Applies to: All Clients participating in a Safari confirmed on or after the effective date.
This agreement forms part of the contract between the Client and the Company and must be read together with the booking terms and conditions. Terms defined in those terms and conditions carry the same meaning here.
By participating in a Safari, the Client accepts this agreement on their own behalf and on behalf of every person named in the booking.
1. Nature of the Activity
1.1 The Masai Mara National Reserve and the adjoining private conservancies are unfenced wild environments. Free-roaming animals including lion, leopard, cheetah, elephant, Cape buffalo, hippopotamus and hyena move without restriction through game viewing areas and, in many cases, through camp grounds.
1.2 Camps and lodges used by the Company are frequently unfenced, by design, to permit natural wildlife movement.
1.3 Game drives are conducted in open-roof vehicles on unpaved tracks, at distance from medical facilities.
2. Assumption of Risk
2.1 The Client acknowledges that wilderness travel carries inherent risks that cannot be eliminated, including injury or death arising from wild animal behaviour, vehicle movement over rough terrain, aircraft travel, insect and animal-borne disease, extreme weather, and remoteness from medical care.
2.2 The Client acknowledges that animal behaviour is unpredictable. Animals generally treat a stationary vehicle as a single inanimate object, but may respond defensively or aggressively if startled, crowded, separated from young, or approached improperly.
2.3 The Client voluntarily assumes these risks and participates in the Safari on that basis.
3. Client Declarations
3.1 The Client confirms that every person in the booking is of sufficient physical fitness to participate in the activities booked.
3.2 The Client must disclose in writing, before travel, any pre-existing medical condition, mobility limitation, allergy or medication requirement that may affect participation or emergency response.
3.3 Failure to disclose a material medical condition may result in refusal of participation in particular activities, without refund, and may limit the effectiveness of emergency assistance.
3.4 Where the Client is pregnant, or travelling with an infant, the Client must inform the Company at booking, as some camps and air operators impose restrictions.
4. Authority of the Driver-Guide
4.1 The Company’s driver-guides operate under the Company’s Tourism Regulatory Authority operator licence and are trained to assess animal behaviour and field hazards.
4.2 The driver-guide has final authority over vehicle positioning, duration of a sighting, route selection and the conduct of a game drive.
4.3 Instructions given by a driver-guide, camp staff, ranger or warden must be followed immediately and without argument. This includes instructions given in urgent circumstances where no explanation is offered at the time.
5. Vehicle Rules
5.1 Passengers must keep arms, heads and torsos within the frame of the vehicle whenever wildlife is within fifty yards.
5.2 Standing on seats, sitting on the roof or window frames, leaning from doors or windows, and waving or extending objects outside the vehicle are prohibited in the presence of wildlife. These actions break the outline of the vehicle and may provoke a defensive response.
5.3 Passengers must not disembark from the vehicle except at designated picnic sites, gate checkpoints or other locations expressly approved by the driver-guide. Narok County wardens impose fines on drivers and passengers for off-vehicle violations within the reserve, and any such fine is payable by the Client.
5.4 Noise must be kept low in the presence of predators and elephant herds.
5.5 Feeding, calling to, or attempting to attract any wild animal is prohibited.
6. Camp Safety and Night Movement
6.1 After dusk, guests must not walk unescorted anywhere within an unfenced camp. Guests must remain in their tent or room and wait for an armed askari escort to accompany them to and from the dining area.
6.2 Tent flaps and mesh doors must be kept fully closed when the tent is occupied and when it is unattended.
6.3 Food must not be kept or consumed in tents. Baboons and monkeys enter tents that are left open and will take food.
6.4 Where a camp issues a whistle, horn or radio for emergency use, guests must keep it accessible overnight.
7. Walking Safaris, Night Drives and Conservancy Activities
7.1 Walking safaris and night drives are permitted only within private conservancies and are not available inside the National Reserve.
7.2 These activities are conducted at the discretion of the conservancy and its guides, are subject to minimum age limits set by each operator, and may be cancelled on the day for safety or weather reasons without refund of the activity element.
7.3 On foot, guests must walk in single file behind the armed guide, must not run under any circumstances, and must follow instructions without hesitation.
8. Prohibited Conduct
8.1 The following are prohibited during the Safari:
- Participation in a game drive or walking activity while intoxicated or under the influence of drugs.
- Operation of a drone without written clearance from the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority and the relevant county or park authority.
- Carriage of firearms or offensive weapons.
- Off-road driving inside the National Reserve.
- Removal of any animal, plant, bone, feather or archaeological material from the reserve or conservancies.
- Photographing local residents, staff or their property without consent.
8.2 Kenya prohibits the importation of single-use plastic bags. Any fine arising from a breach of that law is payable by the Client.
9. Consequences of Non-Compliance
9.1 Where a Client fails to follow a safety instruction, the driver-guide may terminate the game drive and return to camp.
9.2 Where a Client’s conduct endangers themselves, other guests, staff or wildlife, or repeatedly disregards instructions, the Company may terminate that person’s Safari with immediate effect. No refund is payable and onward arrangements become the Client’s responsibility and cost.
9.3 Fines, penalties, recovery costs or damage charges incurred as a result of the Client’s conduct are payable by the Client.
10. Emergency Medical Evacuation Cover
10.1 Safari packages include emergency air evacuation cover operated by AMREF Flying Doctors for the duration of the Safari.
10.2 In an emergency, the camp manager or driver-guide contacts the AMREF Emergency Control Centre. An air ambulance is dispatched to the nearest airstrip and the patient is flown to Wilson Airport, Nairobi, a flight of approximately 45 minutes, then transferred by ambulance to a Nairobi hospital.
10.3 Limits of the cover. This cover pays for emergency air transport only. It does not cover the cost of medical treatment, hospital admission, surgery, repatriation to the Client’s home country, or any condition excluded by AMREF’s own terms. It is not a substitute for medical insurance.
10.4 The Company gives no warranty as to response times, which depend on weather, daylight, airstrip conditions and aircraft availability.
11. Mandatory Travel Insurance
11.1 The Client must hold travel insurance covering emergency medical treatment, hospital admission, emergency repatriation, personal accident, cancellation and curtailment, for the full duration of the Safari.
11.2 The Company may require evidence of that insurance before the Safari commences and may refuse participation where it is not held.
12. Environmental and Operational Conditions
12.1 Roads and weather. The final approach to the reserve is unpaved. Heavy rain can reduce transit speeds substantially and may require route changes. The Company is not liable for delays caused by weather, flooding, road failure or third-party traffic obstruction.
12.2 Air travel. Scheduled bush flights are operated by third-party carriers and are subject to a total baggage limit of 15 kg (33 lb) per passenger in frameless soft-sided bags. Hard-shell cases are refused at check-in. The Company is not liable for carrier delays, schedule changes or baggage refusals.
12.3 Wildlife sightings. No sighting, including Great Migration river crossings, is guaranteed. No part of the Safari price is refundable on the basis that particular wildlife was not seen.
12.4 Government systems. The Company is not liable for delays caused by failures of government electronic systems or telecommunications networks at park gates.
13. Regulatory Compliance by the Client
13.1 The Client is responsible for holding an approved Electronic Travel Authorization obtained through the official Kenya eTA portal before travel (USD 30 standard, USD 130 expedited), and a passport valid for at least six months beyond entry with at least two blank pages and no page damage. The name on the eTA must match the passport exactly.
13.2 Park entry permits are pre-paid by the Company through the Narok County eCitizen portal. Cash is not accepted at gates. Permits run for 24 hours from the recorded time of entry, and an additional permit fee becomes payable where departure is delayed beyond that window at the Client’s request.
13.3 Where the Client settles any amount in cash, United States Dollar notes must be issued after 2013 and free of tears, heavy creases or ink marks, as Kenyan banks and lodge desks refuse notes that do not meet this standard.
14. Minors
14.1 A parent or legal guardian accepts this agreement on behalf of any person under 18 in the booking and is responsible for their supervision and compliance throughout the Safari.
14.2 Minimum ages apply to walking safaris, night drives and balloon flights, and are set by the individual operator.
15. Release and Limitation of Liability
15.1 To the extent permitted by law, the Client releases the Company from liability for loss, injury or damage arising from risks inherent in wilderness travel as described in clause 2, or from the Client’s own failure to follow safety instructions.
15.2 Nothing in this agreement excludes or limits liability for death or personal injury caused by the Company’s negligence, or for any other liability that cannot lawfully be excluded.
15.3 Subject to clause 15.2, the Company’s total liability arising out of the Safari is limited to the total price paid by the Client.
15.4 Where services are delivered by Third-Party Suppliers, the Company acts as agent and is not liable for their acts or omissions.
16. Precedence and Governing Law
16.1 Where this agreement and the booking terms and conditions conflict, the booking terms and conditions prevail.
16.2 This agreement is governed by the laws of the Republic of Kenya and the parties submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Kenyan courts.
17. Acknowledgement
17.1 The Client confirms that they have read and understood this agreement, that they have disclosed all material medical information, and that they hold travel insurance meeting the requirement in clause 11.
17.2 Questions about this agreement should be directed to the Company using the details on the contact page. Details of the Company’s licensing and guiding team are published on the about us page.