PACKING LIST

 CLOTHES:
Pack about a week’s worth of clothes. Laundry machines are available at the M House. 

• Enough t-shirts/comfortable tops for a week. (for women, modest tank tops are okay. Avoid spaghetti straps.)
• Jeans or comfortable trousers (Pack at least one pair of loose pants. Tight pants are inappropriate for visits to Eastleigh or Mathare Valley.)
• Skirts to the knee or below
• Shorts of any length aren’t appropriate for women. For sports or running, yoga pants or sweats are fine.
• Underwear for a week
• Socks for a week
• Shoes: 1 pair of sandals, 1 pair of closed-toed shoes (hiking boots are not necessary unless you are planning on climbing Kilimajaro)
• A jacket or warm sweater. It can get chilly in the evenings.
• A rain jacket with a hood for during the rainy season
• One church outfit (skirt or dress for girls)

TOILETRIES:

• Toothbrush/toothpaste
• Deodorant
• Shampoo/conditioner
• Shower soap
• Razor
• One towel and washcloth
• Any over the counter meds you like to have on hand: Pepto bismol, Cipro, Dramamine, diarrhea meds, allergy meds, melatonin or other sleep aid, Vitamin C, etc.
• Malaria meds (if you choose to take these)
• Feminine hygiene products
• Bug spray
• Hand sanitizer
• Sun screen (very expensive in Kenya and most malaria meds will increase your sun sensitivity)

ADDITIONAL:

• Flashlight and spare batteries (expect the power to go out at least once during your stay)
• Sunglasses
• Hat (if you’re a hat person)
• Spending money
• Water bottle – the tap water in Kamulu has been tested by American standards and is safe to drink. Please purchase bottled water everywhere outside of Kamulu.
• Drink mix powder
• Camera + battery charger + spare memory cards
• Reading materials, eReader or Kindle for travel days
• Headphones
• Plug adapter and/or power converter (Kenya is on a British plug pattern and 240 voltage). Read the fine print on your battery charger to see if you need a converter.
• Snacks (protein bars, crackers, dried fruit, chocolate might melt)
• Small travel bag, purse or day pack, preferably with a zipper compartment to deter pickpockets
• Bag for collecting dirty laundry 
• Journal, pen and Bible
• If you are visiting during the rainy season, you will want to consider bringing an umbrella and rain boots. Kamulu’s roads become very muddy when it rains.

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YOU DO NOT NEED TO BRING:

• Bedding/sleeping bag
• Water purifier/filter/or tablets
• Hiking boots
• Weapons, drugs, cigarettes, alcohol, etc.

THINGS FROM THE ABOVE LIST THAT ARE AVAILABLE IN KENYA:

• Flashlights, spare batteries
• Most toiletries (shampoo, conditioner, soap, lotion, toothbrush, toothpaste)
• Sunscreen, but it’s expensive
• For women, feminine hygiene products are limited and very expensive
• Rain boots
• Snacks
• Towels and washcloths

EXTRA ITEMS IF YOU GO ON SAFARI:

• Swim suit (any type is fine. Your safari lodge is frequented by Westerners)
• Dramamine (the 6-hour ride is largely on bumpy/windy roads)
• Malaria meds

IMMUNIZATIONS AND MEDICATION:

1. Required:
   1. COVID-19
      1. We require all visitors to MITS to be fully vaccinated of an approved COVID-19 vaccine.
   2. Suggested: 
      1. Check Center for Disease Control website (www.cdc.gov) for most up to date suggested vaccinations.
      2. Yellow Fever
         1. If you are traveling directly between the US and Kenya (airport layovers are okay), you will NOT need to provide proof of a yellow fever vaccination.
         2. If you plan to exit Kenya and enter Uganda or any other yellow fever risk country, and then re-enter Kenya, you WILL need to provide proof of a yellow fever vaccination upon re-entry to Kenya. This is strictly enforced.
      3. There are 3 common malaria medications, all of which require a prescription.
         1. Doxycycline (cheapest)
         2. Malarone
         3. Mephloquine
      4. For the sake of example, a typical visitor to MITS gets vaccinated for COVID-19, typhoid, yellow fever, Hepatitis A and B, polio, tetanus and meningitis. He or she will also take malaria meds during their stay. Typhoid medication is also available in a pill form.