10 Nairobi Travel Tips You Need to Know
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The honest safety picture. Nairobi has real, well-documented street crime, mugging, phone and bag snatching, and smash-and-grab theft at traffic lights, alongside a background terrorism risk, that’s the “Nairobbery” reputation, fairly earned, and still true today. It sits alongside millions of trouble-free visits a year to a heavily-visited safari-gateway capital. Practical rules: use Uber, Bolt, or Little rather than walking, especially after dark or through the CBD at night; keep car doors locked, windows up, and phones and bags out of sight in traffic; stick to Westlands, Karen, Gigiri, Kilimani, and Lavington as safer-leaning areas and skip Eastleigh and Kibera outside an organized tour; use ATMs inside malls or banks, not street-front machines. Check your own government’s current travel advisory before you go.
Ten practical things worth knowing before a Nairobi trip, beyond the safety picture above.
1. The eTA visa is mandatory, not optional
Kenya replaced visa-on-arrival with a mandatory Electronic Travel Authorization in January 2024. Apply online in advance at etakenya.go.ke, standard processing costs around $30 and takes about 72 hours, apply several days ahead rather than at the airport. Your passport needs at least 6 months of remaining validity.
2. M-PESA runs the everyday economy
Mobile money, not cash or card, is how a lot of small transactions actually happen in Nairobi, markets, matatus, small vendors. You don’t need it for a standard hotel-and-tour visit, cards and cash cover hotels, restaurants, and malls fine, but it’s worth understanding why a small vendor might ask to “send it on M-PESA.”
3. JKIA and Wilson are two different airports
Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) is the main international gateway, about 15-18km southeast of downtown. Wilson Airport, in Langata, is the separate domestic and safari-charter airport for flights to the Mara, Amboseli, and other parks. If you’re connecting from an international arrival to a same-day safari flight, budget real transfer time across town, an overnight in Nairobi first is the safer, more common plan.
4. Traffic is genuinely bad, plan around it
Nairobi’s traffic is notoriously heavy at peak hours, build in generous buffer time for any airport transfer or cross-town trip, especially on Mombasa Road, Uhuru Highway, and Waiyaki Way.
5. The altitude is mild, not a health risk
At roughly 1,795m, Nairobi’s climate stays cool and spring-like year-round rather than tropical-hot, and it’s high enough that malaria risk in the city itself is low. That risk rises again at lower-altitude safari destinations like the Mara or Amboseli, so plan antimalarial guidance around your full itinerary, not just the city days.
6. A yellow fever certificate may be required
Only if you’re arriving from, or transiting more than 12 hours through, a yellow-fever-endemic country, not required for a direct flight from the US or UK (verify current requirements before a multi-country Africa trip).
7. Ride-hailing beats walking or hailing a street taxi
Uber, Bolt, and Little are the standard tourist choice, affordable, trackable, and cashless-capable. Matatus (shared minibuses) are a genuine part of the culture but carry pickpocket and driving-safety caveats, and boda-bodas (motorbike taxis) are the riskiest option for both accidents and snatch-theft.
8. Dress and etiquette basics
Dress is generally relaxed in urban Nairobi, cover shoulders and knees for religious sites or rural areas. Greet with a handshake, remove shoes when entering some homes, and use your right hand when eating or exchanging items.
9. Tipping is modest but appreciated
Around 10% in restaurants that cater to tourists and expats, check the bill first since a service charge may already be included. Safari guides and drivers are tipped separately and more substantially if your trip extends beyond the city.
10. Learn a couple of Swahili words
“Jambo” (hello) and “asante” (thank you) go a long way, English is widely spoken in tourist contexts, but the effort is noticed.
Read more: the full Nairobi guide ties these tips into a full itinerary, and the best places to stay guide covers which neighborhoods match the safety guidance above.
For the advisory itself, see the US State Department and UK FCDO guidance on Kenya.