Tsavo East

To get into Kenya or Tanzania, you need to have a current and valid passport and depending on your nationality or country of origin, you may need to apply for a visa. You may apply and receive a visa before visiting Kenya or Tanzania from the various embasses in your country or apply it on arrival in Kenyan or Tanzanian airports. The cost of the visa is 50 dollars. Your passport should not expire before six months from the end of your travel. We advice you to make some copies of your actual passport and visa before travelling. If you are travelling with children, make sure you ask all the required documents from your local police station.

There are currently no inoculations that you must have when travelling to Kenya or Tanzania, We advise visitors to take anti-malaria tablets and to make sure that you protect yourself from mosquito bites, wearing long sleeved shirts/blouses and long pants, use mosquito repellent, mosquito nets. Drink well sealed mineral water and avoid street foods, take with you a necessary first-aid box. The vaccination against yellow fever becomes mandatory in Kenya and Tanzania when you transit in epidemic countries like Uganda, Etiopia etc.

Kenya and Tanzania enjoys tropical climate almost all year round with temperatures that run between 22° to 30° in the coastal areas. In the highlands and in some parks at around 1500 metres of altitude, the temperatures run between 15° to 24° during day time and dizzy during the night. (5 / 7 grade)

Along the equator, the sun presence is constant in every 12 hours. The sun rises at around 6.00 am and set around 18.00 pm. Seasonal alteration does not exist. The rainy season is between march and may, and the short rains are between november and mid-december.

GMT + 3.

The Kenyan and Tanzanian currency are in shillings. 1 euro is around 100 (KSHS). In Tanzania 1 euro is around 2200 shillings. Most of the major international currencies are accepted and you can convert into Kenyan or Tanzanian shillings in the Hotel reception, in the Bank, or Forex Bureau. The major Credits Cards (Master Card, Visa, American Express, Diner’s etc) are widely accepted in all major hotels and establishments, however you will need cash in hand because the smaller shops only accept cash. Remember to take your documents with you.

Tipping: Most major hotels and restaurants include a service charge in the bill, although tipping is not mandatory, you may tip porters, waiters, drivers, guides, rangers etc at your discretion.

The best clothes for a vacation, holiday, safari or leisure in Kenya and Tanzania are bright light casual wear; pants, jeans, cotton shirts. Jeans and decent tops/blouses for ladies. You can dress differently for special occasions; especially when going clubbing/dancing, to church, sporting etc. For dinner in some restaurants and clubs, you will probably be OK to wear shorts and t-shirts, in some up-scale restaurants you will have to dress elagantly. During safari, non-synthetic, comfortable fitting, neutral clothes, (khaki, brown, olive colours are ideal), avoid bright coloured clothes. Pack a jersey, pullover, safari jacket, shorts, long trousers, short sleeved safari shirts, long sleeved safari tops to protect you againest mosquito bites. Light weight safari shoes/trainers. No heavy boots unless you are doing a walking safari. Don’t forget to carry safari hats. In luxury lodges and camps, generally you have to dress formally for diner (trousers for men). If you wish to continue with beach holiday after your safari, we advise you to have 2 bags: a soft bag for safari (max 15kg) and the beach suitcase that you will leave it to our staff on arrival at the airport. Our staff will help you find it in hotel/resort on arrival from safari.

The official languages in Kenya and Tanzania are Kiswahili and English. English was inherited from the British colonials and mostly used for business. Swahili is one of the twelfth most spoken languages in the world, spoken by almost 44% of the world population. It is pronounced exactly as written. Kenyans and Tanzanians speaks other local and foreign languages as well.

We advice you to carry emergency photo camera rolls, battery, battery richarger, video cassetes, card memory etc because sometimes its not easy to find them around. Its forbidden to take photos of public offices, Kenyan flags, police stations, courts etc. Ask for permission before taking photos to people, in some cases you may be required to offer a tip for those photos. (Its normal) For the nocturnal animal photos in savanna, the camera should be without flash.