Settling in for Your First Night in Mombasa: How to Overcome the Jet Lag and Wake Up Refreshed

If you’re traveling to Mombasa, Kenya from a long distance away, such as from North or South America, you may experience some jet lag. Jet lag is a phenomena that occurs when people travel several time zones away from their home.

If you’re traveling across at least seven time zones to get to Mombasa, you will likely experience at least some level of jet lag. That means while it may be 4 o’clock in the afternoon when you arrive in Mombasa, your body will be thinking it is 9 o’clock in the morning, your time.

If you aren’t able to sleep on the plane, jet lag is really going to make it difficult for you to adjust for that first day. Here’s what you should consider doing when getting ready for your trip to Mombasa.

Change your sleep pattern.

At least two days before you’re set to leave for your trip to Mombasa, change your sleep pattern. Begin shifting it by a couple of hours each night and you will get closer to the nighttime hours in Mombasa.

When you arrive, stay up.

No matter how tired you may be when you get to Mombasa, it’s a good idea to stay awake. That would mean heading out to Old Town, Fort Jesus, or one of the wildlife sanctuaries that will keep you mentally stimulated, making it easier for you to stay awake.

Get to bed at your normal sleep time.

This doesn’t mean your normal time back in your home town, but if you generally go to bed around 10 o’clock in the evening at home, when it’s 10 o’clock Mombasa time, go to sleep. Even if you’re not tired because your body thinks it’s still 3 o’clock in the afternoon, close the curtains, make everything dark, turn off the TV, and lay in bed. Eventually you will get tired and fall asleep.

Make sure you set the alarm to wake up at your usual time in the morning as well.