Home › Travel Guides › Africa Travel Guide › Kenya › Getting Around Kenya
Image gallery

Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya

© 123rf.com / Deborah Benbrook

Getting Around Kenya

Air: 

Nairobi has two airports for domestic and regional flights; Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and Wilson Airport (www.kenyaairports.co.ke). Kenya has over 150 domestic airports and airstrips and there are regular daily flights to the most popular destinations. In addition to the scheduled airlines, there are several private charter companies operating out of Wilson Airport.

Kenya Airways (www.kenya-airways.com) operates scheduled services between Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and Kisumu (on the shore of Lake Victoria), Malindi and Mombasa, plus regional flights to neighbouring countries. Fly 540 (www.fly540.com), East Africa’s low-budget airline, has services between Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and Eldoret, Kakamega, Kisumu, Kitale, Lamu, Malindi, and Mombasa. It also offers flights to destinations in Tanzania and Uganda.

Between them, Air Kenya (www.airkenya.com), Fly540, and Safarilink (www.safarilink-kenya.com) offer scheduled services between Nairobi's Wilson Airport and all the popular safari destinations: Amboseli, Chyulus, Diani Beach, Kilimanjaro, Lamu, Lewa Downs, Malindi, Masai Mara, Mombasa, Naivasha, Nanyuki, Meru, Samburu, and Tsavo. Based on the coast, Mombasa Air Safari (www.mombasaairsafari.com) has scheduled services linking Mombasa, Diani Beach and Malindi with Lamu, Amboseli, Tsavo and Masai Mara.

Air notes: 

On smaller planes used on Kenya’s domestic routes to parks and reserves, baggage allowance is restricted to 10-15 kg (22-33 lbs). Arrangements can be made to leave excess luggage with hotels or airlines.

Departure tax: 

All taxes are included in the price of an air ticket.

Road: 

Kenya’s main roads between the major cities and towns are generally in good condition, and easily navigable in a normal saloon car. However, on some, care must be taken to avoid stretches of potholes, and on hills, heavy vehicles may have curved the tar into ridges, making the roads bumpy. Away from the main highways the roads can vary from poor to hazardous. Most minor gravel roads have deep potholes and they deteriorate further in the rainy season. Dirt roads, including those in the parks and reserves, are extremely rough, and during the rainy season often only passable with 4-wheel-drive vehicles.

Side of road: 
Left
Road quality: 

All major roads are paved but vast areas of the north still suffer from very poor communications.

Care should be taken when leaving trunk roads as the surfaces of the lesser roads vary greatly in quality, particularly during the rainy season.

There are petrol stations on most highways.

Road classification: 

About 10% of Kenya’s estimated 170,000 km (105,000 miles) of roads are tarred. The rest vary from gravel to dirt rural tracks. There are several major tarred routes classified as ‘A’ or ‘B’ roads, which include the A109 from Nairobi to Mombasa, the A104 from Nairobi to Namanga on the Tanzania border, and the B2 from Nakuru to the Uganda border.

Car hire: 

Self-drive and chauffeur-driven cars may be hired from travel agents and international hire companies. Drivers must be at least 23 years of age. Avis (tel: (020) 253 3610; www.avis.co.ke), Budget (tel: (020) 496 1200, www.budget.com), and Europcar (tel: (020) 822 625; www.europcar.com) have outlets at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and downtown in Nairobi. Avis and Europcar also have desks at Moi International Airport in Mombasa. Car hire can be expensive, and rates (particularly the mileage charges) can vary a good deal. Most companies insist that only 4-wheel-drive vehicles should be hired if going into the parks and reserves off the beaten track (to Northern Kenya for example).

Taxi: 

Matatus (shared minibus taxis) hop from town to town, starting and finishing at bus stations. Fares are paid to the conductor. Private taxis can also be hired for long-distance journeys.

Bike: 

It is not possible to rent motorbikes or mopeds. Some of the beach resorts hire out bicycles.

Coach: 

There are numerous private bus companies operating in Kenya. However most vehicles are old and basic and depart when full, which means there are no set timetables and they can be uncomfortable. Petty theft on the vehicles and at bus stations can also be a problem. Nevertheless, fares are cheap and they link all long-distance destinations, and laws in Kenya now require all public transport vehicles to have seatbelts and no standing in aisles is permitted. Buses depart and arrive at bus stations in towns; in Kenya often called a ‘bus stand’ or ‘bus stage’. These are usually centrally located or on the main street. Tickets are purchased from kiosks.

Regulations: 

Driving is on the left. In non-residential areas, speed limits are 100kph (62 mph) and 60kph (35mph) in built up areas. It is compulsory to wear a seat belt and obligatory that all vehicles carry two red triangles to be placed 20m (66ft) in front and behind the vehicle in the event of a breakdown.

Breakdown service: 

Automobile Association of Kenya (tel: (020) 682 5067; www.aakenya.co.ke).

Documentation: 

A drivers licence from a home country (and a translation if this is not in English) or an International Driving Permit is required. Third party insurance is mandatory when hiring a car and it’s recommended to take out the additional collision damage waiver. A valid credit card is also needed.

Getting around towns and cities: 

Nairobi and Mombasa have efficient bus systems, with regular buses running along set routes and single tickets are sold on the bus by conductors. There are also frequent matatus, 15-seat minibuses that run up and down main roads and can be flagged down and charge similar fares. The three-wheel bajaj auto rickshaw or tuk-tuk of South East Asia are popular in town centres and take three passengers behind the driver.


In Kisumu, bicycle taxis are popular. They are locally known as boda-bodas (from the time when they used to take people across no-mans land on the border with Uganda). You can also find them in the tourist areas of the coastal resorts and are ideal for short rides.


The newer fleets of taxis, which are usually white with a yellow band, are very reliable and have meters. The older all-yellow taxis do not have meters, so fares should be agreed in advance. In Nairobi, there is also a fleet of London-style black metered cabs. A 10% tip is expected. Taxis cannot be hailed in the street but they are found parked up at intersections and outside hotels and restaurants.



Rail: 

Kenya Railways Corporation (tel: (020) 222 1211; www.krc.co.ke) runs passenger trains between Nairobi and Mombasa; trains generally leave in the evening and arrive the following morning after a journey of around 13 to 14 hours, though can take considerably much longer if the train (or other freight trains on the line) break down. There are three classes: first class is reasonably comfortable, with two-berth compartments, washbasin, etc; second class in four-berth compartments is more basic; third is simple wooden seating. The dining-car service for first and second class passengers on the Nairobi-Mombasa route is adequate, but it’s always a good idea to take snacks and drinks. Sleeping compartments should be booked in advance. Children under three years of age travel free. Children between three and 11 years of age pay half fare. Tickets can be booked at Nairobi and Mombasa railway stations or through local travel agencies.

There is also a railway connecting Nairobi with Kisumu in Western Kenya. In recent years, because of poor funding for the railways and a spate of accidents and derailments, passenger services have been highly sporadic. In theory, the overnight train runs three times a week but check locally if the service is running.

By water: 

Mombasa is located on an island just offshore. The mainland is linked by bridges with one exception; the south coast which is reached by the Likoni Ferry. This takes foot passengers and vehicles and most visitors will take the ferry to access the beach resorts in the south. There are also a few irregular local ferry services among the islands on Lake Victoria.

Local dhows run between Mombasa, Malindi and Lamu, but it is not permitted for foreigners to take these. However, you can go on short sightseeing dhow rides from Mombasa.

Recommended Sites:

Protect yourself from malaria
Before you travel, find out if your holiday destination is in a malaria zone.
(An educational initiative organised and funded by GlaxoSmithKline Travel Health. UK/MARK/0173/10 September 2010)
Travel insurance
For residents of over 150 countries. High levels of medical, evacuation, emergency & most adventure activities covered.