South African Safaris and Holidays – what to pack in Winter
One of the most frequent questions we are asked is what clothing should we pack, so I shall attempt to address this question at the beginning of each season. Given it’s the start of our short winter (June to mid August), lets look at winter packing. I have lived in South Africa for 13 years and have noticed that South Africans, particularly those living in the bush, tend to ignore the fact that they have a winter. However our guests, used to central heating, certainly do feel it.
If you are traveling through the country, you will need to pack a range of clothing as the South African winter varies from province to province.In the Cape, where the winters are most similar to Europe approximately on a par with Spain or Italy, the hotels and lodges are reasonably well-equipped with underfloor heating, fireplaces and electric blankets. However South African lodges do not have central heating and it’s fair to say that buildings are not generally heated to the same degree as in Europe or the US. You might have some rain in the Cape so come prepared with a rainproof jacket, comfortable walking shoes. Hats and umbrellas can be purchased easily if needed.
The rest of the country has dry winter with pleasant sunny days. It is not uncommon for the daytime temperatures to be 25C which is very pleasant so bring some lightweight shirts and t-shirts as well.
However it’s the diurnal range in winter which usually flummoxes visitors. A South African can say that it is often 25c during the day but he might neglect to say that on the same day, the day could have started at 5c! In fact it’s the warm sunny days which produce the sudden downturn in temperatures in the evening as there is no cloud cover. If you are on safari in June, you will need to come fully prepared
So the bottom line is you have to pack a range of clothing in winter:
- Warm jackets and sweaters for the start and end of the day
- Lighter shirts, including some short sleeves, and perhaps pedal pushers for the middle of the day.
- On safari – gloves, scarf, woolly hat as well as warm jacket.
- Many larger hotels have heated or ‘all-weather’ swimming pools so always bring swimgear. (‘All weather’ means that the pool is heated just enough to be bearable but would not be considered heated.)
Extra tip
I also throw in a hot water bottle (easily purchased at any chemist in South Africa) just in case your hotel bed does not have an electric blanket. These are also very handy for early morning game drives and alfresco Boma dinners (though most of the more switched-on game lodges now provide them).