Before You Book

PREPARING TO GO TO KENYA

CAPITAL
Nairobi.

LANGUAGE
English and Swahili are the official languages of Kenya.

RELIGION
Approximately 65% of the population is Christian, 30% is Muslim and approximately 5% is Animist.

LOCAL TIME
Eastern African Time (EAT) is 3 hours ahead of GMT.

ELECTRICITY
240 Volts - sockets are usually of the British, three pronged variety.

PASSPORT & VISA

A valid passport is required by all nationals. All Passengers are responsible for securing proper documentation prior to joining the tour. Please ensure that passport/s are valid for a minimum of 6 months beyond the intended date of return and contain between 2-6 blank “Visa” pages. You should have at least two free pages in your passport. Please access the Travel & Visa Requirements Section on the top of this page for the latest visa entry requirements for the country/ies you are visiting. Passports are required; in addition, travelers are also advised to check with local consulates for full details regarding visa requirements. Please note securing a valid visa for entry is the sole responsibility of the traveler.

LOCAL CURRENCY
The monetary unit of Kenya is the Kenyan shilling (KES). Kenyan Shilling (KES; symbol KSh) = 100 cents. Notes are in denominations of KSh1,000, 500, 200, 100 and 50. Coins are in denominations of KSh20, 10 and 5.
XE.com is a useful site for currency conversion.
Please note if bringing US bank notes: they can not be older than 2004 and must have the security markings on them (this usually means the large portraits of the presidents)

Credit cards:
MasterCard and Visa are widely accepted; American Express and Diners Club less so. Major hotels now also accept payment by credit card, as do major safari companies, travel agencies and restaurants. Almost every bank now has an ATM, and they are increasingly being installed at petrol stations.

ATM:
Almost every bank now has an ATM, and they are increasingly being installed at petrol stations in cities and large towns.

Banking hours:
Mon-Fri 0900-1500, Sat 0900-1100. Banks in Mombasa and the coastal areas open and close half an hour earlier.

Telephone:

International calls can usually be made directly, but in some rural areas, international calls are diverted through the operator. Public telephones, operated by Telkom Kenya (www.telkom.co.ke), work with coins or with phone cards (which may be purchased from post offices or from international call services in major towns); coin-operated phone booths are painted red, card-operated booths are painted blue. Major hotels also offer an international phone service, but they usually charge up to 100% more. In larger towns, private telecommunication centres offer international services. For local calls, it is useful to have plenty of small change available.

Mobile phone:

Roaming agreements exist with international mobile phone companies. The main network providers are Airtel (www.africa.airtel.com), and Safaricom (www.safaricom.co.ke). Local SIM cards and top-up cards are available to buy everywhere. Wide areas around Nairobi, Kisumu, and Mombasa, as well as the whole coast region, the popular safari parks and the road between Nairobi and Mombasa, have good network coverage. Outside of these areas’ coverage is limited.

Internet:
There are internet cafes in the cities. Even smaller towns have at least one venue, usually on the main street. Almost all post offices now offer at least one terminal for public access. Tourists can also access the internet in many hotels; the more upmarket and business orientated ones have in-room Wi-Fi. Accommodation in parks and reserves generally don’t have internet.

Post:
Post is efficient and most towns have post offices run by the Postal Corporation of Kenya (www.posta.co.ke). Post boxes are red. Stamps can usually be bought at post offices, stationers, souvenir shops and hotels. Airmail to Western Europe takes around five days, and to the US, 10 days. The service is generally reliable. If you are sending parcels out of the country the contents must be inspected and the parcel wrapped (in brown paper and string) at the post office.

Post office hours:
Mon-Fri 0800-1700; Sat 0800-1200. Small branches close for an hour at lunchtime.

Shopping in Kenya
The city and town centres usually have markets which sell curios such as African drums, old brass and copper items, batiks, soapstone knick-knacks, carved chess sets, wooden carvings of animals or salad bowls carved from a single piece of teak, mninga or ebony. Masai items such as beaded jewellery, decorated gourds and the distinctive red-checked blankets worn by all Maasai men make good souvenirs.
Khanga, kitenge and kikoi cloths are ideal to use as sarongs (common in East Africa for both men and women), and Kenyan baskets made from sisal and leather are also popular. Most of the tourist areas have abundant stalls and markets selling these items; you will be expected to haggle good-naturedly over prices.
Probably the best market in the country is Nairobi’s central market, which lies in the city centre off Koinange Street. Comprising perhaps 100 stalls, it has the full range of handicrafts on offer, and prices tend to be quite competitive. It is safe enough by day, but some first-time visitors to Africa find the atmosphere a bit daunting, so opt for an organised tour.
Though not really aimed at tourists, Mombasa's McKinnon Market, on the western fringe of the Old Town, is the city's oldest, boasting a remarkable variety of familiar and more unusual tropical fruits and vegetables. Nearby Biashara (Commerce) Road is traditionally the centre of Mombasa's textile retail industry, and a few shops still specialise in vintage and other local cloths.

Shopping hours:
Mon-Sat 0830-1730. Some Muslim supermarkets and other businesses close on Friday afternoons.

Note:
Exporting wildlife skins (including reptiles) and shells is forbidden.

CLOTHING
As a general guideline, clothing should be lightweight, loose fitting, hard-wearing and easily washed. In the hot summer months, cotton clothing is much more comfortable than man-made materials like nylon. While on safari, you should wear natural, neutral colours – bright colours can make you stand out, meaning that you’re less likely to spot wildlife. Make sure you allow for climate changes and remember that even in very hot countries, night-time and early morning temperatures can be extremely cold. You will generally find it is better to have several thin layers rather than one thick layer as it gives you more flexibility and warmth.

MEALS
Approximate costs for meals and snacks not included are shown below:

• Simple snack - $US 3-5
• Light meal - $US 5-10
• Fancy restaurant - $US 25+

DRINKS
Approximate costs for drinks bought in a shop in the street are shown below. Prices in restaurants, hotels, and cruise boats can be as much as double those specified.

• 1.5l of water: $US 0.50
• 30cl bottle of soft drink: $US 0.50
• 33cl bottle of beer: $US 0.60-2

It is not recommended that you drink the local tap water in Kenya however bottled water and carbonated soft drinks are widely available throughout the country.

FOOD
Meat in Kenya is outstandingly good, as are tropical fruit and vegetables. Inland, a local freshwater fish, tilapia is popular and tasty. On the coast, Swahili cuisine features fragrant rice, grilled fish and seafood curries with coconut milk.
Indian and Middle Eastern food is available in most areas, and there is a wide range of international restaurants in Nairobi and Mombasa. Tourist hotels provide buffet meals and hotels in smaller towns offer a dish of the day, such as chicken and chips or stew and rice. Sumptuous tropical fruits, ranging from pineapples to mangoes, can be bought seasonally at local markets.

Specialties:

• Nyama choma (barbecued meat served with a spicy tomato relish)
• Ugali (maize meal porridge, usually eaten with a meaty stew known locally as supu)
• Mandazi (fried dough ball with a similar constitution to a doughnut)
• Kachumbari (spicy tomato relish served with meat)
• Tilapia (freshwater fish associated with the Rift Valley lakes and often grilled whole)
• Sukuma Wiki (spinach-like leaf often served boiled as a side dish or in a stew with meat)
• Biryani (spicy rice-based stew similar in appearance to risotto but with a more oriental flavour)
• Matoke (cooked banana, also known as batoke, with a constitution similar to boiled potatoes, most commonly eaten in the Uganda border area)

Regional drinks:

• Tusker, Safari and White Cap (locally brewed lager beer)
• Kenya Cane (spirit distilled from sugar cane)
• Kenya Gold (a coffee liqueur)
• Uki (traditional beer made with honey)
• Changaa (locally made spirit distilled from maize)
• Chai (tea boiled with milk and sugar)
• Naivasha wines (Kenya has a small viniculture industry centred on Naivasha. The local plonk is worth trying once, but superior imported wines are also available, mostly sourced from South Africa.)
• Kahawa (coffee)

WEATHER & CLIMATE It is difficult to generalise about Kenya’s climate due to the contrasting geographical zones. Along the coastal belt, the climate is hot and humid all year round. In the far north, temperatures can range from 40º (Celsius) during the day to 20º (Celsius) at night. The central part of the country and the Rift Valley enjoy a temperate climate, with two rainy seasons – the ‘long’ rains in April/May and the ‘short’ rains from November to mid-December. However, even in the central region the temperature can vary considerably between Nairobi and Masai Mara. It can often be quite cool in Nairobi when it is hot in the Rift Valley, so take a pullover. In general, August to October is the driest period. When planning a trip to Kenya, there are several factors to consider, it all depends on what you are going there for. If you are looking for birdlife, January and February is the time to go to see large concentrations of bird life. The wildlife tends to head to the waterholes and rivers and the grasses are low, making spotting easier, however, this does coincide with the peak period, so you may not be the only one at the animal spotting. March to May is the rainy season, where bright, sunny days are interspersed with tropical afternoon rains, some years the rains may not even come. In June it starts to get busy again and July and August are considered peak periods due to the dry season, when spotting animals is made easier due to the low grass.

Nairobi: (approx)

SUGGESTED TIPPING SCALE
It is a way of showing your appreciation and will be welcomed by the recipient, although if you decide not to tip in a particular circumstance, this doesn’t mean you’ll receive a lower level of service. Ultimately, tipping is discretionary and should be done at a level that feels comfortable.

Here are some guidelines that you may find helpful:

HEALTH & MEDICAL REQUIREMENTS & GUIDELINES
As a general recommendation, it is advisable to check with your family doctor or travel clinic for latest health information.

**Please note: A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required for all travellers over one year of age arriving from infected areas; those countries formerly classified as endemic zones are considered to be still infected by the Kenyan authorities. Travellers arriving from non-endemic zones should note that vaccination is strongly recommended for travel outside the urban areas, even if an outbreak of the disease has not been reported and they would normally not require a vaccination certificate to enter the country. We highly recommend that you contact your local travel health clinic for the most up to date information.

TRAVEL INSURANCE
It is highly recommended that you purchase travel insurance. Your home country health plan may only provide limited coverage while traveling outside of the country. Indus Travels can offer you a complete travel insurance package. Some credit cards do offer travel insurance, however they do not always provide adequate coverage. Review and understand the terms of your credit card insurance policy. Extra travel insurance can be purchased. Most insurance companies do have exclusions in their coverage. Pre-existing medical conditions are not insurable.