Frequently Asked Questions
Why Choose Kenya for my African Safari?
For a first-time visitor to Africa, Kenya is an indisputable deal. In 2021, the World Travel Awards ranked Kenya the best safari destination in Africa. This was the seventh time in a row that the country was recognized as the premier wildlife tourism nation.
In this, Kenya overcomes fierce competition from other African safari destinations such as South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.
Apart from the global win, Kenya also wins many times as Africa’s best beach destination while Maasai Mara keeps winning as Africa’s best national park.
Which are the best places to visit while in Kenya
The majority of visitors to Kenya express interest in seeing African wildlife in their natural habitats. The national parks and game reserves, set aside by the government for the protection and conservation of wildlife, are therefore leading safari attractions.
Kenya has more than 50 of these National Parks, Game Reserves. Of late we also have Wildlife Conservancies owned and managed by private citizens and communities. In all these, visitors can see a huge variety of wild animals, beautiful landscapes, and diverse cultures.
Maasai Mara is the most popular of them followed by Amboseli and Lake Nakuru. There are also Samburu reserves in the North and the Tsavo East and West towards the coast. Not to leave behind Meru, Nairobi, and Hells Gate National Parks.
Most safari itineraries try to make a combination of these areas to suit a client’s time, budget, and other special interests. Many itineraries will also combine national parks and wildlife conservancies that are community or privately owned and managed.
What is the best time to go on a safari?
Ideally, all year round! Climatic changes in East Africa are not significant enough to influence human activities or animal distribution.
The most famous animal movement is the annual migration of thousands of animals between Kenya and Tanzania which takes place between July and September though no one can be very precise about the timings.
Another consideration may be weather where by May – July tends to be wet with July being the coolest month though not necessarily wet. Short rains fall between October and November while December – February is generally a dry and dusty period.
This is a general pattern, which keeps changing due to climate change. One can make specific inquiries when arranging a safari.
How do we book for safari?
If you haven’t made a previous inquiry, you can just submit your booking request here.
With this information, we shall then promptly submit a safari proposal that captures your needs, and then ask you to review it against your time and budget. After mutual agreement, we shall inquire about availability in the chosen hotels and place reservations for you.
That is what amounts to booking a safari. This is however still incomplete until we get to the next stage of securing the booking with a deposit.
Which are the best places to see the big five?
Maasai Mara and Samburu tend to offer the best lion sighting chances, almost guaranteed always. Samburu and Amboseli give perhaps the best elephant
sighting chances and in spectacular ways – like crossing the river and marshes
and in large herds.
Lake Nakuru has the best chances of seeing rhinos and very high chances of
spotting a leopard, not to mention the buffaloes that aggregate here in large
herds. Tsavo East and West also give great chances for large elephant herds, black rhinos, and large cats. Amboseli, Mara, and Samburu have almost equal
chances for buffaloes, lions, and leopards.
We also have private conservancies in Laikipia, Maasai Mara, and Amboseli, all
with very high chances of seeing all the big five and in more exclusive settings.
Which parks have scheduled flights?
There are regular and scheduled flights to and from Nairobi for the following parks:
- Samburu;
- Maasai Mara;
- Amboseli
Tsavo West has flights during the high season during which time there are also flights between Naivasha and Mara.
What are the entry requirements?
All visitors are required to carry a passport that is valid for six months beyond the intended length of stay. Nationals of certain countries do not require visas – this depends on the country you are visiting.
See https://evisa.go.ke/eligibility for more details
Do I need to know the local languages?
English is spoken throughout East and Southern Africa, especially by those involved in the tourist trade. Besides we offer guides and staff who understand mainstream foreign languages such as French, Spanish, and German.
It’s, of course, exciting to learn some basic Swahili to spice your interaction with local people.
Can I charge a camera and such devices on safari?
Yes, the camps and lodges have power which may be controlled depending on the source. At small camps and lodges, you may not be able to use a hairdryer or electric shaver but batteries can be charged either in your room or in designated communal areas.
Is there Wi-Fi or internet access at the lodges?
Some lodges and camps have Wi-Fi for guests though download speeds may be low and a little frustrating. Others deliberately limit internet availability to keep themselves “wild” but can make special arrangements in case of an urgent need to use the internet.
However, almost all hotels in Nairobi and other towns have reliable internet and Wi-Fi.
Suppose there is a medical emergency on safari?
There are high-quality medical facilities in Nairobi, Mombasa, and some of the larger towns, in case you require medical attention while on your trip. Some of the big lodges also have resident medical staff to attend to general ailments. In case of a serious medical emergency on safari, an aircraft from Kenya’s Flying Doctor service in Nairobi can be sent to lodges or camps to provide medical care.
Medical travel insurance is a necessity and we recommend that you purchase a policy that includes emergency medical evacuation which will cover the Flying https://flydoc.org/Doctor service.
Our main safari itineraries include emergency evacuation cover.
Which airlines fly to Kenya?
Many of the major world airlines including Kenya Airways, British Airways, Air France, KLM, Lufthansa, and Swissair fly several times a week from Europe to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi.
From North America, airlines including American Airlines and Delta offer services that connect via Europe. Delta has regular direct flights to Nairobi these days. Other airlines include Emirates, Qatar, Etihad, Egypt Air, Ethiopian Airlines, South African Airways, Turkish Airlines and Air India.
With such a wide choice of airlines, the airfares to Kenya are often very competitive and usually lower than those to other countries in Africa.
When is the wildebeest migration; Will I see it?
The migration is a mass movement of hundreds of thousands of wildebeests in
huge herds that move around the Serengeti in Tanzania and into the Mara in Kenya. They are accompanied by zebras feed on the long tough grasses on the
plains, while the wildebeests feed on the shorter grasses. The zebras and wildebeests open up feeding opportunities for smaller antelopes such as Thomsons gazelles which also follow the migration. The later also attract
the predators including lions, jackals and hyenas making the migration a truly momentous exodus of wildlife.
The annual calving of the wildebeest takes place in the southern Serengeti plains in late February and early March each year and then they start moving north, arriving in the Maasai Mara Reserve in Kenya around late June or early July before heading back to Tanzania around late September or early October. As there are so many animals, they are spread out over a vast area and do not all arrive at the same time.
To get into the Mara they have to cross the river and this scene has been featured in numerous TV documentaries. As a result, many people are under the impression that the migration is the crossing of the river and are very keen to see this happen!
The crossings attract a large number of tourist vehicles in the Mara Reserve waiting all along the river in the hope of seeing a “crossing.”
River crossings are not confined to a specific location and are very unpredictable. But even without seeing the wildebeests cross a river, it is still an impressive sight to see thousands of animals covering the plains.