Frequently Asked Questions

Located on the Equator, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda & Rwanda have no definitive seasons like the Northern and Southern hemispheres. East Africa has a pleasant climate all year round and is perfect for safaris & game viewing during any season. 

We have two rainy seasons: 

• The short rains which occur from late October through November 
• The long rains which occur from late March to end of May
• April & May are GREEN season months which are our “quiet time” where you simply get the “best deal”! Even though more rain is anticipated than usual, one experiences fantastic game viewing, mostly exclusive with very few vehicles in the vicinity as the parks are less frequented. 

The famous annual Great Migration usually starts in the Southern Serengeti popularly known as Ndutu with the Wildebeest calving during end of January to March and moves onto Western / Northern Serengeti in May / June. The larger herds cross over into the Maasai Mara from July to October. This is considered to be the peak season for East Africa along with the Christmas & New Year seasons.

Both the Serengeti & Maasai Mara offer excellent game viewing all year round. A good time to travel is January to March and particularly late October / November. Rates are more reasonable too during these months than the peak season. 

Uganda & Rwanda are famous for their Gorilla Trekking which can be done all year round. Rates for permits are the same without any low / high season period.

We don’t rush our guests! Game viewing and our stunning landscapes are best enjoyed with ample time! Hence, we always recommend that you stay for a minimum of 3 nights in one location, allowing you 2 full days to enjoy the area and the various activities offered. Where only one night is adequate, we will advise you.

Safaris can range from 1 to 14 days on average depending on your time & budget and are generally quite expensive. However, you get to see the most varied ecosystems and wildlife species in Africa that you won’t be able to view anywhere else in the world! East Africa is one of the LAST & BEST locations for game viewing! We recommend a minimum of 6 nights / 7 days in two different locations but can extend and custom make the itinerary to suit your interest and budget. A pleasant way to end your Safari is with a beach holiday to the Kenyan Coast or Zanzibar Island!

Once you send us an enquiry, we shall assign one of our experienced Tour Consultants to help design the Safari of your dreams! With our extensive knowledge we’re able to give you best advice and recommendations to suit your interest.
We are dedicated to making your trip a memorable experience in every aspect! We would need to know the number of persons traveling, if there any children in the group and their ages, the number of days you have available, travel dates if known and your budget / interest.

International airfares are NOT included in quotes but we can recommend agencies or travel sites that you can use. We purely take care of ground arrangements in Kenya / Tanzania / Uganda & Rwanda. These include your arrival / departure transfers, any internal flights or regional flights as well as all your accommodation / Inland transportation / food costs as stated in your “includes / excludes section of itinerary”.

We highly recommend for every traveler to book a medical cover/insurance from their country of origin. Sunworld Safaris is committed to excellence in every aspect of your trip experience, especially when it comes to safety. That’s why we are a Global Rescue Safe Travel Partner.
Global Rescue is an industry leader, providing medical and security advisory and evacuation services to travelers around the world. Global Rescue offers field rescue from the point of your injury or illness. With operations centers staffed 24/7/365 by experienced personnel, when you call Global Rescue you speak to a real person on the first call to get you the help you need.

Purchase a Global Rescue membership for your next adventure and travel with peace of mind. Single-trip, annual and family options are available – just ask us to learn more

We do also provide an AMREF MEDICAL cover (flying Doctors Service, pls. ensure it is listed in your inclusions) which offers air evacuation only from parks/reserves to Nairobi to a local well-renowned hospital with good medical care).

For AMREF emergency services call:
+254 (0) 206 992 222
+254 (0) 789 133 133

We accept payments via bank transfer, online transaction or credit card payment. Pls. note that all credit card payments incur a surcharge of 5%.

Cash payments are acceptable, however we do not encourage it.

We plan / tailor most safaris to suit your needs! The itineraries outlined on our website are examples and any of these packages can be booked or simply modified to suit your interest / budget & time availability. Our packages are completely flexible and can start on ANY day as long as there is room availability (except for group tours with fixed departure dates).

We offer some group safaris with fixed departure dates all year round which include “Save the Elephant Safari”, “Photographic Safaris” and “short Mara Road Safaris”.  As a single traveler, it’s often daunting to travel alone and our Group departures offer a safe & informative social trip that anyone can join. Due to limited departure dates, we usually put together AIR PACKAGES for single travelers where each location is organized with internal flights and game drives in vehicles shared with other guests in the respective “camp / lodge vehicle”.

Most of our Safaris are “Private Safaris” whereby you have your own designated 4 wheel drive vehicle with an allocated guide and you may choose to do a combination of “road & air travel” between game parks &reserves. The vehicle is not shared with other travelers and you can determine the “length” of each game drive as well as frequency. Many guests prefer to go out for long game drives without a time limitation and a packed meal (breakfast or lunch). Various other activities of your choice can be added on to enhance your safari experience for e.g. “guided walks”, balloon safaris, bush dinners & breakfasts, private sun downers & cocktails, visits to local villages, horse riding, hiking etc.

One can now apply for the Kenyan Visa on-line at least 07 days prior your arrival date. Please log on to https://evisa.go.ke/.

A valid passport with a minimum of 6 months validity and at least two blank pages is mandatory.

For on-line visas, we recommend that you fill out the forms in advance as per links provided below. 
Visiting Kenya: https://evisa.go.ke/
Visiting Tanzania: https://immigration.go.tz/
Visiting Uganda: https://visas.immigration.go.ug/
Visiting Rwanda: https://irembo.gov.rw/

Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda require specific nationalities to hold a valid yellow fever vaccination certificate. Depending on your country of origin, additional vaccination certificates may be required. Please make sure you discuss this with your tours consultant prior to travel.

When entirely on a “road safari” you will have the same guide throughout your trip. If you fly between locations, we may need to allocate different guides to you.

The perfect countries to take children on Safari are Kenya & Tanzania with Kenya being “more child friendly” and the best destination to have a “first time safari”. Children of any age can “join” a safari whereby we do recommend that your child is at least 3 years of age as it is harder to travel with infants. Many properties offer family rooms or family suites which are either one larger room / tent or simply inter-connecting rooms / tents. We do recommend that you check driving distances with your consultant. We offer specific “FAMILY SAFARIS” which are tried and tested and each location offers unique activities to choose from.

We mainly package Gorilla Trekking to both Rwanda and Uganda as a safari extension. This can either be done as a pre safari or post safari depending on availability of the permits and accommodations. Children below the age of 16 Yrs are not allowed though they can be left behind at the lodge while the parents go on trekking. Your tours consultant will advise you further on what to bring.

Most camps & lodges offer free Wi-Fi and this can also be arranged for your safari vehicle (for road safaris only). However, when driving between reserves & parks Wi-Fi needs to be requested in advance. Costs for this service may apply. Most of our vehicles have sockets for charging your devices while on the road.  

Kenyan, Tanzanian and Ugandan electrical sockets are UK type, 3 pin square – 220 volts

Rwandan electrical sockets are European type, 2 pin round – 220 volts

The Kenyan climate is very pleasant and variations in altitude and terrain can create contrasts. Generally in the Highlands the climate is cool; elsewhere the temperatures can reach up to 30 / 35 degree centigrade during the day. The coast is humid and balmy.  
July and August are the coolest months and are often overcast especially in the morning. December – mid March is the warmest time of the year. 
Dress code in general is casual on safari and formal in 5 star hotels in Nairobi.

Light cotton clothing during the day such as T-Shirts & shorts. 

Long sleeved shirts and long cotton trousers (or jeans), sweaters for the evening

Windbreaker / rain jacket for the early morning and evening game drives

Sun Hat / cap

Swimming outfit

Good and comfortable walking shoes (e.g. sneakers) for safari.

Flip flops or sandals for lodge / camp and on beach

High-factor sunscreen and after-sun lotion

Toothbrush & toothpaste

Hairbrush

Deodorant or antiperspirant

Medication such as Malaria prophylaxis, motion/air sickness pills, insect repellent, painkillers etc. However, we always recommend that you consult your doctor when it comes to drugs for update information.

Please ensure that your baggage is packed in soft bags and should weigh no more than 15 to a maximum of 20 kgs per person. It’s possible to store luggage during the safari either at your hotel if you are returning thereafter your trip or in our offices. Most lodges have laundry facilities at an extra charge. 
On air safaris the maximum luggage allowance per person is strictly 15 kgs including hand luggage in soft bags. As the aircrafts are small the luggage space is limited.

Kenya– Over 180 countries are allowed to enter Kenya with a negative PCR COVID-19 test. The test must have been taken within 96 hours from the date of sample collection before arrival. This may be subject to change at any time therefore it is best to reconfirm.

This list of countries allowed to enter into Kenya is being reviewed on a daily basis and new countries added as they qualify for quarantine exclusion. The latest list can be accessed at this Link: https://kcaa.or.ke/quarantine-exempted-states

Passengers must hold a QR code showing they have completed a Travelers Health Surveillance Form online prior to departure. This is completed online here: https://ears.health.go.ke/airline_registration/

Passengers must have a body temperature that is not above 5℃ (99.5°F) and must not have any symptoms of coronavirus.

Passengers departing from Kenya are advised to visit authorized laboratories to take COVID-19 RT PCR test and be issued with Trusted Travel (TT) code that can be verified by airlines and Port Health Authorities. The passenger will receive a text message (SMS) from panaBIOS and in addition, an email from the testing laboratory and/or admin@panabios.org with a link to guide the passenger to generate a travel code at panabios.org

Departing passengers can enter the TT code on their certificates online at

www.africacdc.org/trusted-travel. If the test certificate is from a jurisdictions where TT isn’t available they can use www.globalhaven.org or Global Haven via the trusted travel portal www.africacdc.org/trusted-travel to generate a travel stamp. Upon successful validation against destination country requirements, passengers are issued with a secondary travel stamp (TC code) by the system for exit approval for Kenya. Latest requirements for testing (e.g. COVID-19 test requirement must be less than 96 hours old before travel) can be obtained from www.xchange.panabios.org/countries/offers/