Some people go on Safari thinking that Africa’s weather is hot and so a good jacket is not that necessary. Not true, winters can be very, very cold in many safari locations and even in summer it can be pretty cold on an early morning game drive, on night drives or even in the evenings sitting around the boma enjoying your evening meal.

I have owned a number of safari and bush jackets in my time, some very good and some not. In this article I will go through some of the features that I find useful and point you in the direction where you can find your ideal safari jacket.

Origins
The style of jacket similar to that of the main image in this article was made popular by around the beginning of the 20th century by the early European adventurers who came to Africa.

Safari & Travel Jacket
You must remember that a true safari jacket or bush jacket is a garment designed for the purpose of going on safari in the African bush and therefore function and comfort are far more important than style. But also remember that before you get to to the bush, you will also be doing quite a bit of travelling. To save on luggage space it makes sense to use the same jacket for travel, so make sure that it is comfortable and at least a little stylish!

Colour
As with most of you safari clothing, stay away from bright or shiny colours. On safari you want to blend in as much with your surroundings as possible. So stick to green, brown, beige and khaki Jackets.

Also try not to pick a jacket with camouflage colouring. I know that it seems ideal and makes popular urban wear in the west, but in Africa only the military wear camouflage and indeed in some African countries you can be arrested for wearing it.

Materials
Many Jackets will be made from a materials that are waterproof, but make a noise as you rub against it. This is perfectly fine for camping in a wet environment, but if you are trying to sneak up to skittish animals like an antelope, the noise made by your clothing can often frighten them away. Cotton drill type materials work the best and if you need your jacket to be waterproof, look out for ones that have a waxy type covering.

Pockets
Pockets to me are really important and cannot be underestimated! Look out for ones that will make it easy for you to carry your camera, binoculars or guide books.

Buy Safari & Bush Jackets

Below are a few examples of ideal jackets to travel with and take on safari.

	Joe Browns Forces Bush Jacket Stylish as well as hardy, this bush jacket from Joe Browns has retro military styling and is a great laid-back jacket that’ll stick by you through thick and thin. Loads of large pockets ideal for storing binoculars, a compact digital camera or safari guide book. The outer is made from 100% Cotton, the lining: 65% Polyester, 35% Cotton. Note the Shirt and T-shirt are solde separately. Buy on Amazon.co.uk Buy on Amazon.com
	Mens Workwear Safari Jacket Made from 100% cotton canvas, the Workwear Safari Jacket has 2 bellowed hand warmer pockets, front placket with stud fastening, 2 chest pockets with stud fastenings and Studded cuffs to sleeves. Buy on Amazon.co.uk Buy on Amazon.com
	Mens Jack Pyke Hunter Jacket Waterproof – Breathable – Noiseless. The ideal safari jacket. Outer shell: 100% Polyester brushed tricot with laminated membrane. Lining: 100% Polyester brushed mesh & taffeta. Details: Full length double opening zip, Concealed hood in pocket, 2 lower front bellow pockets with cartridge holders, 2 hand-warmer pockets 1 internal chest pocket, Fold-down waterproof seat flap, Elasticated weather shrouds on wrist, Available in olive green or english oak. Buy on Amazon.co.uk Buy on Amazon.com
	Safari Gilet / Safari Vest As an alternative to a long sleeve Jacket, ideal for wearing in warmer weather is a safari gillet or vest. Good ones like the Result Adventure Safari Gilet pictured on the left come with many pockets an are ideal for photographers or indeed anyone on safari as the pockets can be use to store your binoculars, guide books or anything else. Buy on Amazon.co.uk Buy on Amazon.com

Safari Wear
For more, take a look at this section of the safari guide on Safari Clothing and Advice, it includes Men’s and Women’s Safari Wear.

Safari Shirts For Men

What is interesting is men’s safari wear has become fashionable and it is now relatively easy to find the correct looking clothing, but also try and get shirts that are designed for comfort as well as durability so they survive the travelling and whilst your on safari in one of the world’s harshest environments.

A khaki colour is also ideal, helping you to blend in with the bush but any similar neutral colour like greens or browns will do.

No matter what time of year, I would suggest you pack short and long sleeve shirts. Long sleeves can be used for warmth if needed, but you can also wear them to protect from the sun and from biting insects, especially in the evenings. A shirt like the one pictured on the top right is perfect as you can roll up the long sleeves if it get a little hot. It also has plenty of pockets, perfect for storing your compact binoculars or camera.

A collar is also advisable as it will protect your neck from the harsh African sun. The material the shirt is made from is also important, I have found that cotton works best and is most comfortable. There are some made from new man made materials, which work well, just be aware that some make a lot of noise when you move about, this is usually fine on a safari drive, but if you plan on a walking safari, stealth is key!

Where to Buy

Not surprisingly, Amazon have a good selection of Safari clothing that includes some great shirts:

	Mens Kariban Trophy Safari Shirt Buttoned collar, finish patch on the shoulders. 2 flap pockets, 1 of which can be removed for easier personalisation. 100% Cotton Twill. 150 gsm. Buy on Amazon.co.uk Buy on Amazon.com
	Canyon Long Sleeve Shirt – Khaki The Canyon is a long sleeved mens shirt designed specifically for hiking and backpacking. The Canyon is wrinkle resistant and has a wicking finish that removes moisture from the skin which then quickly dries. The Canyon has a UPF sun protection factor of 30 helping to protect yourself against sun damage. Buy on Amazon.co.uk Buy on Amazon.com

For more, take a look at this page on Safari Clothing Advice, that includes Men’s and Women’s Safari Wear

So much of what happens in the bush occurs during the night and as such we only really see a small snippet of what goes on when you go out on safari during the day. This is especially true for many predators like lions, leopard, hyaenas and the smaller cats like serval, caracal and tha African Wild Cat.

We would time our afternoon safari drive at the safari lodges that I have worked at, so that we would stop at sunset at a nice scenic spot somewhere to enjoy drink (sundowner) and then drive the last half hour or so back to the lodge in time for dinner keeping an eye out with a spotlight for anything interesting on the way back. There are also many lodges that will take you out on night safaris (we would only do so if we knew that there was something interesting in the area)

Viewing animals at night with a spotlight does have its problems and in many cases can even be unethical.  Responsible guiding teaches us that should we spot any animal, especially nocturnal ones, not to shine the spotlight directly on them as this can temporarily blind them, which could lead to an injury. This is especially true for birds like owls, where if they were to fly off blind they could easily break a wing. A spotlight will also obviously change the behaviour of that animal which is not ideal, prey animals can be distracted giving the predators an unfair advantage or you could even point out the predator to it’s prey ruining it’s chances.

So is there an alternative?

Night Vision Devices: Binoculars, Monoculars, Goggles and Camcorders

The answer is a Night Vision Device, many camcorders come with some sort of night vision capability these days. Notice how the video of elephants at night (above) which were filmed with a camcorder using night vision, carry on with their normal behaviour. A spotlight on them would have disturbed them.

There are also now also many night vision binoculars, monoculars and goggles available on the market, and whilst you would probably not find decent quality cheap night vision, the prices are getting more and more reasonable.

Night vision has been around since the Vietnam War and since then the technology has improved, each new step is known as a Generation. We are now up to 4th Generation Night Vision, but the cost of these devices usually means that they are reserved for the military and other law enforcement forces. 1st Gen (Gen 1) devices are still the most popular on commercially available products and these days you can get some excellent results from them.

For more information:

Check out Night Vision Glasses, Binoculars, Goggles and Monoculars on the Best Binoculars Reviews website, including how they work, what to look out for when buying a device and where to get the best deals from.

I also have a page on Night Vision Binoculars on the main website.

As with pretty much every National Park in South Africa, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi has an excellent road network, making them ideal for self drive safaris and whilst I do believe that if you are a novice in the bush, you will get more out of it if you have a qualified guide with you, I can also understand that it is sometimes more enjoyable to do your own thing. So below are the self drive safari tips provided by the couple as well as a few that I have added myself.

Advice for Self Drive Safaris

In the video the tips they pass on are listed below:

1) Drive Slowly
I could not agree more, you really need to drive slowly, not only will your vehicle thank you if you are on dirt roads, but your chances of seeing game will dramatically improve.

2) Avoid the Mid Day Heat
Again this is excellent advice. If you ever stay at a safari lodge and go on game drive with a safari guide, the drives will almost certainly be either in the early morning or late afternoon as most Southern African animals are much more active at these times. So get to the wildlife reserve early go on a game drive till mid morning and then during the mid day, relax, have some lunch or laze around a swimming pool to keep cool and then go out again later in the afternoon to maximise your chances of viewing the wildlife.

A few More tips:

Stop on Bridges
I noticed in their video that they stopped on a bridge and looked up and Down the River, this is a great tip – most animals need to drink at some time or another and because of this sources of water always make great places to find many species of animals and birds. You never know what you might see. Even if the river is dry, many animals especially larger ones like Elephant will use dry riverbeds as highways, partly because they are easier to walk down than through the middle of the bush and because there is often an abundance of food sources growing on river banks – so it is kind of like an animals version of a street market.

Use a 4×4
This is not so much due to the roads, as mentioned earlier most National Parks in South Africa have an excellent road network, perfectly fine for a saloon car. It is more for the height advantage, the higher up you gan get the better, this is especially important during and after the rainy season when there will be plenty of tall grass about.

Use Hides
Many Reserves will have game viewing and bird watching hides located in the park. The are usually positioned in areas where wildlife is often seen (water holes are a favourite). So find out where they are on the reserve, try and get to one either early in the morning or later in the afternoon and hopefully you will get plenty of sightings.

HluHluwe Elephant: 1 German Car containing Swiss Tourists: 0

A Swiss couple had a holiday experience that they will never forget, when came a little too close to an elephant on their African safari in HluHluwe Game Reserve in South Africa.

For me it really illustrates the importance of going on a Safari Game Drive with a qualified safari guide (field guide). Sure there will always be accidents, even with a qualified safari guide because the African bush and it’s animals can be unpredictable at times.

A trained field guide will not only will they have been trained in animal behaviour and what to do in an emergency, but they will also be able to point out many interesting aspects of what you are looking at. Their local knowledge will also mean that you are bound to see more of the wildlife as well.

Self Drive Safaris
Most of the National Parks in South Africa, including the Kruger National Park, Addo Elephant National Park and the HluHluwe uMfolozi National Park allow you to go on a self drive safari, but usually only on certain roads. Most also offer Guided Game Drives as well as options to hire a guide who will travel with you in your own vehicle.

So please when you go on Safari to one of the many National Parks in South Africa make sure you organise a guided game drive as I am sure the Swiss couple of Rico Beltrame and his sister Angela would vouch for.

For those who are interested, Rico Beltrame and his sister Angela were both fine after the incident although the damage to the rented cost about R7000 to repair!