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The Fab Fam got back from our amazing safari in Kenya about a week ago. Much more on the safari, which was coordinated through Explorateur Journeys, in the coming weeks. Today I am sharing our family’s safari outfits, which were both fashionable and functional for the week-long expedition. I previewed 10 Safari Outfit Ideas for Women in this blog post before the trip, but today I am sharing our safari fashion in action for not just me, but also my husband and boys. Going on a family safari? This is your ultimate guide for safari outfit ideas, safari fashion for women, safari clothes for kids, and safari clothing for men.
What to wear on safari
When planning what to wear on safari, you should consider function. You should also consider where you are going, as Africa is a very large continent with different climate zones. It can be very hot in some parts of the African continent, while other parts have more of a tropical climate. Our safari was in Kenya, which is equatorial and tends to have a sunny but pleasant climate during the day. It may surprise you to hear that it can get cold at night and in the morning, and since many of the safari game-viewing drives are early in the morning, long-sleeves and layers are important components to your safari clothes. Closed-toed shoes and comfortable boots for safari are also important, along with hats (since some safari vehicles have open tops). Another benefit of long sleeves and boots for your safari wardrobe is that they will help shield your body from mosquitoes, which is important since many safaris take place in malarial areas. All this being said, function can certainly be fashionable! Here is a guide on what to wear on safari for women, men, and kids.
What to wear on safari – Safari clothes for women
I stuck to a rather traditional safari fashion color palette for my looks: white, cream, khaki, and olive green. I found that the many styles, colors, and fabric options of the convertible-sleeve Portofino shirt from Express seemed as if they were made for safari, so my safari wardrobe consisted of several of them. My look also consisted of several pairs of boots, all from JustFab, which you can see specific details on in my blog post Safari Fashion: Best Boots for a Safari Trip (in addition to being reasonably priced and cute, the boots proved to be comfortable and durable while on safari). If you’re not a member of JustFab yet, click here to join so you can get access to all JustFab products at the VIP prices!
Comfortable, layered outfit for the long travel day to Kenya, which included a long layover in Amsterdam (I am in front of the Van Gogh Museum here). Dark gray moto leggings, short tan boots, gray tank top, and beige cardigan.
I accessorized my women’s safari outfit with some jute bangle bracelets and a long necklace. Instructions for making the DIY jute bracelets are in this blog post here.
Olive green Portofino shirt, light-wash jean leggings, camel-colored boots, accessorized with gold mirror aviators and leather bracelets.
An army green bomber jacket is the top layer of this layered safari outfit for women that can be worn three ways.
With the jacket are dark distressed jean leggings, camel boots, a white tunic blouse, and beige scarf.
In the heat of the day, the jacket and scarf can be ditched, just leaving the light, convertible-sleeve tunic with the boots and jeans. Gold mirror aviators accessorize the look to coordinate with the metallic buttons on the shirt.
Distressed olive roll-sleeve top with light khaki leggings, dark brown equestrian-style boots, and layers of dark leather bracelets.
Messy hair, don’t care. It’s hard to keep hair tidy in an open-top safari van, but you hardly mind when surrounded by the enchantment of East Africa.
The Maasai Mara gets cool overnight and in the mornings, so a versatile khaki trench came in handy for a quick layer for my safari clothes.
White linen three-quarter sleeve blouse with light khaki leggings, camel boots, and a wooden necklace.
This safari outfit idea is capped with some large sunglasses.
I did a lot of bracelet layering with my various looks. This look, which included army green stitch-detail jean leggings, a white tank top, a tan gauzy scarf, and purple-toned aviator sunglasses, had a combination of jute bangles and vintage wooden bangles. You can see a more complete view of this look at the end of this post.
A loose, comfortable outfit for a long driving day on safari. White crochet sweater with white, wide-legged culottes, beige slouchy socks, and short boots accented by a gold necklace and easy top-knot.
Safari outfit ideas – Safari clothing for men
My husband’s safari wardrobe was inspired by some of the looks in my Fashion – Travel board on Pinterest. I am lucky to have such a ruggedly handsome man, who also appreciates a well-pulled-together outfit! Like mine, his safari outfits included a few pairs of boots, several different colors and fits of khaki and olive pants, and some layering to account for the cool mornings and hot days on the East African savanna. He also wore a few colors of linen, roll-sleeve button-up shirts, but not all are pictured. Henleys (single and layered) also played into his men’s safari clothing, but are not pictured much (he’s not nearly as keen to be on camera as I am, haha!).
Short-sleeve olive green button-down shirt with gray t-shirt, khakis, and dark lace-up boots. Accessorized with leather bracelets and aviator sunglasses.
My three handsome, curly-haired boys.
My two oldest boys pausing together in the Maasai Mara.
Khaki button-pocket shirt, with sleeves rolled paired with dark jeans and khaki-colored suede Chukka boots men’s safari outfit.
A slim-fitting but practical army green jacket layered well over many of the outfits on the cool mornings on safari.
Safari Fashion – Safari clothes for kids
I probably had the most fun styling and photographing the boys’ safari wardrobe. In addition to the beiges, khakis, and browns of traditional safari style, I incorporated more color into the kids’ safari outfits. With G, I experimented with some color blocking and combining shades of gray. With S, I added a lot more blues to compliment his brown eyes. The important element for the safari clothes for the kids was comfort, not only for the long travel days, but also for the long game-viewing drives. Practicality was key for the boys’ safari outfits, as 4 and 6-year-olds do not have the patience to sacrifice any comfort for style.
In Nairobi for visits to the elephant orphanage and giraffe sanctuary, a white fishing shirt with khaki cargos and beige Sperry shoes.
For a long day of driving, a Burberry check pocket t-shirt, skinny khaki pants, and Sperry shoes were perfect safari clothes for kids.
Colorblock shirt and roll-up shorts. These Converse Chuck Taylor All Star shoes coordinated nicely with the cream arms of the shirt for this kid’s safari outfit.
A gray jacket became the key layering piece for cold mornings on safari. Here it is with a navy polo, cargo pants, and Sperrys.
The olive green shirt kid’s safari clothes was paired with gray cargo pants and dark, lace-up boots.
I love these safari dudes!
More color experimentation for G’s safari outfit: long-sleeved turquoise shirt under an orange polo, with cuffed olive green cargo pants. Dark lace-up boots, Wayfarer sunglasses, and a carved wooden necklace made by the Samburu complete the look.
My youngest in a layered double-Henley look (navy blue Henley under a tan Henley) with khaki cargo pants, khaki Tom’s shoes, and toddler boy aviator sunglasses.
Layered kid’s safari outfit with a blue plaid button-down shirt with a gray cable-knit cardigan sweater, brown cargo pants, and dark brown boots.
Distressed blue button-down chambray shirt with dark blue cargo pants, and blue two-tone, Sperry-style shoes.
A light sweater in gray and yellow with dark brown kid’s cargo pants and dark brown boots.
White short-sleeved fishing shirt with khaki cargo shorts and khaki Tom’s shoes was one of my favorite safari kid’s outfit.
Finally, comfortable kid’s outfits for a long travel day at the end of our safari. Blue cuffed sweatpants with a blue, long-sleeved elephant shirt for S, and green cuffed sweatpants with a green-detail “Adventure is Out There” long-sleeved shirt for my green-eyed G. The boys are pictured here with a view of the Great Rift Valley in the background.
We were able to keep our daily dressing pretty effortless by organizing our safari outfits in advance of the trip. We packed with the planned outfits bundled together, along with a post-it note detailing the shoes and accessories we’d wear with the outfit. This was especially helpful for days that we had early game-viewing drives, or when we’d have to pack and depart quickly for the next destination. We’d just pull out a bundle (along with socks, underwear, shoes, and accessories) and were good to go.
I hope this post inspires you to see that your family can be both stylish and practical while on safari if that’s what you desire. Pin these safari outfit ideas for women, men, and kids for your family travel fashion inspiration!
The Fab Fam together at Lake Nakuru in the middle of our week-long safari.
More safari fashion inspiration for what to wear on a safari trip:
- 10 Safari Outfit Ideas for Women
- Safari Fashion: DIY Layered Jute Bangle Bracelets
- Safari Fashion: Best Boots for a Safari Trip
cozy detaiz says
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Tolbert says
AMAZING
Ramona Cruz-Peters says
Thank you!
double rider says
You got to wear light clothes on a safari not to attract animals but to stay cool in the heat!