When to Visit Kenya?
The best time to visit Kenya is between July and September, during its driest months. During this period, the safaris and national parks will be teeming with life, with all the animals out and about, making them much easier to spot.
The period also coincides with the annual Great Wildebeest Migration, one of the greatest wildlife shows in the world, and you will be able to witness it if you align your visit carefully.
The eastern coast of Kenya is also nice and warm, sometimes even too hot, which makes it great if you are looking to spend some time at the beach. Although you can visit Kenya at any month of the year, I highly recommend you stick with the suggested period to maximize your chance of encountering cool animals in places like Maasai Mara and Amboseli National Park.
How to Get to Kenya?
Nairobi is considered to be one of the travel hubs of East Africa, with most flights flying in and out of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, and that is where our journey begins.
From the US, there is one direct flight from JFK to Nairobi via Kenya Airways. Alternatively, you can opt for indirect flights offered by many airlines such as Delta, British Airways, Emirates, and Turkish Airlines from major cities like New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, etc. Therefore, you should have no trouble reaching your destination.
From Europe, you can fly directly from places like London, Amsterdam, and Paris with direct flights offered by British Airways, KLM, and Air France, respectively.
From Asia, Turkish, Qatar, and Emirates Airlines have excellent coverage over the continent with routes from many hub cities like Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo, and Jakarta that will take you to Nairobi via transit in Dubai, Doha, or Istanbul. The journey should take about 30 hours, including transit time.
To find a cheap flight to Kenya, I would recommend that you use Skyscanner or Expedia to look for the cheapest route and schedule so you can compare and pick the best one.
How to Get Around Kenya?
By Tours: East Africa is not known to be very travel-friendly when it comes to traveling independently, and you won't find any easily accessible modes of transportation with a reliable schedule to remote places we will be visiting in this itinerary.
To make your life much easier, I highly recommend you opt for organized tours instead. They can help with logistics and all the bureaucracy that comes with obtaining proper permits for protected reserves and national parks.
That said, for the East Coast, visiting places like Diani and Mombasa can easily be done via plane/train, so you do not need to rely on organized tours for it.
By Train: For the east coast, you can easily travel from Nairobi to Mombasa via its newly developed express train that costs only 1000 KES (10 USD) and takes about 5 hours, which is not bad at all. The train runs twice a day at 3 PM and 10 PM every day, and you can book it from the train official website.
The best part about traveling from Nairobi to Mombasa by train is the fact that the route passes through many national parks, and you might be able to spot some wildlife along the way. Just make sure you book the train that travels during the day.
By Plane: From Nairobi, you can also fly directly to Diani Beach via Safarilink for only 6,500 KES (60 USD), skipping all the travels you would have to take if you took a train to Mombasa.
The whole process was also a bit smoother than traveling by train, as there aren't a lot of people flying this route, and the security, believe it or not, isn't as strict as when you travel via train.
By Bolt/Uber: For traveling around within big cities like Nairobi, Mombasa, and even smaller towns like Diani, you can rely on a taxi-hailing app called Bolt (Android|iPhone), a cheaper alternative to Uber with a discounted price on the first 5 rides you take, or you can also go with Uber (Android|iPhone) if all else fails.
How Much Money Do I Need For Kenya?
With this 7-day to 2-week itinerary for Kenya, we can calculate approximately how much money it will cost to travel to Kenya as follows:
Accommodation: For 7 nights that you are not on an organized tour, you can expect to pay around 220 USD (25,113 KES) for accommodation.
Food: Food costs about 1,100 KES per meal on average in Kenya, and since you will not be on an organized tour for 7 days, you can expect to pay around 23,100 KES per person for that period of time.
Transportation: For transportation, you will be paying 1,100 KES for the Nairobi-Mombasa train, 6,500 KES for the flight back from Diani to Nairobi, around 2,000 KES for an Uber from Nairobi to Diani Beach, and around 1,000 KES for a general Uber ride, totaling the amount of 10,600 KES for transportation.
Activities: For activities, we will be going on an organized tour for 7 days, which should cost about 700 USD and include everything from activities to food. Therefore, you can expect to pay around 79,891 KES for activities.
Total Budget for 2 weeks in Kenya: 138,704 KES (1,215.31 USD)
Is it Safe in Kenya?
Kenya is as tourist-friendly as it gets when it comes to travel destinations in East Africa, but certain aspects of the country can be quite troublesome to deal with as a traveler.
Traveling in Kenya with a tour group is completely safe, but I can't say the same for traveling independently. The locals are nice and friendly, especially outside of big cities, but the corrupt police is a big issue here.
Traveling independently in Kenya requires precautions to avoid getting into "trouble" with the police. One rule of thumb is not to take a photo of anything, ANYTHING, outside of tourist attractions.
I got arrested by the police for taking photos of a "government building," which is a police station several blocks away and not visible in my photos. They asked me to pay 70 USD as a bribe!
All I did was take a photo of a colonial building in Mombasa! Police in Kenya will arrest you for anything to get bribes. A friend of mine got arrested for taking her mask off to drink in public, and they asked her to pay 50 USD.
In Kenya, the corrupt police are the true thieves here, and they can rob you in broad daylight around many people with no repercussions, which really makes traveling in Kenya independently extremely difficult. Just try not to do anything "touristy" in public and avoid attracting these policemen's attention, and all should be fine.
Other than that, certain campsites in places like Maasai Mara do not have proper walls around their campsites, and wildlife encounters at night can be lethal, especially if you stumble upon an elephant. Try not to walk around the campsite at night while camping.
Which tourist SIM card is best for Kenya?
There are three major carriers in Kenya: Safaricom, Airtel, and Telkom. Safaricom is considered the best among them all, offering great 4G coverage in most of the places we will be visiting. I highly recommend you go with Safaricom.
You should be able to get a Safaricom SIM card straight from the Safaricom kiosk in front of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport terminal exit. They have quite a few packages for you to choose from, starting at 11 USD for 5 GB + 2 GB free for YouTube, and free WhatsApp all the way up to 105 USD for 50 GB with all the same benefits as other plans.
I went with the 22 USD that got me 15 GB of data, which was more than enough for 2 weeks of traveling around Kenya. Wifi isn't readily available here in Kenya, and don't expect tented camps near safari hotspots to have one for you. So, the best way to stay connected with your friends and family is to get the SIM card beforehand.
For more information about Kenya's local SIM card: Kenya's Prepaid Data SIM Card.
Tips: To stay connected with your loved ones at home, make sure to have a VPN service like NordVPN installed before traveling so that you can bypass any local Internet censorship you might encounter while in Kenya.
What to Pack for Kenya?
As you may already know, I am an advocate of light traveling, and indeed, packing light for a journey like this is a unique art form. Here are some packing tips for your upcoming trip to Kenya:
- Walking/Hiking Shoes: With all the walking and possible hiking during your travel, a comfortable pair of shoes is a must. I recommend the Timberland 3-Eye Classic Boat Shoes that are my go-to pair for long strolls and hikes.
- Breathable Shirts: Given the potential for hot weather, pack a few breathable shirts for your outdoor adventures.
- Shorts/Jeans: Anticipate lots of walking during your travels? Be sure to pack some breathable shorts and a pair of Levi's jeans for when the weather cools. For women, leggings are excellent for both hot and cold climates, so consider packing some as well.
- Fleece Jacket: For colder weather, layering is the key, and a fleece jacket makes an excellent insulating layer. I recommend the Columbia Steens Mountain Fleece (for women).
- Outer Shell Jacket: An outer shell jacket is great for windy or rainy conditions. I highly recommend the Columbia Watertight Jacket (for women). It's lightweight, breathable, and even comes in a cool orange color.
- Microfiber Towel: A Microfiber towel is the ideal backpacker's towel due to its lightness, quick drying, and compressibility.
- Camera: You should also pack a good camera for your trip so that you can capture all the beautiful experiences you might have. I recommend the Sony a7R V camera together with the Sony 24-70mm f2.8 GM II lens, which is probably the highest-performance camera and lens combination you can get right now.
- Power Bank: Keep your electronics charged on the go with a 20,000+ mAh Power Bank.
- Water Bottle: The Hydro Flask Trail Water Bottle is a great insulated water bottle to have with you in cities or on hiking trails. It is lightweight and can keep your water cold or warm for more than 12 hours. It's a total game-changer.
- Universal Adapter: You'll need just one universal adapter to plug in your electronics in any country you visit.
- Packing Cubes: Packing Cubes will help you save space in your backpack and keep all your belongings organized.
- Daypack: The Langly Alpha Globetrotter is my go-to everyday camera backpack. It's large enough to carry all my travel gear, and it comes with plenty of slots and pouches. Plus, it's stylish as hell!
- Large Backpack: You will need a large backpack to carry all of your stuff. I recommend the Osprey Atmos AG 65L backpack. With excellent weight distribution and a lifetime guarantee, you can't go wrong with Osprey.
For more information on what I pack in my backpack for this trip, check out: My Packing List: 60 Travel Essentials.