Kenya is a well known destination for Holidays and Safaris. Located in East Africa, Kenya shares boarders with Ethiopia in the north, Sudan in the northwest, Uganda in the West and Tanzania in the south. The India Ocean lies in the East. The Rift Valley runs through the country, north and South. Kenya has 5 main destinations that you can choose to visit on your holiday, The Masai Mara and Samburu Game Reserves, The Aberdares and Mt Kenya Area, and the famous Kenyan Coast of Mombasa, rich with culture and blessed with beautiful climate and beautiful features not to mention the people.

Kenya has 3 cities namely Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu with Nairobi being the capital city.

Language
The main languages spoken in Kenya are Swahili and English, English being the official language, widely spoken in commercial areas, while Swahili is the UN official language used through the country. In remote areas, the majority of people speak only their local languages.

Exchange Rate
The Kenyan Shilling is freely exchangeable with the rates varying from day to day.

1 US$: Kenya Shiilings 65
1 EURO: Kenya Shiilings 98

Getting to Kenya
Kenya is well served by major international airlines which land in the two main International Airports, ie, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi and Moi International Airport in Mombasa. Some common wealth citizens do not require visa. Please contact your nearest Kenyan Embassy or Travel Agent to get information regarding visas requirements.

Leaving Kenya
An airport departure tax of US$40.00 per person, or its equivalent is payable when leaving Kenya. This fee will most like be included in your international air fare, unless stated otherwise. Please check with your agent when purchasing your tickets. A local departure tax of approx US$3 per person, per flight, is payable for internal Kenyan flights.

Climate
East Africa's climate is based upon altitude. Most of the days will be cool in the early morning and evenings throughout most of the country. The coldest months are June, July, August and November. This are the seasons of the long and short rains. In the costal Region, the weather will be mainly hot and humid

Communication
Most of the lodges and Hotels offer telephone and some may even have email and fax services as well as sat phones for making international calls. Some of the hotels and lodges will also have email and internet services. This will all be at an extra fee and charges may vary from place to place.

Driving
It is recommended that you travel with an international driving license if you plan to drive in Kenya. Most of the lodges will be located in areas with rough terrain only accessible with 4WD vehicles. The advantage of driving is you will be able to sight see the country as you drive to your destination. On the other hand, most of the Lodges and Hotels will offer flying packages enabling you to fly direct to Masai Mara, Samburu, The Aberdares/Mt Kenya Region, Tsavo, Amboseli or Mombasa from Nairobi depending on the destination of your choice.

Local Time
GMT plus 3

Electricity
Majority of the Lodges and Hotels are well served with power utilities and generators with 220/240 volts AC. Plugs are the UK type, round 2 pin or flat 3 pin.

Children
In most of the Lodges and Hotels, children are very welcome and some may have various activities especially for the children. Please enquire more on this before deciding on the hotel or lodge of your choice.

Vaccinations
Please ensure you have Yellow Fever, hepatitis and tetanus vaccinations for you and the children before traveling to East Africa

You should also ensure that you take precaution against Malaria. Please check with your GP or doctor for advice. It is recommended you check well before planning your safari as you will need to take the course of anti malaria tablets early, in order to determine if you have any side effects before your safari begins. In addition, most hotels and lodges have mosquito proofing of one form or other.

Food and Water
Most Lodges and Hotels have water supplies and bottled wateris available in all the hotels and lodges, some at a fee, depending on your choice. At least 2 litres of water a day are recommended to avoid dehydration. With Kenya being a tropical country, fresh fruit and vegetables and herbs available in all the Hotels and Lodges.

Most of the hotels and lodges will offer Al A Carte menus as well as buffet style, and again this may vary from property to property.