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TRAVEL AGENTS
Kenya
CONCORDE SAFARIS LIMITED
2nd floor, Sarit Centre Westlands
P.O. Box 25053
Nairobi, Kenya, Africa
Telephone Safaris:
(254 2) 3743304/3743316/3744786
Telephone Car Hire:
(254 2) 448953/448954/448134
Fax: (254 2) 3748628/448135
E-mail: safaris-carhire@concorde.co.ke
E-mail: concorde@swiftkenya.com
Contact: Teresa or Deena Patel
Uganda
CHICO TRAVEL BUREAU LIMITED
Metropole House
Plot 8/10 Entebbe Road
P.O. Box 2184
Kampala, Uganda, Africa
Telephone: 256-41-234955
Fax: 256-41-235563
E-mail: chico@starcom.co.ug
Contact: Germina Kintu
**Only use them if they can guarantee an English speaking driver.**
PLANNING YOUR OWN TRIP
When To Go:
Most people go in January and February when it's hot and dry (their summer).
I personally would go from June to October when it's warm and dry (I'm a 70 degree,
mild weather girl). If you could time it so you could see the big wildebeest and
zebra migration in July/August or October, that would be ideal!
But the prices will also
reflect this high demand time.
"Long rains" are from March to May and the "short rains"
are November and December. I personally wouldn't go at this time just from the minor
experiences we had with the rain (more like floods!). I've heard of others who had a
wonderful vacation during these time periods. We went in mid-June, which was perfect!
What to Bring:
- Hiking boots (broken in; I wore mine all the time for a month).
- Wide brim hat.
- Sunglasses that really protect your eyes.
- Binoculars.
- Two cameras - one with a long zoom lens; lots of film; film protector pouch.
- Wildlife books.
- Money belts worn under your clothes.
- Bug repellant (really didn't need; brought DEET but never used it; bought Skin-So-Soft Bug Guard Plus
which is a bug repellant, sunscreen, and lotion, wonderful stuff!).
- Sunscreen.
- Small first aid kit.
- Small flashlights.
- Backpack and big hand bag.
- Travel alarm.
- Snack food.
- Sweatshirt, windbreaker, and swimsuit.
- One pair of tan/beige zipper pants (legs zip off to become shorts).
- Light colored (light blue or green, beige, tan, white) pants, shorts, short- and long-sleeve shirts,
polo shirts, and a few t-shirts).
- Be careful as there's a baggage weight restriction that's strictly enforced. It's 44 pounds in and out
of Africa and 33 pounds and soft-sided luggage to the Masai Mara.
- For a complete packing list, e-mail me!
Cost:
For the total cost of the trip, e-mail me as I'll only
disclose it to those who are serious about traveling to Africa. This vacation was a package deal that included everything but drinks,
tips, extra excursions, souvenirs, and miscellaneous items. It certainly was the most expensive
vacation we've ever taken, though!
Other Cost Considerations:
Besides the overall cost of the trip, you'll need to add these expenses.
- Travel Insurance (need since this was a package deal). It also included evacuation insurance (very important).
After a lot of research on my part, we used Travel Insured.
Check them out at: www.travelinsured.com.
- Immunizations/Travel Doctor. See what your health insurance covers.
- "What to Bring" list above. This will really depend on what you already have, especially in the clothes
category where I had to buy a lot of things. It adds up quickly, watch out!
- Souvenirs and miscellaneous expenses charged to a credit card. This depends on what you like to buy and
if you are close to spending all your converted shillings.
- Flights (we saved money here with Jeff's travel benefits).
- Photos developed. We had 22 rolls!
- Tipping (see below).
*****
$50 - Visa entry into Kenya. Per person.
$30 - Visa entry into Uganda. Per person.
$200 - Recommend converting into Kenyan shillings.
$100 - Recommend converting into Ugandan shillings.
$200 - Recommend bringing for miscellaneous and/or back up money just in case.
Tipping:
I spent a lot of time researching on how much to tip in these countries. I vowed to
share my information if I built a web site as it's so confusing to figure out! We mostly tipped in US cash.
$5 - Airport driver, per trip.
$3 - Guide, per person, per trip.
$5 - Guide/driver, per person, per day.
$5 - Guide for tracking gorillas or chimpanzees, per person, per trip.
$1 - Porter, per bag, Uganda.
100 Ksh - Porter, per bag, Kenya.
$5 - Staff box, per day, Uganda. When there is a staff box in the lobby (goes to waiters, cleaning staff,
etc.).
1000 Ksh - Staff box, per trip, Kenya.
You don't tip waiters. Most likely this gratuity is already included in your bill.
Currency Converter:
I printed wallet size "cheat sheets" from a web site for easy currency conversions from shillings to US dollars.
Jeff laminated
it for us, and we kept it in our pockets for easy reference. What an idea!
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Copyright © 2002, Dawn M. Dalton.
All rights reserved.
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