We all love a bit of safari chic (don’t we?) but how realistic is this look when you’re thinking about safari clothes for kids?
Our practical guide to what kids wear on safari will ensure that you pack all the right safari clothing for kids to keep the kids happy and safe during your family safari vacation.
We delve into the most important considerations for dressing kids for a safari, providing recommendations on clothing, footwear, and accessories.
We cover comfort and protection, colours and dress code. We have a complete packing list for kids safari clothes at the end of the post.
This post is just about clothes that kids need to wear on safari. For all other safari gear, see our list of what to pack for a family safari.
And if you want to know where to wear all your new gear – check out our top family safari destinations. We have been to all of the countries we list with our kids and can vouch for them being family friendly.
So what do kids wear on safari?
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What to consider when buying safari clothes for kids
We have been going on safari for over 30 years and have been taking our kids on safari for the last 10 years. You can read more about our African travels here.
In that time we have learned a lot about what kids wear on safari. We know what works and what doesn’t work.
We’re often asked what should kids wear on safari which is why we pulled together this safari clothes packing guide for kids.
The main thing to consider when choosing what kids should wear on safari is protection.
Safari clothes for kids need to provide protection. Safaris often involve spending hours outdoors, with varied activities like game drives or bush walks. Clothes need to protect kids from the sun and mosquitoes and be tough enough to survive snags on bushes and stand up to the dirt and dust.
As disgusting as it sounds, our kids have played football with a large spherical piece of elephant dung. Just consider that for a moment.
Visiting Kenya with kids? Check out our Kenya family safari itinerary for inspiration.
Visiting Namibia? Check out our Namibia itinerary for families.
Visiting South Africa? Check out our South Africa itinerary for families.
With this in mind you want to consider the following when choosing safari clothes (and shoes) for kids:
What kids wear on safari
Long sleeve tops / long trousers
One of the first things to consider is covering exposed skin. Despite the often warm and sunny conditions, long-sleeve shirts and pants are preferred for safari attire.
Not only do they provide protection from the sun, but they also help guard against insect bites (especially from mosquitoes or tsetse flies), thorny plants, and even scrapes during hikes or walks through dense foliage.
Even if you choose a non-malaria safari destination, there can still be mosquitoes around.
Choose lightweight, breathable fabrics like cotton, linen, or moisture-wicking materials that allow for ventilation.
Lightweight Long-Sleeve Shirts: A long-sleeve shirt made from a breathable fabric, such as cotton or a performance fabric, is ideal for keeping children cool while offering sun protection. Light colors, like beige, light brown, or khaki, are popular for their ability to reflect sunlight and avoid attracting heat.
Long pants / trousers: Safari pants made from breathable materials are necessary to prevent sunburns and insect bites. Look for pants with rolled-up cuffs or zip-off legs, which can be adjusted for different temperatures. In regions with cooler evenings or mornings, long pants will also help provide warmth.
Shorts and T-shirts
In the warmer parts of the day, shorts and t-shirts are often suitable for kids, particularly for activities such as relaxed walks around camp or during downtime at the lodge.
Choose clothing that is lightweight and breathable. Avoid dark colors, as they can attract insects.
You don’t need to stick to neutral colours in camp.
Don’t forget your swim suits!
Sturdy boots or shoes
Safari terrain can vary greatly, from rocky paths to sandy or muddy trails. Proper footwear is key to ensuring that kids are both comfortable and safe during their adventures.
Closed-toe shoes are a must for any safari trip. They provide protection from sharp rocks, thorns, and even insect bites. Comfortable trail shoes or hiking boots with sturdy soles are the best as they have thicker soles than standard trainers.
These are particularly important if you know that you are going to be doing bush walks. Trust me. You don’t want to have an encounter with a camel thorn.
And while on the subject of walks – we always tuck trousers into socks. There are lots of ants around and they can be up your leg and starting to bite in no time.
Some people take a sturdy pair of sandals to wear on safari but we don’t personally.
We have flip flops for the pool area at the lodge but if we are walking around camp, we’ll just use trainers. There are always bugs and other small animals you may not want to step on with just sandals on.
Hats and sunglasses
The sun in Africa can be intense and if you’re in an open-topped jeep for your game drive, ideally you want a wide brimmed hat or one with neck ptrotection.
You never know until you get there if your safari jeep will have a roof or not. Most of our family-friendly South African safaris have been in open-topped jeeps which means that sunglasses and hats have been essential
Kids should also wear sunglasses to protect their eyes from the harsh rays of the African sun. Polarized lenses are an excellent choice for reducing glare and actually help with animal sightings.
We also bring lightweight neck scarves that they can pull up around their face if there is a dust storm or if they need extra protection from the sun.
Other things to consider when buying kids’ safari clothes
Here are just a few more things to think about when looking for kids’ safari clothing.
Buy clothes with mosquito repellent in them: These clothes are not widely available but you can find them. We use the Craghoppers Nosilife range but if you can’t buy the clothes with permetherin already in them then you can spray them yourselves. This repellent spray is what we use and is meant to last a few washes which is enough to see you through a safari trip.
Safari clothes are hardwearing: Kids will get away with wearing their safari clothes more than once before washing so you don’t need to pack a different set of clothes for each day of your safari. It is also highly likely that the lodge you are staying in will have laundry facilities.
Pack light: this leads on from the above point but packing light is key especially if you’re taking a small charter plane to your lodge. Check luggage limits and try to use a hard wearing duffel style bag rather than rigid suitcase.
Buy lightweight: tops especially should be lightweight material like cotton.
What colour should kids’ safari clothes be?
We touched on this above but as a general rule, kids should wear neutral colours on safari. Ideally you are looking at a range of beige or khaki green, olive or light brown. You want to blend in.
What not to wear on safari?
- Bright or neon colors should be avoided because they can be too distracting to wildlife.
- Camo print is also not allowed in certain African countries (Nigeria, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe) as it is reserved for military personnel.
- Avoid wearing black or navy as these colours can attract insects like Tsetse fly.
Can you wear white on safari? Well, I personally have done but I wouldn’t recommend it for the kids. Dirt will find them and the other colours I’ve mentioned are a lot more forgiving if you don’t have access to laundry after every game drive.
Is there a safari dress code for kids?
There is no real ‘dress code’ for kids on safari. Stick to the general (unwritten) rules of safari clothing mentioned above when considering what to wear on safari during the day and you will be just fine.
Even if you are staying in the swishest of safari lodges, kids won’t need to dress up round the lodge.
We’re often asked what to wear on safari in the evenings and normally we say either a smarter, cleaner version of what you’ve been wearing during the day on your game drives.
Do you dress up for dinner on safari? Not usually and especially not if you’ve had an incredible wildlife sighting that has delayed your arrival back at the lodge and there is no time to change!
We’ve just had a quick wash of hands and gone straight to dinner at one of the most high-end lodges in South Africa and haven’t looked out of place.
Honestly, a safari dinner is not a dressy affair, especially for the kids.
Layering
Having just talked about sun protection, we should also mention that the weather can be very changeable in Africa.
One minute you’re looking for any slight bit of shade you can find from the harsh African sun and the next minute the clouds roll in and you’re trying to pull on any waterproof cover you can find.
Early morning safaris before sunrise can be chilly as can the evening game drives.
Layering is key to any game drive. Make sure the kids are wearing a t-shirt and a long-sleeve shirt and then something like a fleece or wind breaker for extra warmth.
The layers can be removed as the day goes on or put on as and when needed.
We always take these packable jackets with us in case there is no waterproof provided by the lodge.
Where to buy safari clothes for kids
Now you know what to wear on an African safari, here are some suggestions on where you can find suitable safari clothes for children.
Here are just a few places where we have bought our own safari clothes.
Where to buy safari clothes in the UK
We are based in the UK and these are the best safari clothing brands in the UK for kids:
Also pop a few of these mosquito patches and mosquito bracelets in your travel first aid kit.
Where to buy safari clothes in the US
We have heard that you can get decent safari gear for kids from these places. It is also always worth looking on Amazon.
- Columbia (their kids hiking gear and sun protection gear work for safaris with SPF50 protection)
- REI
- Backcountry
Also pop a few of these mosquito bracelets and mosquito bands in your first aid kit.
Kids’ safari clothes packing list
This packing list for kids is ideal for a 5 day safari.
- 2 trousers (we buy these in green/khaki and beige from Craghoppers)
- 3 long-sleeved shirts (we buy these from Next)
- 4 t-shirts (make sure there are a couple of neutral ones for game drives)
- 2 fleece tops
- 1 packable rain coat
- 1 pair of walking boots (or trail shoes) – something like this would work well
- 1 wide-brim hat (or a hat with neck protection)
- Sunglasses
- 1 lightweight neck gaitor
- 2 shorts
- Swimsuit
- Socks & underwear
- 1 flip flops / sandals (for camp)
