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Visas & entry
Most visitors holding U.S., Canadian, UK, EU, Australian and other non-East African passports need to obtain Kenya’s online Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) before travel; it is not a visa on arrival. EAC passport holders from Burundi, DR Congo, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda are exempt. Apply only through the official Kenyan eTA portal or app, and verify current rules, fees and health requirements before booking; passports generally need at least six months’ validity after arrival.
Getting in
- Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi: The overwhelming main international gateway and the practical arrival point for any countrywide itinerary. It is not where most safari flights leave, so do not book a tight same-day connection to the bush.
- Wilson Airport, Nairobi: Nairobi’s domestic and safari-flight airport, used for scheduled light-aircraft links to the Mara, Amboseli, Samburu, Laikipia and coastal airstrips. From NBO, you must clear immigration, collect bags and transfer by road; allow at least three hours, and an overnight buffer after a long-haul flight is safer.
- Moi International Airport, Mombasa: Useful for regional flights and occasional seasonal charters, and sensible if the coast is the main point of the trip. For safari circuits, Nairobi remains the more useful gateway.
Getting around
A private driver-guide and 4WD make sense for a Nairobi–Rift Valley–Mara or Nairobi–Amboseli circuit, but road times are longer and rougher than the map suggests. For short itineraries, bush flights from Wilson are often money well spent: they connect the main safari areas and coast without sacrificing a day to a transfer, though fares are high and baggage allowances are usually around 15 kg in soft bags. The Nairobi–Mombasa train is useful for a specific coast journey, not a substitute for flights between safari regions.
Money
The currency is the Kenyan shilling (KES). Cards work well at established hotels, camps, restaurants and larger operators, but carry cash for tips, small purchases and rural stops; keep small KES notes rather than relying on U.S. dollars. Tipping is expected in the safari economy, especially for driver-guides and camp staff, but should reflect service and any camp-wide tip system.
Book before you land
Maasai Mara hot-air balloon safaris, particularly July–October · Maasai Mara accommodation and conservancy stays during migration season · Scheduled bush flights to the Mara, Amboseli, Samburu, Laikipia and the coast in July–October · Private safari driver-guides and vehicles for peak migration dates
- Treat a Nairobi-to-Wilson connection as a separate transfer, not an airport walk; traffic can wreck optimistic schedules.
- Use soft-sided luggage for bush flights and confirm the carrier’s baggage limit before packing.
- The migration is not a timed spectacle: no operator can promise a river crossing on a particular morning.
- Park, reserve, Mara Triangle and conservancy fees are separate systems; confirm exactly what your safari price includes.
- On the coast—especially in Lamu—dress and behave more conservatively than in Nairobi or resort-heavy Diani.
- Discuss malaria prevention and yellow-fever requirements with a travel clinic for your exact itinerary; yellow-fever proof may be required when arriving from a risk country.
Entry rules change — verify visa requirements for your passport before booking this country.