Top Kenya hotels
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Some streets at Nairobi look almost blocked by the cars and it's not during rush hours only. Would be very wrong saying, probably because they are not skillfull drivers. Most of this guys wouldn't have any problem to drive inside European cities, however, only if strictly respecting driving rules and habbits, which they in Kenya don't.....
Local public transportation, by the buses, is very well organized and, what is more important, it is very very cheap. Almost every Kenyan can afford it! Do not expect luxury inside the buses, do not expect smooth drive or comfortable ride, but it works good and you wont miss your destination.Just to mentione, I went to the Bomas by the taxi. The ride wasn't much comfortable and it cost me something less than 10 euros. On my way back to the town I went with the City Hoppa bus and the same distance cost me 20 cents only.
When booking a camp make sure you check with your camp how many people they allocate to each game viewing vehicle. Some camps can cram in as many as 8 peeple into a jeep designed for 4-6. No more than 4 people is a comfortable amount and allows plenty of room for photographic opportunities. Some camps offer exclsuive use (recommended for serious photographers) and charge around £120-£300 per day for this luxury. It does gives the freedom that shared use does not but does come at a price.Also ensure you are going to be driving around in a 4x4 with open sides and roof hatches (some operators and camps use 2wd minibuses with limited viewing - this is particulary relevant to check if joining a safari in Naroibi)
When travelling to the wonderful game lodges in Kenya - ie 'going on safari' there is one tip that if you read this you will thank me for and it's this. When the safari min-bus (usually a toughened up Toyota Hilux Mini-bus) turns up at your hotel - forget politeness just make sure you are as near the front of the bus as possible - DO NOT sit at the back! This may sound ridiculous and believe me I sneered at this tip to my folly. Some of the safari's are spent travelling hours and hours in a mini-bus along dried up river beds and tracks that cannot be called roads but dust tracks. I have never suffered travel sickness in my life but had an appalling seven hour trip to Tsavo West because I sat at the back of the bus! On the way back I sat next to the driver and my then partner sat just behind me - it was as if it was a different journey.
Matatus are the common means of transport in Kenya and espeacially in the city of Nairobi this is because they are cheap convenient and plenty, but am going to be honest with you....the drivers are ruthless, drives like crazy very fast if you have watched the movie too fast too Furious then you will know what i mean!they dont compile with traffic rules and Traffic jam is a waste of time and money to then, so they will use their other road which is pavement or pedestrian walkway! They play loud music, DVD's, seats very comfortable, they are coluored different desings and with artistic stickers inside and out. But guess what besides their overspeeding and loud music.....Many kenyans love it becoz you get where you want fast!!! Its not a safe means but i advise you if visiting Kenya try it atleast once its really a great experience! The charges are 20 -40 kshs almost a quater dollar.
If you are going on a tour with a company into the National Parks of Kenya, I would certainly recommend that you look at operators that use 4WD vehicles. Many operators advertise their vehicles as 'modern safari cruiser' but many of them are not that at all. They are 20 year old modified 2WD's and are very rough to ride in for hours on the terrible roads. I saw two of them get stuck in the mud within an hour. Sometimes because of their location, they could be there for quite a while. Our Tour guide once spent the night in the vehicle with the tourist because of where they were located.
Nairobi - Mombasa by air and rail is out of my league price wise. So for years now when in Kenya I have been plodding along the potholed road from capital to coast. There are a ruck of different companies that do this route: Akamba, Busscar, Coast Bus, Crown, Falcon, Mash, Mombasa Raha, Rhanda etc. In Mombasa the offices for these companies are usually grouped together in the MwebeTayari area and along Jomo Kenyata Avenue. In Nairobi they seem to grou around the junction of Accra and River road with a few more dotted up and down the River road area. Night time is the more poular time to travel on the bus so there are more busses leaving in either direction usually from around 9.30 pm om wards. I myself prefer to travel in the daytime 8.00AM is the earliest that I know of but a lot of companies don't start moving till 9.00AM. A few companies (Busscar, Coast, Mash) have mid day departues,...
If you like your independence then hire a 4WD and drive yourself around Kenya and do it to your own schedule and not a tour operators. We had a great time self driving our own safari at our own pace in the Mara, Lake Nakuru, Lake Baringo, Sweetwaters... We hired through Central Rent a Car in Nairobi and it was the best deal of the trip. At Central you deal directly with Jolly Esmail who is the owner. He provided vehicle in good condition (no punctures in 2 weeks) and invaluable advice including a priceless map with directions to the Masai Mara and other tips and advice on our itinerary. Be warned though some of the roads are bad, especially down to the Mara but others are quite good.
Afetr a long flight from Rome to Mombasa, we took a little bus with which we started our incredible adventure in the savana.........awesome!Even if our driver was a bit mad! He used to run too fast...and you know in Africa "streets" are a bit dangerous.....infact during our movin' we saw lota of cars' accidents...believe me really scary! So it's been a real adventure in all the senses!!!!
We flew into Nairobi from London on British Airways and left on Kenyan Airways to Bombay (they served a great curry!).While in Kenya, we rented a Daihatsu station wagon in Nairobi and it was just fine for getting the five of us and all of our luggage from place to place. This was the dry season so even the dirt roads were not bad. It was an interesting drive out of Nairobi into the Rift Valley toward Lake Naivasha. This was the only time in my African travels where big game was so abundant even just driving along a regular highway. This shot shows us pulled over to take a better look at the Eland, Giraffe and Zebra we saw grazing away beside the highway (2nd photo for the actual game). We also had the interesting experience of meeting the Presidential cavalcade coming down both lanes of the highway toward us - all traffic had to pull off the road without warning to let the "Big Man"...
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...
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...
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...
Reviews and photos of Kenya attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Kenya sightseeing.
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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?
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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