Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, is well served by a number of international air carriers, including the national carrier, Kenya Airways. Other airlines currently flying direct to the capital include British Airways, KLM / AirFrance, Lufthansa, Turkish Airways, Etihad, Emirates, Qatar Airways, with numerous code-share options available. For an up-to-date schedule, please consult your preferred travel agent or online resource.
Many nationalities, including the US and the UK, require a visa to enter Kenya, prior to arrival. A single-entry visa must be obtained before arriving in the country, which allows you to remain in Kenya for up to 90 days. The single- entry visa’s current fee is US$51 (subject to change), and obtainable through the eCitizen website (manual applications are not accepted). For a list of nationalities requiring a visa, please refer here.
Please make sure your passport is valid for a minimum of six (6) months after your journey ends and you should have a minimum of two (2) blank visa pages for entry and exit stamps.
All passengers travelling into and out of Kenya are required to abide by the travel, health and COVID-19-related requirements of Kenya and any other destination country. Please see the latest Kenyan government COVID-19 Travel Requirements for more details and the requirements below.
All travellers are required to provide a valid vaccination certificate for entry into Kenya. Only the following categories are exempt from vaccination:
- If you have medical conditions that prevent you from being vaccinated. In this case, you must provide a signed / stamped letter from a recognised medical practitioner to that effect.
- If you have recovered from an active COVID-19 infection or received convalescent plasma in the previous 90 days — a signed / stamped letter from a recognised medical practitioner must be provided.
Upon arrival, please provide the Health Official with the printed copy of your Global Haven QR code.
All unvaccinated travellers must undergo a rapid antigen test at their own cost (US$30) upon arrival to JKIA. Anyone who tests positive on this must undertake a PCR test at their own cost (US$50) and self-isolate.
Anyone arriving through any port of entry who exhibits flu-like symptoms must fill in the Passenger Locator Form on the ‘jitenge’ platform: https://ears.health.go.ke/airline_registration/. Regardless of age or vaccination status, a rapid antigen test must be taken at the traveller’s own cost. If the results are positive, they must undergo a Covid-19 PCR test at their own cost and self-isolate.
Costs of these tests are subject to change. If you are fully vaccinated, you are exempt from testing.
Other approved testing sites can be found here: https://kcaa.or.ke/covid- 19/approved-pcr-testing-labs.
Testing and other requirements depend on which airline you’ll be departing with and the particular travel, health and COVID-19 related requirements of your destination country.
If you are travelling to a country that requires antigen testing some hours before you travel, you can undertake a pre-travel rapid antigen test at the Ministry of Health’s Port Health facility at JKIA airport. The results will be uploaded to the Trusted Travel platform.
If you require testing for a connection for your onward travels from Spirit of the Masai Mara, the lodge team can arrange for testing to be done on site. Please speak with your travel planner to arrange.
Many countries require travellers to have a Yellow Fever certificate prior to returning from a visit to Kenya, including children from the age of 9 months. For updated advice, we recommend consulting the relevant pages on the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) website, and checking their list of specific country requirements: https://www.who.int/
Malaria is present in Kenya, although less so in the higher altitudes. Regardless, for this, and for any other vaccinations, we recommend that you consult a specialist travel physician or travel clinic prior to travelling.
All guests should get travel insurance prior to their safari and check that their health provider covers their travel and any hospital admissions while in Kenya.
Please note that scheduled flights to the Mara carry a luggage restriction of 15 kg (33 lbs) per person in soft bags, including carry-ons, camera equipment, etc. The dimensions of the bag should not be more than 58 cm (23 in) long x 33 cm (13 inches) high x 25cm (10 in) wide. The carriage of excess baggage is at the sole discretion of the airline and may be subject to additional charges. Soft bags and/or storage are available at Wilson Airport should these be required.
Our suggestions on what to wear and what to travel with:
• Comfortable cotton clothing
• A light jacket and/or warm fleece
• Comfortable walking shoes
• Sunhat, sunglasses, sun block
• Bathing suit
• An extra pair of reading glasses
• Camera, binoculars, extra memory cards, charging equipment
In an effort to reduce the impact on the environment, Kenya made the use and importation of all plastic bags illegal. The ban applies to carrier bags, flat bags, zip lock bags, etc. with extremely severe consequences if not complied with. Plastic bags (including those from duty-free shopping) are known to be confiscated upon arrival in Nairobi.
