FAQs
Logistics
We usually meet up in Nairobi CBD, opposite International House along City Hall Way Road. You can see the location here: Meetup Point
We can do pick ups along the way as long as we can reach you along the route in a convenient spot. For example, if we are using Thika Highway, we can pick you at TRM or Mountain Mall or one of the major bus stages.
We cannot however pick you at your estates or house as that is very inconvenient and time consuming
For the hikes we usually use buses, either 22 or 33 or 46 seaters depending on the turnout.
For the safaris we use safari vans with pop up roofs
We try to offer a variety of destinations every year. However, we do tend to repeat the popular ones so that if you missed it this year, you can try again the year after
One of the main reasons we started Matembezi Travelers Club was to take photos and we definitely wish to give photographers as much time as possible at the destination. We always strive to spend the maximum time at the destination so that you can get the shot you were looking for
From early on we have asked our members to not smoke or drink alcoholic drinks during the trip in the vehicle and at the destination. This is for safety and environmental reasons as well as being considerate of others. In case of an overnight trip, you can partake in those activities at night.
Costs and payments
We organise group travels and for all our events, we have a minimum number we work with – for safaris it’s 7 people while for hikes it is 18 people.
Payment can be sent if we have already reached our minimum number for the event – we will communicate with all registered persons when we are ready to receive payment
The payments are made to Chintan Gohel directly via the phone number +254713662894 using mpesa.
This applies for the overnight trips where the hotel/lodge offers a cheaper rate for sharing a room. For the normal day trips, there are no couple discounts for the time being
This depends on a case-by-case basis and is dependent on what the entry charges are like. For some destinations, entry fees are the same for all while for others there is a big difference. Please do reach out for specific locations.
- If we cancel a trip for any reason, we can offer a full refund or the individual can attend another trip
- If the individual cancels 3 days or more before the trip, same offer as above
- If you cancel within 3 days of the trip, we refund minus the deposit or you can attend the next trip
- If you are late and we leave you behind, only entry fees would be refunded if applicable. Meaning if a trip costs 2000 and the entry fee was 300, you would only get 300 back.
As long as you have paid the deposit beforehand, this is fine. Please do communicate beforehand.
This depends on the destinations – KWS parks would charge different rates for non residents while for some hiking destinations there can be no difference. Please also note that for some locations, entry fees can be noted in USD and prevailing exchange rates would apply. In case of any question, please do reach out
For most day events the fees would usually cover transport by bus or van, entry fees for Kenyan adults, guide or community fees, water and light snacks
For the overnight trips, it would also include accommodation.
For each trip, we state what the cost would cover
Yes, you can send partial amounts – it can be as simple as sending the deposit first and the rest later or in equal installments over a period of time. Kindly communicate in advance
Others
For all our 1 day trips, we do not offer any lunch – what we do offer are some light snacks such as an apple, packet of cookies and veg snacks – these are subject to availability during that particular trip
For the overnight trips, if the lodge/hotel is giving lunch and dinner, we will state that as part of the services included in the package
We will always strongly recommend that you bring your own food and water before arriving at the meet up point. Stopping along the way will consume unnecessary time and delay our arrival at the destination
If it happens that you have an unavoidable situation and you wish someone else to take your place, then it is possible. However, kindly make sure that your friend is fully aware of what they will be doing. If they are of a different citizenship, then there might be changes in the fees too
We bring 10 liter bottles that you can fill your own water bottle from after the event. This is for when your water is finished. We still expect you to bring your own water for the hike/safari
We are now offering use of binoculars during safaris and other birding events. We have 5 pairs of binoculars with 10x zoom and 1 pair of binoculars with 16x zoom.
The binoculars help you see the wildlife and birds better and have proven very useful during the last few safaris we have done.
Use of the binoculars will be shared until we have enough for all. You also don’t need to pay anything extra to use them