Women's Safari Shirts Guide
There are many shirts in safari colors available these days. However, not all shirts are made equal when it comes to your African safari adventure. Choosing the right combination of styles and designs with the right fabric technologies ensures you look great - and enjoy the best comfort and protection on sometimes hot and dusty days on safari. If you're looking for the best shirt for your safari, get top tips from our safari experts on the best features. We also answer frequently asked questions about women's safari shirts. Read the guide and shop the selection.
Safari Shirts For Women: Top Features
- Women's Long-Sleeved Safari Shirts: Long sleeves are an essential shirt style when packing for a safari. This gives you the option of covering up when the midday sun reaches its peak. By choosing a women's safari shirt in the right (light) fabric, you'll be able to do this without overheating - and enjoy the benefits of built-in insect defense and UPF50+ sun protection.
- UPF50+ Sun Protection: As above, choose a fabric with built-in UPF50+ sun protection - the highest sun protection rating for clothing. Many safari activities are out in the sun, which makes sun protective clothing an essential part of your safari wardrobe. Our BUGTech+ collection has tested UPF50+ sun protective features according to two testing standards. The sun protective features are achieved by both the weave and construction of the fabric, as well as a UPF50+ finish applied to the fabric.
- Insect Repellent Women's Safari Shirts: Buzzing, biting, irritating bugs are always a worry when you're out exploring wild African destinations. Insect repellent shirts are an important part of your insect protection strategy - allowing you to cover up. We always recommend applying and reapplying bug spray for full spectrum defense. Our BUGTech+ collection is powered by a proprietary EPA-registered Insect Shield® finish - an odorless and proven insect repellent treatment for clothing.
- Choose Safari-Suitable Colors: Color matters on safari. Shades of beige, brown, khaki, and olive green are the best options to blend into the environment for the best game-viewing. Dark colors (especially blue and black) attract tsetse flies and other insects.
- Collared Safari Shirts: Make sure a collared safari shirt makes it into your suitcase. A collar is extremely useful to block the sun and protect your neck from the sun and biting insects.
- Roll-Up Sleeve Tabs: Roll-up sleeve tabs are a useful feature for versatility on safari. We've already mentioned that long-sleeved safari shirts are the number one essential when planning your safari outfit, but roll-up sleeve tabs mean you can roll up and secure your sleeves.
- Moisture Wicking: Safari shirts in modern fabrics have a range of benefits over materials like cotton. Topmost among them is moisture wicking. This is especially important on safari because this action of drawing sweat away from the skin and drying quickly assists with temperature regulation and cooling. Our BUGTech+ Collection provides insect defense without compromising moisture wicking properties.
- Mix and Match: Long-sleeved women's safari shirts in technical fabrics are a top safari packing essential. That said, we always recommend mixing and matching technical safari shirts with T-shirts in safari-friendly colors so you can play with some options once you arrive.
- Vents for Cooling: Vents sewn into the seams of the shirt improve ventilation and cooling. Our vented shirts have included this feature as subtly as possible so it doesn't impact the styling of the shirts.
- Functionality and Style: Practicality shouldn't come at the cost of style. Our women's safari shirts have been designed with a feminine cut and styling so you can feel and look great while you enjoy your safari adventures.
- Safari-Tested: Our safari clothing has been designed to be the best in the business for Africa, adventure travel, and the outdoors. To test their performance, every garment from Safari Store USA has been wearer-tested on safari in Africa.
Women's Safari Shirts FAQs
What color shirt to wear on safari?
Choose women’s safari shirts in shades of beige, khaki, and olive green. Not only are these colors more practical for the dusty conditions on safari; they also stand out less in the bush, which makes for better quality game-viewing. In areas where there are tsetse flies, avoid wearing dark-colored clothing.
What colors not to wear on safari?
Avoid shirts in bright colors, dark colors, black, and white on safari - unless you are around the lodge. These colors all stand out in the bush and may affect your game-viewing. It's best to avoid dark colors as especially dark blue and black attract tsetse flies and other insects. White stands out the most of all colors on safari so is not a great color to wear when game viewing.
What features to look for in safari shirts for women?
Look for shirts in technical fabrics that are a match for the outdoor conditions on safari. The best shirts for safari are made from technical fabrics that work to keep you cool, comfortable, and protected - like the BUGTech+ collection, which provides sun and insect protection, wicks moisture, dries quickly, and releases wrinkles fast for travel. Opt for long-sleeved women’s safari shirts with roll-up sleeve tabs so you can cover up if you need to.
Why are long sleeves better than short sleeves on safari?
The most important reason is to cover up from the sun and for insect protection. By choosing women’s safari shirts in lightweight technical fabrics, you can cover up without overheating even on hot days in Africa.
What shirts to wear on safari?
The best safari shirts for women are long-sleeved safari shirts in technical fabrics. These shirts provide comfort, protection, and style for the best enjoyment of your safari. After all, there aren’t bad conditions; only the wrong clothing.
What is the best material to wear on a safari?
Technical fabrics like BUGTech+ are the best material for safari shirts for women. With high-performance features like a UPF50+ and insect repellent finish, technical fabric simply outperforms material like cotton and linen. It also provides moisture wicking features, which plays a role in cooling.