It's so exciting to have friends and family come from all sides of the globe. Firstly, we would like to thank you all for making the effort to travel to Kenya to attend our wedding. For all those who have to jump on a plane, we would like to provide you with some information on this thread to help you plan your trip and make sure you make the best out of your time in Kenya.
Flights & Transfers:
For people flying in from Europe, we recommend you either choose Lufthansa, Emirates, Qatar, Ethiopian or Turkish Airlines. They usually offer the best rates and sometimes even flexible tickets. You should be able to find flights for around 600 Euros round trip/multi-city trip. Turkish Airlines even offer direct flights to Mombasa which is the most convenient option if you want to come directly to the coast (Diani Beach). Another solid option is to fly into Nairobi and contact info@wilddestinations.com to handle all your local transfers (flights to coast, accomodation, taxis).
For all the wedding guests would like to join us on Safari after our coastal wedding, we recommend you to book your return flight to your home destination from Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta Airport.
From South Africa, the cheapest option is to fly into Nairobi and then get a Jambojet flight to Ukunda - flights (round-trip) from Nairobi Jomo Kenyata to Ukunda Airstrip are anything from 130 to 200 Euro.
EMAIL:Info@wilddestinations.com to make your hotel, transfer, and local flight bookings
Transfers:
Mombasa-Diani: Please note that if you land at Mombasa airport (Moi International Airport), you need to organize a transfer to Diani Beach. This will roughly take you 1,5h because it also requires you to take a car ferry in Likoni to cross over to the South Coast of Mombasa. Email Info@wilddestinations.com to handle these for you.
Around Diani: Transfers within Diani are pretty self-explanatory once you arrive as there are plenty of Tuk Tuk drivers just waiting next to the road or outside your hotels. In case you prefer to take a quicker and more convenient option just call yourself an Uber for extremely reasonable rates.
Visas
European & South African & US citizens can apply for a Kenyan visa online by using the following link . Since the beginning of the year, YOU CAN'T obtain a Kenyan visa upon arrival at the airport of Nairobi/Mombasa anymore. We highly recommend you buy your single entry visa online at least 4 weeks in advance for a cost of 50 USD per person.
Covid restrictions:
For entry into Kenya, a certified negative PCR test is currently required for travelers aged 5 years and older, which must not be older than 96 hours before departure. There is currently no need for quarantine for travelers except for a few nations (Qatar, Kuwait, Thailand, Brunei).
The COVID rules are likely to change several times before the wedding - we currently don't see any major risk or drastic decisions affecting our wedding plans as Kenya has been quite lax. In case there will be, we will advise our guests accordingly as soon as anything changes.
Before entering the country please also make sure to complete the Travel Health Surveillance Form online and present the QR code received upon arrival at the airport.
Since our wedding dates are in the first week of January 2022, many of you are probably also thinking of spending New Years in Kenya. Others might also be keen to experience a breathtaking Kenyan SAFARI in one of Kenya’s beautiful national parks e.g. the Maasai Mara. Don’t worry we have got you covered for all those events and any other wishes but first things first.
Before the wedding & New Years:
The both of us are spending some extra time before our big day at the Kenyan coast. We have planned to arrive on the 29th of December in Diani and we would really like to invite whomever of you to join us for some quality time on the Kenyan coast if you would like. Kenya has breathtakingly beautiful beaches and some really fun New Years Parties at the coastline. In case this sounds interesting to you, reach out to us directly and we can make a plan. If you want to spend some individual time on the coast before the wedding, we can give you recommendations too. If you prefer to take a trip to the Mara or another National park over New Years, we can also point you in the right direction. Keep reading to get to the links :)
As a newlywed couple, we would like to kick off our honeymoon with all who want to join us in the Maasai Mara - Kenya’s most well-known and spectacular National park.
For people joining please book Southern Palms from the 4th-8th of January
We have the option of TWO/THREE amazing 4 to 5-star glamping lodges available for us with special wedding discounts.
- Mara Ngenche- 12 tents
- TBA
For all the planning of your Mara trips, send us (Alisha & Hannes) a message directly. We will then arrange a bulk booking with Alisha's cousin Nadeem who will handle bookings, travel, transfers, payments, and special wedding discounted rates specifically for the MARA.
There will also be a charter plane (first leg: Diani - Maasai Mara 8th 8:00-10:30, return: Maasai Mara - Nairobi 11:00-13:00) organized directly from Diani so we can all travel together. We intend to fly from the 8th till the 10th of January. Once we have numbers, we can organize that and give you the cost per person. We are working on negotiating a very reasonable deal (estimated cost incl. park fees, flights, two hotel night full board, game drives around 900-1000 €
For all of you joining the post-wedding Safari:
- we would like to inform you that per person there is a max. of 15kg carry on luggage (soft bags) per person. We will organise pick-up of the big suitcases directly at the airport in Diani (Ukunda) and make sure it is safely stored and transported to Nairobi. You will get it back on the 10th at arrival in Wilson Airport (Nairobi).
- we would recommend you to book your return flights on the 11th to be on the safe side, in case you need to take a PCR Test to go back to your home country. We will have somebody to do PCR tests upon arrival at Wilson Airport (Nairobi) on the 10th for those who will be flying home either on the 11th/12th
We wanted to give you recommendations for places to stay at the coast before or after the wedding if you decide to stay on. Here is a list of great places you can book on the coast:
www.tequilasunrise.biz - Beautiful villas in Diani
www.lantana-galu-beach.co.ke - Beautiful Villas in Galu Beach
www.leopardbeachresort.com - Hotel in Diani with many different accommodation categories.
coconut-beach-lodge.com/?lang=en - Boutique Lodge close to Diani Beach in quiet beautiful Tiwi Beach.
www.airbnb.com/rooms/19001850? Ahana Villa, Diani - big house for a group of friends.
www.elewanacollection.com/afrochic-diani- Afrochic Diani 5* Boutique hotel 10 rooms
Other links:
Samburu Elephant Bedroom - Safari Option (5 hours drive from Nairobi- the most romantic place on earth in our opinion) - https://www.atua-enkop.com/elephant-bedroom-camp
New Year's Party -
beneaththebaobabs.com/beneath-the-baobabs-festival/
It's an amazing party right on the coast in Kilifi (around 1,5h drive from Mombasa airport). If you intend to go to the party, please reach out to us in order to organise accomodation in either Kilifi or Watamu.
Vaccines: Please consult your local tropical institute for advice. Yellow fever is not a requirement when coming from Europe but is a requirement when coming from South Africa e.g.
Malaria: We suggest that after 5 pm to put on sufficient mosquito repellant.
Payments & Foreign Currency: Most places allow you to pay via credit card especially bigger hotels & restaurants. However, we suggest you to draw at the airport ATMs / Diani ATMs to make sure you have some Kenyan Shillings with you.
National Park Fees: You can also pay those via Credit card at the gate of the respective national park. For adults they are as high as 70 USD per day. For those who will join the post wedding Safari the park fees will be handeled directly by the tour operator
SIM Cards & Data: You can buy a SIM card straight at the airport. We either recommend Safaricom or Airtel. However, there will be WIFI in every Hotel/restaurant.
Costs: We've tried to provide you with a rough breakdown under the following link