Travel essentials. Updated November 2026. 6 min read.
Kenya ran mobile money before Apple Pay existed. In Nairobi you can pay a street vendor, a taxi and a hospital bill from your phone, and still get caught out at a park gate or a village market that only takes cash. Here is how money actually works on the ground.
The 60-second answer: bring one Visa or Mastercard plus a backup kept in a different bag, and $300 to $500 in clean U.S. bills issued after 2009. If you are staying more than a week, or traveling on your own, set up M-Pesa on a local SIM. On a package safari, where lodges, park fees and transfers are paid before you land, you will spend surprisingly little cash: tips, drinks, crafts and the odd market stall.
The shilling, and the rate to use
Kenya's currency is the Kenyan shilling, written KES or KSh. The Central Bank of Kenya's reference rate was about KSh 129 to the dollar on September 22, 2026, so think of it as about 130 shillings to $1: KSh 1,000 is a little under $8, and KSh 10,000 is about $77. Rates move, so check the Central Bank's daily rate before you go. Safaris, lodges and park fees are usually priced in dollars. Shops, taxis, town restaurants and markets price in shillings.
Cash: what to bring and where to change it
- Bring U.S. bills issued after 2009, clean and undamaged, with no tears, ink marks or heavy creases. Older or damaged bills are refused by banks and by most lodges.
- $50 and $100 bills get a better exchange rate than small bills. Bring some smaller clean bills as well, because tips on safari are usually paid in dollars.
- Change money at a bank or a licensed forex bureau in town. The airport bureaus work, but their rates are a little worse, so change only what you need for the first day.
- Never change money with anyone who approaches you on the street.
- Split cash between two bags and use the safe in hotels and lodges. You do not need a money belt at a safari camp; in Nairobi, keep your phone out of sight on the street.
Cards and ATMs
Visa and Mastercard work at hotels, safari lodges, larger restaurants, supermarkets and malls, mostly in Nairobi and on the coast. Small shops, markets, many matatus and rural places take cash or M-Pesa only. American Express is rarely accepted, so do not rely on it. Tell your bank you are traveling, check its foreign transaction fee, and carry two cards on different networks if you can.
The one rule that saves real money: when a card machine or an ATM offers to charge you in dollars, say no and choose shillings. The in-dollar option is called dynamic currency conversion, and its rate is almost always worse than your own bank's.
ATMs from Equity, KCB, Absa, Standard Chartered and Co-operative Bank are in every town. Each withdrawal is capped, commonly at around KSh 30,000 to 40,000 depending on the bank and the machine, and both your U.S. bank and the Kenyan bank may charge a fee, so a few larger withdrawals cost less than many small ones. Use machines inside banks, malls or hotels, in daylight.
M-Pesa for visitors, step by step
M-Pesa is Safaricom's mobile money service, and in Kenya it works more like a national payment system than an app. Visitors can use it if they are 18 or over and have a passport.
- Go to a Safaricom shop, not an ordinary M-Pesa agent. Only a shop can register a SIM in your own name against your passport and switch on M-Pesa. There are shops in Nairobi's malls and town centers, and a Safaricom counter in the JKIA arrivals hall.
- The staff activate M-Pesa on your new line and you set a four-digit PIN. Keep it private, as you would a bank PIN.
- Load money by handing cash to any M-Pesa agent, the small kiosks on almost every street; depositing is free. You can also receive money from abroad to your +254 number.
- Pay a shop or stall with a till number through Lipa na M-Pesa, Buy Goods: enter the till number and the amount. Buy Goods payments are free for you.
- Pay a person with Send Money, which is free up to KSh 100 and charged on a sliding scale above that.
- Know the limits: KSh 250,000 per transaction, KSh 500,000 per day, and a maximum balance of KSh 500,000.
- Spend it down before you fly home. M-Pesa does not work abroad, and cashing out at an agent costs a small fee.
How Kenyans use M-Pesa
Watch how your guide pays for things and you will see the whole system at work. Paybill numbers are for bills and larger businesses: school fees, electricity, hospital bills and many hotels. Till numbers are for shops and market stalls. Fuliza is an overdraft on your M-Pesa line that lets a payment go through when the balance is short. And every month, money moves upcountry in seconds, from workers in Nairobi and Mombasa to parents in Kisii, Kakamega or Nyeri. Kenyan families in the U.S. send money home to M-Pesa numbers the same way, through remittance services.
Where each way of paying works
| Where | Card | Cash | M-Pesa |
|---|---|---|---|
| KWS national parks (Amboseli, Nakuru, Tsavo, Nairobi) | Yes, through eCitizen | Do not rely on it | Yes, through eCitizen |
| Maasai Mara, Narok County gates (Sekenani, Talek, Musiara) | Yes | Yes | Ask at the gate |
| Mara Triangle gates | Yes, Visa and Mastercard | No, cashless | Yes |
| Safari lodges and camps | Yes, at most | Dollars for tips | Sometimes |
| Nairobi restaurants, malls and supermarkets | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Markets and craft stalls | Rarely | Yes, shillings | Often |
| Uber, Bolt and Little | Yes, in the app | Yes | Depends on the app |
| Matatus | No | Yes, small shillings | On some routes |
| Hospitals and pharmacies in Nairobi | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Tanzania and Zanzibar extensions | At larger hotels | U.S. dollars widely used | No |
Two of those rows catch people out. Park gates first: KWS parks are paid through eCitizen by card or M-Pesa, the Mara Triangle takes no cash at all, and Narok County's Mara gates take cash and cards. Our park fees page has the full table. Second, if your trip continues to Tanzania or Zanzibar, bring more dollars: many Zanzibar hotels price in dollars, and M-Pesa Kenya will not work there.
Tipping
Tips are the largest cash item on most safaris. U.S. dollars are welcome for guides and camp staff; shillings are better for small tips in towns; and M-Pesa works if the person gives you their number. Our tipping guide has the amounts for guides, camp staff, drivers and porters, and how to hand them over.
What you actually need cash for
| Spending | Best way to pay | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tips for guides and camp staff | Clean U.S. dollars | The biggest cash line; a couple on a seven-day mid-range safari typically plans $300 to $450 |
| Bar bills and extras at lodges | Card, or charged to your room | Settle at checkout |
| Crafts, markets and roadside stalls | Shillings or M-Pesa | Bargain with a smile; carry small notes |
| Park fees, if not in your package | eCitizen, card or M-Pesa | Check before you travel; ours are included |
| Taxis and ride-hailing in Nairobi | App, card or shillings | About $3 to $8 across town |
| Tanzania or Zanzibar add-on | U.S. dollars | Bring extra clean bills |
For a week-long package safari, $300 to $500 per person in clean bills covers most travelers, with an ATM top-up in shillings if you need it. On a longer or independent trip, do not carry more cash: use ATMs and M-Pesa as you go.
Before you leave home
- Order clean, recent bills from your bank a week or two ahead, including some $50s and $100s.
- Tell your bank and card company your dates, and save their overseas phone numbers.
- Check your phone is unlocked if you want a Safaricom SIM or eSIM for M-Pesa.
- Keep a backup card and some cash separate from your main wallet.
