Meta: Amazing Kenya safari | what our trip from Nigeria to Kenya entailed | how to plan a great safari from Nigeria to Kenya | our fun-filled five-day safari to Kenya | how to schedule a hassle-free Kenya safari.

On a dare, my two friends and I decided to  go on a Kenya safari. I was tasked with the arduous task of planning the excursion, not because I was well versed in such matters, but because my comrades slyly decided not to suffer through the logistics of it all.

To say that I was out of my depth would be an understatement. I was petrified. The furthest I had ever traveled from my hometown of Lagos was Abuja, some 712 Kilometers away.

Not only did this trip entail leaving my home country, but it also involved traveling to the other corner of the continent.

Gathering my wits, I began by finding out what Kenya had to offer as I thought of how we could go about scheduling a memory-filled safari.

The eventual adventure had a lot of thrilling moments, and I learnt plenty along the way.

I have decided to share the trip’s vital details and the crucial aspects you should bear in mind when planning a Kenya safari from Nigeria.

These elements may sometimes mean the difference between an optimal safari experience and a mediocre one.

Travel guides

Initially, I was all geared towards arranging a self-guided trip. What made me reconsider was the realization that I had very little knowledge regarding our destination.

Besides knowing that we wanted to sample the Maasai Mara and the Kenyan wild, we had little idea of where to start.

In my research, I came upon recommendations by several experienced travelers who spoke highly of the benefits of consulting a travel company.

I also realized those travel agents are repositories of crucial information regarding your destination.

That is partly because they are native to your target area and know it like the backs of their hands. They can alert you of the best times to visit particular places or witness certain events.

With this information, I sifted through several Kenya travel companies and evaluated their rates and products. In this regard, I primarily relied on their website information, products, and reviews from past clients.

Considering that we were aiming for a customized Kenya safari, I contacted AJKenyaSafaris, a travel agency that gave me a free Skype consultation and answered all my destination queries.

With the consultant’s guidance, we crafted an itinerary based on our needs and interests.

More importantly, the agency handled all the transportation and accommodation logistics on our behalf.

That was a significant load off our shoulders because, as first-time visitors, we had no clue where to get a dependable safari vehicle suited to our needs. Our travel agents provided us with the option between a toyota land-cruiser or a

Itinerary

It is best to center your itinerary on activities and destinations that you and your company are likely to find interesting.

Luckily for us, we had the mutual goal of witnessing the annual wildebeest migration, which became our focal point upon which we built the rest of the activities.

Although most of our vacation was taken up by the Maasai Mara and its indulgent activities, we also had a chance to tour the Kenyan coast and witness her picturesque vistas.

Some of the activities you can hope to enjoy in the Mara include witnessing a plethora of animals, including the Big Five. At the same time, you may ride aboard a hot air balloon, go on game drives or indulge in walking safaris. 

There is also camping in the Mara, visiting a Maasai village where you sample the artwork created by these fantastic indigenous people.

Luggage

During our interaction with our travel agent, we also got to learn of the best items to pack and what to avoid entirely.

We were advised to avoid packing items in polythene carrier bags as these were banned in Kenya in the spirit of environmental conservation. Carrying such a bag may expose you to criminal liability, and it is best to avoid them altogether.

As for clothing, Kenya being a tropical country, the temperatures are reasonably warm most of the year.

As such, we mostly packed light cotton garments with a couple of lightweight jackets for the cooler evenings.

Other staples you might find helpful to include are sunglasses, hats, sunscreen, and comfortable hiking boots or sneakers if you intend to venture into the bush.

Important documentation

Visitors from Nigeria need visas when traveling to Kenya. The good news is that applying for the permit is easy and hassle-free.

The procedure is done online on the www.evisa.go.ke portal.

The other crucial document you need to have is your passport. Although not mandatory, it is also recommended that you have some travel/ health insurance policy tailored to cater to any eventualities that may arise in the course of your trip.

Visitors with such health coverage or travel indemnity need to ensure that they carry those policy documents as well.

Health requirements

Because of the recent Covid-19 pandemic, the Kenyan government will require you to undergo a mandatory Coronavirus PCR test before traveling to Kenya.

That test must have been conducted within the last 96 hours prior to your scheduled travel date. Also, you must upload your negative test results on the PANABIOS platform on the Ministry of Health (MOH) website.

Any inbound visitor who tests positive for Covid-19 is required to undergo mandatory quarantine at their own expense. It is thus vital that travelers take their pre-travel screening testing seriously to avoid such inconvenience.

Besides the Covid-19 test certificate, inbound travelers must also furnish a Yellow fever vaccination certificate at the port of arrival to Kenya.

Visitors who wish to stay cautious are also advised to ensure they get jabs for Hepatitis A & B, Meningitis, and mumps. However, these infections are relatively rare.