As with many countries in Africa, sometimes things can be done on the cheap, but quality has a very real correlation to price. In SE Asia for instance, one can strive to go pretty cheap and have a safe and good time.
In Africa one must take safety, sanitary conditions and comfort into account when thinking about a budget.
Up until recently, Kenya was a country that focused most of their attention on luxury safari tour packages. Nowadays, there are more and more facilities that accommodate lower budget backpackers.
Cost of Accommodation
Note that accommodation can be very cheap, in the $1 – $2 range, but the conditions aren't recommendable.
- Dorm Beds: In the various hostels, guest houses, and camps that exist in Kenya, expect to pay around $6 – $12 for a dorm bed depending on where you are in the country.
- Double or Twin private room: Cheapest double rooms run from about $15 – $30.
- Nice hotel room: If you take another step up, you'll get a very nice hotel room for $50 – $80.
Cost of Food
If you want to eat Kenyan food the Kenyan way, eating can be very cheap. However, most travelers and foreigners will find that they will want to eat at international restaurants or cleaner sit down restaurants.
Street Food
- For a meal on the street that consists of ugali (cornmeal starch), beans, sukuma wiki (vegetables) and maybe a bit of grizzly beef stew, you'll pay around 60 – 80 KES ($0.66 – $0.87). Just starch and veg might cost around half of this.
- Nyama Choma roasted meat on the street should cost 250 – 350 KES ($2.73 – $3.82) per kilo of goat or beef.
- A cob of roasted maize makes a good snack for around 20 KES ($0.22).
Sit Down Restaurants
- Cities like Nairobi and Mombasa have lots of sit down restaurants that serve top quality international cuisine. Indian food is one of the most popular and delicious. Meals can cost around 400 – 800 KES ($4.37 – $8.73).
- An outstanding Ethiopian feast at the Smart Village Nairobi cost me 600 KSH ($6.55) last time I was in Nairobi.
- For Japanese food, you'll pay around 1000 – 3000 KES ($10.92 – $32.75).
1 L bottle of water – 50 KES ($0.55)
Cost of Drinking / Going Out
- You can buy cheap bottles of local liqueur at supermarkets, kiosks or small stores throughout Kenya. It's cheapest to buy alcohol in little plastic bags called sachets.
- 500 ml bottle of Kenyan beer at a local bar or club: 100 – 150 KES ($1.09 – $1.64)
- Drinks at more trendy nightlife destinations: 200 – 400 KES ($2.18 – $4.37)
Some clubs do charge cover of a few hundred Shillings per person. If they do, it often will come with a complimentary drink.
Cost of Transportation
Nairobi
- Taxis: Taxis aren't too cheap in Nairobi and you need to negotiate the rate prior to getting in. You'll probably need to pay 400 – 1000 KES ($4.37 – $10.92) for a ride.
- Matatu: The local way to get around Nairobi is by matatu mini-bus. Rides normally cost 30 KES ($0.33) or more depending on route, time of day and local fuel prices.
Out of Nairobi
- Bus: You can ride buses around the country of Kenya for around 100 KES ($1.09) per hour. Nairobi to Mombasa routes usually cost 700 – 1200 KES ($7.67 – $13.12).
- Train: The most traveled train route is from Nairobi to Mombasa which costs $55 – $65 in a sleeper car.
- Plane: Recently a number of budget airlines have started in Kenya. I took a flight from Nairobi to Mombasa for about $70 on Fly 540.
Sample Cost of Attractions in Kenya
- Nairobi National Park: $40 per day
- Maasai Mara Game Reserve: $60 per day
- Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage: 500 KES ($5.47)
- Ride an Ostrich: 200 KES ($2.18)
- Go to the top of the Kenyatta Conference Center: 400 KES ($4.37)
- Nairobi National Museum: 800 KES ($8.75)
- Kenya Railway Museum: 400 KES ($4.37)
Overall Cost of Travel in Kenya
It really depends on what or how many tourist activities you do in a day. If you avoid most attractions, you can get away with $15 per day, but if you do some of the tourist oriented activities you'll likely spend $30 – $40.
Add a safari at a national park to the agenda and your budget will go way up from there, possibly in the $80 – $100 per day range.
I went on a backpacking safari with 5 other friends. We arrived at the Jomo Kenyatta airport in the evening and found a cheap hotel in CBD. We got a safaricom discard so that we won’t lose one another. Also we eould otherwise die for data. The next day, we took a motorbike taxi to River Road to board the Narok line bus that travels to Narok town, it costs around 400 Kenya shillings per person, and the trip would take about 3.5 hours. Narok is a large town where Maasai people populate. Once we got off the bus at Narok, there is another transit bus across the road that goes to Oloohumutia center. Just ask some educated pedestrians and they could tell you the direction. It could take another 2 hours to reach Oloohumutia center. There are many motor bike taxis at the center, 200 ksh took us to a camp called Mara Sandbank Camp because the drivers say that it is a budget camp but nice. Road on the motor bike on a rough terrain was fast and furious. It is operated by a Chinese folk. Good food, clean and comfy accommodation. If you want to game drive in the Massai Mara National park, you must have a car. But we didn’t . So we asked the camp owner to arrange for us a safari vehicle and a safari driver. We confirmed that the price the camp owner charged was lower than many car rental and tour agent prices. We stayed there for 3 nights because the owner gave us an extra night free. We were very grateful. We saw the wildebeest crossing river once, the owner noted that we were already very lucky. He stayed in Kenya for 17 years, almost a local, so we absorbed so much information from him. Anyways, I missed my trip, I missed the animals the grassland and the camp.
Hi Susana i would really realllllllllllllly appreciate it if u could give a guide map of where you went and all the places you visited see i am from Kenya and i want to back pack in my country but it will be my first time and i want to do it where i can’t be lost but i live in Canada since i was a kid and i want to go back and the beauty of my country i would really appreciate it thank you
Thanks! I love how you have gone to the details. This is a great summary about backpacking in Kenya, giving options for a person with any kind of budget. Susan above here opted to use the motorbike rides instead of tour firm, it can be quite challenging for a foreigner but quite an adventure. It is also good to note that the prices could highly be influenced by the change of value on Kenyan Shilling against the dollar. All the same, great piece.
Which hotel did you stay at Susan? In downtown Nairobi?
I found the budget hotel on trip advisor, the name is parkside hotel
:)
Thanks Susan for all the valuable information. We want to go from Nairobi to Narok, which you have explained perfectly, and then we want to get to Sekenani Gate at Masai Mara. Does anyone know how to go from Narok to Sekenani the cheapest way?
And how do matatus work? Are there any timetables or stations?
Thanks in advance!
Better start saving.. Do you think it would be possible to do on a smaller budget for 6 months? Also, is East Africa easy to travel on a whim? That’s my favourite way, going with the flow.
Hi,
Thanks for writing this article and for the very insightful information.
I am travelling to Nairobi next week and need to book some hotel which is close to the city center, the airport and possibly the national park/Elephant orphanage. Any specific area I should be looking at? Name of hotels would be much appreciated ( Budget- $70-100 per night for bred and breakfast).
Hello! I would like to travel to Kenya this summer. I have been in Senegal last year and i fall in love with África. I know that in Senegal you can travel local and backpacking for very cheap. For what i see in blogs in Kenya prices are also ok but i can not find prices for 3-4 days safari, also i dont know if i should book ahead… I never book ahead while travelling but i wonder if forma safaris in august is different…!
If you can help me i would apreciate! Thanks!