Nairobi is the major hub for East Africa and is served by many airlines so there’s a competitively priced choice of flights, but the cheaper tickets generally have fixed dates that you won’t be able to change without paying an extra fee.
With the exception of the package-holiday charter airlines from Britain and Europe, there are no direct flights to Mombasa without going to Nairobi first. However, an inclusive package trip can make a lot of sense. Some packages, based around mid-range coast hotels, are relatively inexpensive and, if you choose carefully, you shouldn’t feel too constrained. Based on your flight, plus a week of half-board accommodation (dinner, bed and breakfast) they cost from around £700 from the UK. It’s worth remembering that you aren’t obliged to stay at your hotel all the time: you could use it as a base to make independent trips around the country.
Adding some safari travel to a beach package holiday will increase the price by at least £200 per person per day of safari. If you have more time and flexibility, book a safari in Kenya.
Flights from the UK and Ireland
London Heathrow is the only British airport with direct flights to Nairobi, operated by Kenya Airways and British Airways, and taking around nine hours. Fares for flights on fixed dates start from around £500 return in low season and rise to above £1000 on key dates in high season. It may well be cheaper, particularly if coming from other UK cities such as Edinburgh or Manchester, to take an indirect flight, changing planes in mainland Europe (see below) or the Middle East.
There are also several charter operators with whom you can sometimes get “seat-only” deals to Mombasa out of London (and sometimes one or two UK regional airports) from around £400. Any online or high-street agent can give you a quote.
Flying from Ireland, the choice is to fly to Heathrow or to one of the mainland European cities with direct flights to Kenya (see below). Flights should cost between €850 and €1200, depending on the season.
Flights from the US and Canada
There are no direct flights from the US or Canada to East Africa. The fastest routes to Nairobi are usually two nonstop legs viaLondon or another European city such as Amsterdam, Frankfurt or Paris (see below). Other possible but longer connections are available with the Middle Eastern airlines, or by going via Johannesburg with South African Airways. Fares start from around $1400 for a low-season round-trip ticket out of New York, and from $2000 in high season, and from Toronto around Can$1700 in low season and Can$2400 in high season. Shortest journey times via Europe are 17hr from New York and 18hr from Toronto.
Travellers from the west coast might want to consider flying via East or Southeast Asia. Kenya Airways has flights between Nairobi and Bangkok, Hanoi, Hong Kong and Guangzhou in China.
Flights via mainland Europe, the Middle East and Africa
Kenya Airways offers direct flights to Nairobi from Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Paris, while European carriers with direct services include Air France, KLM, Lufthansa, Swiss and Turkish Airlines.
You can also route to Nairobi with Emirates via Dubai, Ethiopian Airlines via Addis Ababa, Etihad Airways via Abu Dhabi, Qatar Airways via Doha and South African Airways via Johannesburg.
Flights from Australia and New Zealand
There are no direct flights to Kenya from Australia or New Zealand. From Australia, South African Airways has some good connections to Nairobi via Johannesburg, while Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways also offer decent connections. Another option, with a potential bonus stopover, is from Perth to Mauritius and then direct to Nairobi with Air Mauritius. From New Zealand, Emirates via Dubai is your most obvious bet, but Air New Zealand and Qantas can get you to Kenya in combination with other airlines, such as South African from Johannesburg. Another option, with a potential bonus stopover, is Australia or New Zealand to Mauritius, followed by a direct flight to Nairobi, all on Air Mauritius.
Except for the Christmas period, when you will have to pay more, fares to Kenya from Australia and New Zealand are generally not seasonal. The lowest-priced return tickets bought from a discount agent or direct from the airline cost around Aus$2000–3500 from Australia or NZ$2400–4000 from New Zealand.
Flights from South Africa
There are several daily direct flights to Nairobi from Johannesburg (taking just over 4hr) on South African Airways and Kenya Airways. Round-trip fares start at around R4000.