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During the three months period, the visitors' pass holders are not allowed
to engage themselves in any form of work or business in the country without
authority from the Principal Immigration officer. Visitors without proper
documents will be required to pay a refundable deposit of Kshs. 5,000/=
before they are issued with visitor passes.
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Dress
Visitors should not walk in towns or public areas in their swim-wear
as this is against African culture and offends a large section of the community.
Nude bathing is not allowed. Kenyans appreciate decent behaviour devoid
of immoral tendencies. Visitors are therefore advised to show respect to
the local people, their culture and traditions. The Western style of sophistication
is not appreciated very much by the locals.
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Customs
You may import personal effects like binoculars, cameras and films
temporarily into the country without a permit but a customs bond will be
required for video equipment, musical instruments, radios, cine and slide
projectors and tape recorders during your stay. Consumables in small amounts
of one litre of alcohol, a quarter litre of perfume, fifty cigars, two
hundred cigarettes or quarter kilogram of tobacco will be allowed duty
free. Obscene literature is not allowed. Pets accompanied by a recent health
certificate and special permission from the Commissioner of Customs will
be allowed. These are, however, not allowed into the National Park/Reserves.
Firearms cannot be imported without an import certificate from the Central
Firearms Bureau (P.O. Box 30263, Nairobi, Kenya).
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Laws and Respect for Authority
Visitors are expected to show respect to the Head of State and other
leaders or uniformed officials of the Public Service. Tearing or
burning the President's portrait is an offence. Avoid infringing the law
especially the Foreign Exchange Control Act, traffic regulations and the
laws against prostitution, sexual abuse and taking or trafficking in drugs.
Foreign offenders are usually arraigned and fined or ordered to leave the
country. Smoking opium or cannabis sativa, also locally called "bhang",
is forbidden and anyone trying to import or export it, hidden in his or
her baggage puts himself in serious trouble. However, chewing of a locally
grown shrub called "miraa", a mild stimulant reputed to keep chewers active
and awake throughout the night is allowed.
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Transport (Local)
The most popular method of tourist transport in Kenya is by road using
"mini-buses" which are specifically built for tourist safaris in this country.
They are operated by nearly all established tour operators in Nairobi and
Mombasa. These chauffeur-driven mini-buses will pick you up from the airport
on arrival and take you to the city hotel of your choice. When there is
no tour operator organised transport, there is proper organised taxi service
run by Kenatco Transport Company. They run taxi services from the international
airports to all the main urban hotels. They are also available to take
you from your hotel to the railway station, the city centre for shopping
or to the parks and other recreational areas near the city or around Mombasa
town. There are other privately owned and run taxis usually marked with
yellow lines on the sides. They offer the same services as the Kenatco
taxis with much cheaper negotiable charges but may not be as comfortable.
Major five-star hotels run guest courtesy busses from the airport to the
city centre.
Kenya Bus Services (KBS) runs cheap public bus services within the city and its environs. Similar bus services are available in Mombasa, Kisumu and Nakuru. Their services are supplemented by the privately owned and run matatu mini-buses sometimes noisy and overloaded.
There are country bus service between Nairobi and all other towns. These are supplemented by the Matatu mini-buses and the speedy Peugeot 404 or 504 communal taxis known for their break-neck speeds.
To move to the National Parks and Reserves in the rural areas tourists travel in the packaged tour operator mini-buses or in chauffer-driven saloon cars, Toyota Land Cruiser vans, or in Range Rovers which are operated by tour operators or are available for hire from many car-hire companies in Nairobi and Mombasa. Those who want to enjoy exclusively private self-drive safaris will find numerous local companies offering everything from Range Rovers and Troopers to small saloon cars for their convenience. It is perfectly possible for visitors to the country to hire and drive around the country without problems. Nearly all roads to the National Parks or Reserves or to major towns are sign-posted so that strangers will find their way around the country with ease.
The second popular mode of transport is by Kenya Railways from Nairobi to Mombasa and vice versa or from Nairobi to Kisumu on the shores of Lake Victoria, with lake steamer connections to all the ports in the lake. The rail travel in the first or second class coaches offers visitors spectacular views of the country side from the coach windows in addition to first class cabin services, bars and restaurants.
There are also dhows, steamers and motorboat services at the coast between Mombasa, Kilifi, Malindi and Lamu sea port, for ocean lovers.
Those who want to travel by air and visit many National Parks and Reserves
in a short time will book domestic flights which fly between Nairobi's
Jomo Kenyatta International Airport,
or Wilson Airport to Moi International Airport, Malindi and Kisumu
Airports or may charter light aircrafts which depart from Wilson Airport,
Mombasa, Kisumu or Malindi Airports for various destinations in the National
Parks and Reserves. DC3 aircrafts with seating capacities of 36 passengers
are available from the charter.
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Accomodation
All Kenya's major towns have hotels or lodges ranging from high international
standards to simple inexpensive holiday hotels. In addition, there are
tourist lodges in nearly all major National Parks and Reserves in the country.
The accommodation charges vary with the seasons, group and corporate rates
and whether meals are included or not.
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Currency
Kenya's currency is based on the decimal system. The unit is the Kenya
"Shilling", divided into 100 cents. Coins are of 5, 10, 50 cents and of
1, 5 and 10 Shilling. Notes are of Kshs 20, Kshs 50, Kshs 100, Kshs 200,
Kshs 500 and Kshs 1,000. There are no restrictions on the movement of currency
into or out of Kenya for current transactions. Travellers can bring into
or take out of Kenya currency notes up to the equivalent of US Dollars
5,000 and Ksh. 100,000 without making a custom declaration. Currency notes
in excess of the above amounts can still be brought in or taken out of
Kenya upon making a declaration.
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National Parks and Reserves
Kenya has a total of twenty six National Parks and twenty nine National
Reserves. All of them occupy a total area of 44,359 sq. kilometers or 7.5%
of the total area of the Republic (582,644 sq kilometers). They range from
marine national parks, savanna-bush woodland national parks, mountain national
parks, arid and semi-arid national parks, to lake ecosystem national parks/reserves.
It is not easy to place Kenya's national parks and reserves in order of merit in their value of attractions. Every park and reserve and park is unique in its diversity of attractions and no park or reserve resembles another. To a visitor, there is no difference between a national park and a national reserve. The difference is official and technically bases on the establishment status due to the title of the land; and has nothing to do with touristic attractions.
The marine parks are famous for their beautiful coral reefs, coral gardens, beaches and lagoons, brightly patterned coral fishes e.g. Angel fish, Parrot fish, Starfish, Sea urchins, lovely porcelain cowries, Green turtles, Octopus, Dudong and big game fish like Blue marlin, Sail fish, Giant fish, Giant grouper and Marko sharks.
The Savanna-bush-woodland National Parks contain some of the greatest plains game concentrations in the world. The big-five: Elephant, Rhinoceros, Buffalo, Lion, and Leopard are manifestly plentiful in these parks. The mountain National Parks boast of some of the most superb mountain scenery in Africa, the snow capped peaks of Mt. Kenya with excellent climbing adventures and beautiful moorlands for mountain walkers.
Giant groundsels and lobelia are some of the eye-catching flora on Mt. Kenya and Mt. Elgon. In addition to the mountain scenery and flora, the mountain parks are homes for the big five (no lions in Mt. Elgon) and a host of other rare mountain species like Bongo, Giant Forest hog, melanistic cats and many mountain bird species.
The lake ecosystem national parks contain the greatest concentration
of flamingo in the world (Lake Nakuru National Park) and the greatest crocodile
colony in the world (Sibiloi National park). There are also myriads of
other bird species in and around the lakes, schools of hippopotamus and
hundreds of land mammals species on the shores of the lakes.
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Hunting and Game Trophies
Hunting and trafficking in game trophies is banned in Kenya. Export
of live animals, birds and reptiles is also banned except by a licensed
professional dealer with special permission from the Director of Kenya
Wildlife Services. However, there is a beautiful souvenir market in local
handicrafts-wood and stone sculpture, beadwork, painting and drawing, basketry,
wearing apparel and jewellery. Exciting photographic safaris to the National
Parks/Reserves and to other touristic areas are organised. Always ask for
permission before photographing the local people. Obscene photography is
forbidden. It is an offence to photograph the National flag, The President,
State Lodges, Soldiers, Prisons and Convicts and Military Barracks. However,
photographers find a paradise of colourful birds, beautiful people and
magnificent scenery all embellished in regular sunshine.
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Touring Programmes
Local tour operators have developed three main tourist circuits to
enable their clients utilize their time fully and get the best out of their
safari in Kenya. These are the western, central/northern and southern circuits.
The circuits can be shortened or stretched further afield depending on
the clients own wishes and the time the visitors want to spend in Kenya.
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What to see
Generally, Kenya has a chain of attractions for everyone. The ocean
lovers and divers have a 480 kilometer tract of littoral belt strewn with
beautiful coral reefs, coral gardens and hundreds of coral fish species
in view. Sun worshippers find the tranquil sun-drenched, silver-sanded
coastal beaches a tourist paradise. Historical land-marks of Vasco da Gama
pillar, Gedi ruins, Fort Jesus, Orlogesaillie prehistoric site and the
archeological sites at Koobi Fora on the eastern shores of Lake Turkana
are true magnet to many historians and archeologists. The savannah-bush
woodland country provides the visitors with unsurpassed breath taking large
concentrations of wild animals to be found anywhere else on the African
continent.
Mt. Kenya climbing adventure make even the most experienced mountaineers
from Mt. Everest pause for a breath; while many world famous ornithologists
do not believe their eyes at the first sight of the great bird spectacles
in the Great Rift Valley lakes.
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Departures
In addition to the other security checks, customs officers may weigh
and inspect all outgoing baggage. Departing travellers are therefore required
to identify their baggage for inspection by the custom officers. Airport
departure tax (US $ 20) is payable on departure. There are duty-free shops
at both Nairobi and Mombasa Airports.
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