Overall good Kenya airport (Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO))

Member Name: cawatkins10

Product:	Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO)
Date:	18/06/09 (84 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Transit Visa makes it worthwhile to leave the airport. Sleep units - very good idea

Disadvantages: Small not much to do

We spent quite alot of time at this airport during our recent trip to Tanzania as we had an 11 hour and 8 hours respecively.

Firstly, lets get something straight. You are never going to find fast and efficient staff in Africa because this is just not the way they do things over there. They will take as much time as they like and don't rush ANYTHING so you cannot expect them to rush you through passport and visa control. The qeues are loooooong and you will be waiting a while if you want to get a visa. Just a quick point on Visa's you will only need one if you are leaving the airport, you can obtain a transit visa for only £10 or a Single Entry visa for £20. You can either apply in advance or pay at the boarder with $US. Transit visas are issued if you are only staying for a few hours for the purpose of a connecting flight and would like to leave the airport for a spot of sightseeing.

The airport is very easy to get around, one long line of shops with gates interspersed between them and a few areas to sit and relax.

A couple of points to note;
1. At the end (near gate 15 if memory serves) is a coffee shop serving various hot dishes and drinks. It is not that easy to spot and we passed it the first time we were there thinking that the only place to stop and get something to eat was the tiny shop selling cold drinks and snacks (crisps etc)
2. At the other end to the coffee shop and down the stairs there are some rooms which you can pay for by the hour and have a shower and a sleep if you are on an overnight layover. Not alot of people know about these rooms as they are not widely advertised and seen as a bit of a myth to some people. We had a quick look while we were there and they seemed clean and quiet and not too expensive either, the rate is better if you share a room obviously.

All in all this is a good airport considering. There are shops selling the usual duty free items and it is easy to get in and out of the airport if you are staying for a long time. I would recommend getting a transit visa if you are there for a long period as there is not much to keep you amused beyond getting a coffee/bite to eat and the usual airport shops. There's lots to see near the airport and for £10 you can't really go wrong.

Summary: As airports go this is certainly not the worst I have seen.