Beating Jet Lag on an East African Safari: A Caucasus Traveller’s Guide

By Safari News — Africa Calling Safaris, Partner desk, Nairobi · 15/11/2026

Nairobi keeps East Africa Time year-round, with no clock changes for daylight saving. For visitors flying from London, that means adjusting to a three-hour shift; from New York it is eight hours, and from Los Angeles eleven. Travellers based in the Caucasus have it easier still: Georgia sits only one hour ahead of Nairobi, making a Tbilisi–safari combination one of the gentler jet-lag routes available to long-haul flyers.

Left alone, the body clock shifts roughly one hour per day, so a traveller from Los Angeles could in theory need nearly two weeks to settle. Deliberate timing speeds this up considerably. Specialists recommend staying awake until 21:00–22:00 local time on arrival day, seeking morning sunlight to reset the internal clock, and avoiding naps longer than twenty minutes during the first 48 hours. Early 06:00 game drives actually suit jet-lagged arrivals, since their bodies are still primed for an earlier wake time back home.

Low-dose melatonin, between 0.5 and 1mg taken at local bedtime for the first three or four nights, is considered effective for eastbound travellers; higher 5mg doses sold commercially offer no extra benefit and can leave guests groggy. Nikos Pocock, managing director of a leading Nairobi safari operator, advises guests simply to stay awake, get outdoors and eat on local schedule from day one. Melatonin is not sold in Kenyan pharmacies, so travellers should pack their own supply.

Children adapt more slowly than adults and may need firm meal and sleep routines plus blackout blinds for the first two nights, though most settle by day three. A minimum seven-night safari is recommended to allow full acclimatisation before the return flight.

Based on reporting by Safari News, the travel desk of Africa Calling Safaris (Nairobi), GTour’s partner for East Africa. Read the original there.