We are planning an independent trip to Kenya: how to get a visa, how to get there, what vaccinations are needed in Kenya and what is the weather like there at different times of the year. We also give tips for a vacation in Kenya.
How to get to Kenya
Kenya is the "air gateway" of South Africa, it is in Nairobi that most foreign tourists fly to get acquainted with the region. You can fly to the capital of Kenya from Russia with such airlines as Etihad Airways, Turkish Airlines, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Aeroflot, airBerlin, KLM and so on.
Kenya is one of the most inexpensive African destinations for solo travelers. The cost of a flight from Moscow to Nairobi and to the resort of Mombasa is pleasantly surprising: from Moscow to Nairobi and back you can fly from 28 thousand rubles, tickets to Mombasa are slightly more expensive - from 29.5 thousand rubles.
An example of flights from Moscow to Nairobi with Skyscanner:
The prices for tickets to Kenya from St. Petersburg are higher, but in general not by much: in Nairobi you can fly from 31 thousand rubles, to Mombasa - from 33 thousand rubles.
Sometimes airlines arrange promotions or they have erroneous fares - then you can fly to Africa very cheaply. So, for example, in August last year it was possible to fly to Africa from 14,500 rubles, and more recently, thanks to the erroneous Qatar tariff, from Yekaterinburg to Nairobi from 13,500 rubles! Follow our section "Cheap tickets" and the group "VKontakte" - there we announce all the interesting promotions of airlines and write about the emerging cheap air tickets.
Where to find cheap tickets? This is most conveniently done using the search engines Aviasales and Skyscanner. To find the best price, check both and see tickets for different dates. Read also the instructions on how to search for cheap flights correctly.
Visa to Kenya for Russians
Visa to Kenya for Russian citizens is required. When planning an independent trip to Kenya, decide which visa you need.
Types of visas to Kenya:
- single entry and multiple entry (purpose: tourism, private or business visit);
- transit;
- unified East African.
Documents required for an entry visa to Kenya (purpose - a tourist trip):
- a passport valid for at least 6 months at the time of applying for a visa. The passport must have 2 blank pages;
- two visa applications completed in English;
- 2 photos;
- 2 copies of the passport;
- a copy of the hotel booking confirmation or an invitation from a Kenyan travel agency (2 pcs);
- return air ticket or ticket to a third country.
A single entry visa is issued for 3 months from the date of receipt of the visa, the cost is $ 50. A multiple-entry visa is valid for 6 months, it costs more - $ 110. A transit visa allows you to stay in Kenya for 72 hours and costs $ 20. The single East African visa is the most advantageous if you want to visit neighboring Uganda and Rwanda as part of your independent trip to Kenya. It allows you to repeatedly enter Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda within 90 days, the cost of such a visa is $ 110.
An entry visa to Kenya can be obtained online through the eCitizen website. How do I get it?
Procedure:
- Register at www.ecitizen.go.ke.
- When registering, select "Visitor".
- Log in and select "Deparment of Immigration services".
- Select "submit appplication".
- Choose a Kenyan visa.
- Select the required type of visa and carefully read the instructions.
- Fill out the form, attach a scan of your passport and a passport-sized photo.
- Pay the fee.
- After receiving confirmation by e-mail, download the visa form in your personal account on the website and print it out.
- Show your e-visa to the immigration officer.
Address of the Embassy of Kenya in Moscow: Lopukhinsky lane, 5. Tel .: +7 (495) 637 21 86.
Read more about the requirements for a transit and East African visa on the website of the Embassy of Kenya in Moscow.
Vaccinations for travel to Kenya
Although a yellow fever vaccination has not been required for a vacation in Kenya since 1997, we still recommend that when going on an independent trip to Kenya (and indeed to any country in sub-Saharan Africa), do it for prevention and your peace of mind. Vaccination against yellow fever is given at least 10 days before the day of departure. Vaccination is recorded in the international vaccination certificate.
In addition, before traveling to Kenya, we advise you to get vaccinated against typhoid fever, diphtheria, hepatitis A and B, polio and tetanus - all of them are done in advance.
We also recommend that you take measures against malaria - take pills (for example, meflohim or lariam, but it is better to consult your doctor) before, during and after your holiday in Kenya (no vaccinations against malaria). Also, cover open areas of your body and use insect repellents and mosquito nets.
Prices in Kenya
We have dedicated a special article "Holidays in Kenya: prices" to this topic. In it, we consider in detail the prices for food, transport, hotels, safari tours, etc., and also calculate how much an independent trip to Kenya for 10 days for two will cost - it turns out that it is not so expensive as is customary consider!
Weather in Kenya
Kenya is located on the equator and the climate in the country is subequatorial, so you can relax almost all year round - with the exception of the rainy season. Kenya has two rainy seasons: from late March to May and from late October to mid-December. During the second period, it rains mainly early in the morning, either in the afternoon or in the evening, and during the day the weather is good. There is almost no precipitation from June to August.
Depending on the region of Kenya, the weather can be different: for example, the plateau near Lake Rudolph is considered the hottest place, where the temperature can reach + 38 ° С; in mountainous areas it is quite cool, for example, in Nairobi the temperature reaches + 25 ° С. The ocean has a mild and humid climate, the farther from the ocean, the drier the air (temperature in the range of + 21 ° С ... + 27 ° С).
It is better to plan a vacation in Kenya on the beach in January, February and October: the air temperature in these months is about + 31 ° C. But it is better to go on a safari in Kenya from January to March.
Self-Guided Travel Tips in Kenya
Useful tips for traveling in Kenya:
- Before getting into a taxi, negotiate a price - there are almost always no meters in local taxis.
- If you decide to go to the matata, look after your belongings - the minibus is packed with many more people than it can accommodate.
- There are frequent traffic jams in Nairobi, so make sure you schedule your time by going to the airport.
- You can buy train tickets to Mombasa at the Nairobi train station - look for the Upper Class Booking and Ticketing Office sign. If you book train tickets to Mombasa with a travel agency, they will be more expensive by $ 15-20.
- Try to buy higher class bus tickets unless you want to experience the local culture. The fact is that locals on buses (as, for example, in Vietnam) can easily transport animals.
- Late in the evening and at night, especially near slums, we recommend that you do not walk - take a taxi.
- It is often more profitable to buy a safari tour locally - just ask other travelers if she went on a safari, how the trip went, how much it cost, and which company you prefer.
- Follow basic safety and hygiene measures: keep an eye on your belongings, don't carry a lot of cash with you, wash your hands and fruits, don't drink tap water, use insect repellent and mosquito nets, put on sunscreen and a hat, and so on.
