Kenya - Travel Essentials

Kenya Destinations

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Kenya - Travel Essentials

The Migration
Planning
Families
Getting There

Most visitors to Kenya have never been on safari before and their priority is often with seeing the Big 5 – Buffalo, Lion, Leopard, Elephant and Rhino.

In addition to these, the usual plains game adds a greater depth to the all round game viewing experiences to be had.

The Wildebeest Migration

There is the seasonal arrival of the much filmed and documented Wildebeest Migration.

The vast herds of Wildebeest start to arrive from early July (it depends on when the long rains have finished, June is the traditional period) from the Serengeti in the southerly neighbour of Tanzania.

They come to gorge themselves on the nutrient rich grassy plains found in the Mara Triangle and surrounding Masai Mara and its conservancies.

They settle in this area until late October time when they start their journey back south towards the short grass plains of the southern Serengeti.

There are certain times of year when the game viewing is better in some areas than others.

For example, in the Serengeti, during the months of mid-December to early March, the plains of the southern most areas of the Serengeti offer incredible game viewing.

This is when the vast herds of Wildebeest and Zebra which make up the famous Migration arrive on these nutrient rich plains (following the shorter rains in November) to come and calve.

During these months of July –October the herds will criss-cross the various tributaries of and the Mara River itself.

These river crossings are what many people dream of witnessing as it is very dramatic to see a group of 10,000 animals jump in and swim across hungry croc infested rivers.

Kenya Holidays

Kenya is Africa’s most popular safari destination. A typical holiday to Kenya will more than likely include a safari to the world famous Masai Mara National Park, as well as potentially other safari areas.

You can combine safari holidays with a stay on the beach, either at Diani Beach or the mainland coast, or multi-centre beach destinations like the Seychelles, Zanzibar and Mauritius.

There is such a wide choice of safari options in Kenya, that to plan the perfect trip you should use the expertise that our Kenya travel advisors have on this destinations.

The best way to make the most of your visit to Kenya is to have a trip personally tailored to meet your individual and collective requirements and steer clear of the mainstream low cost packages.

Specialist knowledge & experience

This is where we come in, our residential expert has personally visited the core areas of Kenya and understands how to create the perfect itinerary for you.

By having a trip tailored to your requirements, you will enjoy greater flexibility, freedom of pace of travel, a wider choice of accommodation and much more personalized assistance and guidance on the ground.

This will ultimately lead to a safari experience which can compete with the very best on offer.

The holidays we can plan for are suitable for single travelers, couples, honeymooners and especially families.

Family Safari Holidays to Kenya

There is no question, a family holiday to Kenya will be one of the best family holidays you could do.

By and large Kenya, is a safe country with the most incredible people there to look after you.

The country is heavily dependent upon tourism and the big smiles which welcome you to the attentive service and proudness of them hosting you in their country, always lives long in one’s memories.

Family planning

Depending upon the age of children, time of year, budget and length of visit, you can either be driven by a professionally trained guide in your own private 4WD safari vehicle around Kenya, or you can fly between parks or you can join a scheduled group tour.

For families, the best way to see Kenya is to either fly or have your own privately driven/guided safari.

This gives you greater flexibility in terms of accommodation levels, more freedom to explore at your own pace or the pace which suits the family and it prevents any social pressures in the vehicles as it is just yourselves.

Getting There

There are two gateways to Kenya. Nairobi and Mombassa.

Mombassa is mostly served by the mainstream charter market with guests heading to Watamu and Diani Beach.

Our guests are more likely to include a safari in their holiday plans and therefore the principal entrance would be Nairobi JKIA Airport.

The quickest way to Nairobi from the UK will be on British Airways, Kenya Airways from Heathrow and KLM/Kenya Airways via Amsterdam from many regional centres in the UK.

Often cheaper options can be found by travelling on Turkish Airways, Emirates Airlines, Qatar Airways and Ethiopian Airlines where you travel via their central hub in their country of origin.

Passports & Visas

You will need a visa to enter Kenya. Rules are always changing so it is advisable for you to contact the local embassy for the latest situation.

Following the implementation of the E-visa application for all nations visiting Kenya, the Ministry of interior and co-ordination of national Government have since reviewed this process and will run both E-Visa platform and manual platform for guests, either to apply online or obtain a visa on arrival until further notice.

Payment for visas on arrival can be paid by cash.

For full details on e-visa applications, please visit evisa.go.ke/evisa.html

Kenya Airways highly recommends that all guests apply for visas online to avoid long queues and delays at JKIA

Visa cost US$50.00 in cash per person. If you are staying in Kenya for less than 24hrs, you may get a “transit visa” which costs approximate US$25.00 per person.

Prices are subject to change without any notice, so please double check directly with the embassy before travelling.

Like most destinations, you would need to ensure your passport is valid for at least 6 months at time of departure and has minimum 2 double blank pages in your passport for respective visas.