Planning a Kenya safari from the USA? We have brought all of our planning advice for American travelers together in one complete, step-by-step guide: Kenya Safari for Americans: How to Plan Your First Trip Step by Step. This page gives you the short version and points you to the right place for everything else.
Kenya Safari From the USA: The Key Planning Points
- Paperwork: US passport holders need an approved Kenya eTA from the official portal, etakenya.go.ke (from USD 30), plus Kenya’s mandatory travel health insurance (USD 44 per traveler, each child included; a US policy cannot be uploaded or used instead). Our mandatory travel insurance guide explains it.
- Flights: Kenya Airways flies nonstop from New York JFK to Nairobi in about 14 hours; from other US cities you usually connect once.
- Best time: July to October for the Great Migration in the Masai Mara; late January to February and late November for quieter, good-value trips.
- Trip length: about 7 days on the ground suits a first safari, plus two travel days.
- Health: see a travel clinic 6 to 8 weeks before you fly; malaria tablets are advised for the main parks and the coast.
- Practical notes: Nairobi is 7 to 8 hours ahead of New York, and Kenya uses Type G (UK-style) plugs at 240 volts.
Before you book, we brief you on the current official travel advice for your route and confirm everything in writing.
Where to Go Next
For the full planning guide, including a month-by-month timeline, an eTA walkthrough, health, money, packing and what a safari day looks like, read Kenya safari for Americans: the step-by-step planning guide.
To compare trips and prices, see our Kenya safari packages from the USA: private, luxury, honeymoon, family and incentive routes, each with a starting price in US dollars.
Planning a Kenya safari from the USA?
Tell us your dates, home airport and who is traveling. Our Nairobi team replies with a route and a written, itemized quote in US dollars.
Read the Full Planning Guide WhatsApp +254 799 160 081
