Travelled to Nairobi and Mombasa in Kenya for meetings in the last three years. Stayed at the Nairobi Hilton (around $90 price varies with booking) and the White Sands (around $79-90-price varies with booking) in Mombasa. As far as I know there are no direct flights to Mombasa. Hence, Mombasa-bound tourists generally fly into Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta airport (NBO) and take the 50 min flight to Mombasa via at least three airlines (Kenya Airways, British Airways partnering with a local company, and East African airlines). Several international flights fly into Nairobi, including BA, KLM, and a few others. Both Nairobi and Mombasa are jumping points to safari destinations in and around Nairobi as well as the coast. Mombasa is very tourist-oriented and the atmosphere is decidedly different from Nairobi. Nairobi is of course the capital is crowded--traffic is terrible and one has to be careful going around the city. Even locals are wary of travelling at night. Our host did not dare travel late just because she was driving a brand new Land Cruiser for fear of being hijacked. If you are planning a Kenyan-based safari, do your research and check the news groups. There are several options, but it pays to do your homework. I have never been on one, although I wished I found the time to "sample" the experience.
A view from the Hilton frontage.
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White Sands hotel in Mombasa on the Kenyan coast (facing the Indian Ocean)
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A view of the Indian Ocean from within the hotel premises.
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On good days, one can generally catch a good glimpse of Mt. Kilimanajaro on the Nairobi-Mombasa flight.Â* Hemingway wrote of it as "wide as all the world, great, high, and unbelievably white under the sun..." However, scientists believe that it will lose its glacier cover by 2020.
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