Debunking the myth about the high cost of recreation in Kenya. Here are the prices for food, hotels, visas, flights, safaris and transport in 2021. As a result, we calculate how much an independent tour to Kenya for two for 10 days will cost.
We can safely call another tourist myth that you need to spend a lot of money on an independent trip to Kenya - about the same myth has developed around the Maldives. Let's try to debunk him and clearly show that holidays in Kenya can also be budgetary. We will give the basic prices in Kenya: how much do hotels in the capital and resorts cost, how much food and transport cost, safari, flight and visa to Kenya, we will give some useful tips for traveling to the country, as well as calculate the cost of an independent tour to Kenya for 10 days for two.
Exchange rate: 1 USD ≈ 74 RUB.
To make an independent tour to Kenya really budgetary, you need to plan your trip in advance: book a hotel, find out how you can get the airport to the city, how to get to the resort from the capital, and also study information about prices in Kenya for food, transport, hotels , attractions and safari. So you will be aware of how much it costs in Kenya and avoid unnecessary expenses.
Airfare to Kenya
Flying to Kenya from Moscow, oddly enough, is quite cheap: a flight to Nairobi from Moscow usually costs from 28 thousand rubles round trip. From St. Petersburg to Nairobi a round-trip ticket will cost from 30 thousand rubles or more.
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.
How much does a visa to Kenya cost
The cost of a single-entry visa to Kenya for three months is $ 50, a multiple-entry visa for 6 months - $ 110. You can also apply for a single East African visa ($ 110), which also allows you to visit Uganda and Rwanda.
Hotel prices in 2021
Prices in Kenya do not bite on hotels, and the hotels themselves can satisfy the most demanding tastes. There are also guesthouses with Spartan conditions, mid-range hotels, and luxurious luxury hotels. Since our article is about a budget self-guided tour to Kenya, we have focused on budget hotels and rooms.
Hotel prices in Nairobi
In the capital of Kenya - Nairobi - near the city center, room rates start at $ 30. In the city center on Roomguru.ru you can find a lot of hotels for $ 20 for two - for example, Kijabe Guest House Limited near the railway station, which is very convenient (you can go by train to the coast, to the main seaside resort of Kenya - Mombasa) ...
You can rent a one-room apartment in the center of Nairobi for an average of $ 425, outside the center - $ 216.
Prices for hotels in the resort of Mombasa
Hotels in Mombasa on Roomguru.ru range from $ 10 per night for two. For $ 20 per day, you can rent a room in a three-star New Palm Tree hotel, however, in the city center - far from the beach. On the seashore, the minimum price for a standard room in a hotel is $ 35 (for example, in the Papillon Garden Bar Villa near Nayali beach).
It is not so easy to find a cheap hotel on the popular Diani Beach, where luxury hotels are concentrated - on average, prices start at $ 90, but there are also inexpensive hotels - for example, The Bright Star Resort for $ 35 per night and Glory Ocean Villas. for $ 48, quite budget options (not on the beach) - from $ 20.
For 3-star and 4-star hotels, Southern Palms Beach Resort Ukunda is a popular 4-star hotel in Diani Beach with excellent reviews, rated 9 out of 10 by guests. A standard double room starts at $ 96.
To learn more about Kenyan resorts, read our special "Beach Holidays in Kenya" resource.
Transport prices
It is unlikely that, going on an independent tour to Kenya, you will visit only one city in the country, therefore, for convenience, we give prices in Kenya for transport: taxi, trains, matatu, and so on.
- Taxi from the airport to the center of Nairobi - from $ 14.
- 3 km by taxi in Nairobi - from $ 7.
- The price for boarding a taxi is about $ 3.
- Bus from the airport to Nairobi - about $ 0.50 - $ 0.70.
- Bus in Nairobi (matatu) - about $ 0.50.
- The price of gasoline (1 liter) is about $ 1.
You can get around Nairobi by taxi and local minibuses - matatu, there are intercity buses (for example, Dreamline and EasyCoach carriers. From Nairobi airport you can fly to other cities - Malindi, Mombasa, Lamu and Kisuma. For example, a flight from Nairobi to Mombasa and back will cost about $ 120.
There is a night train from Nairobi to Mombasa on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays (departs at 19:00, arrives at 10:00). You can check the timetable here: riftvalleyrail.com. Fare: 1st class ("all inclusive") - about $ 42.5 (4405 Kenyan shillings), 2nd class - $ 22.5 (2335 shillings) without lunch and $ 32.5 (3385 shillings) for "all inclusive" ...
Food Prices in Kenya - 2021
While traveling on your own in Kenya, it will not be difficult to eat on a budget - the cities are full of small establishments that are ready to serve both local and foreigners.
A budget breakfast in a street cafe will cost about $ 2-5, lunch - from $ 3.5 to $ 7.5, dinner - from $ 5 to $ 8. Beer (0.5 l) costs from 1.3 to 3.5 $, bottled water - from 0.5 to 0.7 $.
Lunch at an inexpensive restaurant will cost $ 3-4 on average, a three-course lunch for two in a mid-priced restaurant will cost about $ 25-27. A cup of cappuccino costs about $ 2. Food prices in Nairobi are usually slightly higher. Local fruits are very cheap.
Estimated cost of groceries in shops in Kenya (may vary depending on the resort and shop):
- milk (1 l) - about $ 1;
- bread (500 g) - about $ 0.6;
- white rice (1 kg) - about $ 1.4;
- eggs (12 pcs) - about $ 1.5;
- local cheese (1 kg) - about $ 8.5;
- chicken breasts (1 kg) - about $ 6;
- apples (kg) - about $ 2.6;
- oranges (kg) - about $ 2.5;
- potatoes (kg) - about $ 0.9;
- water (1.5 l) - about $ 0.8;
- a bottle of wine - about $ 7;
- local beer (0.5 l) - about $ 1.4.
Find out more about the cost of a Zanzibar holiday in the neighboring country of Tanzania.
Safari prices and attractions
The main attraction of Kenya is wildlife. The country has created many national parks, reserves and reserves, where you can observe the life of wild animals in their natural environment - crocodiles, meerricats, cheetahs, antelopes and others, including the "big five": lions, rhinos, buffaloes, elephants and leopards ...
Here are the prices for some attractions in Kenya in 2021:
- Nairobi National Park - $ 44.25. For adults and $ 22.12 for children (this is the cost exclusively for entering the park, you need to take care of transportation separately).
- National Museum of Nairobi - about $ 20. For adults and about $ 10 for children.
- David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (elephant shelter) - about $ 5, entrance only from 11 to 12 in the morning.
Safari prices in Kenya are very different - from $ 100-200 per person for one day to luxury safari from $ 4000 per person for a week with flights between parks. Usually tourists choose the budget option - classic group safaris for 3-4 days per 300-500 $ per person... The cost of a safari in Kenya depends on visiting one or more national parks, the type of food and the comfort of living (tents / lodges), the number of days, and so on.
How much does a self-guided tour to Kenya cost
And now let's move on to the most interesting and calculate how much an independent tour to Kenya for 10 days for two costs. We take the minimum prices to calculate how much you need to navigate when organizing a trip to Kenya.
The price for a vacation in Kenya consists of the following components:
- visa to Kenya ($ 100 for two);
- round-trip air tickets from Moscow to Nairobi ($ 900 for two and $ 450 for one);
- hotel accommodation ($ 20 per day per hotel = $ 200);
- insurance (1490 rubles for two, that is, $ 24);
- meals ($ 280 for two);
- safari (classic option for 3-4 days: $ 600 for two);
- train from Nairobi to Mombasa and back or flight to another resort (optional; train - $ 130 for two in both directions, plane - $ 400 for two in both directions).
So, add up everything (excluding transport): 100 + 900 + 200 + 280 + 600 + 24 = total 2104 $ for 10 days for two! Very budgetary for such a distant and exotic country like Kenya, isn't it? This amount can be slightly reduced if you catch a promotion or an airline mistake, look for a hotel on the spot and choose a one-day safari tour (also on the spot), or you can increase it - it all depends on your desires and needs.
We did not include transport in this amount, as it is difficult to predict where you want to go. You can travel very cheaply on intercity buses, a little more expensive and comfortably - by train or the fastest, but also more expensive - by plane.
