Flights from Lagos to Nairobi

Green and sunny Nairobi

Nairobi, capital city of Kenya is modern and pulses with life. Discover music clubs, markets, museums and black rhinos at Nairobi National Park.

Optimum Nairobi travel time

The dry season is from mid-December until the end of February and from mid -June until the end of September. The rainy seasons fall in the other months.

Travel there to witness the holidays and festivals. Independence Day, Madaraka is celebrated on June 1st with with parades. Mashujaa, Heroes' day, with parades, happens on 20th October. The Nairobi Marathon also takes place in October. December is the month for Kenya Music Week and on the 12th December it is Republic Day, called Jamhuri.

Getting to know Nairobi

Visas are required for Kenya. They are available at the airport, from the Kenya High Commission in London or online. A visa costs about £30. Passports must be valid for 6 months when applying and have two blank pages.

Vaccinations for cholera, malaria and dengue fever are necessary. Confirm that Tetanus, Diphtheria, Polio, Typhoid, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Yellow Fever, Rabies and Meningitis are up to date. If travelling outside Nairobi, anti-malarial medication is needed.

General advice is that visitors should avoid slum areas, Eastleigh and Pangani and the inner city at night as crime and terrorist rates are said to be high in these areas. No smoking is allowed in inner city public spaces. Drink and clean teeth in bottled water. Peel or cook fruit and vegetables, use a mosquito repellent, wear long clothing and sleep under a mosquito net. Living costs are cheaper than the UK. A restaurant meal costs about 500KES, a beer approximately 200KES and non-alcoholic drink is roughly 100KES. Bottled water might cost 100KES or thereabouts. Biashara Street has good shopping and Massai Market is the place to haggle. A popular local foods is Nyama Choma, grilled meat.

Nairobi: once there

Nairobi airport, the Jomo Kenyatta International lies 15 kilometres from the business-district. A taxi to the centre costs around 1,500KES and takes 30 mins. Agree on how much the trip will pay before getting in the car. Bus 34 costs approximately 50KES and travels to and from the Ambassador Hotel. This takes 40 minutes. Hostel rooms cost about KES800 and a luxury room about 10,000KES.

Traffic is heavy at rush hours. It is usual to agree on a price prior to taking taxis and to pay at the end of the journey. Official taxis will have a yellow stripe and a start-rate of about 500KES, the cost then increases according to distance. Buses are good to take to the suburbs but it is usually preferable to explore central Nairobi on foot.