Kenya Travel: Practical Information
Here’s a my overview page about the practical stuff of Kenya travel: visa and passport information, getting there, getting around, money, maps, weather, health, and on. I always like to prepare myself well for trips far from home – it makes me feel less like a tourist and more like a world-wise traveler… Follow the links for detailed information.
Visa and Passport
Most travelers need a visa, which in most cases you can get after arrival at the airport for $50. Details are at my page about
Kenya visa requirements.
You also need a
passport
that’s valid for 3 months from the moment of entry. Here’s information about
Kenya Customs regulations.
Getting There
Unless you’re coming from Tanzania or Uganda, flying is about the only way to enter Kenya. Most tourists come in through
Kenyatta airport
in Nairobi, but some international charter companies also use Mombasa’s airport. Here’s a list of
airlines that fly to Kenya
as well as
air connections to Kenya listed by continent
Also check the tips how to get the
cheapest tickets to Kenya.
- The major Kenyan airline is
Kenya Airways
- It has a good reputation for quality and safety. Here's more about
getting to Kenya
with other means.
Getting Around
Here’s an overview of the means of
transport within Kenya
They include a nation-wide network of cheap buses and matatus, taxis and a limited railway (especially Nairobi-Mombasa).
Hiring a car in Kenya
is expensive with lots of small print, but sometimes the only option.
There are quite some possibilities to fly within Kenya – either on a regular domestic air line or with a chartered flight. Here’s a list of
domestic airlines in Kenya
- one of them is
Air Kenya.
Domestic airlines use
Wilson Airport in Nairobi
or any of the other
airports in Kenya.
Hotels
The quality of hotels in Kenya ranges from excellent to bad. To help you avoid the bad ones, here's my introduction page about
hotels in Kenya
and see my lists of
best hotels in Nairobi
and
best hotels in Mombasa.
Time Zone
Kenya’s time zone
is +3 GMT, meaning 3 hours later than London. It doesn't have summer time, so in the summer the time difference is reduced by one hour for those countries that do have summer time.
Maps
Here are all kinds of
maps of Kenya,
including national parks.
Weather
Kenya is at the equator, and has a
tropical climate.
Each year, there are two rainy season and two dry seasons. The two main tourists seasons (Jan-Feb and Jul-Aug) are in the dry periods. In the rainy seasons, not all safari parks are easily accessible, but you’ll more of them to yourself and prices are lower. Here’s more about the
best season for safaris in Kenya.
Money
Kenya's currency
is the shilling (KSH). At the time of writing, one US dollar equates 100 shilling. You can get Kenyan shillings from local ATM's with your own major bank or credit card (this varies per bank/ATM). Here’s also information about the best
banks in Kenya
for travelers.
Tourist Information
Here’s information about
Kenya's Tourist Information offices
within the country and abroad.
Health
Traveling to any tropical country requires some preparation. Here’s basic
health advice
and a
list of diseases and precautions,
including
vaccinations.
Also see my page about
AIDS & HIV in Kenya.
Embassies
Here’s a list of
foreign embassies in Kenya,
as well as
Kenyan missions abroad.
Crime
Kenya has it’s problems with
crime,
but if you follow simple rules, your stay should be trouble-free. Here’s information for when you have to deal with
Kenyan police
Communications
Here’s information about
(cheap) phone calls in Kenya
when you’re in Kenya. The country also has a good
mobile phone network,
and
internet access
is cheap and pretty wide available.
VOIP in Kenya
(phone calls over the internet) is on the rise as well.
Food and Groceries
Most cities, and towns frequented by tourists, have good
supermarkets
They aren’t terribly cheap, but their quality is good with Western, Kenyan and other brands available. Here’s more information about
food and food safety
in general.
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