Great Migration Safari Checklist

1. Purchase your flight to Nairobi. Remember, the earlier you book, the less likely you are to accidentally end up in a different Nairobi—like the one in Idaho!

2. Buy trip insurance. It's a good idea to insure your entire trip cost. But, at a minimum, you need emergency evacuation and medical insurance. Because getting stuck in a foreign country with a broken leg is not the kind of adventure anyone dreams of!

3. Decide what, if any, activities you want to do on your free day in Nairobi and communicate that to Boone. It's perfectly fine to lay by the pool all day recovering from your flight.

4. Decide if you want to experience the hot air balloon ride in the Maasai Mara. This needs to be reserved a few months in advance.

5. Go online and complete the application for the Kenya Travel Authorization. Do this one to three months before your trip. It usually takes a day to approve. Print it out and save a copy on your device.

6. Meet with your doctor or a travel clinic to see what they recommend for medications to take with you and if there are vaccines they advise you to take. Note that no vaccines are required for entry into Kenya (unless you are traveling to Kenya from a yellow fever country). It is a good idea to bring prescriptions like Zofran and a Z-pack with you just in case you need them.

7. View our packing videos and blog post about what to pack and purchase anything you need for the trip. Spoiler alert: “More shoes” is not on the list!

8. Let your credit card company know you are traveling abroad so they don't block your card. Nothing says “fun vacation” like trying to explain to a robot that you’re not a fraud while standing in line for a giraffe encounter!

9. Decide if you want to purchase an international phone plan from your carrier to use in Kenya. Because your selfies with elephants deserve to be shared in real-time, not a week later!

10. Change your voicemail so folks know you are out of the country. “Hello! I’m currently on a wild adventure in Kenya, so please leave a message after the roar!”

11. Review your airline's checked luggage and carry-on policy before going to the airport.

12. Make sure the information Boone Safaris has for your flight arrival and legal name is correct.

13. Check your passport to ensure it does not expire within six months of your arrival in Kenya and it has at least two blank pages. Print a copy of your passport to take with you. Also, take a picture and save it on your device. Because losing your passport is only funny in movies, not in real life!

14. Provide your family with your itinerary and emergency contact info (camp and hotel phone numbers as well as Boone's contact info). That way, they can track your every move—or at least pretend to care!

15. Go to your bank to withdraw cash for your trip. You will want small bills to tip the hotel staff and shuttle drivers, and larger bills to tip staff and guides at camps. Because nothing says “thank you for not losing me to a lion” like a generous tip!

16. Download the WhatsApp app on your device. We use this for communication in camp. It’s like texting, but with more wild animal emojis!

17. Download the Travel Key App by Wetu and enter your itinerary code. It’s like a VIP pass to your own adventure—minus the red carpet.

18. Arrange pet/child/parent/plant care. Because you can’t take them all with you, and let’s be honest, your dog probably wouldn’t appreciate a safari!