Kenya's currency is the Kenya shilling. Exchange rates have been reasonably steady against the U.S. dollar, U.K. pound and euro in recent years. When changing cash, small dollar bills attract a lower exchange rate than larger ones. Don't be tempted to deal in the black market. It is illegal and there is the danger of being ripped off. Do look closely at what you're given when you change money. Many counterfeit U.S. banknotes, printed on plain paper, are circulating in Kenya. Because of this, Kenyan banks and wildlife authorities do not accept pre-1995 U.S. banknotes. The most common fake notes are US$5, US$10 and US$20 denominations. High-end hotels and lodges often accept payments in U.S. dollars, and the game parks and reserves will take dollars as well as shillings. There is now a system in place in Kenya for paying park entry fees on a Smartcard. There are several places to purchase these cards in Nairobi and at some of the main park-entrance gates, where you can load the card with enough money to cover entry, camping, vehicle fees, etc.

There are foreign-exchange bureaus and banks at the airport that exchange cash and traveler's checks around the clock. In the city center, banks are located along Moi and Kenyatta avenues. ATMs are proliferating, and they usually work fairly well. If you find one that doesn't work, the next one you try probably will. Be extra cautious when using outdoor ATMs, especially if your back is to the street.

Visa and American Express are widely accepted, but MasterCard is limited. Credit-card fraud does happen, so keep all copies of your receipts and be sure that whatever currency you're paying in is clearly marked (unscrupulous vendors may put a dollar sign in front of the shilling amount after you've left).

The VAT (value-added tax) is 18%. It is not refundable. Always ask to see a vendor's VAT certificate; he or she must have it and be willing to show it. Unscrupulous dealers may increase it a couple of percent and pocket the profit.

Tipping is not a requirement in Kenya, although at restaurants adding 10% to the bill is the norm. If a service charge has been included, however, a tip is not necessary. Bellhops should receive around 50 KSh per bag.

Nairobi lies near the equator, but the high altitude keeps it surprisingly cool. Temperatures rarely drop below 60 F/15 C or get warmer than 85 F/30 C year-round. Rainy seasons typically occur in April and May and October-December, though August is known to be a wet month as well. January-March is usually warm, with temperatures rising to about 80-85 F/28-30 C. The cool time of year is April-July, when temperatures can dip below 65 F/20 C.

Weather forecast not available at this time.

You'll need to know the season to know how to pack. During the rainy seasons, showers come unexpectedly and an umbrella is vital. Temperatures during the day vary from mild to hot (and humid). Light cotton clothes are ideal, but in case of rain showers or sudden drops in temperature, you'll want a light jacket or sweater. A jacket or sweater is useful as well for early morning and evening any time of year (men commonly wear sportcoats). Long sleeves and pants are recommended to fend off mosquitoes. Use hats and sunscreens to avoid sun exposure.

In general, people dress conservatively: African businesswomen, for example, rarely wear slacks, and skirts reach at least midcalf or below. Conservative business suits are standard for businessmen. Women should dress modestly in public, especially in rural areas and more religious spaces and cultures such as Lamu, which is mostly Islamic. Try not to wear safari gear in town—it marks you as a gullible tourist.

Internet cafes, where you can also sample the country's fine java, are cropping up all over Nairobi. Internet access is generally quick and reliable. A meal at the Carnivore is on many visitors' itineraries, so the restaurant has opened Cybervore on its premises. But if you want plain-and-simple Internet access, AfricaOnline operates several Internet stations in the city center. It is best to use the facilities in the major shopping centers, such as Sarit Centre in Westlands, YaYa Centre in Hurlingham or those at the Village Market in Gigiri. Wi-Fi (at about Ksh 4-8 per minute) is generally reliable in Nairobi but not outside of the city, where connections are likely to be through the local post office or a hotel connection.

Mail only postcards and thin letters via the regular postal service (although postal services are usually reliable, there have been incidents of parcels being opened by postal workers). If you're sending anything valuable, such as expensive souvenirs or important documents, use an internationally recognized courier or shipping service.

The main post office is located on Kenyatta Avenue near the corner of Uhuru Highway, and it is reasonably reliable and organized. There are branch post offices at Westlands Shopping Centre, at Karen Shopping Centre and at the Village Market in Gigiri near the U.S. Embassy.

Federal Express

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FedEx is represented in Kenya by East Africa Courier Ltd., Bruce House, Standard Street, Nairobi. Phone 240-106 or 282-6000.

Dailies available in the early morning include the Daily Nation, the East African Standard and the Kenya Times (a government publication). The Daily Nation and East African Standard include event listings, especially in the Friday and Saturday editions. A weekly paper, The East African, covers current events and business news about Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Hotels and some magazine shops carry the International Herald Tribune, The Wall Street Journal and USA Today, as well as European newspapers and magazines. There are also smaller magazines/visitor guides, such as Going Places, that offer important tidbits on what is going on in the city. Art programs on local TV and FM radio stations also give out useful information.

The key to Kenya's telephone service is patience. Phone lines can go dead without warning. Despite its unreliability, Kenya's phone service is one of the most expensive in the world. You are charged from the time the phone rings, not when your call is answered. There is no area code requirement for local calls within the same area; area codes for use in wider calling are in the telephone directory.

As well as from your hotel, you can make international calls from EXTELCOM (the Kenya overseas phone and telex center), located on Haile Selassie Avenue. It's open 24 hours. There is a three-minute minimum period of use. You can also buy phone cards there for public telephones. Alternatively, go to the Kenyatta Conference Center off City Hall Way. The telephone exchange is on the ground floor and is usually quieter than the EXTELCOM office.

Mobile phones are commonly used in Kenya, and coverage is good in Nairobi and the cities. Your own phone will work if it has international roaming, or you can buy a sim card and startup pack once in Kenya.

For most visitors, flying is the easiest way to reach Nairobi. You could also travel by overnight train from Mombasa if you have ample time. Time delays up to several hours throughout the trip are frequent. Hotel shuttles, taxis and rental cars are all available at the airport. Those arriving on a prearranged safari trip are usually met by the tour company. If you have experience driving in developing countries, rent a car from one of the many reliable car rental firms, such as Avis, Bentley, Budget or Arrow Cars.

Once in town, taxis are the best way of getting around. Always agree on the fare before setting off. Public and private buses also ply the city, but they're uncomfortable and often harbor pickpockets.

The main international airport is Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO), about 12 mi/20 km southeast of town on the Mombasa Road. Nairobi is an important hub in Africa for air travel, and most of the leading carriers have flights to the airport. From the airport it is a 20- to 30-minute drive to the city center. The airport is dilapidated but functional, and there is a full range of facilities with extensive duty-free shops and restaurants.

Wilson Airport is a local small-plane airport used mainly for domestic flights, charters to Uganda and Tanzania, and flights to the airstrips in the national parks and game reserves. It is a much more pleasant experience than the main airport, with a clean, comfortable waiting room and a coffee shop with good Kenyan coffee, fresh juices, soups, salads and snacks.

Connecting Transportation

Best way:

Most hotels will provide an airport pickup service if you send them your name and arrival time. Charges vary. Note that traffic is often a nightmare. Always give yourself a two-hour margin in case of any eventualities.

Other options:

Taxis are available just outside the arrivals terminal. Whatever you do, don't just get into a cab without agreeing on the fare first. Avoid the run-down taxis marked with a stripe—they've been banned from the airport, but some get in anyway. Taxi fare to central Nairobi will cost around 1,000 Ksh. It is a good idea to ask someone in the airport what the correct fare should be before haggling with a taxi driver outside.

Arriving visitors should not take the public bus into town.

We do not recommend this mode of travel for tourists or business travelers, although there is a trustworthy and comfortable minibus shuttle service connecting Nairobi with Arusha (in Tanzania) that operates twice daily. This service is aimed for tourists and picks up at the hotels. The driver will assist with border-crossing procedures. The journey takes about four hours. There is also a bus service to Mombasa daily if you do not want to take the train. The bus station is identified as Machakos Airport, on Landhies Road at the southern end of River Road Haile Selassie Avenue, and it's notorious for the rogues and thieves who gather there.

Akamba Public Road Service

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If you need to use a bus, it's safest to book one through Akamba. They operate from Lagos Road (so you'll avoid the Machakos Airport). Phone 250-412.

Traffic in Nairobi is a nightmare. Advance warning about construction and road maintenance is given sparingly (although the traffic updates on Capital Radio, 98.4 FM, are helpful). Breakdowns are numerous, parking spaces are scarce, speed limits are never heeded, and local minibus (or matatu) drivers are aggressive to the point of being dangerous. Roads are without curbing or edges, street lights are dim at best, and the potholes could consume elephants. If you must get behind the wheel, be alert for pedestrians who will suddenly step out into traffic without looking. Driving is on the left.

There are a number of rental-car operators in Nairobi including Avis, Budget, Dollar, Thrifty, Hertz, Alamo and Europecar.

The public bus system and private matatus (minibuses) go everywhere and carry everything from schoolchildren to farmers holding live poultry. They are cheap, but we don't recommend the matatus: Bus stops are very crowded downtown and are prime sites for pickpockets during rush hour. The buses can be very crowded too, with toll takers and even some passengers hanging on through the open doors. Recently, however, there have been efforts by the police against dangerous overcrowding, and drivers are stopped and fined for carrying too many people.

Of the many taxi services in Nairobi, there are two reliable companies we recommend: Kenatco Taxis, phone 225-123; and Archer's Cabs, phone 229-652 or 221-035. If there's no meter, negotiate your fare before setting foot in the cab—prices are not set but should be fairly consistent (ask at your hotel for an approximation of what the fare might be to a given destination). Taxis can be found outside all main hotels and restaurants and at taxi stands throughout the city center. They rarely cruise the streets looking for passengers; instead, they sit at the side of the road waiting for passengers to approach them. Quite often the drivers only buy petrol when you have paid part of your fare upfront, which means that you spend a considerable part of your journey in lines at a station.

Although taxi drivers speak and understand English, they sometimes don't recognize the names of Nairobi streets. Instead, they know the names of all the buildings in town. It's better to say "Take me to Corner House" or "Take me to Chester House" instead of "Take me to the corner of Mama Ngina Street and Kimathi Street." If you have a map, use it to direct the driver to the street you want if you don't know the name of the building.

Train service in and out of Nairobi is limited, and there is an unnverving history of derailments and accidents. The overnight train to Kenya's western city, Kisumu, on Lake Victoria, runs three times a week in both directions via Naivasha and Nakuru. This service is sporadically interrupted so check locally to see if the train is running. You can also ride the rails between Mombasa and Nairobi on an old Pullman-style sleeper (the overnight trip takes 13 hours). If you have the time, take it. It's a great way to travel without having to worry about traffic. We recommend traveling only in first class, though. Kenya Railways has a program for one of its old steam trains. It travels weekly to Nakuru and makes occasional trips to the African Heritage House on the Athi plains overlooking Nairobi National Park. The railway station is at Moi and Haile Selassie avenues. Phone 221-211.

City Tourist Office

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Sells maps, organizes safaris and handles reservations and rental cars. For comprehensive information, check the Kenya Tourist Board Web site at http://www.magicalkenya.com. Monday-Saturday 8:30 am-12:30 pm and 2-5 pm. City Hall Way (near the Hilton Hotel), Nairobi. Phone 221-885.