Travel with purpose to rural Kenya and work together with community members to develop meaningful change and positive connections.
Located just below Ethiopia on Africa's eastern coast, Kenya offers a diverse landscape of central plateaus, arid deserts, and coastal plains that stretch along the Indian Ocean. Each CHOICE Kenya expedition begins and ends with a village celebration of song and dance to welcome you to the beautiful region of Samburu.
Enjoy an incredible opportunity to learn about local culture while also experiencing international development and humanitarian work firsthand. Along with your fellow expeditioners, you will expand your view of what it means to be a global citizen.
Project Information
Once we find out more information about the community and project you'll be working on during this Expedition, we'll be sure to include that information here. Until then, trust that the project will be a sustainable, locally led project identified by the community. No matter your abilities/skill-level, there will be accessible options for you to participate every step of the way!
Cultural Exchange
Cultural exchange is one of the most important aspects of CHOICE expeditions. When people of different backgrounds come together to exchange ideas, experiences, perspectives, and knowledge, the world becomes a more connected place. These authentic and meaningful interactions can generate empathy and foster open-mindedness.
Ethical & Sustainable Service
CHOICE employs qualified local country staff who work with community members to organize and lead projects designed specifically for the needs of their community. By focusing on the causes rather than the symptoms, our projects can create multidimensional, long-lasting solutions which increase the community’s capacity to build a path out of poverty.
For more information, view our Expedition Philosophy and FAQ's!
Each Expedition is led by a Certified Expedition Leader (CEL). The CEL works together with CHOICE's local country team to make each part of your trip intentional and valuable.
Your Leaders for this Expedition will be Emily Evangelista and Deonne Johnson!
Expeditioners are responsible for booking and paying for their own air travel. The Expedition Fee does not cover airfare.
We recommend booking your flights two to eight months before departure for the best pricing and availability!
ARRIVAL INFORMATION:
Airport: Moi International Airport (MBA)
Date: DAY 1 (June 22, 2024)
Time: 6AM-6PM Local Time
DEPARTURE INFORMATION:
Airport: Moi International Airport (MBA)
Date: DAY 8 (June 29, 2024)
Time: Anytime
Tour Add-On Travel Information
*NOTE: This Add-On Tour will take place starting BEFORE the Expedition. Please fly to Nairobi by 11:59PM on June 19, 2024. Safari activities will take place from June 20-June 22, where you will be dropped off with the rest of the group in Mombasa before the Expedition.
ARRIVAL INFORMATION:
Airport: Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO)
Date: SAFARI DAY 1 (June 19, 2024)
Time: Anytime
DEPARTURE INFORMATION:
Location: Mombasa Hotel
Date: EXPEDITION DAY 1 (June 22, 2024)
Time: Afternoon
CHOICE partners with CV Humanitarian travel, a trusted agency that specializes in humanitarian travel to the remote places where CHOICE works. If you would like to work with one of their trusted agents, please find their contact information below:
Agent: Blair Greene
Email: blair@cvtravel.com
Phone: +1 (205) 484-2029
For any other questions, please visit our FAQ's page, or contact the CHOICE Expeditions Team.
CHOICE Humanitarian requires all expedition participants to purchase medical evacuation insurance. This insurance covers transportation to a clinic or hospital during medical emergencies. It must cover at least $25,000. Proof of coverage must be provided to CHOICE as part of registration.
Medical evacuation insurance can be purchased separately or as part of a travel health insurance policy. It can cover emergency transportation from a remote area to a high-quality hospital, which could otherwise cost more than $100,000.
In addition, CHOICE encourages all expedition participants to purchase standard travel insurance and trip cancellation coverage due to unforeseen circumstances that might cause trip disruptions or unexpected flight cancellations.
Suggested Policy Providers:
(800) 826-1300
(800) 282-4495
(800) 228-9792
(800) 487-4722
Major credit card companies also provide free and/or low cost travel insurance to cardholders. Please be sure that such coverage is actual insurance and not just insurance consultation.
If you are a student or faculty member, the least expensive way to acquire emergency evacuation/medical insurance is the international youth/student/faculty I.D. card ($20). Most universities offer these through their study abroad office. You will need to provide proof of current school enrollment or faculty employment and a passport-sized photo.
There is also an International Student Card that is a $25 plan and covers our medical evacuation requirement. See if you qualify and more information on their website below.
CHOICE Registration Materials
Kenya Arrival Requirements for U.S. Citizens
**Required for volunteers under 18 years of age traveling without a parent.
For more information see here. For CDC Travel Guidelines see here.
Extra Suggestions and Recommendations
Travel Information
CURRENCY
Kenyan Shilling (KES)
1.00 US Dollar = 115.35 Shillings (2022)
ELECTRICITY
220240 volts AC (50 Hertz)
Plugs: round 2pin / flat 3pin (same as United Kingdom)
WEATHER
DRY “HOT” SEASON: December March (hot and humid in the afternoons, cooler in the evenings) *rain is intermittent
HIGH: 90°F – 95°F / LOW: 75°F – 80°F
DRY “COOL” SEASON: June September (warm and humid in the afternoons, cooler in the evenings) *rain is intermittent
HIGH: 80°F – 85°F / LOW: 70°F – 75°F
RAINY SEASON: October November/ April May (warm and humid in the afternoons, cooler in the evenings)
*rain is heavier and more frequent
HIGH: 85°F – 90°F / LOW: 70°F – 75°F
FOOD
During the expedition, CHOICE will provide 3 daily meals to all volunteers while in the village. The local diet consists of vegetables, rice, potatoes, chicken, nyama choma(roasted meat), and possible mandaazi (fried dough cakes). Expedition participants can expect to eat standard American foods combined with local elements: cereals, breads, salads, soups, chicken, fruits, salsas, etc. CHOICE will also provide drinks such as milk, fruit juices, and soda pop. Participants are encouraged to bring personal food and snacks that will not be available in the villages (supplement bars, sweets, etc). Drinkable water will be provided in the village. We encourage each participant to bring a reusable water bottle.
PACKING LIST
This comprehensive packing list has been prepared as a convenience. The recommendations reflect the experience of CHOICE as well as recommendations from previous expedition participants. If you have questions about anything on the packing list, feel free to ask the Expedition Staff, the Expedition Leaders, or post a question in the expedition Facebook group.When reviewing this list, please refer to the weather information provided above to coordinate which items to pack and take on a specific expedition (according to the month/season).
CHOICE recommends that all volunteers check the weather forecast prior to departure to ensure appropriate packing. It is wise to think in LAYERS when preparing for a service trip abroad. All volunteers are expected to bring a comfortable sleeping bag. Foam pads will be provided in the village.
CHOICE recommends that all volunteers pack as light as possible (since brief hikes might be required before entering and/or departing from the village). CHOICE also suggests duffle bags and camping backpacks as ideal packing equipment (instead of suitcases). Please check with the airlines regarding baggage allowances and excess baggage fees. CHOICE will not be responsible for such fees.
Participants have found that packing everything in large ziploc-style bags makes it easier to find socks and shirts during the expedition, but also keeps clothes clean and odor-free. CHOICE suggests also bringing such a bag to store dirty clothes throughout the expedition.
One golden piece of advice: Leave behind a clean change of clothes at the hotel or keep a clean change of clothes inside a bag during the entire expedition. Why? So that there is a fresh outfit to wear when boarding the international flight home! You’ll thank us later!
NECESSARY ITEMS
Clothing
Toiletries/First-Aid
Other Items
RECOMMENDED ITEMS
OPTIONAL ITEMS
All accommodations during the Expedition are included.
Meals during the Expedition are included.
Transportation within country are included during the Expedition.
All logistics and details provided by our in-country team of development professionals is included.
Your leaders for the Expedition are Certified according to CHOICE's very high standards of safety, care, and sustainable development in order to provide the most fulfilling experience for you!
Your Expedition Fee will help cover the cost of the project we will work on and future sustainable CHOICE projects.
Transportation to/from country are not included in your Expedition Fee.
Extra hotel nights before or after the Expedition will not be covered by your Expedition Fee.
You are welcome to bring/buy additional food/snacks outside of the food and snacks that will be provided.
Fees for Republic of Kenya eVisa (required prior to entry) not included.
After an early breakfast you will head out into the park for a morning game drive. Afterwards you will start your journey to Tsavo West National Park. You will first visit the west part of the park, which is known as “the home of the leopards”. The landscape is dense and hilly, making it a little more difficult to spot the animals.
However, nature is breathtakingly beautiful here. After experiencing Tsavo West, you will head back to the lodge for lunch and relaxation time. Later in the afternoon you will head back into the park for your evening game drive, which will last for about 2 hours. Try your luck this afternoon and spot as many animals as you can. When the sun starts to set it is time to head back to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
In the morning you will have an enroute game drive towards Mzima Springs. At Mzima Springs you’ll experience a half-mile walk accompanied by a ranger/guide, who will brief you about the attraction. Millions of gallons of water sprout out of rock forming springs and big pools of water, where hippos and crocodiles call this place home.
Once you have left the park you will start making your way to the majestic Amboseli National Park (about 4 hour drive). Amboseli National Park, formerly Maasai Amboseli Game Reserve, is located in Kajiado County. The park has little vegetation due to long dry months; it also houses swamps and a dried-up Pleistocene lake. The park is famous for viewing free-ranging elephants up close and of course for the spectacular view of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest freestanding mountain in the world. Amboseli is home to many animals, including elephants, buffaloes, lions, cheetahs, impalas, hyenas, zebras, wildebeests and giraffes.
At around lunchtime you will arrive at the lodge, where you will check in and sit down for a lovely lunch. After lunch you can relax and then you will head out into the park for your evening game drive. When the sun starts to set it is time to head back to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
After breakfast you will head into the park for your morning game drive that will last for about 2 hours. After the game drive you will leave the park and start making your way to Nairobi, where you will be dropped at the airport in the late afternoon. Lunch will be provided along the way. Flights home depart in the afternoon/evening.
Flight arrivals will take place throughout the day (by 5PM local time), with transportation to hotel in Mombasa. Orientation/Welcome Dinner and Hotel Check-in.
Explore Mombasa, a major trading center in the Arab world for centuries, with strong Muslim roots still evident in modern Swahili culture. In 1498, Vasco da Gama was the first European explorer to discover Mombasa – now a popular travel destination in eastern Africa. Participants can visit Biashara Street to purchase vibrant kangas, as well as Akamba Carvers to find exquisite gifts of handcrafted wood.
Group transportation will be provided in the morning to the developing region outside of Mombasa (4-hour travel). Participants will arrive to a gracious rural village in the afternoon and be greeted with a warm welcome from local villagers. Time available to unpack, rest, and interact with local residents. Overnight accommodations provided in Safari-style canvas tents.
Development projects will be scheduled throughout the week (construction of various village-identified initiatives).
Village activities and interactions will be provided to promote powerful intercultural exchanges between participants and local villagers.
Ceremonious village farewell will be scheduled in the morning (or evening prior). Group bus transportation will be provided back to Mombasa. Arrive to Mombasa in the late afternoon and check-in to hotel for overnight accommodations. Group dinner will be scheduled in the evening to conclude the expedition and discuss experiences.
Those flying home will depart from Moi International Airport (MBA) anytime.
