Welcome to Kenya

Welcome to Kenya. Discover the Magic of Africa

Mt. Kenya

Snow capped Mt Kenya - simply beautiful

Kenya- the facts on Safari Vacations

Photo courtesy of Dr. Brager 

Kenya is a country situated in East Africa. For a traveler coming here for the first time, Nairobi is the capital city. Two other major cities include: Mombasa and Kisumu.  Kenya is famous for its Safaris and beach holidays. Kenya’s time zone lies in the East African Standard Time Zone which is 3 hours ahead of the Greenwich Mean Time.

Nairobi’s weather is cool while that of Mombasa and Kisumu is hot and humid.  Those planning safari trips need to be well prepared for their adventurous journey. For starters Safari is a Swahili word that means a journey. Kenya has one of the best options to enjoy a Safari. There are many wildlife sanctuaries and game parks to choose from.

You can either plan to have the safari through a road trip or using internal flights to the game parks. There are also options available for you to see nature and wildlife. You can decide to take a balloon safari or a game drive or a walking safari to see the flora and fauna.

To get the most out of your trip while you go for game drive plan the drives either very early in the morning or at night; you will be able to see the animals better at these times as they get out to hunt. The animals also avoid the hot scorching sun during the day.

Every park has entry fees for vehicles and persons. The roads within the park are accessible to any kind of vehicle however during the rainy season it is advisable to have a four wheel drive vehicle.

How to redeem your miles with Kenya Airways

Now that you have accumulated your miles you can redeem them in many ways. Every airline has their way of redeeming miles. Below are ways to redeem your miles with airlines that land at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport

Kenya Airways

You can use your award miles for various awards. Award tickets and upgrades. You can use KQ- Msafiri Miles against award tickes on KQ Flights both in economy and business class, depending on the total accumulated miles you want to redeem.

Miles required for a return economy class ticket

5,000miles – a local ticket (in Kenya)

12,500 miles – ticket to any destination in Africa or Dubai

20,000miles- a ticket to destinations beyond Africa and Dubai (LHR, AMS, CDG, CAN, BOM, BKK, HKG)

Miles required for a return business class ticket

10,000miles – a local ticket in Kenya

25,000miles – a ticket to any destination in Africa or to Dubai

40,000miles – a ticket to destinations beyond Africa and Dubai (LHR, AMS, CDG, CAN, BOM, BKK, HKG)

Upgrade from economy to business class

 You can upgrade your economy class ticket to business class using your KQ- Msafiri Miles. Miles required for upgrading

6250miles- a local upgrade in Kenya

7500miles-  upgrade to any destination in Africa or to Dubai

10,000miles – upgrade to destination beyond Africa and Dubai (LHR, AMS, CDG, CAN, BOM, BKK, HKG)

To get further assistance on redeeming miles you can contact: www.kqmsafiri.com

Cheap Family Holidays

The holidays are almost here with us and planning for these trips can be time consuming. Most families are thinking about going on holiday and the budget is a very important factor. Mombasa is a great destination for families. There are lots of cheap all inclusive accommodation options.kaskazi beach hotel is one such hotel offering great offers for local and international tourists visiting the Kenyan coast during the December holidays.



The rooms are spacious and children below the age of 5 years get free accommodation, children between 6 and 14 years  pay 50% of the adult costs. A room with 2-3 children sharing costs 75% of the adult rate. This is an all inclusive place with activities such as diving, fishing, kite surfing, wind surfing, quad biking, boat tours and dhow safaris. The activities however tend to be pricey ranging from Ksh. 11,000.

Planning a Safari Getaway

Planning a safari getaway is not something you do everyday. When planning one where do you start? First decide on the destination. Will you be staying locally?, travelling regionally or abroad? Your destination will also be largely dependent on your budget.

Second thing to think about when planning would be to select the hotel.There are several ways to do this: you can go through travel guides, magazines such as www.eadestination.com give valuable insights on travel destinations and hotel information, travel sites such as www.kuoni.co.uk which gives you a list of destinations by country and you can easily choose your preferred destination.

http://www.tripadvisor.com will also give you information about a hotel and you can always check how the hotel is from reviews from previous customer which works reliably like word of mouth. You can also go directly to the hotel sites and see what they have to offer, many do offer lower rates when you book from their site.

Lets get planning.

5 Important factors for a honeymoon couple 

Dream Location:

5 Factors to consider when planning your honeymoon

A dream location is one that is envisioned to be perfect, providing all the couple needs from, luxury accommodation, pampering to activities of fun. A dream location should be able to cater to at least one of the above.

Reasonable price:

After planning a wedding a couple is most of the time left with little reserves, therefore the honeymoon package should be reasonable and within the couple’s budget, a price that will be able to provide the couple with a comfortable place to stay and affordable activities and meals to indulge in.

Comfortable accommodation: 

This is very important; a lot of intimacy and time will be spent in the room. The couples need to be provided with some luxury honeymoon goodies once they arrive.

Good quality food: 

Food is important and a couple needs to feel their money’s worth with delicious and tantalizing food.

Enjoyable activities:

When planning take into consideration what activities the couple love to indulge in, even couples planning the honeymoons themselves need to remember that they will not just go for a honeymoon and stay in the room the whole time. Consideration needs to be put on the activities both couples enjoy doing .

 Month by Month Holiday Planning Timeline

Planning your holiday takes time, from your honeymoon, getaway or annual vacation, the overall planning needs to have everything taken into consideration to make sure no part of the planning is left out.

Below is a checklist of things to do before your intended date of travel.

9       Months to 1 Year Before                 

• Have a vision of how you want your vacation to be. If it’s the honeymoon planning; as the groom do you want it to be a surprise? Or are you planning the honeymoon together with your fiancee? If it’s the family holiday consider the same are you planning the holiday as a surprise for your family and what would you enjoy doing together?
• The time of year is important because it helps you know what to expect during your holiday and also plan an effective budget and take advantage of the offers available
• Pick your holiday destination based on the best weather for your month of travel
• Determine a budget.
• Research your chosen destination.
• Check travel-warning sites about your destination
• Find a travel agent who specializes in your destination or holiday type, or do the research yourself. Ask friends for insights

6 Months to 9 Months Before

• Book airline reservations, considering if you are travelling out of the country.
• Time schedules.
• Food specifications.
• Seat assignment.
• Check luggage allowance
•   Buy travel insurance
• Reserve a rental car, bus or train tickets.
• Keep all reservation confirmations and information organized.
• Find out whether the destination of travel needs vaccinations or medical clearances.
• Book resort, hotel or cruise:

                          Choose type of room and specify for preferred view, floor or location.

• Amenities preferred in-room.
• Specify that this is your honeymoon for added bonuses
• Make plans for transfers to and from your place of accommodation.

3 Months to 6 Months Before         

·       Apply for your passport, children’s passports and travel documents or renew them if travelling internationally.

·       Confirm the name on your tickets and passport match.

·       Research requirements for travel visas and apply for a visa if necessary.

·       Make an appointment with your doctor for any vaccinations, testing or prescriptions needed.

·       Book excursions, shows or special dinners.

·       Buy luggage. Or ask someone to borrow some pieces.

·       Ask around to borrow any specialty clothing or equipment.

1 Month Before

• Confirm travel reservations including hotel, air and excursions.
• Make reservations for any honeymoon beauty treatments.
• Check bank accounts and credit cards for ample funds
• Find out what adaptors or voltage converters are needed for your location to prevent ruining your equipment.

1 Week Before

• Begin packing, Pick up any clothing, equipment or luggage that you’re borrowing.
• Confirm travel reservations and flight schedules.
• Arrange for the transportation of your bags to your wedding night suite or other location from where you’re departing.
• Exchange money to foreign currency if travelling abroad
• Pick up all tickets or reservations from travel agent.
• Check weather reports for destination.

3 Days Before

• Label your luggage and place resort information inside bag in case your bag is lost.
• Confirm transportation for coming home from the airport.

Day of Departure

• Confirm flight schedules.
• Make sure all passports, visas, money, Ids and paperwork are easily accessible and secure in carry-on bag.
• Arrive at the airport early

Happy traveling :-) 

How to simply budget your honeymoon

Planning your honeymoon? Below is a simple worksheet that caters for what you need for your travel.

Honeymooner’s budget worksheet

Expenses	Item	Essential Cost	Optional Cost
Pre-honeymoon
	Clothing
	Beauty
	Medical items
	Luggage
Transportation
	Air fare
	Train fare
	Self drive fuel
	Taxi fare
Travel-related expenses
	Passports
	Visa fees
	Travel insurance
	Vaccinations
	Miscellaneous
Accommodations
	Room rate per day
Food and Beverages
	Breakfast/lunch per day
	Dinner per day
	Alcoholic drinks
	Non alcoholic drinks
Activities/Entertainment
	Tour guides/ excursions
	Bike rides
	Fishing/boat rides
	Golf
	Snorkel and scuba rentals
	Spa treatments
	Night entertainment
	Shopping
	Miscellaneous activities
Total