When AirAsia opened up a route between Kuala Lumpur to Nairobi late last year, it was basically like dangling a carrot on a stick. Even buying the ticket a couple of months in advance, I was able to get a ticket for ~RM2000 (about US$450), complete with luggage, meal and seat selection for both flights. I went around Chinese New year to take advantage of the back to back public holiday in Malaysia, where I am a resident.
The continent was new to me, and I know very little about it. If you’re thinking about going for the first time, hopefully this article might help. Especially if you, like me, are using Kuala Lumpur as a springboard.
- All tourists must apply for visa before entering the country (Don’t skip this step)
This is probably the most difficult part of the trip, as you must provide all your details including all your accommodation details during your stay in Nairobi. Luckily, Airbnb are quite inexpensive and most accommodations allow you to cancel and return your fee if you do decide to change your plans. Booking via Airbnb, once confirmed would allow you to download a PDF for visa application purposes.
Similarly, if you go through a safari, your tour provider would give you a document to confirm the duration of your trip and the name of the accommodation where you’ll be staying. You will need all these documents to upload during the visa application. Once you applied, you should get a response within 72 hours. I got mine approved in less than 24.
ETA link: https://www.etakenya.go.ke/en
2. Change your money to USD before you head
Because chances are, you’re not going to be able to find a place in your home country where you can change from your local currency to the Kenyan shilling. Therefore you must find a good money changer who gives you good rates and at the airport convert to Kenyan shilling. Sure, they’d take their cut there too but in general the rates are acceptable. There are also money changers in Nairobi (such as in Uptown) but it’s just easier and more convenient getting it at the airport. The money changer is open 24 hours in the airport and is available after you clear customs.
Bonus tip: Try not to get KES1000 notes if you can help it. Most places won’t have change for you. The only good that these notes can give you is if you transfer it to your M-Pesa account, which brings us to the next point.
3. Download M-Pesa and when you get there, get a Safaricom SIM card
There are a few Telco providers in Kenya and a few payment providers, but it seems that every Joe and Jill in Kenya are using M-Pesa for their mobile wallet, which also conveniently replaces cash. You’d probably find that you’re going to use this a lot to make any sort of payment from high end shops to mom and dad shops that sell chapattis on the streets, to your boda (motorcycle taxi) dude. Just be mindful that there are small transaction fees every time you pay though.
Safaricom (the green one) seems to be the only provider which provides this service for now, so be careful which Telco you go with and ask whether they have M-Pesa. You should be able to deposit money straight away to your account and use it within the hour. There are a couple of SIM providers in the airport and only one of them is Safaricom. The line might be long especially when you’re behind a frikkin Chinese tourist group, but you can do this anywhere the next day.
4. Book a safari
This is probably the main reason most tourists would visit Kenya and it’s fair enough. I did a safari only because it was something to do, a “might-as-well” if you will. But it really is special and you should heavily consider it if you haven’t, even if you had no intention on going to the continent. There are so many safari tour operators you won’t run out of choices. Just go to the website below to find the one that fits for you.
I went through a nightmarish experience with my tour operator however because of terrible, terrible communication. Message me if you’d like to know which one they are (sadly, they are one of the highly rated ones). But once you get on the jeep, you should be right. As a starter, going to Masai Mara is a safe bet.
Most operators would pick you up from your hotel and drop you off at the end of your tour to anywhere you want.
Link: https://safaribookings.com/
5. Learn some Swahili
Don’t be lazy, pick up a little bit of Swahili before you head because you’d never know. Luckily for you, Swahili is available in Duolingo and you can pick up plenty of basics. Just be mindful that though most Kenyans can speak Swahili, it may not be their first language as Kenyans are made up of forty-something tribes (people I talk to fluctuate between forty-two and forty-three) and their tribal dialect is most likely to be their first tongue.
But yes, most Kenyans speak English quite well, but they’d appreciate you speaking a bit of Swahili and would be the first to correct you for any misplaced syllable. If you do travel to Tanzania, Swahili arguably becomes more essential.
Here’s some useful phrases that you might come across:
- Mambo / Jambo— Hello
- Asante — Thanks
- Asante sana — Thank you very much
- Tamu — Delicious
- Habari — How’s it going?
6. Learn a bit about the country
Kenya, like most countries, have a rich and colourful history. It is a land which had been fought for by many hands and its post-colonial roots are still affecting it to this day. Pick up some Kenyan literature if you can find any in the bookshops. The biggest name out of these would be Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, one of the quintessential African authors who also delve deep into the Kenyan mentality and social issues. His work, The River Between, is one of the reasons I started to read obsessively.
I would recommend also watching a recent documentary, The Battle for Laikipia, which recorded the recent struggle during a two year drought between the pastoral Samburu people and white farmers who own the good pieces of land in the area. It is a genuine eye opener.
Oh yeah, there are some videos in YouTube as well:
The more you know, the better you’re prepared.
Other FAQs
- Is Kenya safe?
Sure it’s safe. People will mostly leave you alone. Just use some sense and practice all sorts of precautions if you head anywhere, just like anywhere else. Don’t walk around at night: Get an uber.
Seeing tourists, some people might ask you for money, but you can politely turn them down. There are areas which might be best left unexplored however, such as Downtown Nairobi and the slums. If you do decide to explore these parts, there are excellent tour operators which go to these areas and would tell you the story (and their own personal stories) about these places.
Actually, I would even argue that going to these areas might even be the highlights of your trip. But best not go on your own. Be respectful of space.
2. How to get around?
Uber’s good. Download Uber and set up your payments right away before you land. Bolt is also around, but Bolt has a bit of a notorious reputation. Uber is a bit more careful on screening their drivers; Bolt, not so much. In general, a short trip could cost KES200-KES300.
The motorcycle taxis are cheaper by half and though I’m a hypocrite for telling you not to take it, best play it safe. When you get on the back of your bike, chances are you won’t be wearing a helmet.
3. Is the food safe to eat?
Yeah, in general. I got food poisoning somehow at the second week, but it could be because I was a bit too adventurous. Kenyan food is delicious and there’s plenty of it everywhere. Get the chapattis to fill you up, the pilau or biryani for lunch and sure, splash your cash for a nice dinner if that’s your thing.
4. How much should I budget?
Good question. How long is a piece of string? But if you’re like me, you’re somewhere in the middle and you won’t mind spending a little bit more on food and drinks. Mind you, I stayed in Airbnbs, ate at a mixture of decent restaurants and street food and didn’t really stinge much. Well, based on my spreadsheet (which I updated daily during the trip), my daily expenditure was roughly about US$70 over a two week period. If you want to keep in the safe side, I’d bump this up to about $80 a day cos you’d never know.
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In any case, if you do decide to go to Kenya (which I strongly encourage), I hope you’d find some of this info useful.
