TRAVELLER'S GUIDE - Printversion

HEALTH INFORMATION


PACKING LIST
PRE-DEPARTURE-INFO
SOUVENIR

HEALTH INFORMATION

Check with your healthcare provider: you and your family may need routine as well as recommended vaccinations. Before travel, be sure you and your children are up to date on all routine immunizations according to schedules approved by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice (ACIP). See the schedule for adults and the schedule for infants and children. Some schedules can be accelerated for travel. See your doctor at least 4-6 weeks before your trip to allow time for shots to take effect. If it is less than 4 weeks before you leave, you should still see your doctor. It might not be too late to get your shots or medications as well as other information about how to protect yourself from illness and injury while traveling.
Discuss your travel plans and personal health with a health-care provider to determine which vaccines you will need.

Malaria: your risk of malaria may be high in all countries in East Africa, including cities. See your health care provider for a prescription antimalarial drug. For details concerning risk and preventive medications, see Malaria Information for Travelers to East Africa. Malaria is always a serious disease and may be a deadly illness.Humans get malaria from the bite of a mosquito infected with the parasite. Your risk of malaria may be high in all countries in East Africa, including cities. All travelers to East Africa, including infants, children, and former residents of East Africa, may be at risk for malaria. Prevent this serious disease by seeing your health care provider for a prescription antimalarial drug and by protecting yourself against mosquito bites. Avoid buying food or drink from street vendors, because it is relatively easy for such food to become contaminated.
Make sure your food and drinking water are safe. Food and waterborne diseases are the primary cause of illness in travelers. Travelers' diarrhea can be caused by viruses, bacteria, or parasites, which are found throughout East Africa and can contaminate food or water. Infections may cause diarrhea and vomiting (E. coli, Salmonella, cholera, and parasites), fever (typhoid fever and toxoplasmosis), or liver damage ( hepatitis).
Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of injury among travelers. Protect yourself from motor vehicle injuries: avoid drinking and driving; wear your safety belt and place children in age-appropriate restraints in the back seat; follow the local customs and laws regarding pedestrian safety and vehicle speed; obey the rules of the road; and use helmets on bikes, motorcycles, and motor bikes. Avoid boarding an overloaded bus or mini-bus. Where possible, hire a local driver.

How to stay healthy:
When using repellent on a child, apply it to your own hands and then rub them on your child. Avoid children's eyes and mouth and use it sparingly around their ears.
Wash your hands often with soap and water or, if hands are not visibly soiled, use a waterless, alcohol-based hand rub to remove potentially infectious materials from your skin and help prevent disease transmission.
Drink only bottled or boiled water, or carbonated (bubbly) drinks in cans or bottles. Avoid tap water, fountain drinks, and ice cubes. If this is not possible, learn how to make water safer to drink.
Do not handle animals, especially monkeys, dogs, and cats, to avoid bites and serious diseases (including rabies and plague). Consider pre-exposure rabies vaccination if you might have extensive unprotected outdoor exposure in rural areas. For more information, please see Animal-Associated Hazards.
Do not share needles for tattoos, body piercing or injections to prevent infections such as HIV and hepatitis B.

After You Return Home
If you have visited a malaria-risk area, continue taking your antimalarial drug for 4 weeks (mefloquine or doxycycline) or seven days (atovaquone/proguanil) after leaving the risk area.
Malaria is always a serious disease and may be a deadly illness. If you become ill with a fever or flu-like illness either while traveling in a malaria-risk area or after you return home (for up to1 year), you should seek immediate medical attention and should tell your health care provider your travel history.
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PACKING LIST

On safari most people wear safari pants or shorts and a T-shirt during the day, changing in the evening to a long-sleeved shirt and perhaps a change of pants for warmth as well as protection from mosquitoes. If you are particularly sensitive to the sun, a hat, long pants and a loose cotton shirt is essential during the day. Remember that layering your clothing will keep you warmer than relying on one thick item.

What we suggested:
Equipment Suggestions: Additional Items: Additional equipment for July - September departures: Clothings for mountaineering
For moutain lovers special equipments are needed for the better taste of cold weather. As regard to the mountaineering gears, we are delighted in providing the necessary information when you are interested with a hike. Please contact us.
Personal Fisrt Aid Supplies List
Strongly recommend a small kit for personal use. Your own experience and preferences will influence your choices. If you take prescription medicines, bring a supply for your entire trip, as these are often not available on safari as well as on the mountain.
Strongly recommended:
Aspirin or Tylenol for mild pain or headache
Imodium for diarrhea
Topical antibiotic (e.g. Neosporin), for cuts, bites or sores
Insect repellent. The principal active ingredient is N, N-Diethyl-Metatoluamide (DEET), an effective repellent will have 75% content or higher. Liquid drops are best for skin application unless your skin is sensitive, sprays may be taken for clothes. Trip leaders recommend Avon's 'Skin So Soft' body oil as an effective repellent.
Sunscreen or block. Sun can be very strong; a #10 or higher screen will be needed for the first few days if you have light complexion; #4 or 5 may be adequate thereafter.
Bring a hat, bandanna and sunglasses. A-Fil Sun Sticks are best for lips and nostrils
Moleskin or Second Skin adhesive pads for blisters

Packing your bag/duffle:
Please travel light- 12-15kg, depending on which countries you are traveling to, is the maximum limit on the light aircraft charters. You will be allowed two separate pieces of luggage on safari: one duffle bag or backback and one (small light) daypack.

Packing your luggage:
One soft-sided duffle bag. A duffle bag should be strong and durable, preferably of nylon, with full-length zipper and handles. Due to the limited space on the safari vehicles, all your clothing and gear must fit in this bag; no exceptions are allowed. We recommend a minimum duffle of 30" x 14" and a maximum size of 36" x 18"
Remember that 15 kg (33lbs) weight limit applies. Hard suitcases are not appropriate.
1 small padlock for locking suitcase or duffle.1 small soft-sided daypack for camera gear, water bottle and personal items needed during the day. Some packs have side pouches, which are great for storing water bottles.

Emergency Contact:
Give your family details of the trip you are on and dates of departure
As it may be difficult, expensive or even impossible for short periods to contact you, especially when travelling in rural regions, this should only be used in cases requiring your early return or immediate telephone call.
Do not carry all of your money in the same place, or same pocket. That way you will not lose all of it in some unfortunate event. However, please bear in mind that all of the above is only a guideline.

You will need to budget spending money for:
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PRE-DEPARTURE-INFO

We strongly recommend that you purchase insurance to cover baggage loss, accident and trip cancellation and medical as well as medical evacuation insurance. For the most part, trip cancellation insurance will reimburse you for non-refundable air and land expenses should you have to cancel due to family illness, as well as cover any emergency evacuation expenses should you become ill during a trip. You may purchase coverage from your tour agent.
A valid PASSPORT is required for your trip; be sure to check the expiration date. It is a good idea to carry a photocopy of the photo page and the entry stamp page of your passport as an additional piece of identification.

FAQ
Will I have to carry around lots of cash?
Most camps, lodges, and hotels have facilities for accepting payment by credit card.
On safari, almost all major expenses are covered in the costs of accommodation such that any extras will tend to be limited, and can generally be paid by credit card.
Will I be able to communicate with local people?
English is an official language all over East Africa, and is the de facto language of politics and economics. It is taught at school, and is widely spoken in all urban centres. Even in rural areas, many local villagers (especially younger ones who have received schooling) will be able to converse in English. When staying at a private camp or lodge, your guide will very often be able to introduce you to his or her friends and family, and will act as interpreter if necessary.

Tipping
Tipping is entirely at your discretion and you should not feel obligated to tip for any reasA?r?????G?on. If, however, you want to tip because you have received good service, we have enclosed a brief guideline to assist you:
a) Camp, Game Lodge and Specialist Guides - If the guide has done a good job, we recommend US$5 per guest per day for travel to Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe and R50 per guest per day for visitors to Namibia and South Africa.
b) The General Safari Camp/Lodge Staff: Here we recommend about US$3 per guest per day for safari camps in Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe and R30 per guest per day for safari camps in Namibia and South Africa. This should be placed in the communal tipping box to be distributed equally amongst all the staff at a later stage.
c) Hotel Staff: Please allow between R5 and R10 per guest per day for hotel staff e.g. housekeeping, etc.
d) Porterage: Here we recommend about US$1 per person per movement of luggage.
e) Mokoro (Boat) Paddlers and Trackers: We recommend that each paddler receive US$3 per guest per day and the camp/lodge trackers receive R35.00 per guest per day.
f) Transfer and Tour driver/guides: Transfer - R10 per person. For half-day tour - R25 per person and full-day tour - R50 per person.
g) Restaurants/Hotels: 10%-15% is customary on meal accounts, but only if you are satisfied with the service.
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SOUVENIR

Africa has the best souvenirs in the whole world. Ebony carvings make are the best though expensive. We do advise our guests to shop in recognized curio shops. Most curios have immitated carvings and we advice the guests to check properly before perchasing.

The company has set aside a small curio shop on the base of Mount Kenya which offer competative prices varying from $ 5 and above. Some of this money goes to the poor striken families and children rehabilitation around Mount Kenya region. We do request the guests to perchase at least an item from our curio shop to safe the life and support the poor and make their life more meaningful.

 

Nanyuki Spinners & Weavers - A Women's Self Help Project


pceansw@africaonline.co.ke
www.spinnersandweavers.org

Nanyuki is one of Kenya's major centrs of sheep raising. Consequently, it is also a centre for wool production. The Kenya highland wool is extremely favorable for hand spinning of natural yarns. Colour range of the wool is from white to almost black with an interim range of warm browns and greys.
The weavers who practice their craft on hand looms now produce a rnage of handsome rugs and other accessories crafted to bring the African design into the contemporary home. Sweaters, Mohair shawls, rugs, are the most famous products to be sold there.
In 1977, the Presbyterian Church of East Africa introduced a pilot project to train women form the Nanyuki area in the craft of spinning and weaving. some few years later, a nucleus of women is practising this craft on a full time basis.
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I feel that my life won't be complete until I go to Africa!