Bush Tit Bits

Your driver/guide will carry accommodation vouchers (including meal plans), Game Park entrance fees and air tickets that we have arranged for you. Drinks with meals are extra (unless specifically included), with the exception of juices and hot beverages served at breakfast. Tea and coffee are usually complimentary in the lounge throughout the day.

There is limited luggage space within safari vehicles, and domestic flights also have weight requirements as low as 15kg per person (including hand luggage). Soft-sided bags are preferred.

Please remember that the animals are wild and part of nature. They may behave aggressively and can become dangerous, and there are also rules issued by the park authorities about vehicle movements around animals, so it is important to leave final decisions to your specially-trained driver/guide. Please do not leave the vehicle within a park, unless explicitly advised by your driver/guide. Please do not lean or stick body parts out of the windows, and be careful about open windows near animals. You can request certain proximities and angles to approach the animals, but if your driver/guide says that it is not advisable, please do not push him/her because it can provoke the animals.

If you carry USD notes, please only carry notes issued after the year 2006. There used to be a lot of attempted forgery of USD notes, and so banks here only accept the later generation of notes (which have better security features). As a result, almost no one will accept USD notes older than the year 2006.

On safari, the emphasis is on comfort and informality. It is ideal to have layers of clothing so that you can transition from cold mornings to warm/hot mid-days and back to cool evenings. Warm clothing like fleece pullovers and jackets are useful for early mornings and evenings, particularly in the cooler months of June-August. The middle of the day tends to get very warm in the equatorial sun, and hats and sunglasses are useful protection against the sun. At night, long trousers and shirt sleeves are useful to deter insect bites. Comfortable shoes are also recommended. Many lodges/camps have swimming pools, so carry your swimming costume/swimsuit if you would like the opportunity to use the pool.

We enroll our clients with temporary membership in AMREF Flying Doctors Air Ambulance service, which will provide an air evacuation to a major hospital within East Africa. No insurance or other medical service is included.

Meals are typically buffet-style except at the high-end lodges/camps, and include fresh local fruit. You can almost always get vegetarian options, although it is helpful to let us know in advance so we can inform them. The hotels and lodges keep a high standard of hygiene, but we always advise being cautious on your initial days in a new country, as your stomach experiences the new digestive flora and fauna of a different environment.

Malaria is endemic in certain areas of East Africa, more so in the coastal areas. Please seek medical advice about making a decision between taking anti-malarial prophylactics (which may have some side effects) and using mosquito repellent, covering your skin at peak times of day (like evenings) and using avoidance behaviour. Many of the lodges are at higher altitudes where mosquitoes (and particularly Anopheles which carries the malaria parasite) are less prevalent. Yellow fever vaccinations may be required for you to enter Kenya and particularly Tanzania, depending where you are coming from. Your own country may similarly require you to have a yellow fever vaccination after returning from East Africa.

This is available from many camps in Maasai Mara, Serengeti and Tarangire. It is expensive, but a very memorable experience. It includes an hour ballooning just after dawn, and ending with a champagne breakfast on the plains when you land.

We cover vehicle insurance for your travel, and the airlines have insurance for flights, but otherwise there is no travel insurance, medical insurance or any other insurance included in our service. Please contact a provider if you wish to obtain these services.

It is possible to visit communities for a fee, but it is difficult to find an “authentic” experience that many visitors are looking for, because the village members are understandably interested in the money that such visits bring. However, there are still villages where the chief can take visitors around and explain the traditional ways of life such that the experience is still educational and rewarding.

These are offered at certain lodges, and are to be paid for as extra items. Please discuss with reception or your driver/guide, if you are interested.

Please do not photograph people without their permission, they can be very sensitive and react unfavorably. Some will ask for a small fee to be photographed. Government buildings, airports, government vehicles, police and armed forces should not be photographed.

The same precautions should be taken as in any major city. Do not carry and exhibit large sums of money around, keep a close watch on handbags, purses, wallets, etc, when walking in crowded areas. Avoid walking at night (especially alone), lock up valuables in the hotel/lodge/camp safe deposit boxes and never leave valuables on show in an unattended vehicle. It is recommended that you do not bring expensive jewelry or watches. Keep the vehicle window closed when in crowded areas of cities or when leaving the vehicle.

There is a vibrant local craft industry of carvings, baskets, beadwork, fabrics, jewellery and similar items. They are very popular with residents and visitors alike, and are often very good buys. There is usually room to negotiate and bargain, except in some of the high-end shops, but certainly with the informal vendors in kiosks. It is best to conduct this shopping with small denominations in local currency. There is also a wide range of semi-precious stones available, and coffee, tea and books are also popular purchases. Credit cards are accepted at most formal shops, and also at most of the hotels/lodges/camps. It is advisable to carry some money in cash (preferably USD or EUR, but other major currencies are also fine) in case of unexpected expenses. When you check out of each hotel/lodge/camp, you will have to settle your extras bill (including drinks usually), which can usually be done in USD or local currency. In order to obtain local currency, it is best to change in a major city like Nairobi or Arusha (where the exchange rate will be better than out on safari), or withdraw from an ATM machine using your bank card. Tips are preferred in local currency, but you can also give in USD or EUR.

Most hotels/lodges/camps include a small service charge for their staff, but it is common to add a small tip if the service has been good and hospitable. Our recommended guidelines are USD 25-40 per driver/guide per day on safari, and USD 1 to porters per client and USD 1 to waiters per client, but these are approximate and subject to your discretion..

We operate customized 8-seater (7 window seats) safari minibuses (many of which have 4WD) and 4WD Land Cruisers jeeps. All our safari vehicles are fitted with radios, and driver/guides are equipped with mobile telephones for communication.

Kenya used to provide visas on arrival at an airport or land border, but is implementing a new e-Visa online application. The cost is USD 50.00 per person. Tanzania still provides visas on arrival at a port of entry, for a cost of USD 50.00 per person (except USD 100.00 per person for USA passport-holders). It is possible to buy an East African Community visa for USD 100.00, covering Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda (not Tanzania).

Most camps and Lodges are in very remote areas which are out of reach of the main power lines, thus they operate on generators and solar power. This limits the times when lights are on and lodge will advise you on arrival when power is on and when it is off, as well as when you can get a hot shower. Most chargers for cameras, mobile telephones and tablets now accept the full range of voltage from 110-240V, but certain electronics still need you to convert voltage in order to use them. The mains electricity in East Africa has a voltage of 240V (Kenya, Uganda) or 230V (Tanzania, Rwanda). Plug types are G (Kenya, Uganda), D and G (Tanzania) and C and J (Rwanda). You can look up plug types here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AC_power_plugs_and_sockets .

Tap water is not recommended for drinking, only for washing and bathing. Only drink bottled water or water verified by your hotel as safe for drinking. We provide 2 bottles of drinking water per person per day in the safari vehicle. Most lodges/camps give one bottle per person per day in your room. Water at meals may need to be purchased.