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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The Equator

by luddinra

Being on the equator is really cool but they will try to get tourists money and you can let them if you want. There is a huge gift shop there where you have to haggle like usual. But the worst part is that they try to 'give' you this green paper that says you have crossed the equator. To get it 'certified', you must pay them 6 or 8 bucks and they will just stamp the paper with a little stamper and write your name. Or you could do what we did and just take a picture of one of the peoples we were with! You can only keep saying "Well, it's for a good cause" so long!

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Promises

by beccyandjohn

What ever you do dont make any promises, they wont forget. Make sure to look around first before buying anything, we actually found that the hotel shop was very reasonable for gifts. But its worth remebering that your money is appreciated more by the locals.

Early morning flights......and visa charges

by ClareinDubai

We booked our trip with "Jambo Safaris" and their sister company "Duma" travel. They assured me that they had taken care of the flight and hotel bookings for Zanzibar about 3 months before the trip, oh and I didn't need to worry about the Tanzania visa. They booked the wrong flight back to Nairobi, (the one where you have to get up at 04.00) as the one we wanted was full. They didn't book the hotel we specifically requested, the one we wanted was full, but then they were booking 5 days before we were due there........and we had to pay $50 entry visa and $20 departure tax, each. Not fun when you have a connecting flight to Dubai at 19.30 the same day, that gets in at 03.00 in the morning, so instead of the 3 hour wait you had planned, you now have 10 hour wait. The visa bill left us with little cash to pay for the re-entry visa to Nairobi, and they don't take visa. Just some little things...

Try not to get trapped here...

by TracyG

The town of Naivasha very near to (the much more internesting) Lake Naivasha is a waste of time - there is absolutely nothing there. Unless you simply have to go there it is best to head straight for the lake. Go to a local bar and try and talk to the locals, the bars are pretty grim though. Head straight for Lake Naivasha if at all possible.

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Beach boys

by joolssss

Theseboys are not as bad as I was lead to believe. They are just trying to make a living and are very friendly, but! - they will use all the tricks to get you to buy something, " just come and look" " please just a little business for some food" etc, We bought all our stuff from them, Just obviously haggle, they will charge an abominable price for everything,but only end up paying what it is worth to you, no matter how insulted they try to be! They will respect you for it in the end! Honest! The alternative is to buy everything at a fixed price in the shop and have the fat cats get even richer. We chose to support the locals and made some friends while we were at it.

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Mini Bus Safari

by Tallchick80

A mini bus safari is billed as a cost-effective way to see the wildlife parks, but the experience itself isn't worth it, no matter what the cost.If going to Masai Mara, you will leave Nairobi, and for five hours you will drive on rugged dirt roads crammed into a small van with 7 to 8 other passengers. Most of the buses aren't air conditioned, and while driving through the rift valley, temperatures can reach well into the 100's. Aside from being uncomfortable, the mini-bus drivers travel in packs, so once you reach animals, there are so many people there already that the experience is ruined. I really recommend that you try to find a cheap private driver to take you. While in Nairobi, call local travel agents who can arrange a private safari.For a private safari, we paid about 100 dollars per person. This included: entry to the park, two nights at a campsite, all food included, a private...

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We are not alone

by grets

Kenya is a very popular tourist destination, and you will often find that you are not alone once some game has been spotted. The poor animals may be surrounded by as many as 20 safari vehicles. As you can see from this picture, the majority of the vehicles obeyed the rules and stuck to the tracks. Our driver didn't - he drove right up to the lion. It meant that we could get some nice photos with all the other trucks in it, but all their photos would feature us! Ce la vie!

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Dual pricing

by grets

As you can see from the sign, foreigners pay almost ten times as much to enter the park as locals do. However you may feel about dual pricing, it is a fact of life in Kenya. There are many ways of looking at this issue:As tourists we are naturally wealthier than the locals, so we should pay more. In that case, should someone from the Scandinavian countries for instance, pay more than someone from Easten Europe?The locals already pay for the upkeep of this park as part of the taxes.A lower entrance fee for locals will encourage more local people to value their surroundings and help in the conservation of wildlife and the environment. My personal opinion is that it may be a rip-off, but I have paid so much to be here in the first place, and the fact that I have the opportunity to actually come here and enjoy this park, makes me extremely fortunate. Why lose sleep over a few pounds? The...

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Karen Blixen Ranch

by Tallchick80

The Karen Blixen Ranch/Estate, was the former home of Baroness Blixen, who wrote the book "Out of Africa", which subsequently became a movie starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford. While it's very inspiring to see the house and be able to see what life was like, the inside of the house was...well, pretty dull. When Karen Blixen left her Nairobi home following the death of her lover, she took all her possessions with her, so what now fills the house are a lot of leftovers from the movie (which wasn't even shot at the house)It takes all of 10 minutes to see the entire inside of the home, and you can walk around her garden and lawn. The magic has definitely left the farm, and the footprints of the past have been replaced with bus loads of tourists. Get away from the noise.....I found that the best part of the farm was walking around behind the house and through the gardens and the...

Maasai Markets

by Tallchick80

You'll find these almost EVERYWHERE in Kenya. The Maasai markets are where you find the warrior shields, the spears, African jewelry, soapstone carvings, and the famous ebony and rosewood carvings. They are where you go to get your souvenirs for great prices. Admittedly, these markets can have the IDEAL thing you may be looking for to show you've been to Africa, but after awhile, you'll hear "Special Price" and "Good Deal" so many times, you're head will spin. If you're a "mzungu" (white person in Swahili), you are automatically going to be quoted a price that is OUTRAGEOUSLY high. No matter how cheap the price seems in Dollars or Euro's, you still need to bargain with the sellers! I saw TOO MANY people just taking something and buying it without trying to bargain a price. This is WRONG to do because no matter how charitable you're being to the seller, it's set's a disgustingly high...

Tourist Attractions in Kenya

Top 3 Hotels in Kenya

Nairobi Serena Hotel  Nairobi

 5 Reviews and 206 Opinions  Our partners in SA were having a business conference in Nairobi and needed a hotel with good... 

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

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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. Tsavo National Park East Tourist Traps
  11. Watamu 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
  19. Sigomere 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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