Holiday in Kenya can be very diverse, ranging from a full boarding house in a hotel in Moscow with an individual tour guide and to self-organized travel. Let's try to talk about independent tourism in more detail.
Do you need vaccinations?
This is perhaps the most urgent issue when planning an independent trip to Kenya , and not only. We always recommend to monitor your safety, each of us has health and it is not worth saving 2-3 thousand rubles in this matter. Yes, formally, now, a certificate of your vaccination against yellow fever is not required to visit this country. But this does not mean that you should not put it: the decision is entirely yours.
According to the rules, the vaccine is placed at least ten days before departure and you receive an international certificate on hand. But if your trip was too sudden, according to the VHI policy, you will be given a shot in the first hospital where you go. Of course, the probability of infection with yellow fever is not excluded, but to prevent or alleviate some of the symptoms and their consequences can very much.
It is also necessary to remember that vaccination does not exist from malaria. Doctors recommend taking the appropriate pills a week before the trip, during your entire journey through Kenya and a month after returning home. Based on your medical record, you will be picked up by the most comfortable drug for you.
And check your vaccination schedule for polio, tetanus, hepatitis A and B, diphtheria, and typhoid fever. All this must be punctured according to the schedule, if you missed something or never did it. In hot Africa, all diseases develop more rapidly, and the lack of clean drinking water often aggravates the situation and spoils so long planned vacation.
Do I need a visa to Kenya?
When traveling alone to Kenya, it is important to know about the visa : a simple tourist visa is issued directly at the airport for a period of three months for $ 50, for this you will need to fill out a questionnaire and provide a photo. If necessary, such a visa can be extended for another quarter. All necessary copies and photos can be made on-site.
If Kenya is only an airport for you, and you are heading to another country, then you can save a little by issuing a transit visa for $ 20. Such a mark in the passport allows you to stay in the Republic for only 72 hours. If you have many plans, and vacation is not limited to a week, it is more profitable to issue an East African visa. Thus, you independently visit not only Kenya, but also neighboring Uganda and Tanzania , the number of entries to these countries is not limited for 90 days. If you have any questions, you can always apply to the Embassy of Kenya in Moscow.
How to get to Kenya?
The east coast of Africa is gaining popularity every year and it so happens that the airport in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi is the visiting card of this region.
From Russia and the CIS countries there are direct flights, but it is extremely rare, here we recommend monitoring the offers on the website of Aeroflot. Much more popular connecting flights through Amsterdam, Berlin, Istanbul and other major European cities. In this case, look for budget tickets on the websites of Turkish Airlines, Etihad Airways, airBerlin, KLM, Emirates and others. Consider that although you are going on the other side of the equator, the price of a round-trip ticket will cost on average 27-32 thousand rubles. But there are also cheaper offers without the possibility of returning and exchanging tickets.
You can also browse the search engines of travelers www.aviasales.ru and www.skyscanner.ru, where you can compare prices for different dates and find for yourself an acceptable variant of the flight.
Weather in Kenya
In this country there is a subequatorial climate, which means that the summer is here all year round, but hot and sultry. It is worth noting two rainy season:
- from late March to early May;
- from the end of October to the middle of December.
If in the first season tourists are not recommended to visit Kenya on their own, then in the second half of the year the rains gather only in the evening. And so during the day is excellent sunny weather. When planning, when it is better to go , take into account the fact that the weather differs somewhat in different parts of the country. For example, the ocean does not feel the heat because of the sea coolness, but further deep into the mainland +25 degrees it can easily turn into +40 somewhere on the plateau or near the western border.
And lastly, if the main goal of your visit is safari , then it is better to plan a trip right after the celebration of the new year and until March approximately. And if you are looking for a carefree vacation on the beach , then calmly drive at any time, with the exception of rainy seasons.
Useful tips for independent travel to Kenya
If you are going to Africa, then consider the following:
- From the obligatory things take with you sunscreen, hats (panamas, bandanas), preferably with mosquito nets on your face, as well as repellents (spray, ointment, etc.) and means from insect bites.
- Do not forget the rules of hygiene: carefully wash your hands and fruits with soap, eat and drink only from clean dishes, do not drink tap water, carefully select products in the markets, etc.
- In order not to lose things and money, do not leave them unattended, use safes in hotels , carry only small, small bills with you.
- The cost of any service is stipulated in advance, because otherwise you risk paying extra: most taxis do not have a counter, and the tuk-tuk driver is not averse to making an extra hook for the sake of additional payment.
- In local buses and trains it is recommended not to save on the ticket price, otherwise you have all the chances to go, for example, next to livestock - here it is common.
- In the evening and in the dark, if you are going to the street, it is better to use a taxi, walking is often unsafe on foot.
- Safari tours are more profitable to buy on the spot, moreover, the cost of the tour can be divided into several people, so it will be cheaper, t.ch. Look for a company.
- We recommend taking small presents for local people: inexpensive ornaments, ribbons, clothes, chains, beads, pens and pencils.