I'm in the early stages of planning a canoe/trekking trip around the Casamance river. I've never done serious stuff in the tropics before; just day hikes in Hawaii. So I'm looking for practical tips from people who are used to the tropics -- any unexpected difficulties you may have run into?
I don't really know what questions to ask, but here are a few:
-What kind of pants would you recommend? I don't know what kind of performance to expect of my trousers.
-Footwear? I feel like I should wear something quick-dry that I can swim in in case my canoe capsizes
-What are some hacks for preventing mosquito bites? I'll be sleeping in a military-issue permethrin tent and lighting fires every evening. I don't want to use DDT, but am I a fool for betting my health on a bottle of eucalyptus oil?
-What about water-borne parasites? I read the wikipedia article for schistosomiasis a long time ago, and now I'm afraid to refresh my memory.
-How do I keep diarrhea from ruining all my plans?
I certainly won't be deep in the wilderness, but the environment still poses a lot of challenges.