Successful South Africa clothing choices can only be made once you know a little bit more about the climate of the country, then it becomes a whole lot easier...
Climate
The majority of the safari areas in South Africa enjoy a lot of sunshine during both summer and winter.
In the Kruger National Park summer temperatures (November - February) often reach 35°C (95F) during the heat of the day and in winter (May - August) daytime temperatures go up to 26°C (78.8F).
Nightime summer temperatures rarely dip below 16°C (60.8F) but in winter cold snaps can reach below 0°C (32F).
Rainfall is normally during the summer and is often in the form of thundershowers which are fast and furious affairs, drenching the ground with a torrent of water but dissapearing soon after to leave sunshine weather in its place again.
South Africa Clothing Guidelines
With these weather conditions in mind, your South african clothing requirements are also greatly influenced by the activities you are going to be taking part in.
If you are going on a safari trip you will need to specialise a little and it's pretty easy to pack the wrong thing.
Avoid this by using the list about common safari wear mistakes that I've set up from my own personal experience and the tips and recommendations stored in the travel reviews at the African Safari Journals website.
If you are heading down to the Cape area for more of a beach vacation then your requirements will change a little.
Obviously you need to take your swimming costume with you but the Cape has notoriously changeable weather conditions so unless it is in the dead of summer take a jersey and long trousers with and a raincoat and/or umbrella.
In winter, It's important to layer because none of the houses have central heating as the winters are too short for it to make economic sense to install. Temperatures can drop to below freezing at night so be prepared.
Comprehensive South Africa Clothing What To Pack Checklist
I've set up an item-by-item checklist of the most important things you need to pack for your trip such as clothes, documents, toiletries & first aid and a whole bundle more.
It forms part of the Top Safari Guide eBook app I created to provide Africa travellers with all they need to know and do before and during their safari trip. Included is a notebook function allowing you to record your experience as part of a journal diary...