Planning your safari
Your Arrival Day in Nairobi
From touchdown to your first sundowner — what happens when you land at JKIA, how we meet you, and how gentle or full we make your very first day.
Start here
When you land
In shortYou land at JKIA, clear immigration where your eTA is checked, collect your bags, and step into the arrivals hall where we’re waiting with a name board. From there it’s a quick drive into the city on the Expressway, or straight on to your safari. Day one is as gentle or as full as you’d like it to be.
Arriving somewhere new after a long flight can feel daunting, but Nairobi makes it easy — and with someone waiting for you on the far side of customs, there’s nothing to work out on your own.
Here’s exactly how the arrival unfolds, from the moment the wheels touch down.
- Touchdown at JKIA.
Jomo Kenyatta International is Kenya’s main gateway, its terminals arranged in a single loop. Follow the arrivals signs with the rest of your flight.
- Immigration.
An officer checks your passport and verifies your eTA electronically, then stamps you in. Have your printed approval and your onward details ready to keep it quick.
- Baggage claim.
Collect your checked bags from the belt. If you’re connecting to a safari flight from Wilson, keep your soft bag and daypack close.
- Customs.
A straightforward walk-through. Remember that single-use plastic bags are banned in Kenya and can be confiscated here, so keep them out of your luggage.
- The arrivals hall.
Step out to find us waiting with a name board. From this point on, the day is handled — no taxi queues, no working out directions.
No queues, no guesswork
Met, and moved
The stretch that catches tired travellers out — finding transport and reaching the city — is the part we take off your hands entirely.
We’re in the arrivals hall waiting, so you step off the plane and straight into safe hands.
We track your arrival, so a delayed flight or an early landing is never a problem at our end.
The Nairobi Expressway skirts the city traffic, so the run to your hotel is usually only fifteen to twenty minutes.
Flying on to a park from Wilson? We manage the transfer across the city and build in a comfortable buffer.
Day one, your way
Your first afternoon
However you feel when you land, there’s a first day to match — from doing nothing at all to being out among wildlife by the afternoon.
Rest and settle in
After a long-haul flight, the best first day is often a quiet one. Check in, shake off the journey, enjoy a good meal, and be fresh for the safari to come. There’s no rule that day one has to be busy.
A gentle first outing
If you’d rather stretch your legs, a relaxed introduction suits arrival day well — a wander at the Giraffe Centre or a short, easy city outing, with nothing rushed and an early night to follow.
An arrival-day safari
Land early enough, and you can be on a game drive that same afternoon — Nairobi National Park sits right on the city’s edge, so the wild is closer than your hotel in some cases.
Between flights
Short on time? A layover safari
One of the quiet advantages of arriving in Nairobi: the wildlife is close enough to fit into a long connection.
Fact: Nairobi National Park sits just about seven kilometres from JKIA. Mechanism: that closeness means a game drive doesn’t need an overnight stay or a long transfer across the country. Consequence: with a layover of roughly eight hours or more, or an early-morning arrival before an onward flight, a short safari is genuinely feasible — lions, rhino and giraffe against a city-skyline backdrop, then back to the terminal. Advice: tell us your landing and onward times and we’ll say honestly whether it fits, allowing for immigration, transfers and check-in. We never sell a drive your layover can’t comfortably hold.
It’s the ideal use of a half-day: a compact morning or afternoon drive that turns dead airport hours into your first real taste of Kenya. If your schedule is tighter than that, we’ll tell you — a rushed drive helps no one.
The useful details
Arrival practicalities
The small things that make the first day smooth — getting online, handling money, the time difference, and staying street-wise. Tap through.
Get online cheaply within minutes of landing.
- Buy a local SIM at the airport — Safaricom is the main network and inexpensive.
- M-Pesa mobile money runs on it and is accepted almost everywhere in Kenya.
- Most hotels and lodges have WiFi, though it thins out deep in the bush.
The shilling is the local currency, but cards go a long way.
- Change only a little cash at the airport; use ATMs or cards once you’re in the city.
- Cards are widely accepted in hotels, restaurants and larger shops.
- Carry some cash for tips, curios and small purchases along the way.
Kenya runs on East Africa Time, three hours ahead of GMT.
- There’s no daylight saving, so the offset stays the same all year round.
- It’s a small shift from Europe and a bigger one from the Americas.
- Take the first evening gently and you’ll be on local time by morning.
Nairobi is a big, lively city — a little common sense goes a long way.
- Keep valuables out of sight and use trusted transport rather than flagging cars.
- Don’t photograph the airport, police or government buildings.
- Carry a copy of your passport and leave the original safe at your hotel. With us, you’re accompanied throughout.
Let’s plan it
Tell us your arrival details
Share your flight and dates and we’ll plan the arrival around them — the meet, the transfer, and a first day that suits how you’ll be feeling. We’ll reply personally, usually within hours.
Frequently asked questions
Arrival day FAQs
When you land
You clear immigration, where an officer verifies your eTA electronically and stamps your passport, then collect your bags and walk through customs into the arrivals hall, where we’re waiting for you.
Yes. We wait in the arrivals hall with a name board and take you straight to your transfer, so there are no taxi queues or directions to work out after a long flight.
Usually around fifteen to twenty minutes via the Nairobi Expressway, which bypasses the worst of the city traffic. Timings vary a little by time of day.
Connections & timing
Yes. If you’re flying on to a park from Wilson Airport, we handle the transfer across the city and build in a comfortable buffer between your flights.
Not at all. We monitor your flight and meet you whatever the hour, then take you to your hotel to rest before the safari begins.
Often, yes. If you land in the morning or early afternoon, an arrival-day game drive in Nairobi National Park is very doable. Tell us your arrival time and we’ll advise.
Layovers
With a layover of roughly eight hours or more, a short game drive in Nairobi National Park is feasible, as the park is only about seven kilometres from the airport. We’ll check your exact timings first.
We’ll tell you honestly. A rushed drive isn’t worth it, and we’d rather suggest a rest or a quick meal than send you out against the clock.
Practical
At the airport on arrival. Safaricom is the main network, it’s inexpensive, and M-Pesa mobile money runs on it and is used almost everywhere.
Only a little. Cards are widely accepted in the city, ATMs are easy to find, and you’ll want just some cash for tips and small purchases.
Kenya is on East Africa Time, three hours ahead of GMT, with no daylight saving. Take your first evening gently and you’ll adjust quickly.
Nairobi is a large city where normal precautions apply — keep valuables out of sight and use trusted transport. Travelling with us, you’re accompanied from the moment you land.
Land easy, start well
Step off the plane, through immigration, and into a day we’ve already taken care of — met at arrivals, moved without fuss, and eased into the trip at whatever pace suits you. Tell us your flight details and we’ll plan the arrival around them.
Plan the rest: your eTA & entry, getting there, or what a safari costs. More in safari planning.