USEFUL INFORMATION
PACKING
As the days are warm and the sun is strong we recommend shorts and long sleeve shirts - unless you'd prefer to work on your tan! The evenings need light sweaters and long trousers. As we do plenty of walking here, safari colours or dark colours are best. White reflects light and attracts the animals attention, so white clothes are best avoided. Good walking shoes or trainers for when we are out and about and sandals for when we are relaxing.
For those who will be doing plenty of riding:
Strong riding trousers/jodhpurs are recommended as the brush has plenty of thorns. Long sleeve shirts. Riding boots or jodhpur boots and half chaps are important. We have some riding hats here, but if you have a favourite please bring it.
The bush is quite thorny and so we don’t recommend you bring your best clothes to stay with us. Sunblock, bug spray, sunglasses and hats are vital.
CLIMATE
Rocky Hollow is on the Laikipia Plateau, north of Mt Kenya. The altitude is 5500 feet above sea level and this brings cool evenings and warm days. We are about 50 kms north of Mt Kenya and its rain shadow, we do not get any of the cold nights the mountain seems to bring. The vegetation is more dry country bush with few grassy glades. Plenty of seasonal rivers that run briefly and furiously in the season.
We have built in some sand dams on the dry river beds near us and this has definitely helped to create more moisture and growth.
MEDICAL
Please check with your own doctors and follow their recommendations.
Yellow Fever is only mandatory if you have been in a country where Yellow Fever occurs.
Depending on the rest of your itinerary, a malaria prophylactic can be needed. Malarone seems to have the least side effects, but do check with your own doctors.
If you are taking any medication please be sure to bring spare along with extra prescription glasses.
CURRENCY
Kenya uses a shilling. There are ATM’s in every major town and as long as you have access to something like VISA you can always get cash. US$ are also taken by most people, but make sure they are post 2010 and no one dollar bills.