Sunscreen and bug spray
I’m going on the Kenya and Tanzania Safari tour in July and was wondering how many bottles of bug spray and sunscreen lotion should be bought on this tour. I’m pretty fair and from NJ and we haven’t seen much sun lately. TIA
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We have done K&T three previous times and our use of sun screen and bug repellant was ‘moderate’. We encountered few bugs other than the flies in the Serengeti, and you are in a safari vehicle most of the time with limited exposure to the sun … which is intense, but a little sunscreen on the exposed parts should be plenty.
Curlycat91 Hi.
Bottles? you don't need bottles- only 1 insect repellant and a small sun protector if you do sunburn easily-
I did this tour and didn't use the repellant at all and same with the sun protector, take a safari hat instead.
I took the Sawyer Jungle Juice see the picture it is excellent; and it doesn't smell, you can buy at REI or in Amazon.
Eddie Bauer outlets have great Safari pants at great $$ the are super light and waterproof.
https://www.eddiebauer.com/p/38989672/women's-cloud-cap-stretch-rain-pants?sp=1&color=Black
https://www.rei.com/product/225953/sawyer-jungle-juice-100-pump-spray-insect-repellent-2-fl-oz?sku=2259530001&store=141&cm_mmc=PLA_Bing|21700000001700551_2259530001|92700061984795680|BA|71700000081208627&gclid=2d8fc501cd6512e5aebaa330658af999&gclsrc=3p.ds&msclkid=2d8fc501cd6512e5aebaa330658af999
My advice make your life easier and don't take too much stuff- to wear... take light clothes a good set of warmers to sleep @ nighttime you do feel a chilly sensation all over your body in bed- specially at the Masai Mara Camp.
I took 3 shorts, 1 PJ, the warmers, 3 long safari pants (super light - green, beige & brown, they are wrinkle free & water proof) 1 swimsuit never used, 10 t-shirts ( I don't do laundry on my trips and will not re-used one that I had already wear..., 1 dress and a set of a nice slacks with a nice blouse. 1 set of sandals, my sneakers and my flip flop for the showers and 1 nice pair of shoes for the welcome & farewell dinner. A nice fleece sweater for the early morning drives and the hot air balloon, a scarf and a down jacket.
My biggest issue it's my photography gear.
I suggest considering packing a hat. I have 2 which cover provide great protection from the sun. One from Eddie Bauer and the other from Columbia which can be folded. I spent many summers at Cape Cod driving my Whaler from the dock to the beach and always wore hats.
Buy a hat with a chin strap.
I wore light weight pants and a t shirt with a long sleeve sun shirt and a wide brimmed hat with a chin strap. This eliminates the need for a lot of sunscreen. If it was hot I would roll up the sleeves of my sunshirt and apply sunscreen. We went the end of August and it was dry - so not a lot of mosquitoes.
Hi Curly! I am fair and live in NJ too. Finally, after all that rain, we have sunshine this week 😎 I concur with everyone who says wear a hat with a chin strap/tie. I have had my Tilley hat for 10 years, and it has been to Africa four times. I also use it as a beach hat every summer. Indestructible and worth every penny. One other member of the forum gave me this idea: spray your safari clothes with permethrin ( available on Amazon ). Hang them in the garage or outside to dry. Next, wash them in cool water. When packing, keep the permethrin treated clothes separate from the non treated clothing. There are also sheets with DEET if you don’t mind chemicals on your skin. Have a great time on your tour!
Get a couple of shirts that have sun protection and a nice hat. One bottle will suffice. Bring your bug spray but many of the safari lodges also provide bug protection.
Lands’ End has women’s rash guards with an UPF 50. Also, the 2 hats I wear have a chin strap/tie.
In Kenya and Tanzania the safari vehicles often have a roof overhead that can be popped up to let in air and to stand to see animals better. But oh my, the flies! REI sells some nice lightweight SPF balaclavas to put on your face and neck-to avoid sun and some of the flies but even a fly swatter doesn't help a lot. Might help to pack a lightweight hand held paper of plastic fan. The electric ones were useless to keep the flies away.
My wife brings a paper hand held fan on all our trips. It is not only good to shoo flies but come in handy in a stuffy museum or bus. She could sell a bunch of them to many in the group! Memo to Arthur — skip the packing cubes and supply Tauck branded fans!
The Jungle Juice mentioned above is 98% Deet which if far too strong for this trip if you don’t mind me saying. The K and T tour does not have jungle but Savannah, open grassland, thorny acacia trees which the giraffe love and scrub bushes. Deet at a concentration of at least 25% strength to say 30% will deter the mosquitoes. Deet is really toxic, never apply near mouth, nose or eyes and only on skin that is not going to be covered by clothing. Always wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after applying and you really should shower before going to bed to wash any remainder off. Never ever spray in a confined space near other people like in the safari vehicle. Lately, we have been using the sachets of deet found easily on Amazon for about $7 a box. There are two strengths. Oh, and apply sunscreen before deet.
Is it bad to wear DEET everyday?
Sunscreen needs to be reapplied often, while DEET should not be used more than once a day. DEET concentrations higher than 30% are not more effective and the chemical (which is absorbed through the skin) in high amounts can be toxic.
uhmmmm! I'm seeing a pattern...
If you have pets and spray your clothing outside before leaving home, make sure the grass or areas hit by over spray are completely dry before letting pets out. Wet DEET is toxic to dogs and other animals.