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Kenya
Official Tourist Guide

www.kenya.com/

Overview

Kenya is spectacular, wonderful people, gorgeous countryside, masses of interesting wildlife areas. Nairobi can be expensive, but prices elsewhere are a lot cheaper (excluding things like game drives or whatever).

In Nairobi, the prices for many hotels, restaurants and crafts and jewelry can approach what you'd expect to pay in many W European cities - not huge metropolitan areas like London or Paris, but you get the idea. There are also big grocery stores with high prices. Having said that, you can find much cheaper hotels, food, etc. in Nairobi, but you have to look around a bit. There is a big cultural center/shop in downtown Nairobi where you can buy lovely jewelry and things, but it's all a bit "Westernized" and pretty expensive. I'd suggest if you want crafts (expecially Maasai things) either go to the Maasai market there or wait until you're out of town. Try to avoid the market stalls just outside places like game lodges - they will be expensive as well. A good place to get some nice Maasai things is at the museum site at Olorgesailie, an archaeological site about 90 km SW of Nairobi. There are some local women there who set out a few things for sale, usually during lunchime. They are really nice, and they really need the money. You'll have to bargain a bit. A good place to get Maasai textiles is Haria's in Nairobi, they run about 375-400 KSh each.

I go out there for work, so I've never been on an official game drive. I'm pretty lucky though, we've seem some spectacular wildlife at our camp! If you want to see lots of wildlife in a limited amount of time, an organized safari is probably the way to go. I understand safaris can run from $100/day up to $300-400 and even more, so choose carefully. Best thing to do is wait and book it in Nairobi, I think you'll always get a better price that way, and you'll have no trouble booking unless you want something really specialised. There will be dozens of safari touts in town trying to get your business - maybe you could check out the bulletin board at the Thorn Tree cafe at the Stanley Hotel for reommendations, or ask for 2-3 recommendations from the hotel/hostel you stay at.

If I was going to do a safari, I would book one of the horseback safaris out in the Maasai Mara. Amboseli is another good place to go. You can also hire a car in Nairobi and drive through Nairobi game park - I've been there a couple of times and have seen everything but elephants. Best place to hire a car in Nairobi is a place called Rasuls. There's also a giraffe sanctuary in Karen, a suburb of Nairobi, that would be fun to visit, as well as a bird sanctuary ouside of Magadi, maybe 40km past Olorgesailie. It will be impossible to make it there without a four-wheel-drive though. There's a wildlife sanctuary north of Nairobi about halfway to Turkana that has a campsite and some unbelievable flora and fauna. The drive to Turkana is amazing, but be extremely careful in that area if you go, it can be very dangerous at times.

I think there are only overnight trains to Mombasa, I could be wrong though. Thing is, it's a very short distance but the train is so slow that it takes about 10 hours to get there. For about $30 you can get a first-class berth, and the fare includes dinner - train leaves about 6pm, they have two sittings for dinner, and while you're eating the porter comes and makes up your bed for you. You wake up at 8am or so and you're pulling into Mombasa. Very convenient (and very colonial!) There is a bus to Mombasa as well that probably runs in the daytime but I'd never take it, the roads are horrendous.

Usually when I'm there I'm working in the field so I stay in a camp. However, when I come back into Nairobi prior to flying out I'll stay one night at the Boulevard hotel, expensive at $60-75 a night, but it's only one night for me and by that point I feel like treating myself. It's a really nice place, and a lot of overlanding groups come by there. I know a lot of people working in Nairobi will stay at the Serena Hotel, which I think is about $10/night, it's also a nice place. I've also heard good things about a backpacker's place called Mama Roche's, but I've never stayed there myself.

Be very careful in Nairobi, the crime rate there is approaching (maybe surpassing) that in Johannesburg. Don't walk anywhere at night. Lock up your passport (or stick it in a pocket inside your trousers) and keep your day money in your front pocket. I safety-pin my front pocket partially closed, so that it takes a bit of effort to get my money out. Keep your money folded into small packets so you're not thumbing through a huge roll of money on the street.