appropriate for all of Africa, if you’re looking for a country-specific list, check out our dedicated guides:
THE BEST COLORS TO WEAR ON SAFARI
In our opinion, the best colors to wear on a safari are:
- Khaki
- Brown
- Green
- Tan
- Beige
These are the colors that will help you blend in with the African landscape, whether it be forests, savannahs, or plains, which is why we advise using them over all others. You will have a much better chance of seeing wildlife and avoiding unfavorable attention by blending in. In addition, we discovered that khaki clothing did the best job of hiding dust, while tan, beige, and brown, in our opinion, did the best job of disguising mud when engaging in muddy activities like Mountain gorilla trekking in Uganda and Rwanda.
WHAT COLORS NOT TO WEAR ON SAFARI
The colors listed below should be added to your “what not to wear on safari” list. Although it is likely more crucial for those on walking safaris to strictly abide by this, we still advise doing so whether you are in a car, on foot, or on a boat. This is particularly crucial in terms of health and safety.
Blue and black
Blue and black are usually staples in my wardrobes, especially my outdoor wardrobes, but in my opinion, these are the colors you should stay away from the most on safari. This is due to very serious health and safety concerns, not because they will make you stand up or expose you.
Unfortunately, the tsetse fly is native to Africa. We saw them while on safari in Tanzania. They are particularly common in East and Central Africa. You should make every effort to avoid being bitten by a tsetse fly in order to avoid contracting the terrible disease known as sleeping sickness, which is caused by tsetse flies.
Two colors are more attractive to tsetse flies than any other. They are blue and black, as you probably already guessed. I would heed this advice wherever you go on African safari, even though it is particularly crucial when visiting Central and Eastern Africa, just in case.
Can you wear white on safari?
We are frequently questioned about wearing white on safari. I believe that the majority of people get a romanticized idea of what a safari wardrobe looks like from watching movies and television shows where women don immaculate white linen tops while exploring the savannah and bush.
But this isn’t really a wise or useful plan. The color that will make you stand out the most on a safari among all the others is white. Additionally, white will unquestionably display dirt and dust more than any other color. I would personally advise wearing a white linen shirt in your safari wardrobe only for dinner at your lodge rather than on safari drives and walks.
Can you wear bright colors on safari?
Bright colors are not advised when going on African safari. Tans and khakis are much better neutral color choices. In particular, on walking safaris, wearing bright colors will make you stand out, which might deter animals from coming out or even attract some that you don’t want to be overly interested in you. As a result, we excluded bright hues from your safari capsule wardrobes.
Can you wear gray colors on safari?
Grey is not the worst color to wear on safari, but I would much rather see khakis and other neutral colors in your closet.
Is pink color appropriate for a safari?
Pink is not as bad as white, blue, or black on safari, and depending on the shade, it doesn’t particularly attract anything. Nevertheless, I personally would not include pink in my safari wardrobe. Darker or brighter pinks will make you stand out too much, while light pink, which is similar to white, will show up all the dirt and dust and not look great in photographs.
Can you wear red color on a safari?
Although red isn’t known to attract Tsetse flies, it will make you very noticeable to animals, so it’s not advisable to wear red on a safari.
Can I bring orange clothes on safari?
Orange, in any shade, is a bright color and should not be worn on a safari because of this. In addition to the fact that orange attracts insects, which you really don’t want on a safari, wearing orange will make you stand out to animals.
Can you wear camouflage on safari?
Despite being a fantastic safari color, khaki should never be worn on a safari. Although it has nothing to do with animals, the military and soldiers almost exclusively use camouflage in Africa. In fact, if you aren’t in the military, wearing camouflage may be against the law in some areas.
Is it OK to wear black on safari?
It goes without saying that you shouldn’t wear black on safari. Black should be avoided at all costs because, as we already mentioned, it attracts tsetse flies.
COLORS TO WEAR ON SAFARI EVENINGS IN TANZANIA
Most places in Tanzania have a lot of bugs in the evening, so if you are dining outside, you should wear protection from the bugs. Typically, they are drawn to light and vibrant colors. Wearing orange and yellow will make you more appealing to insects, so avoid wearing these colors. Even though this is unrelated to color, if you plan to eat outside, you should also cover your arms and legs. It will lessen the number of mosquito bites.
COLORS TO WEAR WHEN EXPLORING TANZANIAN TOWNS
Avoid wearing anything that will draw attention to you while you are out and about in Tanzania. You shouldn’t draw attention to yourself because doing so will make it easy for pickpockets to identify you in a crowd. I’m not saying there are a lot of criminals in Tanzania, but you should still exercise caution and try to avoid giving someone with bad intentions and advantage over you.
Your best bet is to wear neutral colors to blend in. Red, orange, and other luminous colors should be avoided. On the same vein, when visiting Tanzanian markets and bazaars, leave your flashy jewelry and gadgets in the hotel room (although this has nothing to do with color). The best defense against pickpocketing in this area is to carry only what you absolutely need.
COLORS TO WEAR IF YOU’LL BE USING PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
Wearing clothing that won’t be easily sold is a must when traveling by public transportation in Tanzania. If you wear white clothes, for example, you won’t be able to remove the stains you might get very easily from the matatus (public service vehicles) in Tanzania because they are typically not very clean.
CONCLUSION: WHAT KINDS OF CLOTHES ARE RECOMMENDED FOR SAFARI?
It is advised to wear loose, comfortable, and easy-to-wash clothing. The idea is to bring only what you need because most camps and lodges will launder your clothes for a small fee. There is no need to dress up for safaris because they are casual. Plan to wear layers so you can adjust to temperature changes because, depending on the time of year, early morning game drives can be quite chilly while daytime temperatures can get quite warm.
Wear neutral or khaki-colored clothing instead of dark blue or black, which tends to draw tsetse flies. Sunglasses, insect repellent, sunscreen, and wide-brimmed hats are essential. We advise you to wear long pants, long-sleeved shirts, socks, and insect repellent to prevent mosquito bites after dusk.
