Why You Should Avoid White Clothing On An African Safari

When preparing for an African safari, you may have wondered about the colors you should pack and have asked yourself if you can pack white clothing. I have been on many safaris and know a thing or two on this subject.

It is advisable to avoid white clothing when going on an African Safari. Most African safari destinations are extremely dusty and white articles of clothing will get permanently if worn on safari drives. In addition to this, Animals are able to spot white colors easily. This means that wearing something white may increase the chances of you irritating the animals or scaring them away when approaching them. Let’s look at situations where you can wear white when on safari and alternative colors you should wear.

Why the color white is a bad idea for an African Safari

Wearing white to an African safari is a bad idea for two reasons: Dust and getting easily spotted

Dust

Most African safari roads within the national parks are dirt roads that can get very very dusty. If you wear white when out on safari, you will get the dust all over your clothing (actually, this will still happen no matter what you wear 😁) and the stains will be easier to see if you’re wearing white.

Hard to clean

Living in Kenya, I have gotten a number of white t-shirts permanently stained and I have resigned myself to accepting that white clothes eventually become cream-colored after a while.

Easy to spot

Even if you don’t really care about whether your clothes will get stained, one thing you should be concerned about is getting spotted by animals easily.

White doesn’t easily occur in nature and because of this, most animals find it easy to spot it.  Getting spotted easily means that you will not be able to get near wildlife without getting noticed and scaring them away. This is especially true if you will be doing a walking safari. 

In the normal Safari Van, the chances of you being spotted if you wear white are lower since your vehicle is slightly camouflaged and not all parts of you will be visible from far.

Don’t irritate the wildlife

If you will be doing a walking safari, you should definitely avoid white. The fact that you will not be in a vehicle means that it will be more easy to spot.

Remember, the animals on a safari are wild animals and can behave unpredictability. Do not take the chance to irritate them or being viewed as a threat by then because you can’t predict what will happen when. 

Places on Safari where white is ok

But does this mean that you should not pack any white clothing at all when coming for an African Safari? Not exactly.

You can still carry white clothing if you plan to wear it in the following scenarios: 

1. Within the hotel: hotels don’t have just seen them and are kept clean enough to maintain the color of your clothes. 
2. When traveling to and between national parks: in most of the African countries that offer Safari, the rowans between national parks are paved and well-maintained so you don’t expect to find a lot of dust there
3. Within most cities: more cities r well paved and don’t have a lot of dust so you shouldn’t have to worry about wearing white here
4. When coming to Africa and going back home: you don’t expect the airports to have that start all both at home and in Africa so you’re okay wearing white when coming to your Safari. 

Other colors you should avoid

here are a few other colors that you may want to avoid when going on safari. 

Black & Dark Blue

wearing black or dark blue clothing is impractical for Safari for two main reasons. 

1. Uncomfortable: Africa is hot most of the time and you will experience a lot of discomfort when wearing black since it absorbs all the heat
2. Tsetse Flies: These are small fly-like insects that bite like mosquitoes. Their bite is sharp and leaves a small rash. It’s said that dark blue clothing attracts these flies and you should avoid this kind of clothing for this reason.

Bright Neon Colors

Neon clothing is an unnatural color and it will be easily noticed by animals. Avoid wearing something too bright or having an unnatural color to avoid rousing their attention and / or annoying them. 

Heavy material clothes like Jeans

Although this is not a color, you need to avoid very heavey materials like denim when on safari. This is due to the weather which is usually hot and at times, humid. You will feel uncomfortable if you are wearing something with very heavy material.

Respect

I would like to conclude by mentioning that just because white is not a good color to go with on safari doesn’t mean you can’t wear it. However, I think one of the main reasons you should still avoid it even when you can is to show respect to your tour guide and the other tourists you will be traveling with. 

The tour guides take safaris really seriously and seek to do their best to help you find wildlife and stay safe on your safari. It would therefore show respect if you avoid doing anything that may make their work more difficult or put you and other tourists in danger.

A Final Word

As you prepare for your trip to Africa, I would like to recommend a few products that would help make your life easier. 

1. Information About Africa: I have created a YouTube channel that focuses on things about traveling to Africa that only Africans can tell you about. Check out the channel for insights about African culture and things you can do as a traveler to optimize your trip. You should also visit TripAdvisor forum posts (Here is the Kenya Forum) and ask questions about your particular situation. There are a lot of people who are happy to help you out. 
2. Choosing a Safari Company: I have written an extensive article on how to choose a safari Company. You can. Check it out before starting the process of searching for a safari company.
3. Safari Planning Services: If you’d rather leave the planning to an expert, I offer personalized safari planning services. I handle everything from helping you choose the right safari company, creating your custom itinerary, managing bookings, and even providing a packing list and reminders for important trip details. It’s like having a personal assistant dedicated to your trip, ensuring that everything runs smoothly, so you can focus on enjoying the adventure. Learn More in this article