Pre-Departure Information

Arrival

Participants should plan to arrive at the hotel in Mombasa the day before the program begins to be on time for activities starting at 9am the next day (hotel reservations will have already been made). You are welcome to arrive earlier and make your own lodging accommodations.

Departure

The final day of classes will end with a closing dinner. Lodging will be provided until the next morning. Please plan on checking-out the morning after the program ends.

Free Day

We will have one weekend day off with an optional excursion (covered by program fee). More details to come.

Visa Information

Kenyan Immigration has instituted a strict visa policy whereby all visitors are strongly encouraged to obtain visas before arrival by using an online system. Single-entry visas for U.S. citizens are also available upon arrival at international ports of entry including Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, however have communicated they intend to end visas upon arrival in the near future. Multiple-entry visas must be applied for prior to traveling to Kenya.

You will be required to have:

  • A passport with at least two blank pages, six months’ validity, and a visa are required to enter Kenya.
  • You should have proof of yellow fever immunizations, or you may be denied entry.
  • Second form of identification is strongly recommended.

U.S. State Department Resource: Travel Advisories for Kenya 

Other nationalities: Participants should research which visa type is needed based on his or her nationality. If you must apply for a visa in advance, please contact Carolyn Meyer at cmeyer@miis.edu. She will introduce you by email to our contact in Kenya who will send the visa invitation letter.

Vaccinations

The CDC requires the following vaccinations before travel to Kenya (including Yellow Fever 30 days in advance of arrival)

Vaccination options include visiting a travel doctor in your area (Monterey: Dover Travel Clinic or Ryan Ranch) or using an online travel doctor through Safeway’s Pharmacy Travel Doctor program (usually the cheapest option).

Proof of Medical Evacuation Plan and Coverage Abroad

*only necessary for those not on the MIIS student medical insurance:

1.) If you are not on the MIIS student health insurance plan, you must confirm that your medical insurance policy covers you abroad and that it includes at least 500,000 USD in medical emergency evacuation coverage and 100,000 in repatriation insurance.

2.) World Nomads, AON, are just a few international medical insurance and medical evacuation plans that have offered rates as low as $40 USD per month. You can view a longer list of providers NAFSA-affiliated providers here.

Travel Insurance

Travel insurance in the case of cancelled flights or illness is not required, but highly recommended.

Students should be advised to secure Trip Cancellation Insurance – in case the security situation changes as the time gets nearer.   This is a strong recommendation; it is not a requirement. “Cancel for any reason” trip insurance would cover students in the event that between the time they’ve purchased their ticket and the start of the program, Middlebury decided that it had to suspend the program because of student safety concerns. Without insurance, students would lose the cost of your ticket. With this insurance, students could recover this cost.

There are many insurers, airlines, and/or ticketing agencies who offer this type of protection. In most cases this insurance needs to be purchased at the time the ticket is purchased or within 14 days of purchasing the ticket. It is important that the policy will allow you to “cancel for any reason”. Students should purchase this insurance for one day only – the day of departure. It’s not necessary to purchase coverage for several months, since the purpose of this is to insure the ticket in the event that the program is suspended. One agency that Middlebury has worked with in the past is TravelInsured.com. The cost for a policy with them in 2014-2015 for an itinerary that cost between $1,000 and $1,500 was just under $100.