Wear neutral colours, closed-toe shoes, and dress in layers you can peel off as the morning warms up. Khaki, olive, beige, and soft brown work best. Skip bright white, black, and anything with a strong scent.
That is the short version, and for a two to three hour drive it covers most of what you need. The part people get wrong is the temperature. An open safari vehicle moving at speed on a Highveld winter morning is colder than the weather app suggests, because the wind chill in an uncovered vehicle strips warmth far faster than standing still on your patio ever will.
What to Wear on a Game Drive, Broken Down by Season
Dinokeng Game Reserve sits on the Gauteng Highveld about 30 minutes from Pretoria, and the seasonal swing here is sharp. The same reserve that has you in a fleece and beanie at 05h30 in July will have you sweating through a cotton shirt by 16h00 in January. Packing by season beats packing by generic safari checklist.
Winter game drives, May to August
Highveld winter mornings are genuinely cold, and the 05h30 departure catches the coldest part of the day. Bring a proper jacket, not a light windbreaker. A beanie and gloves are not overkill, and most guests who skip them regret it about twenty minutes in.
By the time you return, the sun is up and you will want to be down to a shirt. Tshikwalo also runs an 11h00 drive in winter specifically because the midday slot is the most comfortable one of the season. For guests who feel the cold, that drive is worth asking about.
Summer game drives, October to March
Summer brings heat and afternoon thunderstorms. Lightweight cotton or linen in long sleeves protects you from sun and insects without cooking you, which is the trade-off most people get backwards when they reach for a vest.
The 15h30 afternoon drive runs straight into the part of the day when Highveld storms build. A packable rain jacket takes up almost no space and saves the drive when the sky opens. Mornings in summer are mild rather than cold, so a single light layer usually does.
Neutral Colours and the Ones to Leave at Home
Khaki, olive green, beige, tan, and soft grey are the standard for a reason. They break up your outline against the bush and reduce how much you stand out to animals that are watching the vehicle closely.
What colours should you avoid on a game drive? Bright white reflects light and turns you into a moving beacon. Black and dark blue attract tsetse flies in some regions, though Dinokeng is a malaria-free zone and the concern is more about heat absorption here. Bold reds, neons, and large prints all work against you.
Camouflage print is worth a specific mention. In South Africa, civilian camouflage clothing carries military and anti-poaching associations, and most reserves prefer guests avoid it. Plain neutrals achieve the same result without the awkwardness.
Footwear That Works in an Open Vehicle
Closed-toe shoes, every time. Trainers, veldskoene, or light hiking shoes all do the job for a standard drive.
Do you need boots for a game drive? For a vehicle-based drive, no. You are seated for most of the two to three hours, and the only walking is at the snack stop. Comfortable closed shoes beat stiff new boots you have not broken in.
Guided bush walks are the exception. Tshikwalo offers walks alongside its drives, and if you have booked one, supportive shoes with proper grip earn their place. The ground in Dinokeng is uneven, thorny in places, and unkind to sandals.
Can you wear shorts on a game drive? In summer, yes, particularly on the afternoon drive. Long trousers give you more protection from sun, insects, and the scratchy vegetation that brushes the sides of an open vehicle on narrower tracks. In winter, shorts on a 05h30 drive are a decision you will spend two hours regretting.
Layering for Tshikwalo’s Drive Times
Tshikwalo’s drives depart at 05h30 and 15h30 daily, with an 11h00 option in winter. Each slot has a different temperature curve, and layering is what lets one outfit handle the whole thing.
For the 05h30 drive, start with a base layer, add a fleece or jumper, and finish with a windproof outer. Peel off the outer once the sun is properly up. The vehicle stops partway through for coffee and a breakfast snack, which is the natural moment to shed a layer.
The 15h30 drive works in reverse. You leave in the heat and return after the sun has dropped, so bring the jacket you do not need at departure. Afternoon drives include a savoury snack and a drink at the stop, usually timed to catch the light going gold over the Dinokeng plains.
Should you wear perfume on a game drive? Leave it off. Strong scents carry in still bush air and can make animals wary of the vehicle. The same applies to heavily scented sunscreen, so an unscented option is the better choice.
What to Bring Besides Clothing
Your clothing sorts out comfort. This list sorts out everything else, and it is short by design because a two to three hour drive does not need a full expedition kit.
- Sunscreen, unscented, applied before departure rather than in the vehicle
- Sunglasses, for glare and for the dust thrown up on gravel tracks
- A hat with a brim, one that will survive a moving vehicle or has a chin strap
- Binoculars, if you have them, since sightings are often further off than expected
- A camera with a charged battery, phone cameras struggle at distance in low light
- Water, even though drinks are served at the stop
- A small soft bag, since hard cases slide around on the vehicle floor
Two things to leave behind: drones, which are prohibited across Dinokeng, and loose scarves or hats that will end up in the road at speed.
Common Mistakes on Dinokeng Drives
The most common one is underdressing for the morning drive. Guests check the daytime forecast, see a comfortable number, and arrive at 05h30 in a t-shirt. The forecast high has nothing to do with how it feels in an open vehicle before sunrise.
The second is arriving from Pretoria without packing for the return. Day visitors driving out for a morning drive often bring exactly one outfit, then find themselves too warm for the drive back or too cold on an afternoon slot that ends after dark. Tshikwalo’s day visitor packages combine a drive with a meal at the restaurant deck overlooking the waterhole, which means a longer day on the reserve than the drive alone.
The third is footwear chosen for photographs rather than the ground. Dinokeng is thornveld. Open shoes and dust do not mix well, and the snack stop involves standing on uneven ground.
Dressing Kids for a Family Game Drive
Children run colder than adults on early drives and warmer by mid-morning, so layers matter more for them, not less. A fleece over a long-sleeved shirt handles the swing without a full change of clothes.
Closed shoes are non-negotiable for kids, mostly because they will want to get out at the snack stop and explore the immediate area. Sun hats with chin straps stay on. Ones without do not survive the first stretch of open road.
Tshikwalo’s drives run in the northern section of Dinokeng, where most of the Big Five roam freely, and the guides are used to working with families. Children of all ages are welcome on the reserve. A two to three hour drive tends to be the right length for younger children, long enough for real sightings and short enough to hold attention.
Book Your Drive
Pack neutral, pack layers, and pack closed shoes. Everything else is detail.
Tshikwalo Game Lodge sits inside the Dinokeng Game Reserve, roughly 30 minutes from Pretoria and under an hour from Johannesburg, in a malaria-free zone. Drives depart at 05h30 and 15h30 daily, with an 11h00 slot in winter, and self-driving is not permitted in the reserve. Drives fill up, so book ahead of your visit.