FAQ's

Kenya – To travel to Kenya you must apply for a visa and is normally applied here – https://evisa.go.ke/ and is normally valid for 3 months from the date of travel. They charge $ 51 per visa application for anyone of 16yrs and above. Anyone below 16yrs does not need a visa to travel to Kenya but needs to declare by the person accompanying them during application of the adult. Visa process takes approximately 24hrs – 72hrs for processing. When travelling to Kenya make sure you only apply for a Single Entry Visa (SEV) not a multicounty visa when here on tourism purposes. Guests who don’t need a visa to travel to Kenya kindly refer to the list here to confirm if you need a visa – https://evisa.go.ke/eligibility

Tanzania – To travel to Tanzania you need a visa and you can get it on arrival or you can apply online prior to arrival here – https://visa.immigration.go.tz/ . Get more details of guidelines here  – https://visa.immigration.go.tz/guidelines

Uganda – To travel to Uganda you need to apply for a visa online and NOT on arrival. For more details refer here – https://www.visas.immigration.go.ug/

Rwanda – To travel to Rwanda you can get your visa on arrival or apply online here for more details – https://www.migration.gov.rw/

Kenya and Tanzania currently have no COVID-19 vaccination or testing requirements for entry so need of the COVID Vaccinations to enter either. A yellow fever vaccination is only required to enter Kenya and Tanzania if you are arriving from, or have transited through, a yellow fever-endemic area in South America or Africa–including East African countries such as Kenya and Uganda. WHO provide a current list of all affected countries here – https://www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk/advice/disease-prevention-advice/yellow-fever/yellow-fever-risk-areas . For guests visiting Kenya Only no need of yellow fever as it’s not a MUST but recommended. For guests whose itinerary includes visits to both Kenya & Tanzania safari, vaccination for yellow fever is necessary and you must carry an International Certificate of Vaccination provided by your physician; you may be denied entry without it. If your physician advises against receiving the vaccination because of your personal medical history, he or she can provide you with the necessary documentation for the country/countries you are visiting. You will be travelling to areas of malaria transmission. We strongly advise that you speak with your doctor or travel clinic regarding your itinerary, individual risk assessment and options for mosquito bite prevention and antimalarial drugs. We recommend filling any prescriptions before you depart.

We strongly advise that you speak with your doctor or travel clinic regarding your itinerary, individual risk assessment and options for mosquito bite prevention and antimalarial drugs. We recommend filling any prescriptions before you depart.

East Africa (Kenya / Tanzania / Uganda and Rwanda) is a hub for most travelers looking for an African safari adventure. In Kenya we have three types of vehicles that are used for safari based on client’s choice. We have the Open Roof Tour van or also called open roof minibus and open roof land cruisers or open roof 4*4 vehicles and the open sided four by four land cruiser. Below are the differences for each so when planning your safari, you know what suites you best.

 Open roof Tour Van – These vehicles are most common in a safari here in Kenya BUT NOT Tanzania. They are best preferred by guests that on a low budget since are lower priced as compared to all others. They have a seating capacity of 7 passengers comfortably seated. One at the front and 6 at the back on window seat guaranteed. The 6 at the back have the advantage of the open hatch also called the open roof access as compared to the front seating which has no open roof. They are featured with an open roof hatch, UHF radio call, individual seats, in some cases with limited recline and cooler boxes to store bottled water cold temperatures in hot areas. These vans are two-wheel drive hence in muddy and rocky terrain they tend to struggle to maneuver around during the wet seasons, but during the dry season they travel comfortably. Not being four wheel means in case they get stuck in muddy areas they need assistance from other cars. So incase guests are looking much into an off-road safari this car may not be suitable such as photography. Also some camps or lodges due to location we advise guests not to use this type of vehicle due to terrains in those regions. But a majority are fine to use the vehicle. The vehicle is generally a good vehicle to use on safari and clients using this vehicle should be aware of above details.
 
Open roof Land cruiser – The other dominant type of Safari vehicle in Kenya and Tanzania is the 4×4 Land Cruiser Safari land cruiser. These are often Toyota Land cruisers converted into Safari vehicles with the addition of pop up game viewing roofs [ front and main], safari customization, and addition of UHF radio calls and suitable seating of 7 people comfortably window seat guaranteed. Guests seating in front also has an open roof hatch same for guests seating at the back. A bigger percentage of the vehicles also come with an electric fridge instead of cooler boxes at the back seat to store water or other items at cold temperatures due to high temperatures in some places. Safari land cruisers are more capable for off road since they are four wheel drive full time and elevated and more comfortable as well over rocky and rough sections of roads, but will cost significantly more to use than safari tour vans
 
Open sided land cruisers – These are another type of land cruiser same brand of Toyota and are not commonly used for guests travelling by road to many parks for safaris since they are not allowed by the authorities to travel on highways from one park to the other due to safety reasons. These type of vehicles are commonly used by guests flying into parks from Nairobi and are commonly owned by camps and lodges located inside the reserves and parks not by the tour operators. Also since not all parks have airstrips if doing many parks can be a challenge to make use of this type of vehicle. Highly recommended to be used under our flying safaris subject to availability since camps have very limited vehicles, hence need book prior. If fully booked, we are recommended to send our normal open roof land cruisers at an extra cost since need travel one day prior to collect you from the airstrip on day of arrival since all cars are stationed in Nairobi office headquarter. Clients travelling by road incase want to use this vehicle need to book at an extra cost at the camp directly if the camp has such vehicles. In case of harsh weather can’t make use of it such as rains as compared to the open roof land cruiser or tour van which you just shut down the hatch and proceed with game drives.

Please refer to our terms HERE

We strongly recommend guests to purchase their travel &medical insurances at their respective countries back at home. Here in East Africa we can only offer extra Medical evacuation insurance cover at an extra cost by AMREF.

Upon confirmation of a safari we normally require 30% deposit immediately to confirm the safari here in East Africa. The payments are done via credit card using a link our travel consultant shall provide due to the dates indicated on the link or bank transfer using our bank details indicated on our invoice document. Payments made to a bank not in line with our bank details Rutres Safaris is not liable for such a case. Balances of 70% are cleared 3-7 days’ prior dates of travel using the same platforms as above. We don’t accept cash on arrival or on date of departure of the safari.

Upon confirmation of a safari our travel consultant shall share the confirmed detailed itinerary followed by an invoice and share payments platforms to commit for the specific tour. Upon payments a receipt shall be sent to you respectively. Full details of respective staff to be shared for easier communication of your safari holiday after completion of balances.

Our safaris at Rutres Safaris are strictly private. This means we never share your program or tour plan with another client. Each client that books with us we make sure they are to enjoy exclusivity of a vehicle and guide. We don’t co-share guests of different bookings on a tour unless are of the same group from initial booking. Same applies to accommodation strictly. Meaning we don’t share your room with other guests or strangers.

Yes, your credit card details are 100% safe. Payments are processed online, through a payment portal provided by our bank. We do not directly process, store, or have access to any of your debit/credit card information.

Bright summer clothes for safari tour (strong colors attract unwanted attention from flies found in certain areas of the park) Fuller clothes for evenings at the hotel and lodge such as long pants and long –sleeved shirts to protect you against mosquitoes after sunset and if necessary against the sun. A jacket/ sweater as it can be cool in the early morning and evening. Summer foot wear (e.g. sport shoes and cotton socks/). To avoid walking bare feet and or leaving your legs naked at night due to mosquitoes. Power adapter with 3-4 sockets. UK type of sockets are used in East Africa countries. Small flashlight and extra batteries Hat that shields against hot sun. Sunscreen sun glasses and lip balm. Extra batteries for cameras, recorder. A few copies of all personal documentation such as passports, flight tickets, travel insurance, visas, vaccination cards and international debit cards. Light weighed binoculars.

Most camps and lodges are fenced and some are not. Most camps even when not fenced are guarded 24hrs hence are children friendly. But we strongly recommend always in the camps and lodges to always make use of a guide when moving between different places who are always available at the camps and lodges for assistance.

As a rule of thumb, we generally don’t fly children under the height of the basket or younger than three years old. There’s no upper age limit, provided passengers are reasonably fit and ready to enjoy the adventurous soaring across the majestic plains.