Every question
we get, answered.

Book tours directly on www.bookaratours.com — pick dates, pay a 30% deposit via Paystack (Visa, Mastercard, Amex, or Apple Pay on Safari / iPhone), and get an email receipt. For a full custom itinerary, message us on WhatsApp with rough dates and group size; we reply within two hours with a plan and price. Final balance is due 45 days before departure.

30% of total trip price. Fully refundable if you cancel more than 90 days before departure. 50% refundable 60–89 days out. Non-refundable inside 60 days (this is standard for the lodges we work with — we pass through their terms transparently).

Yes — 30% deposit to confirm, and the balance is due 45 days before departure. Need a different schedule? Talk to us on WhatsApp and we'll work something out.

Tours are priced and charged in USD. Paystack accepts international cards (Visa, Mastercard, Amex) and Apple Pay on Safari / iPhone. You don't need a Kenyan bank or M-Pesa to book — those are for local spending in Kenya, not our website checkout.

Your deposit is held by Bookara and confirmed by email receipt after Paystack payment. Refunds follow our published cancellation policy (full refund 90+ days before departure, 50% at 60–89 days, generally non-refundable inside 60 days). We are a Kenya-registered company — message us on WhatsApp anytime about your payment.

Most nationalities now use the Kenya eTA (electronic travel authorization). Apply at etakenya.go.ke. Cost is $30 USD plus a small processing fee. Approval takes 3–7 days. We help you apply if you'd like — flat fee $50 for full white-glove handling per traveller.

No — book them yourself. International flights are commodity-priced and you'll get a better deal direct (Kenya Airways, Qatar, Emirates, Turkish Airlines all serve Nairobi well). We book all internal Kenya flights as part of your trip.

Jomo Kenyatta International (JKIA) in Nairobi. We pick you up with your name on a sign and transfer you to your first hotel or to Wilson airport for internal connections.

Yes — every safari package includes JKIA meet-and-greet (name board at arrivals) and the ground transfers in your itinerary. Fly-in safaris also include JKIA → Wilson and Wilson → Mara. At checkout you can add optional extra legs: pre/post Nairobi hotel nights, Wilson day room for late flights, Moi Airport or SGR Miritini → your beach hotel, and Ukunda airstrip → Diani. Anything else we quote on WhatsApp.

Some. Carry $200–300 USD in small bills for tips and incidentals. Most camps and lodges accept card. Markets and street food are cash-only. M-Pesa works phenomenally well if you get a Kenyan SIM (we can arrange).

Yellow fever certificate required if you're arriving from a yellow-fever country. Routine vaccines (tetanus, hepatitis A) should be up to date. We recommend typhoid for first-time East Africa travellers. Talk to a travel clinic 4–6 weeks before departure.

Yes in safari areas — take prophylaxis (Malarone is the modern standard, one pill a day from two days before to seven after the trip). Nairobi itself is largely malaria-free. All our camps provide treated nets.

Drink bottled water (provided free at all our partner camps). Tap water in cities is theoretically safe but we recommend bottled for short stays. Ice in our camps is made from filtered water.

For tourism — yes, very. Stay within the safari and beach circuits we plan. Avoid demonstrations in Nairobi (rare but possible). We have a WhatsApp line you can reach quickly if anything goes wrong.

Dawn drive: 5:30am–9:30am. Afternoon drive: 4pm–7pm. We tailor these around your preferences — earlier for photographers, shorter for families with young kids.

In the Mara: yes, basically every drive. In Amboseli: sometimes. In Tsavo: with patience. We can't guarantee a specific animal but our routes are designed for reliable sightings.

Nairobi: excellent. Most camps: good wifi in the main lodge area, none in tents (this is by design). Coast: very good. Bring a Kenyan SIM for serious connectivity — we'll deliver one to your first hotel for $20 with $20 of data.

Layers (cool mornings, hot middays). Earth tones for safari (avoid bright white — attracts dust). Closed shoes for walks. Swimsuit for camp pools. Mosquito repellent. A small daypack. We send a detailed packing list 30 days before departure.

Yes. Most camps accept children 6+. Family suites available at flagship camps. Some experiences (walking safari, balloon) have minimum ages. See our family safari guide in the journal.

Yes. Registered as Bookara Tours & Travel Ltd in Kenya, Kenya company no. PVT-KW192OWZ. Based in Nairobi. Founded 2021. Two co-founders (Henry Kay and Mercy Mbinya), four full-time staff, a network of senior driver-guides we work with on every trip.

Six people in the Nairobi office. Twelve senior driver-guides on retainer. We deliberately stay small — when you message us, you reach a real person within fifteen minutes during Nairobi daytime.

Because it's how Kenya does business. We tried a normal contact form and an email-only flow. Conversion through WhatsApp is dramatically higher and guests are happier because it's a real conversation, not a ticketed correspondence.

Your trip price covers the lodges, the 4x4 and driver-guide, and the planning, ground operations and 24/7 support behind the trip — that's where our margin sits, and it varies by itinerary. We don't mark up park fees, visas or travel insurance; those pass through at cost. We publish the cost breakdown on every trip page so you can see what you're paying for.

We have a 24/7 WhatsApp line and a dedicated on-trip support number. In ten years we've had to intervene about a dozen times — flight delays, a guest needing a doctor, one room reassignment. Every time, fixed within hours. If anything ever isn't right, message us immediately.