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Kenya covid-19 protocols on arrival

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On 6 July 2020,The government of Kenya announced Kenya covid-19 protocols that local air travel will resume operations from 15 July 2020 and that international travel will resume from 1 August 2020.

Open for international travel via:

Airports
Land borders

Health screening & COVID-19 protocols on arrival

Before departing for Kenya, passengers are required to submit their COVID-19 test certificates to generate a Trusted Travel (TT) code. Visit PanaBios to create a TT account, upload PCR test certificates, and generate a TT code.

A negative COVID-19 PCR test certificate is required, obtained no later than 96 hours prior to departure from your home country.
Body temperatures must test below 37.5°C (99.5°F) and visitors must have no persistent cough, no difficulty breathing, and no other flu-like symptoms.
If there is a reported case of COVID-19 on a flight or if the above symptoms are detected, all passengers within two rows of the passenger with the symptoms will be quarantined for testing at designated airport hotels. If the test results are negative, they will be allowed to leave the facility.
It is mandatory for all passengers arriving in Kenya to complete the Travelers Health Surveillance Form by the Ministry of Health online prior to disembarkation. Passengers will receive a QR code after completing the form and will be required to display it to a Port Health Official to proceed through immigration.
Travellers are expected to submit daily health information to the Jitenge platform (available from Google Play Store) for 14 consecutive days after arriving in Kenya.
Strict infection prevention and control measures have to be followed: social distancing, good hand hygiene, and the wearing of masks remain mandatory.

Mandatory quarantine

Passengers arriving on international flights from Brunei, Thailand, Kuwait and Qatar are required to quarantine for 14 days at their own cost at a government approved facility – see the list of facilities and additional travel requirements.
Travellers arriving from approved countries are exempt from mandatory quarantine – see the list of countries exempt from mandatory quarantine.

Health screening & COVID-19 protocols on departure

Passengers departing Kenya are required to have a Trusted Travel (TT) code for their COVID-19 test certificates if their destination countries, airlines or transit airports require PCR tests. Visit www.africacdc.org/trusted-travel to check the test requirements of transit and destination countries.
See a list of laboratories that have been approved to carry out COVID-19 PCR tests and issue certificates and TT codes.

Countries allowed to travel to the destination

Airlines flying into the destination

Kenyan Airways resumed international flights from 1 August 2020. All in- and outbound passengers must present proof of a negative COVID-19 test conducted within 72 hours of boarding.
All passengers aboard any Emirates flight require a negative COVID-19 certificate, obtained no later than 96 hours prior to flight departure.

Curious to know more about going to Kenya on safari during COVID-19?

Do you have questions about a Kenya safari? Get In Touch

Going on safari

But what is ‘going on safari’ actually, what does it mean to book a trip to Tanzania or Kenya? The word safari means ‘journey’ or ‘to travel’ in Swahili, the local language in both Tanzania and Kenya. The online Oxford dictionary gives the definition of safari as: ‘An expedition to observe or hunt animals in their natural habitat, especially in East Africa.’

In the colonial days safari was used to describe the big hunting trips, but nowadays it’s more commonly used to describe a trip to a wildlife area and watching animals in their natural environment. Only the predators now do the hunting, although you could say that when you are on safari you ‘hunt’ for photographs.

The motto for safaris nowadays is;

Game drive starts early in the morning, heading back to the lodge in afternoon for lunch and relaxing at the lodge before heading out again for a late afternoon game drive. Or you can take a picnic breakfast or lunch (or both!), and head out for a long day of spotting animals with scenic stops to enjoy your breakfast or lunch out of the car. At night there is usually a campfire to sit around and share your stories and gaze at the stars.

Many people on family holiday safari, solo travel, group travel and honeymoon clients book a flight to Nairobi in Kenya as this is a bigger hub and more international airlines fly there which means there are more options and cheaper flights available. From Nairobi, you can either book another flight to for example Arusha or Kilimanjaro International Airport in Tanzania or fly directly to your destination in Kenya with a smaller domestic flight. Driving to your destination in the country of your choice is of course also an option and will help keep the safari cheaper if you are on a budget.