Holiday Guide
103
is normally breakfast and buffet/set menu dinner. Some
hotels offer a buffet dinner up to a certain voucher
value which is at the discretion of the hotel and can be
topped-up locally. ‘Full Board’ means breakfast,
buffet/set menu lunch and buffet/set menu dinner. ‘All
Inclusive’ – sometimes not all bars and restaurants are
included and supplements may be charged for certain
brands of drinks, speciality meals/restaurants. Hotels
which include main meals generally commence with
dinner on the day of arrival at your hotel and terminate
with breakfast (on half board) or lunch (on full board –
except for safaris which normally have breakfast as the
final meal) on the day of departure, dependent on
flight times. Meal supplements may be obligatory at
peak seasons, whether meals are taken or not.
PHOTOGRAPHY
– In many cultures it is polite to ask
permission before taking a photograph of a person and
you may be asked to pay to photograph people. Do not
take photographs of airports, bridges, government
offices or military buildings. Always check with your
guide/representative/driver. Some countries may require
you to register or bond your video equipment with
customs on entry.
PUBLIC AND RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS
– Please note
that services may be curtailed or limited during public
holidays, and certain religious holidays. Such public or
religious holidays can be called at very little or no prior
notice.
REPRESENTATIVES
– Your representative will be your
first point of contact should you experience any
difficulties whilst on holiday and will endeavour to help.
You will be met by an airport representative on arrival
in your chosen destination who will provide you
with local contact details. On a road safari, your driver-
guide also acts as your representative. On a flying
safari, the lodge or camp management will assist
you and contact our local offices on your behalf, if
required.
RESORT DEVELOPMENT
– Construction work can
cause discomfort, vibration and noise at certain times in
resorts. We have no control over building work and we
are unable to anticipate the speed or extent to which
such development may occur. Should we learn of
specific developments at or close to your
accommodation that are likely to affect the enjoyment
of your holiday, we will do our best to contact you
before departure. If we are of the opinion that the
building works may reasonably be considered to
seriously impair the enjoyment of your holiday, we shall
offer you the opportunity to transfer to an alternative
holiday of comparable type. If the alternative offered is
at additional cost, the difference will be payable by you,
or we will give you the option to cancel with a full
refund of all monies paid.
ROADS
– Conditions can be rough and journeys may
be long and uncomfortable with infrequent breaks. We
strongly recommend that you conduct further research
to satisfy yourself that you and your party will be able
to withstand the physical rigours involved. All distances
and travelling times quoted are approximate and may
vary for operational reasons. Driving times may take a
lot longer than you would expect.
SWIMMING
– Swimming along many coasts can be
dangerous due to strong undercurrents and other
elements. Please seek the advice of the local
representative before venturing into the sea and avoid
swimming in deserted areas. Do not let non-swimmers
or children jump into a swimming pool without first
checking the depth and means of exit.
TIPPING
– Tipping is customary in many parts of Africa,
but please note that it is entirely discretionary and we
recommend that you only tip if you feel that you have
received good service.
TOURS – SINGLE SUPPLEMENTS
– The supplements
are applicable for single occupancy if travelling with at
least one other person. All tours can be taken by a
single person travelling alone, but will incur a higher
supplement, which is available on request.
WEATHER
– Weather information is purely a guideline.
Temperatures are shown in Celsius, rainfall in
millimetres.
CHOOSING A HOTEL
To assist you in selecting the accommodation that is
most suitable for you, we have devised a ratings system
based on our opinions and those of our customers,
rather than local or international ratings.
The Somak Connoisseur Collection is a selection of the
finest hotels and tours featured in our portfolio. The
holidays within this brochure bearing the Connoisseur
Collection logo, offer high levels of quality and
exclusivity.
Sun Ratings
Somak’s ‘Sun’ ratings give an overall view of a property
and take account of factors such as accommodation,
food, facilities and service.
RRRRR
First-class standards of accommodation and service,
usually with an excellent range of facilities.
RRRR
Good standards of accommodation and a range of
facilities.
RRR
Comfortable accommodation offering medium-class
facilities.
As standards of accommodation vary from country to
country, Somak’s ‘Sun’ ratings reflect the standards to
be expected within one particular country or region. It
is generally not appropriate to compare ratings from
one country to another.
SAFARI GUIDE
A safari is an incredible adventure that will introduce
you to the wonders of Africa – friendly people,
diverse and beautiful landscapes, and if you are
lucky, many different animals and birds. However, this
is not something that should be undertaken lightly as
often the distances covered are vast and journeys
may be uncomfortable at times. We offer different
types of safari, so please read the following
information to enable you to choose the most
appropriate one.
SHARED SAFARIS BY ROAD
–
These have fixed
itineraries with set departure days. They are shared
with a small group of travellers in a Somak microbus
in Kenya and a 4-wheel drive vehicle in Tanzania. All
guests are guaranteed a window seat and access to
the game viewing hatch. We hold generous
allocations of rooms on these set itineraries, so they
are easy to book and confirm, although we would
strongly recommend that you book early for the peak
periods such as during the migration in the Masai
Mara and the Serengeti as these periods are very
popular.
For all these safaris there is the option to pay for the
exclusive use of a safari vehicle. You can also choose
to fly from the Masai Mara to Nairobi or Mombasa at
the conclusion of your safari. Please see below for
further information.
We have also showcased a number of suggested
itineraries to help you choose your perfect safari.
These can operate on any day of the week and can
be tweaked to suit your requirements with extra days
in any lodge or camp. We therefore do not hold
allocations and each element has to be confirmed
separately. Some suggested itineraries are detailed on
pages 22-23 and 30-35 for Kenya and pages 60-67
for Tanzania. Further suggestions can be found on
our website
If you cannot find your perfect safari in the pages of
this brochure or on our website, we can tailor-make
a personalised itinerary just for you to create your
dream holiday. This could be an adaptation of one of
our classic or suggested itineraries, flying or by road,
or a combination of both. You are limited only by
practical considerations such as travelling times and
flight networks, the availability of your chosen lodges
or camps, and your budget. A selection of camps and
lodges throughout Kenya and Tanzania can found on
our website
A higher deposit may be required at time of booking
for some lodges and camps.
YOUR SAFARI VEHICLE ON A SAFARI BY ROAD
–
Our safari vehicles are driven by expert driver-guides
who accompany you throughout your safari. Somak
microbuses in Kenya have game viewing hatches
which are accessible from the rear seats, but not from
the front passenger seat and are equipped with a
cool box in which you can store your drinks. Our
Shared Safaris by Road in Kenya use a maximum of
six seats, thus guaranteeing you a window seat and
access to the game viewing hatch. Four wheel drive
vehicles are available for a supplement and seat up to
NAIROBI
Average Temperature (°C) Average Rainfall (mm)
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
25° 26° 25° 24° 22° 21° 21° 21° 21° 24° 23° 23°
25 51 127 203 152 51 25 25 25 51 102 76
ZANZIBAR
Average Temperature (°C) Average Rainfall (mm)
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
27° 27° 27° 26° 26° 25° 24° 25° 25° 26° 26° 28°
76 76 127 381 254 51 51 51 51 76 76 152
MOMBASA
Average Temperature (°C) Average Rainfall (mm)
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
31° 31° 32° 32° 29° 28° 28° 28° 29° 30° 31° 31°
25 25 51 203 330 152 102 51 51 76 102 51
ARUSHA
Average Temperature (°C) Average Rainfall (mm)
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
33° 33° 32° 29° 27° 26° 26° 27° 29° 31° 32° 32°
25 51 127 356 254 25 25 25 25 25 51 51
CONNOISSEUR
C O L L E C T I O N
