FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS
WHAT IS A SAFARI
It's the dream vacation of a lifetime, combining adventure
with total comfort. In
Africa you'll feel a unique closeness with nature. Every
day is a new revelation as you visit East Africa's most beautiful game
reserves, seeing hundreds of rare birds and mammals from your chauffeured
safari vehicle. Relax in comfortable lodges surrounded by scenic valleys
and plains. Time takes on a new meaning as you learn to sit quietly
listening to the sounds of Africa. The balance of nature will no longer be
empty words; you will see it daily in the drama of animals fighting for
survival and co-existence.
WHEN SHOULD I GO?
Tanzania
and Kenya have short rain periods spreading from October through December,
and another rain spell between March and May, when the prices are
considerably low, almost half of the rest of the year.
When should you go on safari? Go now! Don't postpone going
to Africa!
Come over now! All the year round is good for you.
Tanzania_ Safari_ Planning
WHAT WILL I SEE?
The beauty of
Africa encompasses not only
birds and animals of all shapes and sizes, but also the many different
tribal peoples, and the exotic physical features from mountains to broad
savannah, forests to rivers and deserts. Think of beautiful sunrise by the
beach, colorful sunset on the plains and mountains; or a star-filled sky
like you have never seen before. Your safari will be carefully planned to
include a wide variety of sights and activities.
HOW CLOSE CAN I GET TO THE ANIMALS?
Because you are
travelling in protected game areas, there is no fear as long as you are in
the vehicle. You can get surprisingly close, especially when lions are
busy feeding on prey or at rest. Elephants often walk up to and even
surround a minibus. Monkeys and baboons may study you closely as you study
them. But natural behavior will only continue if you give the animals some
space and peace. If you go too close, or talk loudly, the animals may just
leave. Most animals will be more interesting if allowed the space to
continue their natural behavior; stalking, mating, and playing with the
young. Your driver will know the best viewing distance. Please don't
encourage him to "stalk" or otherwise interfere with hunting or other
activities crucial to the animal's survival.
WHAT ABOUT WATER?
We recommend bottled water. Whilst most hotels and lodges provide a
thermos of drinking water in the rooms, we recommend that you buy drinking
water from the food stores or from the lodges where you will be residing.
ACCOMMODATION:
Accommodation in East Africa
is of the highest standard with friendly service and excellent cuisine.
LODGES:
Small by normal hotel standards (50-150 beds),
with facilities found in good quality establishments such as lounge, bar,
dining room, small shop and in most cases, a swimming pool.
Bedrooms have twin-beds (doubles are limited
and must be specifically requested). All rooms have en suite
bathroom facilities except in some Tree Houses.
TENTED LODGES:
The main areas are similar to lodges but with
tented room accommodation, which is erected on wooden or concrete bases.
All tents are fully furnished with insect
proofing and fully equipped bathrooms are attached at the rear with hot
and cold running water, shower, basin and toilet.
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TENTED CAMPS are generally
situated in remote areas in scenic locations. The camps are exclusive
(20-50 beds), tend to be privately owned and offer a more intimate
atmosphere with personalized service. Most are creatively designed from
local materials and some have swimming pools. Public rooms are under
canvas, while meals in good weather are often taken al fresco. A
wide choice of activities is generally included in the tariff.
SINGLE ROOMS
There is always a strong
demand for single room accommodation on safari and occasionally the lodges
or camps cannot provide single rooms for operational reasons. In the case
of a single room supplement having been paid, a refund will be made to the
client where a single room has not been available.
Airport departure taxes
(except in Zanzibar) are included in the price of your international
flight ticket. Local airport taxes are included in domestic fares which
are part of the all inclusive price quoted.
BAGGAGE
Clients on our scheduled
safaris are asked to restrict baggage to one medium size suitcase per
person or preferably, one or two soft bags. If the itinerary includes
flights to the game parks, there is a 15 kilo baggage weight restriction
per person. One small bag and camera bag is acceptable as hand luggage.
Only one overnight bag may be taken to Treetops and the Ark (rest of the
luggage will be stored at base hotel).
Excess baggage charges are
usually nominal, but if the aircraft is full, the excess baggage may be
refused.
When safari departure is from
Nairobi or Arusha, SafarisOnline will be happy to make arrangements to
store excess baggage with a hotel until your return.
The climate in East Africa is
strongly influenced by altitude and proximity to the sea. The coast has a
hot and humid tropical climate (July and August are cooler and less
humid). Inland, a pleasant temperate climate prevails, with warm, sunny
days and cool nights. In July and August the highland areas can be
overcast during the day and cold at night. There are two rainy seasons.
The long rains occur during April and May, and the short rains
mid-November to mid-December. Rain falls generally at night, and the days
are often sunny and warm.
Clothing should be practical,
comfortable and informal. Lightweight cotton shirts, shorts, trousers or
skirts are ideal on safari, while a warm sweater or jacket (and socks!)
are required for early morning and late afternoon game drives and the cool
highland evenings. Generally, a jacket and tie is not a requirement except
for visitors on business. Bring swimwear, sunhat, good sun protection
cream, sunglasses, a small flash light (torch), alarm clock and
comfortable, dustproof shoes. Lip balm, insect repellant, and reading
material, is also advisable. Leave valuable jewellery at home.
ELECTRICITY
The electrical supply in Kenya
and Tanzania is 240v/50 Hz. Sockets are usually 3 pin square (British
type). In most tented camps and lodges it is possible to re-charge video
camera batteries on request.
Membership of the Flying
Doctor's is strongly recommended. In the unlikely event of an accident or
unforeseen illness while on safari, SafarisOnline will make arrangements
for emergency evacuation by flying ambulance from the nearest operational
airfield to a Nairobi hospital. Please enquire about the nominal cost of
membership at the time of booking your safari.
Clients are advised to
contact their own doctor or local medical advisory center for up to date
information. Malaria is endemic in East Africa and visitors should follow
a course of Malaria prophylactics according to doctor's advice.
Yellow Fever and Cholera vaccination certificates are required for
visitors arriving from infected areas. There are a number of other
inoculations recommended to visitors.. Yellow Fever is required for entry into Zanzibar – not
Tanzania.
Normal check out time is 1000
hrs in the morning. If the hotel is full, rooms may not be available for
early check-in unless booked from the previous night. At extra cost, day
room occupation may be reserved up to 1800 hrs (6.pm).
All hotels and lodges offer
laundry services.
Dining is an integral part of
the safari experience. High standards of cuisine and a welcoming choice of
mouth watering dishes will usually greet the hungry guest just in from a
safari. Full board is normally provided and includes early morning tea,
full breakfast, buffet lunch, afternoon tea and a four-course dinner. Tea
and coffee is served with all meals.
Travellers cheques in US
Dollars, Euros, or British Pounds are accepted and be exchanged into local
currency as required. Do not carry large amounts of cash. Well known
credit cards such as Visa, MasterCard and American Express are widely
accepted in major hotels and shops in Kenya but on a limited basis in
Tanzania and Uganda. When purchasing curios in markets places, bargaining
is expected, but for cash only. As most of the services are prepaid we
recommend that you only change your currency in bits. For example, you can
start with US$200 and thereafter change as per need. The best place that
will give a good exchange rate is the Forex Bureau.
The exchange rates will vary with the currencies.
Bring plenty of film with you.
A wide choice of films are available locally but are rather expensive and
in establishments outside main towns and cities can be out of date.
Telephoto lens (minimum 200 mm recommended) is a must for wildlife
photography. Other useful items include filters, dust-proof bags and, of
course, spare batteries. Home video cameras may be brought in but
professional filming is subject to government permits and levies.
Individual binoculars are an invaluable aid to spotting distant animals or
birds.
All Nairobi and most coastal
hotels have international dialing facilities from your bedroom. On safari
this is not the case, but in some lodges and camps calls may be booked
through reception. Check tariffs before placing calls from hotels. Mobile
or cell phone calls may be made in most parts of the country, but not
everywhere.
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ROAD SAFARIS
Transport on road safari is by 9-seater minibus, carrying a maximum of 7
passengers, each with a seat by a window and opening roof hatch for
photography. Some of our safaris include a proportion of game viewing in 4
wheel drive vehicles, which are normally operated by the camps or lodges.
Game drives on private farms and ranches are often conducted in fully open
4-wheel-drive vehicles. 4 x 4 vehicles are operated for Tanzania Safaris.
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FLYING SAFARIS
Transportation by aircraft on flying safaris are operated on scheduled
flights by aircraft with between 4 and 50 seats.
VISAS, INOCULATIONS AND INSURANCE
Our safari prices do not
include the cost of visas, health inoculations, personal insurance or
international air tickets from and to country of origin of travel.
Travel Insurance
It is a condition of booking one of our tours that the traveller is
adequately insured for the full duration of the tour in respect of
illness, injury, death, loss of baggage and personal items, cancellation
and curtailment. The choice of insurer is the sole discretion of the
client.
APART FROM MY SAFARI WHAT
ELSE CAN I DO?
There is a full range of optional tours and excursions you can take. While
in Nairobi the following optional excursions are available on request at
an extra cost; Nairobi City Tour, Full Day Nairobi National Park, Bomas of
Kenya for cultural shows, a visit to Daphne Sheldrick's orphaned
elephants. And while on safari you can take a Balloon ride over the Maasai
Mara and the Serengeti in Tanzania. Walking safaris are also available and
night game drives. The beaches are packed with activities which include
water sports, dhow excursions and fishing. Just enquire from our tour
leaders.
HOW
MUCH SHOULD I TIP ON SAFARI?
Tipping is customary. To show your appreciation you may follow the
appended suggestions: $20 per day per minibus (shared by the passengers)
for your driver and $5.00. per person per day for the guides is the
recommended amount for most tours; however remember this is not a bill so
you can give more or less depending on satisfaction. Hotel and lodge
porters $50 cents per person. At breakfast- $1.50 per table. At lunch $2
per table, at dinner $3 per table.
The exchange rates will vary with the currencies.
If you decide to, bring some small gifts for kids en-route,
things like pens, pencils, small note books, small T-shirts, plastic
watches (anything which does not cost more than one dollar). Remember to
hand over these items to kids en-route, not in towns.
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Kenya Safari
