Istanbul to Nairobi

Istanbul to Nairobi
 

What is included

• Transport whilst on tour
• Cooking and camping equipment – tents & mattresses on board
• Campsite fees
  
• Services of  professional crew
• The main sites listed in the trip dossier
• Food – 2 meals a day whilst traveling (breakfast + dinner)
  

What is not included

• 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
  

Local Tour Payment:

Local Tour Payment:             GBP910

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. 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, 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. 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. Travelers cheques, cards or other forms of payment are not accepted.

Life on Tour - What is it like?

As we will be camping and traveling for an extended period of time, you must be prepared for an adventurous challenge. It can be hot and dusty, and will sometimes be out of contact from the rest of the world. This means no telephones, shops or any other mod cons. We need you to participate and work with all members of the expedition. For the Trans we use sturdy purpose-built vehicles for these rugged off-road conditions.

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 we eat on the truck is cold.

NOTE: This Expedition is different from our other departures and other holidays you may have taken – you will go through areas where no tourists go, the roads can be bad, food can be limited to what we have stocked on the truck, campsites are few and basic, visas can be hard to get and communication to the outside world limited or unavailable at times. We guarantee; we’ll break down, that we will have to wait some where we don’t really want to be for visas spare parts or just for someone to open a closed road and we’ll have to dig the truck out of mud and sand. The trip might overrun so finish late; the route can change due to rains, closed roads visa issues, breakdowns and politics. It’s best not to book your return flights home until you finish the trip  To join this trip you need to be prepared to work as part of a team and to share with the others on the trip. Some of the things you’ll never forget are the satisfaction of getting a 16 ton truck unstuck, cooking over open fires after collecting the firewood, pitching a tent and getting it right even when it rains, going to sleep when its dark and waking at dawn and wanting to get out of your sleeping bag to start another day in which you have no idea of what will happen, washing in rivers, not washing and not caring that your dirty, living out side for months, seeing more than you have ever before, trying to learn French Arabic or Swahili and having people understand what you say, finding out just how far places are away from where you started and how different places can be and how unaffected out of the way places are from the world we normally live in. Most people who do an expedition find it a lot of fun though of course hard at times.

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. All campsites have ablution facilities & bars, and some have restaurants, shops and internet facilities. Also, about half the campsites we visit offer the facility to upgrade to hut or cabin accommodation for an extra charge. Washing - Most of the time you can wash every day and at camp sites you can do your laundry or often have it done quite cheaply.

Participation

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. 

Flights

Although it is our intention to finish the trip on the finishing date, in case of delays en route you should allow a couple days at the end of the trip before you fly out. Ensure when you buy your flight that you don't go just on price. Also check conditions and flexibility. Take into consideration that you may be buying your flight well ahead of time and the nature of your trip you are doing. It may be worthwhile paying more to have a flexible flight with a better airline that flies frequently to your destination.

Pre Tour Accommodation in Istanbul

Transfers

The best way to get to town is by taxi, which costs around £12. Buses and metro also run to town.

Passports and Visas

Visas are not included in the tour price or recommended daily spending money.  If you have dual nationality you should use only one passport. Visas are required for most countries visited on this trip.

Bring 10 passport photos with you for visas. If you run out of photos there are photo shops to get more.

Visas are required for most countries visited , we normally get them on the way at the border till we reach Ethiopia, from there we have to get them before we enter each country.  For most nationalities the total visa cost will be about $520 to Istanbul. You'll need 10 blank pages in your passport, which must be valid for 9 months from the date of travel. If you don't have enough pages in your passport you will need to get another passport on the way which with new security regulations on the issue of new passports will be difficult. Passports and inoculation cards with any Israeli stamps must be replaced. Your passport must be valid for at least 9 months from the date of travel. If you don't have enough pages in your passport you will need to get another passport. The lack of western embassies in African countries means you really must leave with enough pages in your passport to do the trip. Passports and inoculation cards with any Israeli stamps must be replaced. Check what visas you need before departure with the relevant consulates or with www.embassyworld.com

Inoculations and Malaria

You have to be vaccinated against Yellow Fever and will need an International Vaccination Certificate to prove this when we cross borders. It is also advisable to be vaccinated against Typhoid; Rabies; Hepatitis A; Hepatitis B; Tetanus; Polio and Meningitis. If possible start your vaccinations two months, but as late as two weeks before departure. Your GP can also inoculate but may take a while to get to get the vaccine in. Medical centre with their own travel educated Doctors can supply up-to-date medical advice and also administer vaccinations.

The risk of contracting malaria in the areas we visit is high. You should be aware that malaria tablets offer only partial protection against malaria and that you should couple taking the tablets with mosquito bite avoidance. The malarial mosquitoes come out at night that is from the beginning of sunset onwards, so from this time you should cover up in long sleeves, jeans or track suit pants plus socks - mosquitoes tend to bite around the feet and ankles. You must also use insect repellent containing Deet, bring some you will need it. The use of repellents and covering up can be as effective as the use of tablets, so by coupling both methods of protection together you should be malaria free. Whatever type of prophylactic you choose to use you should try a sample of it well before you go as adverse reactions can occur. This often happens with the Larium or Mephloquine type of drug. In Africa buy a can of fly/bug spray to clear your tent of mosquitoes and bugs before you go to bed.

Insurance

You must be insured against personal accident, medical expenses and repatriation expenses. We only carry passengers on the understanding that, in most African countries through which we travel no passenger or vehicle liability is available whatsoever. You should take out insurance when you pay your deposit for the tour or for flights so that you are insured against cancellation (for medical or family reasons, for example). Bring your policy with you. If you travel without insurance and need to get home urgently due to ill health or family problems, you or those responsible for you could incur huge expense. The medical coverage is the most important part of the insurance policy, loss of belongings less so. For UK, Australian and NZ residents, we can point you in the right direction for insurance if you contact us. For other nations, it is best to search online - there are some good online insurance companies catering for US, Canadian and European residents.