Passports are required by all foreign visitors and must be valid for at least 6 months after the intended length of your trip. It is essential to have at least two blank, consecutive pages for each country you will be visiting. This excludes Amendment and Endorsement pages.This is serious , if you do not have the required blank pages, you could be denied boarding of your flight before you even start your trip!

Visas may be required for KENYA depending on the nationality of your passport. It is your responsibility to check the entry visa requirements with the individual embassy of each country you intend visiting prior to departure. Some visas are available upon arrival; however we do recommend where and if possible to obtain them prior to departure as there can be longs queues to get visas on arrival.

MULTIPLE ENTRY VISAS to KENYA are not available upon arrival and must therefore be obtained through a Kenyan Embassy or visa service before you leave on your trip. If you are a parent / guardian traveling with a minor (aged 18 or younger), you must be in possession of a certified letter of consent from the non- accompanying parent or guardian

Please check the dates that the officials stamped your passports to make sure the allotted time for your stay is correct before you walk away from the counter.
We also suggest that before you depart on any international trip that you take a photo of the information page of your passport as well as any visas on your cell phone and share with a family member or friend via text or email in case you lose your passport!

Yellow fever:
Kenya falls into a yellow fever region of Africa. It is imperative that you obtain a yellow fever vaccination at least 10 days prior to arrival in a yellow fever region. Failure to produce an official yellow fever vaccination certificate upon arrival in Kenya may result in you being denied entry. Additionally, other countries may deny entry or re-entry without proof of yellow fever vaccination after a visit to a yellow fever region. For more on yellow fever go to cdc.gov

Malaria:
We highly recommend that you take precautions against malaria. Your physician will be able to assist you with a prescription for prophylaxis for malaria prior to your arrival in the malaria infested area. Tips to avoiding malaria: take a prescription antimalarial drug. Use insect repellent liberally and wearing long pants and sleeves to prevent mosquito bites. Sleep in air-conditioned or well-screened rooms or use bed nets. To maximize the benefit of vaccinations/immunizations we suggest you see a health-care provider at least 4–6 weeks before your trip to allow time for your vaccines to take effect.

Please consult with your physician for recommendations regarding all inoculations/immunizations. For further information please click on the following links cdc.gov and/or who.int/en/

Departure tax is included with the other airport taxes in the price of the ticket, there is no mechanism for collecting taxes in the Departure Area at JKIA.

Kenya enjoys a tropical climate. It is hot and humid at the coast; temperate inland and very dry in the north and northeast parts of the country. The average annual temperature for the coastal town of Mombasa is 25°C minimum and 35°C maximum.

The capital city, Nairobi is 15°C minimum and 30°C maximum. There is plenty of sunshine all the year round and summer clothes are worn throughout the year. However, it is usually cool at night and early in the morning. The long rains occur from April to June and short rains from October to December.

Coolest months? June through September. Warmest months? December through March.

Currency: Kenyan shilling – KES OR KSH
$ 1.00 USD = 102.67 KES (as of Nov 1st 2018) For up to date rates of exchange check live online exchange rates

Credit cards: Visa and MasterCard are widely accepted.
American express, Discover, JCB and Diners Club – not so much!

Kenya has 42 tribes and each has their own unique language however, the official national languages are Kiswahili and English which are widely spoken.

230/240 volts (USA & Canada use 110/120) if you are taking electric hair styling tools in any shape or form flatirons, curling irons, hair dryers etc. or any other electrical appliances, you should make sure they are dual voltage and remember to change the voltage if necessary when you get to Kenya or you can undoubtedly kiss them goodbye!

Due to their remote locations, many camps/game lodges in Kenya generate their own electricity by means of generators. Generators run for about 6-7 hours per day providing power in the rooms for lighting and possibly ceiling fans. Not all camps provide plug points in the rooms so if you have equipment that requires charging such as camera batteries the hotels/lodges will often have charging facilities in the main areas.

Ladies, you may as well face it, you will be having some bad hair days as at most hotels/lodges do not allow hair dryers, flat irons or the likes!!! Just go with the flow and enjoy.

Local time in Kenya is GMT+3 which means it is always 6 or 7 hours ahead of USA in the eastern United States depending on the time of year and daylight savings, it is 9.40pm in Nairobi then it is 3.40pm the same day in New York! Hope this helps. Probably won’t – you will be more confused than ever and will more than likely call home and get it all mixed up!
To confirm, just check this site… worldclock.com

Although tap water may be fine in most areas for bathing and brushing teeth, we recommend that you drink bottled water at all times.

Rule of thumb – if you want to see it again do not pack it in your checked bags! Medications, eye glasses, sunglasses, wallets, passports, computers, iPad, cell phones, cameras, binoculars, jewelry etc should be carried with you at all times. And why are you taking that expensive jewelry with you anyway? Not a good idea!
Do not take anything with you that is not replaceable or anything that you would be devastated to lose! Most airports today do offer plastic wrapping of bags for a small fee. If you will be traveling in vehicles and small aircraft with limited luggage capacity, it is a requirement that you have a soft bag without wheels. Luggage restrictions vary between airlines / countries and aircraft. Please check with your travel consultant with regard to weight restrictions and quantity / size of bags permitted.

Most dietary requirements (kosher, vegetarian, hindu etc) can be organized provided we request them well in advance. You must remember that many of the game lodges you may be visiting are literally in the middle of nowhere so if you are not very specific in advance you may just go hungry!
Please also let us know if anyone in your party will be celebrating a birthday or anniversary or any other special occasions!

Laundry service is available at most hotels and lodges throughout Kenya. Prices will vary per hotel/lodge. However in most camps/game lodges throughout Kenya the washing is done by hand and sun-dried so please allow between 24-48 hours for completion.

Yes, you are going to a photographer’s paradise wherever you go in Africa so do take plenty of memory cards to record your trip. They will not always be readily available everywhere you go. So to avoid disappointment take a lot with you as well as spare batteries for flashes etc.
Yes, a good pair of strong binoculars is a must on safari, especially if you are a keen birder or “twitcher”. Trust us, we know

To give or not to give, that is the question! And if so how much?
This is one of the questions we are asked most often prior to departure: how much should we tip? Gratuities are discretionary however in it is customary to tip 10% of the check at restaurants and to taxi drivers as well as local guides and drivers. Game ranger / guide USD 10 per person per day general camp staff USD 5 per person per day.

Rule of thumb – don’t pack too much!

As a general guideline, comfortable casual wash and wear clothes are recommended. The less you take the better as most lodges and hotels do offer laundry service if you are staying at least two days. Muted colors such as stone, khaki, beige or brown are recommended when you are on safari. Game drives in the early morning and evenings can be very cold especially in winter so you must pack accordingly. “but we are going to africa- why would it be cold?” Trust us, we know! The key is to dress in layers in the early morning and strip down layer by layer as it gets warmer as the sun rises. Vice versa for evening game drives.

Clothing
Light weight shirts/blouses with long sleeves as protection from the sun and mosquitos t-shirts shorts jeans or safari trousers a light weight water-proof jacket comfortable walking shoes/sneakers comfortable walking sandals or flip flops for warmer days a wide brimmed hat with under-chin tie to prevent it from flying away swimsuit a warm windproof jacket (winter) a fleece jacket that will go under the warm jacket (winter) a warm polo neck shirt (winter) a beanie (winter) gloves (winter) a warm scarf (winter)

Equipment & other
Sunglasses spare prescription eye glasses/contact lenses binoculars cameras and related paraphernalia like lenses etc and plenty of memory cards and spare batteries chargers for cell phones, ipads, cameras, computers and you may want to invest in a mini travel charger surge protector with dual usb ports and five charging outlets. A small powerful flashlight and extra batteries sunscreen with high spf factor small purse size umbrella can come in handy a supply of ziploc bags in different sizes may come in handy for dust or water proofing cameras, wet bathing suits etc.

Personal first aid kit
Band aids antiseptic cream pain tablets heartburn relief eye drops insect repellant itch spray for bug bites sunscreen hand sanitizer purse size wet wipes packets, purell “make you go ” pills “make you not go” pills as well as any prescription medications that you reply on a daily basis.