African Contrasts
Etosha National Park
Chobe Park Game Drive
Mikuma National Park
Lake Malawi
Kande Beach Resort
Victoria Falls
Kalahari Desert
Namib Naukluft Park
Orange River
Sossusvlei sand dunes
Stellenbosch
Caprivi Strip
Cedarburg
Etosha Pan National Park
Fish River Canyon
Citrusdal
Road tolls & taxes
Use of comprehensive cooking and camping equipment – tents + sleeping mattresses on board
Campsite fees
Services of professional crew
The main sites listed in the trip dossier
Food – 2 meals a day whilst on the truck
Zanzibar Island stay + ferry
International flight transfers and taxes
Pre and Post tour Accommodation (can be arranged at time of booking)
Lunches & meals out
Items listed in ‘Optional activities’ section
Items of a personal nature & spending money
Travel Insurance and Visas
Local Tour Payment
Payable in £ Pounds
Sterling
cash but you can pay in $US dollars or Euros cash at the current cross exchange
rate on date of departure, Check with the driver for the rate. Please pay this
to the driver on departure. Traveler’s Cheques, cards or other forms of
payment are not accepted.
We require the local payment as we are unable to reliably transfer foreign currency required to operate the tour. It is for this reason that we ask for a part of your tour payment to be paid on the first day, directly to your driver. The Local Payment is not a Food Kitty. Whilst it does pay for the food as per itinerary(two meals day whilst on the truck), it also covers; camping accommodation cost, local tolls and taxes and other payments required to make the tour run successfully. It is administered by the driver/guide and is not refundable.
All Local Payment amounts are subject to change without notice. Changes are very rare and are normally due to a sudden or unexpected price increase by a local service provider or National Park.
Although the LP is better for the Driver in USD, with the ever fluctuating exchange rates we feel it is fairer to advertise in Pounds as it is a far more stable amount. We can then worry about the exchange rate rather than you.
Serengeti National Park
Ngorongoro Crater
Zanzibar Island
More optional activities are available on the Optional Activities page.
Serengeti Park and Ngorongoro Crater - The options for seeing these parks are either (1) an overnight trip to Ngorongoro Crater or (2) a two night trip to both Serengeti Park and Ngorongoro Crater. The Serengeti can only be reached by twice passing through Ngorongoro Crater. For this we arrange to hire 4x4 vehicles from Arusha. While here it’s well worth seeing both parks; they are the best wildlife parks in the world. The side trip is expensive, but most of the cost goes towards park entrance fees and therefore to park upkeep and anti poaching. The Tanzanian Park Authority often change the fees with short notice so prices can increase.
There are times when we will have some long
drives in order to cover big distances, but on most days that we travel, we
only move for half the day. The African landscape and people you pass are never
boring and most find it hard to put their head down and read whilst on the
road, for fear of missing something. Most evenings we pull into camp and you
and your tent partner will put up your tent, then either relax with a cool drink,
or get involved in a local activity. Breakfast is usually cereal, toast, tea,
and coffee, with the occasional cooked breakfast. Lunch, if you eat on the truck
is cold.
Camping
Tents
are provided and all have sewn in floors and mosquito netting. You will need to
bring with you a sleeping bag, sleep sheet, foam roll mat or airbed. Bring a
mosquito net only if you want to sleep outside of your tent, these can be bought
in
Africa.
Participation
Participation
is essential. A successful and smooth tour depends very much on
everyone taking part in the duties that arise i.e. cooking, vehicle
cleaning and food shopping. With this in mind your crew will organize
groups on a rotating roster. The most successful tours are those where
everyone becomes involved as much as possible. These are not luxury
tours, so join in! In the end the more you put in the more you get out.
Spending Money
For side trips and visas you need $US cash. Not having enough US$ cash is
normally the biggest spending money problem people face on the trip. The dilemma
been that though cash is easiest you risk losing your money with no chance of
getting it back. For general spending £10 - £30 a day is a good start excluding side trips.
Depending on how much you drink, eat out and the souvenirs you buy. The best way
to bring your money for of ease of exchange and safety is 1/3 cash in US$, 1/3
Travelers cheques in either US$ or Pounds sterling and 1/3 in money on your
credit card. Credit cards - bring at least two credit/debit cards as one might be rejected
by the cash machine. Tell your bank before you travel to stop them blocking your
card. In East and Southern Africa ATM machines are available about every three
days - ATM machines only pay out local currency. Visa credit and debit
cards are better than MasterCard/American Express/ Maestro/Cirrus for
acceptability. Money Gram and Western Union - If you’re concerned about
carrying cash and knowing the pain travelers cheques are to cash get someone to
MoneyGram or Western Union funds to you as you travel on your trips. On their
websites are the locations of their offices in Africa. MoneyGram International - moneygram.com or Western
Union - westernunion.com On most borders you can change excess
left over currency for the next country's money.
Group Size
The average number of passengers on an Africa tour is normally between 12 - 18,
with a maximum of 26 and minimum of 8.
We can book pre tour accommodation at our departure hotel/hostel for you if you provide us with your arrival details. You will need to pay for your room upon arrival. Post tour accommodation can be booked en-route with the help of your crew.
The tour departs from
Karen Camp
Marula Lane,
off
Karen Road
Karen, Nairobi.
Tel.
+254 (0) 733 703510, +254 (0) 723 314053, +254 (0) 20 883475
web: www.karencamp.com
email: booking@karencamp.com
Nairobi: If you would like to stay at the Karen Camp, please mention it at the time of booking and we can book it for you or book via the above link.
Deluxe Double En-suite $80.00 USD
Double / Twin En-Suite $50.00 USD
Single En-Suite
$40.00 USD
Double / Twin Share Bath $40.00 USD
Dormitory
(Per Person) $20.00 USD
*Prices are subject to change
If you would like the security of an airport pickup provide us with your flight details at the time of booking - cost $US30 per person, payable locally. After immigration and customs are exchange bureaus. Turn right and on the right hand side you will see Planet Safaris at whose counter you will meet the driver. You pay for the taxi when you arrive at camp. For your safety and convenience use this service. Make sure you reach the Planet counter ignoring taxi toutswho will over chargeand may not know where you want to go.
Please see our Visa and Passport page for further information: Visas + Passports
Visas are not included in the tour price or recommended daily spending money. Your passport should be valid for at least 6 months with 5 clear pages, 20 for the Trans Africa. If you have dual nationality you should use only one passport. Check what visas you need before departure with the relevant consulates or with www.embassyworld.com
AFRICA – Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe – visas are required by most nationalities, but for most these can be obtained on entry. Or if preferred you can get them from your local embassy before you travel. Botswana, Namibia and South Africa – visas are not required by most passport holders.
TRANS AFRICA – Visas needed for most countries. These we normally get on route.
For information on the location of your nearest embassy or consulate we recommend the following website: yahoo.com/Government/Embassies_and_Consulates/ . For current updates on visa information you can try the website www.visaproject.com