Nairobi Transportation

To plan a safari you begin with the choice of a safari tour package that fits your degree of flexibility, interest, fitness and adventurous spirit. The preferred time to visit is during the dry season.
Most guides speak English in addition to other foreign languages. The guides are very helpful with their vast knowledge of the flora and fauna as well as interesting stories of each park. In addition the guides have a hamper instinctive smell for the animals and thus will often go out of their way to spot a particular animal for you. All these will add up to the worthwhile investment and a luxury not found in many places.

Tom Mboyo street in downtown Nairobi is a very hectic street. Especially in the afternoons and nights. This street is the main start for the matatus in the city. Almost all of them are Toyota Hiace packed with locals. The cars makes a lot of noise with honking and shouting for new passengers. A Toyota Hiace can be packed with more than 20 persons, so expect everything else than comfort.

The local bus called City Hoppa (line no. 34) drive between the airport and the city for 50 Ksh. That is 30 times cheaper than a taxi. Take the bus if you have been in Nairobi before and know where to go off the bus. Try to avoid the high fixed taxi price of 1500 Ksh.

If it's your first time to Kenya and you are alone, it's best to take a taxi to the city. The fixed price is 1500 Ksh to the downtown (a little bit more than 20 USD). The distance is 18 km. The driver will take you direct to the hotel, and he will also help you to find different hotels if you have not booked in advance.

Kenya airways, the pride of Africa, as they call themselves is one of the three main airlines in Africa. The airline has good routes to sub-sahara countries from Nairobi. I have flown it twice from Lilongwe to Nairobi in a B777 and from Nairobi to Mombasa in an Embraer 170. The service is good and the crew are friendly. Unfortunate the staff was on strike the last time I should take it to Amsterdam.

The fleet has:
4 Boeing 777-200ER
5 Boeing 767-300ER
5 Boeing 737-800
4 Boeing 737-700
4 Boeing 737-300
3 Embraer 170 LR

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Jomo Kenyatta International Airport is the main airport in Kenya. It's an old airport with two international terminals and one domestic terminal. The distance is 18 kilometres to the east of Nairobi.

Visa fee is 25 USD for a single visa. Children below 16 years are not charged visa fees.

Taxi from the airport to downtown has a fixed price of 1500 Ksh. You can also take the local bus (City Hoppa) for 50 Ksh (70 cent).

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Nairobi's train station on Station Road is very central with a walk along Moi Avenue from the city centre to get to it. The station is a throw back to the old English days with 3 classes of seat providing different levels of service both on the train and at the station.

There are few services with the main one between Nairobi & Mombasa which runs through the Athi Plains and across the Marangu Plains. It runs daily and is frequently subject to lengthy delays. There is also a Nairobi to Kisumu train operates three times a week.

Meals and bedding cost a little extra and it pays to bring your own toilet paper just in case.

Bussing around Nairobi can be an exciting experience given the state of the main bus depot where drivers tout for customers in an attempt to fill up their mini vans and make life cost effective. Before you travel you'll need to know the number of the route you want to take - this can hopefully be found at your hotel!