RCGS: Classic Kenya 4WD Safari with Patricia Sims

Enjoy a quintessential safari adventure in Lake Nakuru and the Masai Mara with fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, Patricia Sims

No country, perhaps, is more synonymous with a classic African safari than Kenya. Explore the best safari sites in Kenya led by an expert local safari guide and hosted by award-winning Canadian filmmaker, Royal Canadian Geographical Society fellow and founder of World Elephant Day, Patricia Sims. Whether it’s exploring Lake Nakuru National Park, an excellent small park in the Great Rift Valley, or the emblematic Masai Mara, wildlife is abundant. During the migration season, the Mara (as it is affectionately known) is also home to one of the greatest natural spectacles on the planet: millions of wildebeest and zebra crossing a crocodile-filled river on their journey through the savannah.

Sustainable Travel

We work hard to create trips that improve life for the people and places we visit and look after the planet we explore. To read more about sustainable travel ethos and practice, click here, and to find out about the work of the Exodus Travels Foundation click here.

People

How this trip helps improve life for local communities.

• The use of local guides means our customers will be well informed about local traditions and cultural-social sensitivities.
• This trip brings income and opportunity to the destination community through the inclusion of locally owned accommodation and restaurants, the emphasis on eating locally produced food, and by supporting other local enterprises.

Places

How this trip helps protect and conserve local landscapes and nature.

• Read about our commitment to nature protection and restoration here, including our rewilding commitment for every customer who travels.
• By travelling in a small group, led by a local guide, we ‘tread lightly’ to minimise our impact on local resources and the environment.
• We have game drives in the Masai Mara National Reserve and Lake Nakuru National Park where park fees go towards community and environmental initiatives in the area.
• Our trips adhere to ABTA’s industry-leading animal welfare guidelines to ensure the best possible practices with regard to working animals and wildlife viewing. Our animal welfare policy can be found here.
• We work with our partners on the ground to proactively eliminate or reduce waste, for example eliminating all single-use plastic water bottles and instead providing refills for reusable bottles.

Planet

How we seek to keep the carbon footprint of this trip low.

• Read about our climate action here, including our carbon reduction and compensation commitments.
• By favouring smaller, locally run campsites, we have a much smaller impact on the surrounding environments.
• Most meals use local ingredients which have not had to have been transported long distances.

Tips for sustainable travel on this trip

Extra steps you could take to minimise your impact when travelling.

• Leave no trace: We do all we can to ensure we leave no rubbish behind in the wild and beautiful places we visit; we ask that you do the same. If there are no recycling facilities in-country, we’d ask you to consider bringing recyclable materials home with you.
• Plastic waste reduction: Please bring your own reusable water bottle on this trip; filtered water will be provided where tap water is not drinkable.

Visa

Kenya

Travellers from the UK, US and EU normally need a visa to enter Kenya. Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.

Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

• Australia: www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/africa/kenya
• Canada: www.travel.gc.ca/destinations/kenya
• United Kingdom: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/kenya/entry-requirements
• USA: www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Kenya.html

Kenyan visas are exclusively issued electronically, with passengers required to obtain their e-visas before departure. For the latest information, contact your local Kenyan High Commission or consulate. For information about the online application process, visit www.evisa.go.ke/evisa.html.

For the application process, you need details of the itinerary, plus a photo (5.5cm x 5.5cm), and a scanned or photographed copy of your passport’s bio/photo page. You also need to provide an address, either your start hotel's address (which is supplied in your Final Joining Instructions sent to you before the trip begins) or your host’s address. For the latter, please use the following details:

Peak East Africa LTD
PO BOX 502-00200
Kombe Road (Off Bogani Road), Karen,
Nairobi, Kenya
Telephone: +254 733 523 813 (office)

The cost of the visa is US$50 for a single-entry visa and US$100 for an East Africa Visa (valid to travel in Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda). You first need to register with the ecitizens website (you'll need a 500px x 500px photo) before you can apply. For the application process, you need details of the accommodation used (which we will send you) and itinerary, plus a photo (5.5cm x 5.5cm), and a scanned or photographed copy of your passport’s bio/photo page.

If, after visiting Kenya, you will also travel to Uganda and Rwanda, you may apply for an East Africa Visa, which covers all three countries. Please contact the Kenyan High Commission to obtain more information about the combined visa from Kenya.

Vaccination

Kenya

There are no required vaccinations. However, recommended vaccinations include hepatitis A, polio, tetanus, typhoid, cholera, hepatitis B, meningococcal disease, rabies, tuberculosis and yellow fever. You will also need a yellow fever vaccination certificate if arriving from a country with risk of yellow fever transmission. Please confirm with your doctor or travel clinic.

Malaria prophylaxis is essential and we suggest you seek advice from your doctor or travel clinic about which to take. Additionally, dengue fever, a tropical viral disease spread by daytime biting mosquitoes, is a known risk in places visited. There is currently no vaccine or prophylaxis available, so take the usual precautions to avoid mosquito bites.

Eating and Drinking

All breakfasts, five lunches and five dinners are included.

Meals are generally taken at the lodge or camp but we may take pack lunches with us depending on the planned activities and game drives on a particular day.

Breakfasts are generally a selection of fruit, cereal, yogurt and bread, and, potentially, some cooked elements.

Lunches and dinners are normally a variety of European and local dishes.

There is also tea served before the late afternoon game drive in the Masai Mara.

Vegetarians are well catered for but please inform us before departure of any special dietary requests.

Water

Purified water is provided by the guide throughout your trip from large drums carried on top of the vehicles, so you need only bring a reusable water bottle. In the lodges, generally, one bottle of water is provided free of charge so we suggest you fill your water bottle before you leave the vehicles for the evening. Otherwise, you can purchase water at the lodge bar.

Weather

Kenya straddles the equator, so showers can occur at any time of year; however, the wettest period is April and May (we have no departures then). Due to the altitude of both Elementaita/Nakuru (5,250ft/1,600m) and the Masai Mara (5,085ft/1,550m) the night-time temperature is beautiful, cool yet not cold. Daytime temperatures can get as high as 30C (86F) but with low humidity. There can be light rains at the end of the year, which cuts down the dust and brings out the colours. In the wet, the roads can become difficult and a little patience (and pushing!) may be required. Please be aware, in recent years weather patterns have changed and are now somewhat unpredictable.

Is this trip for you?

This trip is rated Activity Level 1 (Leisurely).

It is a small-group safari in 4x4 Toyota Landcruisers with two long drives. Most of the roads are reasonably good, other than the access road from Narok to the Masai Mara (two hours) and some roads within the national parks. Driving in the reserves can be quite rough and is often on dirt roads. In wet weather, driving conditions become more difficult and a little patience may be required at times.

As well as some very exciting game drives, there is the opportunity for a short nature walk in the Masai Mara. There are many chances of seeing countless animals and birds, including rare and endangered creatures.

January to March brings warmer weather and fewer tourists to the area. From March to April, the rainy season offers the opportunity for unique sightings, such as wildebeest and other animals calving in anticipation of the rains.