Getting to Nairobi and Around by Expressway, SGR Train and Air

Nairobi is the aviation and rail crossroads of East Africa. Getting between its international airport, its domestic bush-flight aerodrome, its high-speed coastal railway terminus and its leafy suburbs has become dramatically faster since the opening of the elevated Nairobi Expressway.

Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA / NBO) and the Nairobi Expressway

Jomo Kenyatta International Airport sits 18 kilometres south-east of central Nairobi along Mombasa Road. For decades, that highway was notorious for gridlock; today, the 27-kilometre elevated Nairobi Expressway runs directly from the airport toll plaza above the city to Museum Hill and Westlands in roughly 15 to 25 minutes:

• Pre-booked hotel transfers, official airport taxis and Uber / Bolt: both Uber and Bolt operate authorised pick-up zones outside the JKIA terminals, alongside official yellow-band airport taxis and safari lodge transfer vans. Always ask your driver to take the elevated Expressway (and confirm whether the small electronic toll is included or added to the fare) to save up to an hour in daytime traffic.

Transferring to Wilson Airport (WIL) for domestic safari flights

If you are flying onward in a light aircraft (such as Safarilink or AirKenya) to the Maasai Mara, Amboseli, Samburu, Lewa, Lamu or Diani Beach, your flight will almost certainly depart from Wilson Airport (WIL) along Langata Road, just 6 kilometres south of the centre and right next to Nairobi National Park. Allow at least three hours when connecting directly between an international arrival at JKIA and a domestic departure at Wilson, and note that bush aircraft enforce a strict 15-kilogram luggage allowance in soft-sided duffel bags (including hand luggage).

Riding the SGR Madaraka Express train to Tsavo and Mombasa

Kenya's modern Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) Madaraka Express departs from Nairobi Terminus in Syokimau (near JKIA) and glides south-east across Kapiti Plains and right between Tsavo East and Tsavo West National Parks to Mombasa in around five hours. Both Express and Inter-County trains run daily; book tickets ahead online or via mobile money, and arrive at Syokimau station at least 60 minutes before departure for airport-style security screening. Within Nairobi, use Uber, Bolt or private drivers between Karen and Westlands.