voluntours

Getting around Kenya

Kenya has about 250 airports and airstrips (of vastly varying quality) and plenty of airlines connecting Nairobi with Mombasa, Kisumu, Nanyuki, Malindi, Lamu and the national parks/reserves of Amboseli, Masai Mara and Samburu. Flying around Kenya and its neighboring countries is a relatively safe way to cover a lot of ground.

Traveling by train between Nairobi and Mombasa is also a popular form of transport.

Kenya has a good network of regular buses, matatus (usually minibuses), shared-taxis and private taxis which will get you where you need to go; from home to the closest town or the neighboring country. To reduce any safety risks, only travel with recommended bus companies and taxi drivers and never travel by matatu at night. Cycling is best done in rural areas due to the chaotic traffic on the main roads, but the distances between towns and the poor condition of roads needs to be kept in mind.
Communication

Keeping in touch by post, telephone and email is generally easy, but sometimes not reliable.
Telephone

Kenya's telephone system is improving but the network is limited to main towns and often breaks down in times of heavy usage or bad weather conditions.

Volunteer accommodations do not have telephones, but phone booths are usually located in the cities. Most Kenyans however, rely on mobile phones to keep in contact with the outside world. For this reason we recommend volunteers buy a local mobile phone to keep in contact with family and friends at home, other volunteers and program staff. (Volunteers will have an opportunity to buy a mobile phone on day two of Orientation and cost upwards of US$30. Remember to keep an eye on international calling charges.)

Internet Services

IT has picked up rapidly in Kenya. Internet cafes are available in the main towns and you can expect to pay around US$1 for an hour of internet use. The internet is slow but it is a much cheaper option for keeping in touch with family and friends at home than telephone.
Post

There are several post offices in Kenya scattered around the country. The post, on average, takes a few days to Europe and around ten days to North America, Australia and New Zealand; times from these places to Kenya are slightly longer. It is a good idea to keep copies of letters or photo disks just incase they get lost in the post and we recommend not sending valuables just in case they go missing also.
Electricity

Electricity runs in cities and towns but not in extremely rural areas. Power cuts do occur, so a power surge protector for sensitive equipment and a torch and or head lamp are good ideas. Kenya's electrical system is characterized by 240 volts AC, 50Hz with a rectangular blade 3 pin plug (http://kropla.com/!g.htm).

Free Time
Volunteers are free to do as they please during down time. For most, free time will be on weekends, public holidays and after volunteer duties are done for the day.

You can use free time to prepare for any future work or activities you may wish to plan. Some volunteers choose to help in other programs when they have free time. You may like to meet up with other volunteers during your free time to swap ideas or simply spend time with them. You may also like to visit local sights of interest.

If you are considering traveling around Kenya and neighboring countries we recommend you take the necessary safety precautions and the advice of our partner organisation and trusted locals. If you would like to discover Kenya by joining a safari you may like to consult our partner who can put you in touch with providers of safari packages at competitive rates. Organizing a safari can be done while in Kenya.

Number of Volunteers
The Kenya program usually has between 30 and 80 volunteers per month, but the number of volunteers varies depending on the season. Generally you are placed with one to three other volunteers at your project.