WHAT ARE THE TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS?

A passport obviously! Make sure your passport is valid for at least 6 months (before stated expiry date). It should also have at least 2 blank pages.

All travellers to Kenya are required to apply and pay for the electronic travel authorization (ETA) prior to travel. You are required to apply online at least three days before travel and pay $34 as a processing fee. This is the website http://www.etakenya.go.ke.

Travelers with already paid and issued visas will continue to use them for entry until the expiry of their validity.

PERSONS WHO ARE EXEMPTED FROM OBTAINING THE ELECTRONIC TRAVEL AUTHORIZATION (ETA)

1) Holders of valid Kenya Passports or one way Emergency Certificate issued by Kenya Missions abroad.

2) Holders of Kenya Permanent Residence, valid Work Permits and Passes.

3) Holders of valid United Nations Conventional Travel Document issued by the Government of Kenya.

4) Members of the Diplomatic Missions and International Organizations Accredited to Kenya.

5) Citizens of the East African Partner States; These countries include Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda (Exempted for six (6) months).

6) All passengers in transit through Kenya arriving and leaving by the same aircraft or transferring to another

The gazette notice with full information can be found here https://www.kcaa.or.ke/sites/default/files/publication/visa_free_regime_in_kenya.pdf

Actual Application

You can apply individually or a group.

To apply as a group:

If you are a family, a couple, or friends travelling together in a group of up to six (6) travellers, you can save time by applying together.

Select the “Group Application” option on the eTA website or mobile app and follow the instructions. On approval, each member of the group will receive their own Electronic Travel Authorisation. If there are more than 6 travellers in your group, please apply as 2 or more groups.

All individuals in the group application must:

Share the same country of residence.

Share the same purpose of visit to the Republic of Kenya.

Share the same travel and accommodation itinerary for their entire trip to and stay in the Republic of Kenya.

You must have a yellow fever vaccination. The yellow fever vaccine is valid for 10 years (you will get a yellow booklet that you may be asked to present upon entry and exit).

Some of the mosquito species found in Africa spread malaria. As a precautionary measure, we advise everyone to get malaria pills. Depending on the medicine your doctor prescribes, you will need to start taking it multiple days before your trip, as well as during and after your trip. We also recommend that you buy mosquito repellent. For those of you who don’t fancy spray or lotion repellent, you can buy mosquito bracelet repellents (Amazon carries a wide variety of them). Finally, we advise to bring light pants and/or clothing that provides good coverage (especially if you are sensitive to bug bites) to minimize the risk of being bitten in the evening at the lodge.

WHAT SHOULD WE EXPECT WHEN WE ARRIVE IN NAIROBI?

Airport pickup: We encourage everyone to share their itinerary with us as we plan to arrange airport pickups, especially because most international flights into Nairobi generally arrive at night, and to save you the hustle of trying to find a sim card and Uber or taxi to get to your Nairobi accommodation.

Upon arrival, someone will be there to meet you carrying a placard with your name(s).

Note: People arriving at the same time will likely be picked together so worry not if you find yourself sharing a ride with a guest you don’t know.

Travel Outside Nairobi

Nairobi to Ranen: We are arranging transport to and back from Ranen where the dowry ceremony will take place. We leave for Ranen on the morning of Friday 11th October. We shall communicate specific information with the relevant parties closer to the time.

For those of you who want to come to the ceremony but only arrive in Nairobi on the evening of 11 October, let us know and we shall arrange for you to get to Ranen in time for the ceremony.

Nairobi to Naivasha and back: We will arrange transport to Naivasha for all the guests from Nairobi on 18th October. The shuttles/buses to Naivasha will pick up guests from a central location i.e. the hotel. We are negotiating a rate with Ibis Styles Westlands Hotel so that people are at the same location.

If you opt to stay elsewhere, make sure you are at the designated pickup point by 10 am on Friday 18th October. We advise guests to stay around these locations; Westlands, Lavington, Kileleshwa, Kilimani, Parklands, and Gigiri. Be mindful of Nairobi traffic and plan to arrive on time.

The shuttles will also return guests to Nairobi on Monday 21st October. We shall communicate departure time but tentatively working with 10am so that people who have flights to catch later in the day can have adequate time

The ride to the lodge in Naivasha will take approximately 2 hours from Nairobi.

Airport drop-off: Guests have three options: We will share information with a Travel company, use hotel airport shuttles or get an Uber to the airport.

WHAT ARE THE PLANS FOR ACCOMMODATION?

Nairobi

We are negotiating a daily rate with a hotel in Nairobi called Ibis Styles Westlands so that upon arrival and during your Nairobi stay, guests can all be in the same location. Guests can choose to pair up to save on costs.

We will share the rates they offer and the person to contact for bookings.

However, we also encourage guests to compare rates online (Hotels.com, Booking.com, e.t.c., ) for the best deal possible.

Great Rift Valley Lodge

The lodge is quite large and has a variety of units to stay in spread out over the grounds. There are single-unit villas and rooms as well as multi-bedroom cottages/chalets that can be shared. Due to the non-conventional nature of this setup, our contact at the lodge, Stellah, and I will help coordinate room selection based on your preferences.

The chalet bookings do not include meals. Guests have the option to bring their own groceries or dine at the lodge. Full information and meal costs are included in the Chalet for Rent document shared with everyone.

HOW LONG SHOULD WE PLAN TO BE IN NAIVASHA?

Guests are free to arrive as they please, but we hope that everyone can arrive in Nairobi by the night of the 17th as we shall organize shuttle service (s) to Naivasha on Friday 18th October from 10 am. We also have activities planned from Friday to Sunday, and we hope you can indulge us.

WILL WE NEED TO RENT A CAR?

That depends on your extracurricular plans during your stay in Kenya. We plan to get safari deals with a Tours and Travel company to provide game drive services for those interested. We will also arrange transportation from the airport to hotel(s) upon arrival in Nairobi and also from Nairobi to Naivasha (and back to Nairobi) for those traveling from the US and elsewhere.

If you rent a car, stay cautious while driving in Nairobi and around Kenya. Traffic rules are sometimes interpreted as suggestions—you gotta go with the rhythm of that dance!

SHOULD WE BRING/BUY GIFTS?

Being a destination wedding, getting home with an assortment of gifts would prove challenging and expensive. In the spirit of sustainability, thoughtful cards that may contain a deposit-able currency are an excellent option!

Options for e-gifts will also be available via M-Pesa, and Zelle or Venmo.

More information about this is also in the Registry section.