Connectivity & Electricity

Q : Will my cell phone work and will Wi-Fi be available?

A : Cellular and wifi connection is not available in all areas. Different cell phone services will get better reception than others at times. If it’s important to stay connected with work or home while on safari you should purchase an international call plan (with your preferred cell phone service provider) for the duration of your trip. You also may rent a satellite phone from other satellite services such as Mobal.

Some, not all, hotels, lodges, or camps offer wifi connection. Please inquire at each location where the designated wifi area is located.

Q : Will I have access to electricity?

A : Yes, however at many locations electricity is only available at certain times of the day.

Many of the lodges do not operate their electrical generators 24 hours a day. Some lodges turn off their generators after dinner and restart them in the early morning.

Please inquire upon arrival at each lodge as policies differ widely. It is always a good idea to be prepared with extra batteries for digital cameras, camcorders and laptops. (See Photo Tips for more information.)

The electrical voltage in Kenya and Tanzania is 220V while the electrical voltage in the United States is 120V. The electrical sockets are identical to those found in the United Kingdom. A 3 rectangular pin UK plug adapter #3G is required to use electrical appliances including laptops, tablets, video games, digital cameras, battery chargers, etc. The 3 rectangular pin UK plug adapter is placed onto your appliance plug so that it will fit into the 3 rectangular pin electrical sockets. You may wish to consider bringing along a multiple outlet device (a.k.a 3 –way splitter) to plug into the adapter, allowing charging of more than one battery or device at a time. Check out Walk About Travel Gear for the best solutions for electric conversion.

If you have a dual voltage appliance or a universal power supply capable of operating safely with either 120V or 220V, all you will need is the plug adapter mentioned above. Most newer laptops, digital cameras and video cameras come equipped with a dual power supply. Check to make sure that the inputs read 100V – 240V or 120V – 240V.

If you do not have a dual voltage power supply, then in addition to the plug adapter, you will need to purchase a transformer/converter. For more information, please visit Electrical Outlet.