Kenya is everything from adventure to relaxation and in between fantastic safaris – but the East African country is much more than you might expect. Here you will find cozy exotic islands with an Arab atmosphere and beautiful sandy beaches, massages with mobile phones and animals in colors you never thought existed.
On this page you will find practical information and facts about Kenya.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION ABOUT TRAVELING IN KENYA
Climate and best travel time
East Africa can be visited all year round. A long rainy season lasts from March to May and a short one in October-November. However, the rainy season does not mean that you can not visit the region but in some parts of Kenya it can be difficult to travel due to flooded roads. During Scandinavian summer, it is winter in Kenya, with temperatures just above the 20s mark on the mainland. Please note that Nairobi gets cool at night during these months, so remember to bring warm clothes and a warm sleeping bag if you go on a safari or hike. The hottest months in Kenya are the Scandinavian winter, when the temperature on the coast is about 30 degrees and the conditions for diving, snorkeling and swimming are best. Visit nexticle.net for Africa climate.
Our recommendations for the best travel period in Kenya are based on how the climate has been in previous years. The weather in Kenya can be very changeable and unpredictable and therefore our forecasts are indicative only.
Money
In the larger cities, you can now withdraw money via ATM machines and pay by credit card in some stores. Always make sure you have a cash reserve in US dollars.
Visa
NOTE! Visa rules are subject to change at short notice, so We recommend that you check the current conditions at the country’s embassy. The information below is subject to change.
Swedish citizens must have a visa to enter Kenya. Visas are obtained through an electronic application via Kenyan Migration Agency’s website. The fee is paid in connection with the application.
Questions concerning visas, residence and work permits in Kenya are referred to the Kenyan embassy in Stockholm or to the Kenyan authorities directly. Please note that your passport must be valid for at least six months from the date you plan to enter Kenya.
Vaccination against yellow fever is a requirement if the traveler arrives from an area where yellow fever occurs.
Transport
Bus
For long distances, it is often possible to choose between an express bus and a regular bus. Express is of course faster, just be prepared for it to go away in the curves (avoid sitting at the back!).
Dalla-dalla
Minibuses – a nice, flexible and fast means of transport for shorter distances.
Trains
The legendary train line between Nairobi and Mombasa offers beautiful nature experiences and atmospheric wings from a colonial past.
Flights
There is an excellent range of domestic flights, a fast but more expensive alternative to the generally really cheap ground transport.
Ferries
Popular and widely used by locals on both lakes and along the coast, also pleasant – but the trip can be very long.
Tips
In many countries, tips are counted as part of the salary of employees in the service industry. Therefore, it is good (and sometimes directly necessary) to give tips to, for example, cleaning staff, waiters, guides, drivers and more depending on which country you visit. We therefore recommend that you familiarize yourself with how much is normal to give in tips and to whom before departure. Such information can be found, for example, in Lonely Planet guidebooks.
Miscellaneous
From 1 June 2019, Kenya will ban the import of plastic bags into the country. A tip for protecting the camera etc. from wet is to get an “ocean pack” that is waterproof and practical in many contexts.
FACTS
CAPITAL: NAIROBI
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH AND SWAHILI
CLIMATE: TROPICAL
CURRENCY: KENYA SHILLING
RELIGION: PROTESTANTS, ROMAN CATHOLICS, MUSLIMS, ATHEISTS AND OTHERS
INFORMATION KENYA
Kenya’s many nuances
Despite Kenya’s popularity among travelers, there are a large number of unexplored trails and the country holds a variety of natural and cultural experiences. Here you can visit everything from Karen Blixen’s African farm to the back streets of Nairobi and from exciting cultural-historical coastal areas with Arabic and Indian scents to isolated and fascinating Maasai villages.
Unique safari experiences
In the Maasai Mara National Reserve, the acacia tree towers against the almost neon blue sky that casts its play of color over the savannah’s amazing wildlife. Lion cubs learn to hunt through play, vigilant zebras graze around and giraffes wrap their long tongues around the acacia’s green leaves. A short distance away live elephants, buffalo, wildebeest and hippos, yes, they are all here. In Lake Nukuru, the flamingos color the entire riverbank pink by their sheer number. They both hiss and smell a lot but are on the other hand a fantastic sight – especially when they lift their wings and fly in flocks and the sky changes from blue to pink.
Kenya’s proud Maasai
The sight of the vast, flat savannah is suddenly interrupted when the proud, red-clad Maasai drive their flocks of cattle through the grass. But the sight of the traditional nomads becomes deceptive when you look closer and see an overly familiar object in the hand that does not hold the cattle rod – as little as the Scandinavian teenager, the massage can not be without his mobile phone. Technical modernities otherwise shine with absence at home in the village, where clay-clad huts house a bed of cowhide and where the smell of smoke from the fireplace is mixed with that of goat and where the hot spring serves both as a bathtub and washing machine.
