USEFUL INFORMATION
The following page contains useful information and links about travelling within Kenya to ensure you have a safe and enjoyable trip.
VISITING KENYA
LANGUAGE
The local language in Kenya is Swahili, although English is widely spoken. Some useful words to know are 'Jambo' meaning Hello, 'Karibu' Meaning Welcome, 'Asante' Meaning Thank You, 'Sawa' meaning OK.
CURRENCY
The local currency is Kenyan Shillings (KES) and you will find United States Dollar (USD) is also widely accepted. Most shops, bars and restaurants will also accept all major credit and debit cards. When paying by card it is usually cheaper to pay in the local currency rather than converting to sterling if given the option.
RECOMMENDED VACCINATIONS
There are several recommended vaccinations to get before travelling to Kenya. Tetanus, Hepatitis A and B, Polio, Diphtheria, Typhoid and Yellow fever. Some of these vaccines you may have already had, you can check with your GP which of your vaccines are up to date and which may need to be updated. Please note Hepatitis may need to be given as two seperate doses a few months apart so make sure to check before booking that you have sufficient time to do this. Yellow Fever is generally not available on the NHS and may need to be booked privately, the price varies but mine was £85 and should last upwards of 15 years. Although malaria is not a huge risk in Nairobi there are still isolated cases and as such a course of malaria tablets is strongly advised. These can be purchased from online pharmacies easily.
ENVIRONMENT
Kenya is considerably safer than South Africa, and you will find most of the locals extremely friendly, however, like any major city, crime is always a risk and it is wise to take the same sensible precautions you would back home. If walking out in populated areas be aware of your surroundings and keep valuables hidden. Avoid quiet alleys and back streets if you decide to go out at night and limit the amount of cash you carry. Keep valuables and passports in the room safe (it is a good idea to carry a photocopy or picture of you passport on your phone as it is required to carry ID in Kenya). When on the road, keep the car door locked, whist snatches from cars are very rare it can happen and we don't want our cameras getting stolen. Although our time on the roads will be very minimal, the standard of driving is very different in Kenya and it is advised to wear a seatbelt at all times. Once in the park feel free to remove your belt and stand up to look out of the roof, but be aware the tracks are rough and uneven so try to hold on to something if you chose to stand while on the move, and watch out for your camera swinging and bashing the vehicle. Kenyan Photo Tours and its affiliates cannot be held liable for injury or damage to equipment if you chose to stand while driving.
DOCUMENTS
To enter Kenya your passport must have at least 6 months validity and 2 blank pages. Since January 2024 Kenya has been visa free, and instead a USA style eTA has been implemented, this new process is very straight forward and intuative. Please wait until flight and hotel details have been confirmed before applying, as you will need to include these details on the eTA application. For more information visit the Kenya eTA link below. Please note this information is for British passport holders, if you hold a passport in a different nationality please visit your countries equivelant to the FCO for more detailed information. If you are having difficulties please feel free to contact us for further assistance .
PRICES
To ensure the lowest possible prices for you, all of the flights and accommodation bookings we make are non refundable, so please check carefully that you are happy with the selected dates, flight times and price as cancellations and amendments cannot be made after payment confirmation.
If however, in the unlikely event the trip is cancelled by us, a full refund will be issued at our expense. All fights and hotels in your booking will be ATOL protected
INSURANCE POLICY
It is highly recommended that a comprehensive travel insurance policy is taken out for your trip. Personally I select a policy that covers inability to travel to the value I have paid for my trip, flight cancellation, medical bills, medivac repatriation, the value of my photography equipment and laptop. The cost obviously varies depending on company and the value you wish to protect but as an illustration, on my last trip to Kenya I had £6000 cancellation cover, £1.5m medical cover and £3000 equipment cover which came to around £80. You can also insure your photography equipment separately if you wish, I use Guardcover for my camera, lenses and laptop which is £70.75 for the year and also provides cover abroad