The following information is meant to allow you a pleasant time in Kenya, feeling comfortable in any situation. Visa The visa can be bought at arrival at the airport in Nairobi. A visa costs $ 50 per person. The visa can only be paid in cash and only in USD currency, the notes not older than from 2007. Vaccinations Please contact your GP for the recommended vaccinations and malaria precaution. Due to East African immigration requirements please get the yellow fever vaccination and bring your vaccination passport. Clothing and protection You are traveling to a region with usually warm or even hot climate, but the weather can change suddenly and a couple of times a day. We recommend bringing clothes for all weather. Work with layers, that you can add or remove a layer whenever it gets colder for example after rain or warmer when the sun comes out. Bring rain clothes like a rain jacket with a hood and also a hat as sun protection. Wear closed shoes. That way you will feel comfortable and safe in any situation. For in the camp and in the shower crocs are very comfortable and practical.
Towards the evening mosquitos and bugs are getting active. Bring a repellent as protection. The repellents with 30% deet are doing very well. For the event that you got bitten, bring a product like Azaron or some pharmacies make products with 1% lidocaine and 1 % levomenthol, which works very well. Wear clothes in nature colors like khaki, light brown and beige. You will blend in and you wont attract insects, especially on evening game drives. Hygiene While traveling through Kenya the facilities can be experienced as basic and different from what we are used to. To feel more comfortable we advise to bring hygienic towels or protection papers you can get in pharmacies. That will disinfect and refresh. Please ensure that you drink bottled water. The lodges will also advice you at check in and provide either bottled water in the room or special drinking water. Health Insurance Kenya has no national welfare scheme. Visitors to Kenya are responsible for their own medical expenses. Please check before departure, if your travel insurance includes medical cover. Safety We advise to leave jewelry and fancy watches at home. Keep documents and money out of sight. The people are friendly and open, but it s better not to provoke temptation with valuables. Traveling foreigners are often seen as a source of income and that can lead to begging for money. Please don t give anything and don t get out your wallet. It s very common that people are selling their products on the street and they can be persistent. Stay calm and friendly while telling them that you don t need anything. If you would like to buy something, reckon that more vendors will come to sell their products as well. People from Europe and America can experience that as uncomfortable and unpleasant. It is very normal for the African culture to stand close to each other and being persistent. Stay calm and ask for space in a friendly way. Treat the people with respect. There are many dialects spoken in Kenya, but the two main languages are Swahili and English. When you approach people in English there is a big chance to be understood.
Baggage on safari flights Baggage allowance is 15 kg including hand luggage in soft bags and including photo equipment. Excess luggage rates of the date of travel will apply. Please inform about them at the time of booking. It is possible to stow not needed luggage at Wilson Airport Checkin in a secure storage facility. Safari flights can stop at several lodges depending on the bookings. That means it is possible that a couple of take offs and landings will be performed before arrival at your lodge. Behavior on Safaris There are rules in the parks to ensure the animals and guests are safe. Follow these rules. Your guide will explain them out for you. Here some essentials: - stay within the camp, you will be advised by the camp/lodge manager at arrival - stay in the safari vehicle unless your guide allows you to step out of the vehicle - never ever get out of the vehicle at a sighting - do not try to provoke animal action or interaction by making any kind of noise - do not play music during a game drive - do not make phone calls during a game drive, have your devices on silent or switch them off - in open game drive vehicles do not stand up at a sighting Tipping Tipping is not mandatory in Kenya. Guides, drivers, waiters and hotel staff can be tipped at your discretion. It is not acceptable for staff to ask for tip. If this occurs, please inform the management. Gratuity recommendations: - staff box at the lodge - $5 per guest per day - ranger/driver/guide - $10 per guest per day Electricity The electricity supply in Kenya is 220/240 volts at 50Hz. Plugs are 3 point square, British adapters are required. Currency The official currency is the Kenya Shilling. The written abbreviation is either Ksh or by using /= after the amount (ie 500 /=). Available notes are 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1000 shillings. Available coins are 1,5,10, 20 and 40 shillings.
Visitors to Kenya are advised to change foreign currency at banks, bureaux de change or authorized hotels. The easiest currencies to exchange are US Dollars, Pounds Sterling and Euros. There are no restrictions on the amount of foreign currency that can be brought into Kenya. Traveller's cheques are widely accepted and many hotels, travel agencies, safari companies and restaurants accept the major credit cards. Most banks in Kenya are equipped to advance cash on credit cards. Travellers are advised to convert any excess Kenya Shillings into foreign currency at a bank or bureau de change before departure. Anyone wishing to take more than 500 Kenya Shillings out of the country requires written authorization from the Central Bank. Postal Services Kenya has a good postal service for both local and international post with post offices and post boxes in most towns. Many shops in tourist lodges and hotels sell stamps. There are different rates for letters by weight, air letters and postcards by size. Parcel services are available from larger post offices. There are post restante services in Nairobi and Mombasa. There are also international courier services, e.g. DHL, available in the cities and larger towns. Telecommunications Kenya has a good network of telephone, cellular and satellite connections. Most hotels and lodges offer international telephone and fax services. In larger towns, private telecommunication centers also offer international services. If you have a mobile phone with a roaming connection, then you can make use of Kenya's excellent cellular networks, which covers most larger towns and tourist areas. When calling Kenya, the International code is 254. Internet Kenya has good Internet Service Providers with email and internet services offered by many hotels and lodges. In most towns, there are plenty of private business centers and cyber cafes offering email and internet access.
Media Kenya has several English language newspapers. The most popular are the Daily Nation and the East African Standard. The East African is a weekly newspaper sold throughout Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. International newspapers and magazines are widely available in Kenya. Digital satellite television has become widespread throughout Kenya in recent years and most city hotels provide this South African based service offering a range of channels. There is also locally produced television and radio media. Please contact for any questions: Roho Ya Chui Ute Sonnenberg Email: ute@rohoyachui.com Phone: +27-76-5085850 Fax: +27-86-5461154 Skype: utesonnenberg or rohoyachui Website: www.rohoyachui.com
Map Kenya: via Google maps
Masai Mara map: