Nairobi, Kenia, 2018

Note:

There has been an update from my second trip to Nairobi, the article is available here: Second trip to Nairobi

Trip

My first trip to Nairobi took place in November, 2018, and was via Doha, Qatar. I have already referred to the numerous advantages of Qatar airways in other articles in this blog, so I am not going to go into much detail, yet I want to emphasize on how clean and perfectly organized the Hamad airport in Doha is - so clean, so comfortable, I hardly noticed any boredom during my 8 hours stays there. The Al Maha lounge contributed to the comfort of my stay a lot, of course.

All planes arriving in or departing from Kenya are to comply with the local regulations and are required to spray insecticides inside just before landing or take off, so do not be alarmed when you see the flight attendants doing so.

The arrival in Nairobi was early in the morning. Jomo Kenyatta airport is quite a small one. We went out of the plane through a sleeve but took stairs down to the exterior of the arrivals hall, which is a tiny area full of different desks - health desk, immigration desk, e-visa etc. If there has been a particular order you need to go through those desks, I would never know. After asking for directions, I went though the e-visa one and proceeded to the baggage reclaim. No one asked to see the vaccine for yellow fever which should have been a must for entering the country.

Reclaiming the baggage did not take long. When I headed to the exit, expecting to see the person who would be waiting for me, I was surprised to find out that there was no area inside the arrivals hall for that purpose, neither any shops whatsoever, apart from a currency exchange office. All who waited for people to arrive were queued outside of the building.

The weather

My stay in Nairobi was during the second "rainy season". One would expect short showers around lunch time and longer ones in the evenings. What I experienced though were only accidental very short and insignificant showers. The temperatures varied from 15 to 28 degrees Celsius, so once again I was perfectly fine with a shirt and a light jacket. Humidity is not high and the weather is very nice, I must say. They call Nairobi "The city under the sun".


Cash or CC?


CC are accepted in many places, yet you will definitely need some cash. I withdrew local currency from an ATM at the airport on arrival with no extra fee.


Is it safe?


I honestly can not be definite on this one, as I have not even tried going out on my own. Local people yet warned me not to go out unaccompanied, however this might have been just them being extra careful about my safety.

What I can say out of experience is that similar to RSA, the buildings enjoy solid fences with electrical wiring on top. Barbed wire is also very popular.

On my way into a small shopping centre, nothing too fancy, I had to go through security check, including a scanner. This turned out to be a common practice for most public places, including offices and hotels.

On our way into the hotel or office area, the cars were logged every time in a log book, trunks and bottom of the vehicle closely inspected by security guards.


Accommodation



I stayed at the Heri Heights serviced apartments in Nairobi, located in close proximity to the so called State Houses. The State Houses appear to be the President's residence and is subject to extra security, no photos allowed in that area.

The Heri Heights is a pretty nice place, I must say. The apartments are situated around a very well designed inner yard full of greenery. It also offers an external swimming pool. fitness area and a nice café-restaurant with a very nice terrace.

The apartments provide for decent space inside, with large balconies or patios if you are on the ground floor. One could wish there was more attention to detail but I was nicely surprised by the apartments. Kitchens are fully functional with stoves, fridges and all necessary cutlery available.

Is water drinkable?


Internet failed to prepare me for this question, providing different advices and opinions. I never took the chance of trying tap water and only drank bottled water, which is available across the city. Prices varied from 70 KES (around 70 US cents) to 150 KES (around 1.5 USD) for 1.5 liter's bottle.


Vaccines

According to the World Health Organization, the Yellow Fever vaccine is obligatory for Kenya, yet no one really demanded to see my vaccination passport upon arrival. 

What vaccines or precaution is required for you will depend on many different things so you must seek a professional advice on that. What is generally recommended as vaccinations however is:

• Hepatitis A
• Hepatitis B
• Tetanus and Diphtheria
• Typhoid Fever
• Polio
• Rabie

• Meningococcal Infection

Malaria precautions

There is real malaria threat in Kenya and I would strongly advise you to take it seriously. You must consult a professional before your trip for the most adequate advice on chemical and repellent protection!

As my visits to Kenya are going to be often, I could not take the luxury of chemical prevention as this would mean I am constantly taking antibiotics. This is why I counted on the preventive measures, namely mosquitoes repellents.

What you may find useful is the information on the repellents I provided myself with and used throughout my stay. You really need to use them regularly on top of wearing long sleeves and trousers at all times, avoid having the windows of your room open in the evenings when mosquitoes are out, and also use a bad with a canopy where available.

Repellents

1.      A repellent containing the active substance DEET (no less than 20%!!!)

As you can only use such a repellent once a day and it will last for about 7-8 hours, you will need to resort to a second type of repellent with a different active substance. My recommendation on the basis of the extended research I have done would be to go for:

2.      A repellent containing the active substance PIKARIDIN (KBR 3023)

Both types of repellents need to be applied regularly on all of areas of your body which are not going to be covered by clothing. Be careful when applying to face and do not apply those directly. Spray on your palms first and then apply to face.

General Impressions

The city of Nairobi is a nice and welcoming one full of friendly people who will go out of their way to help you feel at home. Despite the strict security measures I never felt threatened in any way and enjoyed the friendly conversations with Kenyans, while tasting the local beers.

Indeed security checks are thorough and almost everywhere. On my way back, entering the airport, I underwent three separate security inspections: on the very entry into the airport building, after check in and when entering the gate. All were with shoes off and hand luggage scanned.

Local people shared with me an interesting fact about the large Indian society - they have recently been recognized officially as "44th tribe of Kenya". I was lucky to be in Kenya on the 7th of November, when Indians celebrate Diwali with crackers and fireworks. Government however restricted the fireworks till 22.00 at latest, and as locals advised, one of the reasons for this was that people tried taking advantage of the noise the launching of crackers produced to conceal gun shots at other people. Sounds scary, and I hope this rumour is largely exaggerated. 

Prices are probably going to be a surprise if you visit the country with your expectations based on the salary levels (around 190 USD monthly for a police officers, highest reaching up to 700 USD monthly but only diplomats enjoying such rates). I was regularly charged around 4 USD for a cup of coffee which is strange in a country famous for producing some of the best tea and coffee in the world. An English breakfast would be around 12 USD.

It is common practice to have different prices for Kenyans and foreigners. Entry to the National Park for example would cost you 3 USD if you hold a Kenyan passport and 40 (forty) USD if you are a foreigner. Most places to do not have labels for the prices though and based on whether you look local or not you can be charged very differently. "Negotiating the final price" is a common practice everywhere.

I took a short video while on my way to a souvenir shop so you can feel the actual atmosphere of the city.

Plastic Bags


Plastic bags are forbidden throughout Kenya! You may want to use other containers for your stuff when packing. In any case, do not go out carrying one.


Electrical plugs

Type G:

I hope this article will be useful to those travelling to Nairobi!

Have a safe flight!