A quick guide to responsible travel in Kenya

Please help us protect Kenya’s natural heritage!

KARIBUNI! Welcome to Kenya, the original home of the great African safari. Our country is blessed with some of the world’s richest wilderness areas — and some of its rarest creatures. In order to preserve this vital biodiversity, we urge all visitors to read the following guidelines and help us protect our natural heritage — for our sake, and the sake of all future generations.

1 Travel with reputable operators and qualified safari guides. Insist that your tour operator and accommodation facilities use only trained and certified safari guides.

2 Support eco-friendly accommodation facilities. Try to stay at lodges and safari camps that look after their environment and support local conservation projects.

3 Respect local cultures and promote community benefits. Support projects and properties that benefit local people through employment, social development, and the preservation of traditional livelihoods.

On safari

4 Keep to designated roads. Please encourage your driver to stay on roads or designated tracks when visiting our national parks and reserves.

5 Minimize disturbance to animals. Many wild animals, such as cheetahs, become distressed when they are surrounded by several vehicles, or when vehicles get too close to them. Please keep noise to a minimum and never try to attract animals’ attention.

6 Stay inside your vehicle at all times. Do not stand on the roof or hang out of the window of your vehicle while inside the parks, and refrain from getting out of the vehicle except in designated areas.

7 Keep to the speed limit. Feeding wild animals can upset their diet and lead to unnatural dependence upon people.

8 Take care not to disturb the ecological balance. Please do not purchase, collect or remove any animal products, rocks, plants, seeds or birds’ nests from the wild, or alter the natural environment in any way.

9 Litter and garbage can be very dangerous to wild animals. Please keep all litter with you, and be extremely careful with cigarettes and matches, which can cause major bush fires.

10 Protect the marine environment. Please take care not to touch or stand on coral reefs, and never dispose of any litter on the beach or in the sea.

At the coast

11 Never buy or remove animals or shells from the sea. Do not catch fish or remove other creatures from protected areas, and avoid buying starfish, shells, or any products that derive from turtles, whales or other endangered species.

12 Avoid buying undersize crabs and lobsters. Avoid restaurants and hotels that serve undersize crabs and lobsters, which are contributing to the rapid demise of these species.

13 Support traditional coastal livelihoods. Try to support inland market areas, where traders are making an effort to keep their business off the beaches, do not give money to children on the beach, which can encourage them to stay away from school.

14 Respect local cultures and customs. Always dress in a respectful way when visiting towns and villages — and never bathe topless on the beach.

The protection of Kenya’s natural environment is a responsibility that is shared by tour operators, local people and visitors. As a visitor, you have the power to influence the behavior of others. If you insist that these guidelines are adhered to, you will be playing an important part in helping Kenya to preserve some of the world’s greatest wilderness areas.

These guidelines were developed in conjunction with Friends of Conservation, the Ecotourism Society of Kenya, the Kenya Association of Tour Operators, the Kenya Wildlife Service and the Kenya Professional Safari Guides Association.