Kenya entry requirements, border crossing, insurance
Do I need a visa to enter Kenya?
Yes, you need a tourist visa to enter Kenya. You have to apply for your visa online. This can be done here. Apply at least 5 days in advance of arrival. Travelers are no longer able to get a visa on arrival at the airport.
Yellow Fever vaccination
A Yellow Fever vaccination card is only required for persons traveling to Kenya from the age of 1 year and above when traveling from a country with a risk of Yellow Fever transmission. This does not apply to travelers who have been in transit. Find the list of countries with a risk of virus transmission here.
Do I need an international drivers license?
A (valid) driver’s license from your own country is sufficient. It’s not necessary to buy an international license when driving a car in Kenya.
Can I visit multiple countries on my African roadtrip and cross the border with my rental car?
It is possible to cross the border and take your car to Tanzania, Uganda or Rwanda in one Roadtrip by extension of the insurance cover. This extension can be done by purchasing a Comesa card, which costs € 120 / month. This is an option you can select in the Request Quote. We will prepare all the necessary paperwork for the car to cross the border. Visa and road tax you’ll have to pay yourselves at the border. This is around $ 40 USD.
You are not allowed to take your Offroadtrip Kenya rental car to Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania Or Rwanda.
In case you want to visit Uganda – take note that Non-Ugandan registered cars are charged $ 150 / car / 24 hours to enter a national park ( as opposed to UGX 30,000 for a Ugandan registered vehicle).
Can I take my Kenya registered vehicle into the National Parks of Tanzania?
This might seem an odd question, why should that not be possible? Well, there is a bit of a dispute going on between Tanzania and Kenya and there are trade barriers to protect each other’s tourism industry.
Until July 2022, travelers in foreign-registered cars had to pay $ 177 / per car / 24 hours to enter a Tanzanian Park. Good news, this extra charge no longer applies to East African Community registered cars. So if you want to enter a Tanzanian park with your Kenyan or Ugandan registered vehicle, you pay the same as a Tanzanian registered vehicle ( appr. $ 20 / car per 24 hours).
Do take note that Kenyan-plated cars are only allowed to enter into the national parks of Tanzania when it concerns self-drive only. All chauffeur-driven safaris vehicles (6-8 seaters with a pop up roof), are supposed to be used in the same country registered.
Many people like to include a visit to the Serengeti to their Offroadtrip. Although its one eco -system, its separated by a land border. You have to drive around the parks, using the Namanga or Isebania border, which adds 2 travel days to your journey.
Can you tell me more about the insurance conditions when hiring a car from Roadtrip Kenya?
Our cars are insured against damage as a result of accident or fire, and third party liability to property and bodily injury due to a car accident. Personal injury and possessions are not covered and fall under your medical and travel insurance.
There’s a maximum own risk of € 250, not covered by the insurance. Tires, windows and underbody coverage are not covered by the insurance, as severe underbody coverage is considered reckless driving by the insurer. The line of reasoning is that a driver can’t blame the conditions of a road – you can’t blame a tree, rock or put-hole for being there – you have to an observant driver.
Our teams & conditions are included in the car rental agreement. You can also consult them here.
