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Mosquitos, fleas and/or other bugs on Elegant Adventure?

Y0dal

Going on South Africa: An Elegant Adventure trip Sept 6. My allergies tend to magnify bug bite effects, but would prefer not to swelter in long sleeves/long pants, unless advisable or necessary . Are Deet sprays enough to do the job, or are long sleeves recommended? If so, do you need long sleeves/pants just in the evenings or all day? If there are mosquitos, during which part of the trip are they present? Also, are sandals usable during any part of the trip or are closed shoes best for the entire journey? Thank you in advance for sharing your experiences!

Comments

Calaf

I was on this trip September a year ago. No doubt different people will offer different responses, mine are: mosquito and bug presence was minimal during my visit, mostly in evenings. On early morning game drives it's cold. Short-sleeves won't be an issue (unless you're a polar bear), as the morning wore on, I often removed layers, depending on temperature. Evening game drives are the reverse - I often started in zip-off pants with the shorts off, then added them and additional layers if it became too cold for me. Not wanting to risk bug bites, I used Picardin spray (which I prefer to DEET) on all outings and of course, you should consider malaria medication. I never wear sandals, but believe they would be fine in the cities and inside the lodges during the safari portions of the trip, but personally, I would recommend closed shoes during all game drives.
This is an extraordinary trip!! Enjoy.

British

YOdal, you are going to SA in the depths of their winter, I’ve been at that time of year. I am not someone who generally gets cold, but it is very cold at the start of the morning game drives, hat gloves and blanket cold, especially as you are just sitting there in high open trucks. It does get warmer and then you peel off, but the sun is strong so we always stay covered up. That’s why we look so young! That also reduces the amount of Deet or equivalent we have to use. We always take Malaria meds when in Africa, you just never know when a mosquito may bite, and it can only take one. I don’t believe tsetse flies are around in SA. Our second time at Victoria Falls we had lots of mosquitoes in our hotel room. Cape Town has funky weather, we’ve had rain a couple of times there and cold out by the Cape. We always wear closed toe shoes on the Safari part of the tour.

Lotusgirl

We went on this trip in late August/early September. For the most part we wore pants and long sleeved shirts and closed toe shoes. We did bring shorts and a couple of t-shirts, and flip-flops, which we wore mid-day at the hotels in Kruger. We encountered mosquitoes at Victoria Falls. We did wear shorts during the day at the elephant sanctuary at Victoria Falls, as it was warm, but stuck with our walking shoes.

Y0dal

Thanks very much Calaf, British and Lotusgirl for your responses and advice. They are much appreciated and help us prepare for our trip.

MrCross

The time we encountered mosquitoes was in Victoria Falls similar to what Lotusgirl said. They will even give you spray in your hotel in Victoria Falls. I even took a picture and posted in my daily trip report blog for this tour back in August.

BKMD

This is from Alaska, but I coulnd't resist...

mdechter

what is the current state of mosquito infestation? going in January 2020