Travel Tips

What type of clothing is most appropriate to bring to Kenya?

• T-shirts

• Pants

How much spending money should you bring?

What legal documents are necessary to have when you travel?

*Passport

*Yellow Card

(make copies of everything in case you lose the originals)

What shots do need to get before you leave?

Vaccines Needed to Travel to Kenya:

• Yellow Fever – a yellow fever vaccination certificate is required for travelers over 1 year of age coming from countries with risk of yellow fever transmission.

• Hepatitis A – recommended for all travelers

• Hepatitis B – recommended for prolonged stays, frequent short stays, adventure travelers, travelers with the possibility of acupuncture, dental work, or tattooing, all health care workers

• Influenza

• Meningococcal meningitis – Quadrivalent vaccine (A, C, Y, W-135) – recommended for travelers, especially aid and refugee workers, going to the far northwest region near the borders with Sudan and northern Uganda.

• Rabies – risk is presumed to occur in most parts of Kenya – recommended for stays at locations more than 24 hours travel from a reliable source of human rabies immune globulin and rabies vaccine for post-exposure treatment

• Typhoid – recommended for all travelers

• Polio Booster - recommended for all travelers

Routine vaccinations:

• Measles – many countries recommend that adults need to have had only 1 countable dose at any time during their life

• Tetanus/diphtheria – adequate primary series plus 1 dose of Td (or Tdap) within the last 10 years

• Varicella – indicated for all persons born outside the U.S. or born in the U.S. after 1979, except for persons with an adequate vaccination history (2 lifetime doses), reliable evidence of previous infection, or lab confirmation of immunity

• Malaria - Take evening and night insect precautions. Medicines that protect against malaria include mefloquine (Lariam), doxycycline, or atovaquone/proguanil (Malarone). Primaquine may be used in special circumstances. Discuss what the best drug for you is with your health care provider.

-Seek immediate medical attention for any fever of flu-like illness occurring within 3 months of your return home. Be sure to tell your health care provider your travel history.

How far ahead should you start planning?

*As soon as you get the notice that you're traveling. The sooner the better. Make things easier on yourself.

How long does it take to get to Khwisero? What means of transportation must you take to get to your destination?

• Total airtime generally is about 30 hours per person. Once in Nairobi, travelers stay at the Nairobi Youth Hostel for one or two nights. Travelers then take an 8 hour bus ride on the Easy Coach bus (akin to Greyhound) from Nairobi to Khwisero in northwestern Kenya.

What items should you not bring?

• As a general rule, it is recommended to travel as light as possible. Travelers have to lug all of their stuff around cities and towns, on buses and in taxis, and to remote places.

Are there any items that you wish you had brought that could have made life easier?

• Can of Lysol, ziploc bags, Wet Wipes
• Packing List

How much and of what type of luggage should you bring?

• Baggage with wheels is strongly recommended. A large backpacking bag or wheeled duffel for the piece of checked luggage with a smaller backpack as a carry-on is common. A couple changes of clothes should do since clothes can be washed in Khwisero.

How do you do laundry and how often do you get to do it?

• Laundry is usually done in large plastic buckets, generally once or twice a week. A week's worth of clothes is recommended. However, it is helpful to pack a few extra pairs of underwear.

How do you bathe and how often?

• Baths are taken out of plastic buckets, with a cup for the "shower effect". A wash cloth is useful, as most bath situations are spot-washing. Depending on the location and availability to water, baths are provided from every other day to every four days.

What are the different housing accommodations offered?