Kenya Tourist Traps

  Near the Hippo Sighting : Masai Mara
by samitbabu
 
  • Near the Hippo Sighting : Masai Mara
      Near the Hippo Sighting : Masai Mara
    by samitbabu
  • With Larence at the left and Kuntaai at the right
      With Larence at the left and Kuntaai at...
    by samitbabu
  • Tony, Lawrence and Clive and Zack the boatman
      Tony, Lawrence and Clive and Zack the...
    by samitbabu
  • We asked her to Pose :)
      We asked her to Pose :)
    by samitbabu
  • Kaai my friend with his family
      Kaai my friend with his family
    by samitbabu
 
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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

The Famous Thorntree Cafe

by Buckz

If you ever log on to Lonely planet you will hear about the The Thorn Tree, which is Lonely planet's message board. It is named after the famous Thorn tree in the Famous Thorn tree cafe in Nairobi, where Cape to Cairo overlanders would stop off to leave messages, on the thorns of the tree. Oh how fabulous. You can imagine this bohemian hangout of independent overland travellers sharing experiences. These are the REAL Travellers, the ones I admire and envy. This is the sort of café that should be in your top ten travel experiences. There was no way I would have missed this cafe.The Tree Died.So did the soul of the cafe.The tree has been replaced.The atmosphere of the cafe is gone forever. All that is left is a sterile soulless coffee shop like you will find in any shopping centre or hotel from Hamburg to strasburg to Milton Keynes to Pittsburgh. Look at the tree, buy a coke, keep a note...

Hotel prices

by croisbeauty

Actually this might be considered as non tourist trap but to me it is the biggest trap I've noticed during my visits to Kenya. Besides the prices for the admissions, which are in some cases 8 times higher than what the locals paying, there are different prices in the hotels too. Just for a record, double room in the Holiday Inn hotel at Nairobi costs 200 dollars per night for the tourists from abroad, while at the same time that room costs 100 dollars only for the citizens of Kenya! The same goes for the all other hotels in whole of Kenya.My question for the Kenyan Ministry of Tourism is, why am I discriminated in the Kenyan hotels? In case of knowing somebody local, reliable of course, ask him/her to book a room for you and pay it. It is what I did in Holiday Inn and the room cost me 100 dollars only. The most cheaper way for staying in Kenya is to rent an apartment or the house....

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Tour operators = jokers

by croisbeauty

What is the main problem a traveler might have if going to Africa over one of European tour operators? According to my own experiences a couple of unpredictable surprices can be expected, but all of them should be accepted with the cold head. Instead of four stars hotel, as written in the program, the accommodation could be bellow it, the beach resort you saw in the picture is there but not right in front of your hotel as indicated, and many other small things of less importance but enough to spoil the whole picture you got about back home. All of that, however, should be considered as a minor problem. According to my program, (paid in advance), I was supposed to visit the Maasai Mara game reserve. Instead of what I paid for, my tour operator proposed the other game reserve but only after I already arived to Mombasa. It is why I felt betrayed but all of my complains were in wain. A...

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Taxi ride

by croisbeauty

When in Kenya, you cannot know wether the car authorized taxi service or the guy who want to earn some extra money. First because there isn't any visible inscription outside the car and the second, they never use taxi-meter. In my experience it even doesn't matter, tourist might expect to be traped by both authorized and unauthorized taxis. What you need to do is this; never enter inside the car if the price for a ride isn't agreed. Insist on change, even if small money, because after two or three weeks of staying small money becomes big. Ten kilometres of ride should cost you maximum 800 to 1000 shillings, no matter if day or night. Never give more than 500 shillings for a drive inside the town. Use city buses or matatus, the same ride or even longer cost you about 10 to 20 shillings.

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Ballooning Safaris

by bpwillet

To some this wouldn't be much of a trap at all. It is romantic, exciting, thrilling and a great way to see the animals at a game park. The good thing is there are a number of companies to choose from. If you are in the Masai Mara you have many different options to choose from. Your hotel can help sort you out best with the company they work with or have worked with in the past. One company in particular is not the greatest to use. Transworld Safaris does balloon safari's just like everyone else and their price tag is still $385. However the one pilot we were around was not only rude, but verbally abusive and very condescending to the other passengers as well as to his own employees. This is a lot of money for a trip like this make it memorable and do not hesitate to change your mind if you do not feel comfortable.

Ballooning Safaris

by bpwillet

To some this wouldn't be much of a trap at all. It is romantic, exciting, thrilling and a great way to see the animals at a game park. The good thing is there are a number of companies to choose from. If you are in the Masai Mara you have many different options to choose from. Your hotel can help sort you out best with the company they work with or have worked with in the past. One company in particular is not the greatest to use. Transworld Safaris does balloon safari's just like everyone else and their price tag is still $385. However the one pilot we were around was not only rude, but verbally abusive and very condescending to the other passengers as well as to his own employees. This is a lot of money for a trip like this make it memorable and do not hesitate to change your mind if you do not feel comfortable.

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Beware of Masai village trip

by Argawana

The visit to Masai Village itself was a nice experience. However, I decided to put this topic under tourist trap because I couldn't forget how these people forced me to buy "their hand made handicraft/ antique" at the end of the visit at one of Masai village. It's not entirely wrong but at least they could sell "their hand made handicraft" at legitimate price. You can find the same commodity at Tuesday open market in Nairobi at much cheaper price Politely refuse to buy the handicraft and tell them that you already bought them in Nairobi. Or if you want, you can just buy one or two.

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Fake Maasai

by croisbeauty

They are trying to look alike to Maasai by dressing their cloths and seling their souvenirs but, this are only some local Mombasa guys. All of this "original" souvenirs are produced in the nearby factory and you can buy them their for cheap. When in Kenya never buy any souveniers in your first days, check other wendors compare the prices and than buy. Never pay the price before burgaing because the first price asked is probably tripled.

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Carnivore-don't buy the hype

by Osmun79

Carnivore is immensely popular with tourists, but if your looking to NOT run into yuppies and drunken europeans, there's not much to help you here. The food, while being ok, is SERIOUSLY over-priced and it costs almost $500 just to see a show. The bands tend to go on late and are nothing special. Don't be suprised if you find yourself spending 5,000 Ksh on a meal!The real Carnivores are the people who run this place.. they'll eat up all your cash! Take alot of money with you. Visa and Traveler's checks will help cushion the blow to your wallet. Drink beforehand so that you can skimp on the hefty charges for beer and cocktails.Avoid the temptation to smack the guy next to you yelling "Bollocks!" at the TV. Black Cotton club holds House and Techno nights, as well as reggae and are located on the outskirts of Karen, a bit farther from Carnivore. The DJ's are supposedly top-notch and the...

the Masai businessman

by Thumbee

When you reach your first national park (ours was the Masai Mara), chances are, you will have been asked to shell out about 1000Ksh for a tour around the nearest Masai village, see their dances, etc. and this you will do because you are curious and it's all new and everything is happy-happy and exciting. But be sure that the next Masai area you visit (it was Amboseli N.P.), in all likelihood, some Masai from a nearby village will ask how you have liked your trip so far, and a friendly lot they are, so your natural instinct is to respond likewise. I would advise caution in what I would say in response though, because we realised the hard way that, sadly, they are out to make a buck where they can. We were asked if we had seen a Masai village, so we responded in the affirmative, and about ten minutes later, they showed up at our camp-site with an invitation to a wedding that was about to...

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Tourist Attractions in Kenya

Top 3 Hotels in Kenya

Nairobi Serena Hotel  Nairobi

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Governors' IlMoran Camp  Masai Mara Game Reserve

 4 Reviews and 67 Opinions  Little Governors Camp was built in 1976 in the Masai Mara in Kenya with its own independent... 

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Serena Beach Hotel & Spa  Mombasa

 1 Review and 209 Opinions  Quite a long way out of Mombasa to the North, this is said to be one of the best hotels on the coast... 

 Hotels in Mombasa

225 Hotels in Kenya
 
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Reviews and photos of Kenya attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Kenya sightseeing.

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Tourist Traps: Cities in Kenya
  1. Nairobi Tourist Traps
  2. Mombasa Tourist Traps
  3. Masai Mara Game Reserve Tourist Traps
  4. Malindi Tourist Traps
  5. Lake Naivasha Tourist Traps
  6. Lake Nakuru National Park Tourist Traps
  7. Lamu Island Tourist Traps
  8. Amboseli National Park Tourist Traps
  9. Malindi Tourist Traps
  10. Watamu Tourist Traps
  11. Tsavo National Park East Tourist Traps
  12. Mombasa Island Tourist Traps
  13. Thika Tourist Traps
  14. Nairobi National Park Tourist Traps
  15. Wasini Island Tourist Traps
  16. Lamu Tourist Traps
  17. Narok Tourist Traps
  18. Nakuru Tourist Traps

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Popular Regions in Kenya

Coast Province Tourist Traps  Rift Valley Province Tourist Traps  Nairobi Area Tourist Traps  Nyanza Province Tourist Traps  Central Province Tourist Traps  Eastern Province Tourist Traps 

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Questions and Answers

ciera profile photo

Q:  i want to go to kenya for 5 months with my 3 children and husbin im wondering what are so wonderful sites to see? 

CatherineReichardt profile photo

A: Hi Why don't you start by reading the many travel pages on Kenya that VT members have already compiled? As you're a new member, you may not yet be aware how to do this.... 

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