Hi

we took the standard Boots top of the range -no mozzies are going to get past this - repellant !!

Seriously - didn't find the mozzies that bad - and I get eaten alive in Spain !! - we took the Boots plug ins as well. (standard UK 3 pin plug standard needed)

We took Kenyan Shilings with us - very handy for tipping, but the hotel we were in you paid any "extras" at the end of the holiday - and could pay on credit card etc..

Where are you staying.

Tina x

MANY THANKS FOR YOUR ADVICE
Ww are stsying at the Banburi Beach Hotel

We are travelling to Kenya mid July for just over two weeks and wondered if anyone can help with the following queries:

Do we need to present certificates for the jabs we have had?

Do we need to get our VISA's before or can we get them when we get to the airport?

We have been advised to get Malorone Malaria tablets - does anyone know the cheapest place online?

And finally, we are going off on a 4 day safari in the middle of the holiday - will we get to keep the hotel room while we're out of the hotel? We're staying at the Voyager in Mombasa.

Any help would be much appreciated! And also, any info on the Voyager Hotel would be good.

Hi Sam. Firstly, we were not asked for any vaccination certificates - though I understand you will need to show a yellow fever cert if you are entering Kenya from Tanzania.
2. You can get your visas at the airport - most people do.
3. Dunno about Malarone, we took Lariam
4. Depends on your hotel; we were in a different hotel, so I can't help you with that one.
5. Have a GREAT time.

We found Boots on-line pharmacy to be the cheapest. £2.10 per tablet for Malarone, no p&p and arrived within a few days.

Needed a prescription from the GP - which had to be a private one (malarials not available on NHS). Had to pay for 2 scripts, our stingy GP wouldn't put it all under 1 of us..........Maybe it was just me being stingy though.

Malarone has the least known side effects of the 3 options you could take but it is the most expensive.

Thanks for the info guys. I've managed to get me and my partner on one prescription from the GP. Doesn't make it cheaper though, we still have to pay for 60 tablets between us! So expensive - but so worth it. I have had minor stomach upsets in Egypt and Tunisia before - they were bad enough!

P.s. - am getting SO excited now

Sam,

we stayed at the Voyager last summer..

We didn't have to show any certificates
We purchased our visas before we went -came within a week
We did our safari at the start of the holiday -however people we met and spoke to had to pack to change rooms etc..

Hope this helps

Tina

Thanks Tina

What did you think of the hotel itself?

Also - am trying to get a feel for what this holiday is going to be like. We are going on the Tsavo Safari - what is the hotel like there?

Sam

I went to Voyager in June 2004 and it was fantastic. The staff were great, rooms were nice and as it was our honeymoon and the hotel was quiet, we were upgraded to a sea view room. Sadly the beach was unusable because of the tide but the swimming pools were quiet.

We went with Thomsons and did the Mombasa day trip with them. This was a good trip and you get to feed giraffes! We did a Tsavo/Shimba safari at the start of our holiday. Accomodation was basic but wildlife was fantastic. Voi Lodge is amazing, the swimming pool overlooks a large pond where elephants congregate and you can get within a metre of them and look through a spyhole if you follows the steps to the hide.

Enjoy!

Hi Sam

Like Kathryn - the hotel is fantastic -the staff are amazing and friendly, nothing is too much trouble. We had a ground floor sea view room near the aduklt pool - so we swam every morning before breakfast. The pool guys will get the lounger seats and towels for you when you get to know them.
There is a different theme each day which is echoed in the menus and entertainment etc..Also we went all inclusive - handy with children (and it was proper coke !) you could have a civilised lunch int he main restaurant or chill out at the sports pool bar with toasties/pizzas or more refined choices !!

Again the beach was not used but the adult pool is sited just above it - so you can be in the pool staring over the Indian ocean -and what the beach boys in action.

The safari lodges are also amazing - all "open air" restaurants - and based near watering holes - so see loads of animals etc. Voi lodge was the best - a huge amount of buffalo, zebras, elephants etc - converged at 10.30 in the evening - an amazing sight.

You will have a wonderful time

Tina

Help i need some infomation on the 7/8 day safari to kenya and Tanzania which i have booked for three weeks in Aug and Sept 06 with first choice. Here it goes... do i need to pack a seperate case for the safari which is the first week as i have read that some cases are taken to resort?
Has anybody done the balloon trip if so what was it like?
Is there tea making, hair dryers etc in Voyager as we only have 20kg luggage each for three weeks?
Is there big queues at immigraton to pay for visas or should i get them here?
We have had yellow fever jabs and got marlari tabs so the mozzies are beaten but any other advice is welcome.
help is much needed as i am so looking forward to this adventure and do not want to spoil it for having wrong advise.

Hi Sue

If you are going straight on Safari when you land, then yes you will need to pack a seperate case. - we took one of the large holdalls for this (family of 4) -remember to pack suncreams/mozzie sprays etc..

Voyager didn't supply hairdryers and there was tea making etc..

We got our Visas before we went -only took a week to process.
Don't remember seeing large queues at the airport - but some of these people might be on your safari - so will have to wait for them anyway ??

The safari lodges we stayed in had plug in mozzie repellants and even sprays for the room - (i believe we had this in the Voyager as well..) - we also took the Boots plug ins (normal 3 pin plug connection is used in Kenya)

If you need to ask anything else - just ask !!

Tina

Thank you tina for your speedy reply,
Did you and your family do the 8 day trip and if so what would you recomend for clothing for the drives etc i do not want to pack pith hat and Jungle greens to find everybody else in shorts and tee shirts, is any kind of coat/jacket required for morning evening drives or will a fleese be enough.

What did you think of the voyager and did you do any of the day trips from there? did you use the tour reps for these or the beach boys? await your reply and any other relevant info from others much needed.

We are looking at booking a 2 weeks hol to Kenya for July 2007 and want to do the Tsavo 3 day safari.

We will be booking the Bamburi beach hotel with Eclipse Direct as my research shows they are the cheapest for our party.

I can also book the safari with them but would have to vacate the room for the time we are on the safari.

Can anyone recommend places to book the safari online before we go?

I've picked up some recommendations from here already but I'm looking for some up to date info.

Preferably from places people have used and have proven to be good.

Thanks

Jonathan

Hi Jonathan, Tsavo East and West is a good choice for your safari we came back 4 week ago and loved it. We booked when we arrived at our resort for the same reason as not to vacate your room. Somak are the No1 safari operator in Kenya and we had no problems with them. Also you can book with the "beach boys" but do make sure you both agree exactly on the safari as to what you are getting.

Cheers

John

Thanks for your quick answer.

If you dont mind me asking how much did you pay?

Where would I find Somak? Via the hotel, or in Mombassa?

Cheers

Jonathan

Hi Jonathan, we paid £180 each for Tsavo. This was pick up at 7am at our hotel and then drive to Tsavo East and straight on a game drive through the park and then arive at Voi Lodge around 1pm for lunch. Then you can enjoy the amazing views, pool, etc and at 4pm you go on the second drive of the day untill around 6.30pm. Then the rest of the evening is yours. Out again at 7am and on to Tsavo West, again straight on the first drive on the way to Ngulia. Then lunch etc, out again at 4pm til 7pm ishand the rest of the night yours. (This is also where they bait a Leopard to come at night) Up next morning and drive back to your hotel via a few places of interest arriving in Mombasa area around 1pm.

All the reps use Somak so I would have a word with a driver when he comes to pick up another group to book and you will cut out the reps charge. Also loads of info on Somak to book yourselves on the phone.

Hope this helps

John

Thanks very much. Thats a great help.

Looks like I'll be booking it when we get there.

Thanks again.