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What is included in the cost of my Kenya Safari?

• Airport transfers in all locations with luggage assistance
• Excursion entrance fees in Nairobi
• Park entrance fee on safari
• All internal domestic flights
• Game drives per itinerary
• Meals listed in itinerary
• Porini camps only: Soft drinks, house wines, beers, mineral water, coffee, tea, gin and tonic and sundowners
• Government taxes and fees

What is not included in the cost of my Kenya Safari?

• International flights (your flight from your home airport to Kenya)
• Kenya entry visa fees
• Travel and medical insurance
• Soft drinks and alcoholic beverages except where specified
• Laundry, telephone calls and any personal items
• Meals not specified in itinerary
• Optional tips and gratuities to your driver/guide, hotel and camp staff, etc.

What are my payment options?
After we receive your initial deposit at the time of booking, you will have three payment options:

• Pay in full at the time of booking: Each guest who pays in full when booking receives $100 off per person.
• Pay in full 90 days after booking: Each guest who pays in full 90 days after booking receives $50 off per person.
• Our interest-free, fee-free monthly payment plan: It’s simple and you can take your sweet time. After your initial deposit, equal monthly payments will be charged to your credit card up to 60 days prior to departure. We’ll email you an invoice each month when we charge your card. The best part is that it doesn’t cost you a single penny more.

How much is the deposit for the Sweet Kenya Safari?
The deposit is 10 percent of the cost of the trip. This payment is non-refundable, but is transferable to another Sweet vacation, if you find yourself in a position of having to cancel your Sweet Kenya Safari.

What is Sweet’s cancellation policy for the Sweet Kenya Safari?
Due to the cost of this vacation, a $700 non-refundable deposit is due at the time of booking.

Life sometimes throws us curve balls (or hits us with pitches). No one cancels an amazing African safari for a happy reason. We want your cancellation experience to be as sweet as possible.

Our cancellation charges are determined by contracts we’ve entered into on your behalf with hotels, safari camps/lodges and local airlines. They charge us a cancellation fee, if we cancel a booking. Sweet does not mark up our cancellation fees. We work hard to minimize these charges with our vendors. If you have to cancel your Sweet Kenya Safari, do not delay calling us. We don’t want to charge you for a vacation you’re not going to take. Seriously, it will really bum us out.

Here are the cancellation fees for our Sweet Kenya Safari:
• If you cancel 90 days or more prior to your vacation, we’ll move your non-refundable deposit to another Sweet vacation and refund the balance of any payments above your deposit within 30 days of receiving your cancellation.

• If you cancel 89 to 31 days prior to your vacation, you’ll pay a cancellation fee equal to 50 percent of the total cost of the vacation per person and refund the balance of any payments above your deposit within 30 days of receiving your cancellation.

• If you cancel 30 days prior to the start of your vacation, you’ll pay a cancellation fee equal to 100 percent of the total cost of the vacation per person.

Should I purchase travel insurance?
Sweet strongly recommends the purchase of traveler’s insurance to protect against unforeseen circumstances that might prevent you from traveling with us. Travel insurance rocks. It protects against most of the things that get in your Sweet way. Be sure to ask your insurance provider a lot of questions to make sure you’ll be covered, especially if you have a pre-existing condition.

What are the passport and visa requirements?
All U.S. citizens must travel with a passport valid for at least six months after the date of departure from the foreign country to which they are traveling. Please check your passport to make sure it is current. Carry your passport with you and not in your luggage. It is also a good idea to have photocopies of the informational page of your passport stored in a separate area of your luggage and an extra passport photo in the event that your passport is lost or misplaced.

Visas are required for all visitors to Kenya. Visas can be obtained upon arrival into Kenya at the airport in Nairobi or Mombasa. The visa fee is at the airport US$50 (subject to change). They do not accept credit cards or Traveler’s Checks, so you will need to have U.S. cash. Or you can obtain your visa prior to departure from the Kenyan Embassy or Consulate or by using a visa agency. All visas are for a single entry, valid for six months and allow return to Kenya from Tanzania or Uganda at no additional cost.

Please note if you obtain your Kenyan visa through a visa agency there will be a fee associated with it for their services however, this is the easiest and most efficient way to get your visa.

What are the immunization requirements?
Please check with the World Health Organization or with the Centers for Disease Control for the most up-to-date information on the recommended or required vaccinations. However, at this time there are no compulsory vaccinations required for entry to Kenya unless you are arriving from an area infected with Yellow Fever, in which case a Certificate of Inoculation against Yellow Fever is required from travelers older than one year. Visitors coming from other countries in Africa where Yellow Fever may occur, including Tanzania and Zanzibar, require a Yellow Fever certificate.

The other recommended vaccinations are typhoid, hepatitis and polio, and anti-malarial medication is essential. Anti-malarial drugs should be taken prior to arrival and should be continued for 4 weeks after leaving Kenya. It is also advisable to try and avoid mosquito bites by using repellent and wearing suitable cover-up clothes in the evening.

There are good hospitals in the main towns of Kenya while the rural areas have small health centers where one can get basic first aid. All visitors must carry some form of medical insurance. There is an excellent Flying Doctor service in Kenya in the event of a medical emergency, while on safari away from the urban centers. Hotels and lodges supply clean drinking water, but whenever in doubt, please only drink and brush your teeth with bottled mineral water (which is available in hotels and safari camps). Drinking water from the tap is not encouraged.

What happens if my partner and I break up before our vacation?
Of course, travel insurance doesn’t protect you in the event of a break up. That’s why we offer you the opportunity to change the name of your guest up until 30 days prior to the trip departure, so you can bring a friend instead.

Once you have booked your vacation, here’s what you need to know:

What time should I book my flights?
Flights into Nairobi typically arrive in the early morning or early evening. Either is fine, since we overnight in Nairobi.

When booking your flight home, we recommend you book your flight after 6pm. This allows for our morning activities in the Masai Mara, domestic flight back to Nairobi and transfer from the Nairobi Domestic airport to the Nairobi International airport. Most international flights out of Nairobi leave in the evening.

Will I be met upon arrival in Nairobi?
You will be met in the arrivals terminal and driven you to your Hotel. Please look for a sign with either your name or SWEET on it.

Can the lodges and camps accommodate special dietary needs?
The camps easily accommodate vegetarians, vegans and gluten-free requests. If you have a different or unique dietary need, please make sure you let us know at the time of booking what those needs / requests are. We will do our best to accommodate special dietary needs and will inquire with the ground operator about accommodating you. Please keep in mind that there are certain cultural differences or limitations due to logistics that could make it extremely difficult to accommodate your special dietary needs. It is important to bring a flexible attitude and supplemental foods to ensure your dietary needs are met.

What should I pack?
Please refer to the “Pack” section in the Sweet Kenya Safari Trip.

Any African safari is an adventure. We will encounter several different cultures and experiences. Guests are encouraged to bring along flexibility, a sense of humor, curiosity and openness to the unexpected.

Sweet encourages our guests to bring school supplies and deflated soccer balls to donate to local school we will be visiting, St. Lazarus. This is not compulsory, simply voluntary. We want to give back to Africa in some way. Or we also may visit a wildlife conservation project where a monetary donation is needed and welcome. This is entirely up to you.

How much luggage can I bring with me?
Please restrict your luggage to one soft rolling duffel rather than a hard suitcase. We strongly recommend that your checked luggage not exceed 33 pounds / 15 kilograms. You may also take one carry-on (camera bag, daypack) on the plane with you. A daypack will be useful to have with you in the safari vehicle to carry items such as a water bottle, binoculars, notebook, etc.

What wildlife can I expect to see?
Wildlife can never be guaranteed however “Big Five” sightings are very possible. The “Big Five” are lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos and buffalo. While we are on game walks, in the safari vehicles and around camp, it is very important to follow the instructions of your trip leader / game ranger to ensure the best viewing opportunities as well as ensure your safety and the safety of your fellow travelers. Africa is not a theme park. While on safari, we are in the wild home of the animals. Please respect them and help preserve their habitat.

What is a game drive?
Game drives are probably the most popular way to see wild animals in their natural habitat. Typically, you will leave your lodge or camp either in the morning or afternoon and be driven slowly through the bush to view game. Being in a robust four-wheel drive vehicle specially adapted for viewing game allows you to get close to some of the predators and larger animals, safely. This gives you the opportunity to observe them at close quarters as well as providing some wonderful photo opportunities.

During drives, we can get quite close to wildlife. Being very quiet and staying seated will improve the likelihood of a good photo and a memorable experience.

How many people are in a vehicle?
We’ll be using specially designed open-sided Landrover 4-wheel drive safari vehicles. Everyone will have a window seat from which to take great photos.

overview | itinerary | pricing | pack | read | faq