First Photos!

You can see some photos here.

Carnivore

Lots of people have asked about Carnivore and the locals here seem to think it's a fun place to go so we have decided that we will go to Carnivore tomorrow night (and NOT Trattoria as previously planned) - we've made a booking for 7pm. The cost of the meal is 2180 Ksh for an all-you can eat meat buffet which is about £19 at current rates (plus drinks) but you can't come to Nairobi and not go to Carnivore! It will be a bit less for veggies :)

We'll get cabs over there, it should be about 1000 Ksh for a four seater cab from the hotels. I am not arranging these cabs so please just jump in one from the Panafric / Stanley! For those at the Panafric, I can give you some numbers of 6 and 9 seater cabs once you're here.

Hope that's ok with everyone.

Weather is beautiful and sunny - have a good flight and see you soon! Al and I will be at the airport to meet you in our safari truck xx

Music

We are currently sitting in our room sorting out a playlist for the wedding night (good old iTunes). So far we have ten and a half hours to work down to maybe three so we'll have no complaints even from the notoriously sonically picky best man.

Al

Hotel Kipepeo

We arrived at the Hotel Kipepeo yesterday and thought we should give it some time to make a proper impression before we told you about it!

So far, it seems to be clean - nothing with more than two legs in our room! It also seems secure, there is a guard outside and one at the first floor to check you are a legit guest of the hotel. The rooms have a safe and, although a bit tired looking, aren't too bad really for the price. The water is hot but don't expect any other luxury! There is also free wifi. I have my computer but I do have a Kensington lock so would encourage you not to bother bringing a computer unless you have one.

The area around the hotel isn't the best - although we have had no trouble walking around during the day. We haven't really walked around this area at night and don't intend to. The rule is basically after dark (about 18.30hrs), get a cab. Also, make sure you keep a close eye and hand on your bags and don't wear anything valuable like jewellery. Don't carry around more cash then you need to and split up cash in different pockets if you can. Also, don't carry too many cards around, just one will be fine. If people offer you safaris on the street etc politely but firmly say no thanks and DO NOT under any circumstances give people money, even if they give you a sob story about helping a school etc.

I don't want to scare anyone and we haven't had any problems but we don't want anything to happen to you so just be careful!!

There is a restaurant out at the hotel that we hung out at last night - we didn't really eat but the staff were friendly, the place was packed and drinks were cheap (120Ksh for a beer, 70Ksh for a soda) so it's a good place to hang out and play some cards if you don't want to leave the hotel. There is also a taxi rank outside so you can pick up a cab easily if you want to go elsewhere.

Village Market

Well, we're sitting in our hotel room, putting together the wedding playlist but the music has been completely drowned out by the torrential rain outside. I thought we had been lucky so far, it's not really rained at all, even though the sky has looked thunderous. It's extremely hot when the sun's out so the cloud is actually quite good.

Rain has calmed down a bit now.

We went to the village market this afternoon - it's basically a mall and is a good place to while away a couple of hours in Nairobi. It's easily reachable by matatu (40Ksh) from the Latemar Road matatu stand just near the Hotel Kipepeo or you can get a cab for around 1000 Ksh.

There are lots of little (overpriced) curio shops and some nice food places too. You won't get bothered by anyone and it seems very safe. Full of expats! They also had a good mini golf course (!) for 150 Ksh per person, as well as 10 pin bowling for 250 Ksh but don't forget to take some socks for the shoe hire! Alex won the mini golf but only by 1 point.

If you want a nice easy afternoon, this is probably quite a good place to go. It takes about 30 minutes from the city but maybe longer if the traffic is bad.

NOTE: The Village Market is actually out of town in a suburb called Gigiri, and NOT where it is marked on the map I sent you (sorry!). The place on the map is actually City Market, which is quite good for curios and souvenirs especially if you're a dab hand at bargaining. Around City Market, off to the east, there are lots of small shops and stalls for browsing on the side streets.

Money

So we've scoped out a lot of ATMs, it looks like the ones that accept UK cards seem to be the bigger banks for example Barclays, Stanbic etc which are ones that generally tend to have larger branches than just the kiosks, so if you find your card doesn't work, just try somewhere else. They are on every street corner.

It also appears to be fairly easy to change UK sterling and I have seen rates of between 113 KSH to 121 KSH per pound at various forex bureaux in the city.  The dollar is getting around 69 or 70 shillings.

Here's some idea of cost so far:

Soft drink from kiosk - anything from 30 - 50 KSH
donut - 30 KSH
ice cream - 80-150 KSH
Latte and breakfast at Java - 400 - 500 KSH
Main course at hotel (not the fancy restaurant) - 800 - 1000 KSH
Taxis around town - 300-400 KSH depending on how hard you bargain


The Porterhouse
We went to the Porterhouse on Mama Ngina Street (near the Hilton) for dinner last night. It's a steak place described in the Lonely Planet as 'discreetly swish'. The swish is very discreet indeed. The food was slightly dubious looking but it all tasted very good and service was excellent as always. We had tempura mushrooms to start and then each had steak which was served with salad, vegetables and mash / chips. I had the peppercorn one and except for the absence of any peppercorns in the sauce, it was really nice. The meal cost just under 2000 KSH for both of us, including  a tip and some Tusker for Al.

A visit to the Registrar

Well it’s good to see beaurocracy in Kenya is alive and well!

We went to get our marriage license today – usually you need to give 21 days notice but for foreign people you can get a special exception and it only takes three days.

We arrived at the Government buildings and were made to wait in a queue on a C-shaped bench. Every time someone was called up we all shuffled round a little bit. Finally we got to the front and while Milka, the rep from Sarova registered at the counter, we were shepherded through the entrance to the building, only to be asked on the other side what we were doing there without having registered!

Anyway, up we went to the second floor and went into room 210 to collect a form. We were instructed then, to go to the next room along, room 209, to fill it in. Why this couldn’t have been done in the original room or even in one of the chairs in the corridor, I’m not sure. It wasn’t a big room and we didn’t even talk to anyone ‘official’ while we were in there. Perhaps it was just in case you didn’t bring your own pen. You had to specify your status (Widowed, Divorced, Bachelor, and wait for it, Spinster) on the form. It was a proud moment(!)

Then we were sent downstairs to have the form signed. The old guy downstairs was clearly not usually responsible for marriages didn’t worry about checking our original documents, he just signed the form and sent us on our way, back up to room 209. We had to queue up again to pay our fee (10,050 KSH for non resident couples, 200 KSH for Kenyans!) and when we eventually got to the front, the guy looked at our form and said “It needs to say ‘Approved’ followed by today’s date in the top left hand corner.” Not that there was a particular space for that so how were we supposed to know?! So back Milka traipsed to the room downstairs to ask the man who couldn’t care less to write ‘Approved’ on our form. And back we went to room 209 which was starting to feel really familiar. Once our fee had been paid and the documents handed in, we were given a reciept and told to report back to room 210 to find out when we could collect it.

The lady in room 210, who was not unlike Mma Makutsi with her typewriter, then duly informed us that there was only one person in the office authorised to sign our license and they were on holiday so we could collect our license on Monday. Even when we explained the wedding was on Tuesday and we were leaving Nairobi on Sunday, nothing doing.  Someone else would have been able to sign it on the official person’s behalf but only if we planned to get married this week…………

So Milka is going to have to go collect it on Monday and email it through to the Mara. Fingers crossed it all works out!!

Karibu Kenya!

What a wonderful day! The flight from London was uneventful - except for a brief lightening storm which actually looks really amazing from the air - the whole sky lights up. We were very pleased we didn't get electrocuted.

Arrived in Nairobi and getting through immigration was pretty easy. There are lots of queues depending on what type of passport you have and whether or not you have a visa but evidently none of the signposting mattered because it was basically free for all. Seemed very easy to get the visa sorted at the airport. Also, there was a sign at the airport to say that you don't need to show a yellow fever certificate so if you got it, all the better and if you haven't, then you probably don't need to worry about it as Kenya itself isn't a YF zone.

We collected our bags and were delighted that none of the champagne had exploded en route and nothing got lost either - so we now have three bottles safe and ready for chilling.

It was really a beautiful day today, it rained for about five minutes this morning and then it cleared up. There was a scattering of clouds but this was very welcome because the African sun is HOT! We had to be careful not to stay out by the pool too long so we didn't get burnt on the first day. Our hotel is lovely and we wandered into town in the morning and again in the evening. It seems very safe during the day but we did get a taxi back after dark although walking around the very central area in the dark was fine and there are plenty of people about. The taxi to the Fairview / Panafric charged us 400 KSH but we didn't bargain very hard. I suspect you could get this down to 300. The evening was cooler than the day but a cardigan kept me warm enough.

We had a very relaxing day with good food, good weather if moderate company and are now exhausted and ready to crash out. Will update with things to do and places to go tomorrow.

We're off to see the registrar to get the marriage license tomorrow! xx

Happy memories

Landed early and greeted by a beautiful sunrise. Walking around
Nairobi and both shocked by how much is still so familiar even after
seven years. Now we are having breakfast at a little coffee shop where
we had one of our first dates! X

Sent from a device with a tiny keyboard - please excuse any
typos!

We've arrived in Nairobi and have sought coffee to get over the jet-
lag and non-plastic food at the Java House Coffee Shop that we used to
come to seven years ago. It's weirdly familiar.

jambo!

greetings from your kenya correspondent! natasha here, reporting from makutano in western kenya. it's another beautiful day in this fair country, we're just resting with a soda baridi (cold soda) for 20 shillings after a long walk into the hills. it's a peaceful change from the busy towns of nairobi and nakuru. the people have been lovely, just want to say hi and walk with you. i'm so excited you'll all be out here soon to experience it too. it's impossible to put into words how it feels to be back here! kwaheri hadi tutakapoonana - bye for now!

A text from Tasha

Tasha, who some of you will know as 'the one who went travelling with me' is already out in Kenya. She left on Tuesday and arrived Wednesday morning. Here's her first report on Nairobi:

"Well, it's been warm and sunny the past two days in two cities for me. It rained for about an hour max her this evening. It's lovely, I walked around Nakuru for a while today just taking it all in. Below avarage hassle and all quite unthreatening.

Oh, and I know we're talking about less than a quid here but found some Safaricom sim cards for 20 KSH or free with 100 KSH credit. Mobile internet also seems to be really cheap."

I might pick up some sim cards so that we can all call each other easily while we're there. And that gives you an idea of how cheap it is. Local texts cost 3.50 KSH so your 100 KSH (or 90p) of credit can go a long way!!

Just for clarity, not hassle in a bad way but hassle as in people trying to sell you things etc.

The Rains

It looks like the November rains have started - early by what I thought would happen and late by what Kenya was hoping for. However, it looks like the Mara will still be pretty dry which is excellent. Kenya does need the rains really badly so I won't hold a grudge if it's a bit damp while we're over there.

Anyway, I found a website which has live webcams in various areas of Kenya, so you can see what the weather is like!

Gorgeous day all over Kenya yesterday. Bit cloudy today but looks fairly dry for the most part.

I'd still bring a brolly though and also a waterproof jacket if you have one.

Foreign Currency

The dollar is getting weaker again which is good news for us! Currently the best exchange rate on foreign currency I've seen is the Post Office at $1.588 to the pound, followed closely by M&S and Nationwide at $1.574.

If you have other good tips for where to buy currency, please post them below in the comments section to help out any others who don't have their cash yet.

Thanks!

UPDATE: It's much cheaper to buy currency online and have it delivered - you still have time so order away!!

Hotel Kipepeo in Nairobi

We have booked the following people into the Hotel Kipepeo on River Road with us in Nairobi:

30 & 31 October:
Merlin, Marie, Mike, Tasha

31 October:
Emily, Helen, Shanaz, Alex, Chris, Joe, Sarah

05 November:
Merlin, Marie, Mike

05 & 06 November:
Emily, Chris, Joe, Sarah

13 November:
Alex, Shanaz, Helen, Tasha

Where possible you're in double / twin rooms @ $50 per room per night and those in single rooms will be @ $40 per night.

http://www.hotelkipepeo.com/

Kenyan Duty Free Allowances

As some of you are aware, we have asked you to be our "Champagne Mules" to transport some of the 23 (we drank one!) bottles of champagne we have sat in our hallway to Kenya. I would, however, suggest that you don't mention the word "mule" to the check-in staff.

If you are able to take a bottle for us we will be providing you with the champagne, in a polystyrene, protective case and most likely a zip-lock bag - just in case.

As you are no longer allowed liquids in your carry-on luggage this will have to go in your hold-baggage.

After some extensive research I have discovered that the duty free allowances for Kenya is either one 1 litre bottle of spirits or 2 1 litre bottles of wine.

So if you would like to buy something at duty free please let us know and we will not give you one of the bottles of fizz.

If you are happy to take one we strongly recommend packing it in the middle of your luggage, wrapped in a towel or similar.

Thanks,

Alex (See I did post something)

Don't forget your swimsuit!

There is a pool at the Mara so don't forget your bikini / board shorts. I make no apology for the gratuitous photo. :)

Park Fees, safari & paying for the game lodge

Some confusion on Park fees & paying for the lodge that I wanted to clear up.

All game parks in Kenya (and I think most of Africa) charge park fees to enter. All parks in Kenya charge $60 per person, per day (24 hr), this includes the Masai Mara. For the duration of our stay in the Mara, 4 nights, this will cost $240 per person. I had already mentioned this previously so hopefully it hasn't come as a shock.

Alex and I are planning to pay for everyone's park fees directly to the safari company to save paying at the gate. Assuming the exchange rate stays at 1.6-ish, please could you send a cheque, made out to either Al or me, for £150 per person and we will arrange your park fees.

In addition, if you haven't yet sent the money for the safari vehicles - which works out at £70 per person - please could you add this to your cheque! We need to pay for this before we leave.

In terms of paying for the Lodge, Sarova will accept either US$ in cash or travellers cheques and they also take credit / debit cards (except AmEx). Please be aware that if you want to pay by card, the lodge will convert the amount of US dollars into Kenyan shillings so you might end up paying a little bit more depending on the rate of the day. US dollar travellers cheques are probably the easiest and safest method of paying for the lodge.

Hope that helps!

African Safari

A man goes to Africa on a safari. While there, he comes upon an elephant in great pain, with a giant thorn in its foot. The man very carefully approaches the elephant, and gingerly removes the thorn from its foot. The elephant begins to walk away, then turns and stares at the man for a full minute, locking eyes with him. The elephant then continues on its way.

"I wonder if I ever see that elephant again if it will remember me?" the man muses to himself.

It is a few years later, and the man is at a circus back in the States.

He notices that one of the elephants keeps looking at him, almost like it KNOWS him. The man wonders, "Could this be that elephant I helped so long ago?"

He decides to get a closer look. With the elephant still giving him the staredown, the man moves in closer, getting right up in front of the elephant. They lock eyes. A knowing look seems to cross the elephant's face. It reaches down... picks the man up carefully with its trunk... lifts him high in the air... throws him crashing to the ground and stomps him to death!

Turns out it wasn't that elephant.

Help the Best Man appeal

Alex Fitton would like to appeal to you all for stories, anecdotes or anything else you think might be pertinent to bring up during his speech. I stress he is only after information about Alex....

Reach him at monkey_dawg83@yahoo.co.uk

Security in the Mara

Some of you have asked about security:

There are 24hr patrols around the lodge, and the lodge manager is in contact with the local security machinery. They have safety deposit boxes available at the reception for the guests in standard tents, and in-room safes for club tents. There is also a 24 hr electrical fence around the lodge to keep out wild animals.

If anyone would like to be upgraded to club tents, please let me know. This upgrade will be $260 per room for the stay (if my maths is correct).

Dress Code for the Wedding

A few people have asked about the dress code... Since Alex and I will be decked out in full wedding regalia, we would like to have a formal dress code, including jackets and ties for the ceremony. It will be hot though so as soon as we say 'I Do', open necks are fine. And ladies, pull out your party frocks!

Mosquitoes Part 2

I promised to get in touch with the lodge manager in the Mara regarding the mosquitoes and the necessity of mozzie nets and he has some good news!

Does camp can provide mosquito nets?
Yes the camp will provide mosquito nets.

If we bring our own, is there a way of fastening them to the ceiling?
The lodge will also have them fixed for you.

How well sealed are the tents?
The tents are well sealed. We also spray all the occupied guest tents every evening while the guests are out for dinner with an environmentally friendly insecticide and we further provide in each occupied guest tent an environmentally friendly odorless burning insect repellent to ward off any insects which may enter the tent. We do also stock for sale to guests insect repellent body lotions in the Camp shop.

The Maasai Mara has not been known to have mosquitoes besides this one time when it happened this year. We hope there will be no mosquitoes, but have taken necessary measure incase of such event.

Nairobi is not malarial, is it?
No its not. We do provide mosquito nets though in all the rooms.

So you won't need mosquito nets just for the Mara but if you are going elsewhere afterwards, you may still want to buy one. I would still urge you to go out and get good insect repellant though, particularly on the coast!!

Mozzies

Although I am sure you will be taking precautions against Malaria, there may be some mozzies in the Mara. It looks like the Camp doesn't provide nets (though I will ask and they do provide other preventatives) so it is worth getting a good insect repellent and you may also wish to invest in a mosquito net. These should be £15-£20 for a double from Amazon or somewhere like Millets (make sure if you find something cheaper that you're not just buying a head net or fixing kit). Some nets come with the paraphernalia to fix them to the ceiling, bed head etc.

STOP PRESS: Change of flight times

Morning all

I have just been advised that the flight times of the Virgin Group flights has changed. Please find details below:

Outbound:
Friday 30-Oct-09
Virgin Atlantic Flight: VS671
Depart: London Heathrow Apt at 21:20
Arrive: Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta Intl 31-Oct-09 at 09:05

Inbound:
Saturday 14-Nov-09
Virgin Atlantic Flight: VS672
Depart: Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta Intl at 12:50
Arrive:London Heathrow Apt 14-Nov-09 at 19:05

Since the flight from London now leaves at 21.20, it should mean that most people won't need to take the Friday afternoon off work :)

Update on costs and exchange rates

I mentioned a while ago in my post about park fees that these might increase. I'm sorry to inform you that they have - fees are up now to $60US per day. This is unfortunate and will add about £45 to £50 in total to the cost of the trip.

However, the greenback is currently getting weaker - this weekend was at a 10 month low against the pound - so all is not lost. It is expected to get even weaker over the next three months so hopefully the increase in park fees will at least be slightly offset by the decrease in everything else. Also the shilling has got a tad weaker too.

Group Flight - Final details

The group flight for those flying to Kenya for two weeks is now booked and confirmed at £350 per ticket. The flight details are as follows:

Outbound:
Friday 30-Oct-09
Virgin Atlantic. Flight: VS671
Depart: London Heathrow Apt at 19:25
Arrive: Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta Intl 31-Oct-09 at 07:10

Inbound:
Saturday 14-Nov-09
Virgin Atlantic. Flight: VS672
Depart: Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta Intl at 09:50
Arrive: London Heathrow Apt 14-Nov-09 at 16:05

Alex and I won't be on the flight so Cass will be co-ordinating check in on the day. You will need to be at Heathrow Airport, Virgin check in area by 5pm.

You are allowed to take two bags at 23 kilos each, but it makes sense only to take one!

The remaining payment (if you haven't paid in full already) is £275 per person due as soon as possible. I have to pay in full by 01 August.

Malaria & Yellow Fever

I've just had a chat with the nurse who was giving me advice on Malaria tablets. These are required (although having been there for 4 months before, the risk appeared to be pretty minimal). The most popular one is Malarone which you take for a short amount of time but is pretty expensive (about £3 or £4 per day) or alternatively you can take Doxycycline. This is also a once a day tablet but it can have side effects like heartburn and increased sensivitity to sun, so check with your doc which would be best for you. You also have to continue it for a month after you get home. My surgery charges £10 for a Doxy prescription and then the tablets are about £5 for 50 which will be more than enough. I think there are other options including Larium so best to speak with the doc.

In terms of Yellow Fever, the jab is recommended but not required. However, the nurse advises me that on occasion, they could try and give you the jab at the airport if you don't have it already but it pretty much depends on who you get on the day. If you want it, I think it's worth shopping around for where you can have it done because different places charge different amounts. My surgery charges £45 which is the cheapest I've seen it. Not all surgeries will do it though and you may have to go to a special travel clinic. I had mine done at the Trailfinders on High St Kensington and I think it was £50.

If you live in or around South West London and want to have your Yellow Fever jab done in Putney, the surgery is called Putneymead Medical Centre, 350 Upper Richmond Road, Putney, SW15 6TL and the nurse can be reached on 020 8788 0686. You will be registered as a private patient for the jab because it's not provided on the NHS so it doesn't matter that you're not fully registered tot he surgery.

Currency

It seems I may have been a little conservative when it comes to currency. 

It looks like 100 Kenyan Shillings is actually only 80p, rather than £1 (at 21 June 09)

This means that some of the hotels I listed are actually a little bit cheaper, i.e. 4500 KSH is actually only £35 and 7500 is £59.

116000 KSH (for the Fairview Hotel) is about £91.

Hotels in Nairobi

We will organise for you to be picked up from Nairobi airport and dropped off at your hotel in Nairobi on the morning of Saturday 31 October.

You'll probably need to book two nights in hotels in Nairobi, Saturday 31 October and Thursday 05 November, when we return from the Mara.

Because people have different budgets, we will leave it to you to decide where to stay, but below are some ideas:

Fairview Hotel	£91 B&B Double
Sarova Stanley	£176 B&B Double
Milimani Backpackers	£6 Dorm, £15 Double

Also, the Gigiri Homestead looks lovely at 7500 Kenyan Shillings (about £60) per double Master bedroom with en suite bathroom on a B&B basis, or £35 for a double Bungalow en suite (whatever that might be) [Update: "the bungalow room is a budget / basic room that is detached from the main house"]. I think a single Bungalow would be about £25. I think Gigiri is not too central but since we're not going to be there long (and it's probably not a smart idea to sample Nairobi's nightlife), I don't think it's a huge problem. It also has great reviews, as does the Country Lodge (surprisingly the least country-looking hotel I've ever seen) which is about £80 per double per night.

We always used to stay at a place called the Iqbal Hotel (which has some reviews online) but this is probably not one for those who require too much comfort. It's cheap, clean and safe though, according to more recent reviews.

You can find other hotels with reviews and guide prices on Trip Advisor where you can also look at B&Bs and Guest houses.

Itinerary

Friday 30 October
21.25 Group flight departs London Heathrow

Saturday 31 October
9.10 Group flight arrives Nairobi
7.30 Gametrackers Safari truck meets guests and transfers them to chosen hotel

Please choose and book your hotel in Nairobi for Saturday 31 October (recommendations coming soon...)

Sunday 01 November
8.00 Guests collected from hotels and driven to Masaai Mara. (Flight option available)

Please have on hand enough USD to cover your park fees for the four nights (4 x $60 = $240) which will need to be paid at the park gate.

13.00 Arrive Sarova Mara and have lunch
16.00 Afternoon game drive. See some lions and fabulous sunset

Monday 02 November - Wednesday 04 November
Sarova Mara Game Camp, morning and afternoon game drives. Option activities available, along with a spa. Wedding is on the 3rd as long as the Registrar shows up!!

Thursday 05 November
6.00 Morning game drive. Maybe see some snoozing hippos
10.00 Check out and depart Mara
15.00 Guests returned to hotels in Nairobi

Please book a hotel in Nairobi for Thursday 5 November

Lamu crew: We are going to catch the overnight bus from Nairobi to Mombasa on Thursday 5 November

Friday 06 November - Friday 13 November
Free to visit the coast. Please feel free to make your own travel arrangements.

Lamu crew: We are going to catch the morning bus from Mombasa to Lamu on Friday 6 November.

Please ensure you are back in Nairobi by the evening of Friday 13 November

Saturday 14 November
12.50 Group flight back to London Heathrow

Things to do in Nairobi

For those of you that will be staying in Kenya for a week, you might like to do something exciting on Friday 06 November, before flying home. I have used Gametrackers safari company before and they have a number of one-day excursions depending on your time and energy inclinations.

The contact is Judith Karogo and she can be reached on info@gametrackers.com.

I haven't been on their Nairobi day tours but have independently visited Bomas of Kenya and the AFEW Giraffe Centre which I can recommend. Carnivore was good a couple of years ago but I hear it is less good now. The trip out to Lake Nakuru also looks pretty interesting.

http://www.gametrackersafaris.com/

Mombasa - Sarova Whitesands

Since we will be staying at the Sarova in the Mara, they have given us the following deal at the Whitesands in Mombasa:

The flying package to Whitesands is from the Mara and is quoted in KSH (around 100KSH to the £). You would be advised the exchange rate when paying

The package includes:
· Two nights half board accommodation in a standard room,
· Airfare and airport transfers

Rate: Ksh 26,900 per person sharing.
Extra Night: Kshs 6000 per person sharing

Room Supplement:
Sea front room – Kshs 2500
Palm Room – Ksh 3000

Should you take a road package (7 hour drive from Nairobi to Mombasa), you can stay in Nairobi for a nights rest on Thursday night then travel to Whitesands on Friday 6th.

Accommodation on Half Board:

Dates: November
Double standard room – US$ 200 per room per night
Double Sea Front Room – US$ 240 per room per night

The price of the road package will be sent through shortly and I will post it as soon as I can.

The Whitesands has had good reviews on TripAdvisor but there are also quite a few other good looking places on the coast.

If you would like to book or would like further info or to book, the contact is Milka Wamae Milka.Wamae@sarovahotels.com.

Flight - Part 3 (The best part)

Excellent news! After a bit of negotiation with the airline, I have convinced the lovely people to give us an EVEN BETTER rate their group fare! They have almost matched the lowest fare available for the route and given us £350 return!

I'm not sure if I'm meant to have published this so once everyone knows and has confirmed, I will remove this post and it's also why I haven't named the carrier.

In case anyone is feeling flash, upgrades are £901 for premium economy and £1819 for upper class ;)

Wedding Safari

Where to stay

The hotel costs for the Sarova Mara Game Camp will be $191 per person on a full board basis.

Getting there and away

We are organising 'expedition trucks' through safari company Gametrackers, to take us to the Mara from Nairobi, and to take us on game drives while we're there. The cost for this can't be confirmed until we have final numbers but it is looking to be around $110-120 per person.

Taking into consideration the park fees, the Mara Safari will cost in the region of $470 in total, including accommodation, game drives and transport and fees. Extras include drinks and other activities.

At the current exchange rate (which is looking favourable for the £ for a change) this is around £290.

Masai Mara park fees

We've chosen to hold the wedding in the Mara because it is truly a phenomenal place. The beauty is beyond description and the sunsets over the plains are like nothing you have ever seen before.


For this reason, the Masai charge a park entrance fee and, unlike most of the parks in the country, the money goes to the Masai people (or so they say) because the reserve is not Government run. So that you are aware, the park fees are currently $40 per day, currently the lowest of any park (except the Samburu) in the country. The fees were expected to rise in July but according to my contact on the ground, this is unlikely to happen.

Please plan on a total of $160 in total for Mara park fees for a four night stay.

http://www.maasaimara.com/

The Venue

Just to let you know the wedding is going to be on 3rd November at the Sarova Mara Game Camp in the Masai Mara. The website is not too flashy but you can read more about the Camp on Trip Advisor.

We got a better room rate than they are offering online and they have a spa which sounds lovely!

The accommodation is full board so it includes everything except drinks. We plan to stay for four nights and game drives will be every day at 6am and 4pm. The lodge is in a great location so hopefully we will see the big 5!

Things to do:
- Bird watching and nature walks.
- Eye opening game drives to view the ‘big five’.
- A glimpse of heaven on our romantic hot air balloon safaris at dawn.
- Soothing massages indoors or under the open skies.

Flights - Part 2

Update on flight news. We have held some flights with Virgin Atlantic:

Outbound
Friday 30 October, departing London Heathrow at 19:25 and arriving at Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta at 07:10 on Saturday 31 October

Returning
Either on Saturday 7 November or Saturday 14 November at 09:50, arriving London Heathrow at 16:05.

The flights are held till mid-June and we have secured a special group rate of £400 per person.

We will be travelling from Nairobi to the Mara on Sunday 01 November at around 7am, so if you want to make alternative flight arrangements, this is when you need to be in Nairobi by to come on the safari, although of course you are free to make your own travel arrangements.

Deposit
If you would like to join the group booking, a non-refundable £75 deposit will be needed to hold the seat, along with your name EXACTLY AS IT IS SPELLED IN YOUR PASSPORT. The price is subject to change until the flight has been paid in full but Virgin assure me this is very unlikely to happen and we would be notified beforehand and given the option to pay the quoted price. I think the flight needs to be paid in full six weeks prior to departure.

Email me to let me know and please include your preferred return date! x

T&C
GROUP DEFINITION: Must be a confirmed booking of 10 or more adult passengers travelling out and back together on the same flights in any class. Should the group party reduce to below 10 adults the booking will be at a full loss and would need to be re-booked subject to new availability and cost. All Payment and amendments must be made by the Group Organiser registered to this booking.

CANCELLATIONS: Before ticket issue or before written commitment has been provided, cancellation fee is loss of deposit. After ticket issue or once written commitment has been provided and names submitted, tickets are non refundable.

VALID TRAVEL DOCUMENTS:It is the responsibility of all our customers to check with the relevant Embassy that they meet all passport and visa requirements for all countries being visited either as part of their trip or in transit.

Check in 3 hours prior to departure for economy and premium class passengers.

Economy Baggage Allowance -Baggage allowances are subject to change and cannot be guaranteed. Please check with the applicable airline for up to date information.

On South African, Australian, Asian, Indian and Dubai routes we operate a weight system of allowance for checked in baggage. A total maximum luggage weight of 23kg per passenger.

Hand Baggage allowance - You are allowed to carry one piece of hand luggage onto the plane. This must be able to fit under the seat in front of you, which means it must not be larger than 23cm x 36cm x 56cm (9in x 14in x 22 in) and should not weigh more than 6kg (13lbs)

All items of sporting equipment such as skis (with one pair of poles and one pair of boots), rucksacks, sleeping bags, and bicycles will be considered as one piece of luggage. This is in addition to your standard luggage allowance. Excess charges will apply for all equipment over this limit. We have special rates for carrying sports equipment. For more details, please contact Reservations. Should you wish take any additional or excess baggage please contact Virgin Atlantic on 08705 747 747 for the up to date excess charges.

Visas

So the bad news is that all British passport holders need a visa to get into Kenya, but because tourism has tanked recently, those kindly chaps at the Kenyan High Commission have found it in their hearts to slash the visa fee by half.

The cost of a single entry tourist visa is now £15 or $25

You can either get your visa beforehand at the Kenyan High Commission in London, or you can rock up in Nairobi and do it there. I got mine at the airport last time and it was perfectly easy (although renewing it three months later was slightly more problematic) but both options are fine. If you get the visa in Nairobi, I am pretty sure you have to pay with US dollars.

http://www.kenyahighcommission.net/visas.html

Visa Requirements
-A valid passport with at least one unused page for endorsement. It should be valid for at least three months at the date of entry to Kenya.
-A completed Visa application form (V1).
-One recent passport size photo.
-Travel itinerary or business letter.
-A stamped self addressed envelope preferably special delivery (for postal applications).
-Indicate your daytime telephone number.

Grandma - this is the one time you'll be the only one who doesn't need a visa!!

Flights - Part 1

After some hard-going negotiations with Mr Branson and his wacky team (and despite that letter), the nice people at Virgin Atlantic have agreed - if we travel in groups of at least 10 people - that they will take a chunk off their published prices for our guests.

Since people's holiday plans are varied, we were thinking of booking a group for one week, and a second group for two weeks. If you could think about which group you'd like to be in and post in the comments below, that would be super helpful.

Group rates
The price for a return flight to Nairobi from London Heathrow will be around £400 at the group rate .

The Virgin flights leave the UK at about 7pm and arrive into Nairobi the next morning. They leave Nairobi mid-morning and get back to the UK mid afternoon. We are thinking of booking groups so that they fly out of London Friday night, arriving the Saturday morning, and then leaving Kenya on a Saturday.

We have looked into BA and Kenya Airways but these are a little more pricey at £465

Flying solo
For those of you who need to be more flexible with your travel arrangements (or want some peace and quiet on the flight), direct flights are approximately £475 with Virgin and BA.

Mzungus get hitched

Hello!

First of all, a most heartfelt thank you for accepting our (somewhat ungracious) initial invitation to our wedding. I hope that in time when plans are finalised, a more formal invite will wing its way over to you.

In the meantime, since the wedding will undoubtedly require a lot of organisation, and to avoid mass emails that you might have to remember to file / not to delete / not to consign to deepest darkest cyberspace etc., we decided that the Internet would be the safest place to store the vast amount of information we will be throwing at you in the next couple of months. And if you know us well enough to be traipsing all the way to Kenya for our wedding, you probably know us well enough to realise that by "we", it basically means I will be posting all the details. Hey ho.

We are both really glad that you'll be joining us, and rest assured, if this wasn't such a massive organisational challenge (and we didn't both have full time jobs), we would never resort to anything quite so cheesy as a wedding website.

Love
Alex & Simone