Ebola in Kenya: What It Really Means for Your East African Safari

Nine people in Kenya have tested positive for Ebola since early October. The first was a man who brought the virus with him from Congo. The other eight were relatives or health workers who had looked after him, and every one of them was already in quarantine when their result came back. That detail matters more than any headline, and it is the right place to start if you have a safari booked in the coming weeks.

This guide explains what Ebola in Kenya means for travellers heading to East Africa. It covers where the cases are, how Kenya has handled them, what has changed at airports and borders, and how it affects a trip that includes Tanzania, Kenya or both.

Last reviewed: 21 October 2026.

Where the cases are, and where they are not

The first patient was a Kenyan citizen who had been living in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He travelled by road through Uganda, flew into Nairobi on 3 October and died two days later in a hospital isolation unit. He caught the virus before he reached Kenya.

Every case since then has been one of his close contacts, and all of them are in Nairobi. Kenya’s Ministry of Health reports no spread in the wider community. None of the cases are in the Maasai Mara, Amboseli, the coast or any other safari area.

Why Kenya’s response deserves credit

Kenya did not start preparing in October. Its national Ebola response system has been running since May, when the outbreak was declared in Congo, and health screening has been in place at airports and border posts ever since. More than 650,000 travellers have been screened since May.

When the first case came, the response moved quickly. By 11 October, health teams had listed and verified all 122 people who had been in contact with the patient. Most were already in quarantine and being checked every day. That early tracing helps explain why every later case was found inside quarantine rather than out in the community.

The groundwork was already in place. Isolation centres had been prepared, thousands of health workers had been trained, and response teams were working across 27 counties well before the first patient arrived.

The World Health Organization has praised Kenya’s speed and openness. It thanked the government for sharing information quickly and called the response a working example of international health rules in action. The WHO’s representative in Kenya also commended health officials for casting a wide net when tracing contacts.

On 8 October, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale briefed ambassadors and international organisations in Nairobi and told them Kenya remains safe for travel, tourism, trade and investment. The WHO agrees that travel restrictions are not needed. There is no lockdown and no limit on travel, trade or public gatherings. Kenya’s national parks, reserves and coastal resorts remain open.

The three places your safari meets Kenya

Kenya and Tanzania share a long border and one of the world’s great ecosystems. Even a trip that is mostly Tanzanian can touch Kenya. In practice, that happens in one of three ways, and each one now looks slightly different.

Flying in through Nairobi

Jomo Kenyatta International Airport is a major regional hub, and many travellers connect there on the way to Kilimanjaro or Arusha. Screening has been stepped up, so expect health screening and questions about your travel history and recent contacts. Allow a little extra time on arrival.

If your route includes a night in Nairobi, keep the risk in proportion. The patients are in hospital isolation units and their contacts are in quarantine centres, which are not places a visitor goes. A night in a Nairobi hotel before a morning flight does not put you near the places where the virus has been.

If you are entering Kenya rather than just connecting, check the current rules on Kenya’s new mandatory visitor health insurance. The official guidance on whether foreign policies are accepted has shifted since August, so confirm what applies to your arrival date rather than relying on older articles.

Crossing between Kenya and Tanzania

Tanzania has no confirmed Ebola case, and it has tightened its entry checks to keep it that way. Since 17 October, every traveller arriving in Tanzania must complete an online health surveillance form. This applies at every airport, border post and seaport.

Which crossing you use depends on your route. The main ones for international travellers are:

• Namanga, on the road between Nairobi or Amboseli and Arusha. This is a common crossing for road safaris, and Tanzania has posted health teams here.
• Isebania and Sirari, the road crossing for routes between the Maasai Mara and the Serengeti. It is several hours’ drive from the reserve, and you change vehicles at the border.
• Taveta and Holili, on the road between Voi and Moshi, near Kilimanjaro.
• Lunga Lunga and Horohoro, on the coast south of Mombasa, with the road continuing to Tanga.
• By air, from Nairobi to Kilimanjaro or Arusha, where the same form and screening apply on arrival.

Travel history checks have also been reported at Namanga, Isebania and Lunga Lunga, for travellers heading in both directions. The Sand River gate between the Mara and the Serengeti has been closed to tourist vehicles since 1977, so a trip that combines the two either drives round through Isebania or flies.

At every crossing, the steps are the same:

• Fill in the form at afyamsafiri.moh.go.tz before you travel, or on arrival.
• Keep the confirmation QR code or reference number on your phone for port health officers.
• Expect a temperature check at the airport or border post.
• Travellers assessed as high risk are followed up for 21 days by automated message and must reply, even after they leave.

The better approach is to complete the form the evening before you cross, while you have good signal at your lodge. Health teams are now posted at Namanga, so build some extra time into a road crossing rather than planning a long game drive straight after the border.

The Maasai Mara leg

For many guests, Kenya means the Mara. Our Kenya safari tours run with trusted local partners, and the reserve remains open.

Timing is the more useful question for a November or December trip. The short rains usually draw the herds south out of the Mara and northern Serengeti in November. By December, most have generally moved towards the southern Serengeti plains around Ndutu. Rain sets the pace each year, so nothing is fixed. But for many late-year travellers, the wildlife reason to cross into Kenya is weaker than it was in September, and that may matter more to your route than the news. Our Tanzania safari itineraries show how to follow the herds on the Tanzanian side.

If Kenya is the point of your trip rather than a stop on the way, a highlands route is another option. The 7 day Kenya Highlands and Heritage Safari pairs Nairobi’s conservation projects with Mount Kenya and the Aberdares.

Why the travel advisories seem to disagree

The advice you read depends partly on your passport, and that affects insurance as much as safety.

If you are travelling from the UK, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has added information about Ebola to its Kenya page and advises following the guidance of Kenyan health authorities. It has not advised against travel because of Ebola. The area warnings that remain are about security near the Somali border and along parts of the northern coast, and they predate this situation. This matters because UK travel insurance can be invalidated if you travel against FCDO advice.

If you are travelling from the US, the State Department moved Kenya to Level 3, “reconsider travel”, on 19 October. It cited health risks alongside longstanding concerns about crime, kidnapping, terrorism, unrest and road safety. Level 3 is not a ban. It does mean you should read your insurance policy and booking terms closely before deciding.

The World Health Organization continues to advise against travel or trade restrictions on Kenya.

What would change our view

We think it is more useful to tell you what we are watching than simply to say all is well. We would rethink our advice if any of these happened:

1. A case appears that cannot be linked to the known group of contacts.
2. Cases are confirmed outside Nairobi.
3. The FCDO advises against travel to Kenya on health grounds.
4. Tanzania or the airlines change entry rules beyond screening and health forms.

None of these has happened. Each new case so far has been found inside quarantine, which is what containment looks like.

Keep the trip, plan the edges

For most travellers, our advice is to go ahead. Kenya is open, its health system has contained a difficult situation well, and Tanzania’s parks are unaffected apart from one extra form at the border.

The planning changes are small. Carry travel insurance that includes medical evacuation, as you would for any safari. Complete Tanzania’s health form before each crossing. Allow extra time at Nairobi and Namanga. And if you are a US traveller, check your booking terms now rather than closer to departure, so you know your options early.

If your itinerary crosses between the two countries, send us your dates and route. We will check whether a Nairobi overnight is needed, how best to move between the Mara and the Serengeti, and which forms you will need on the day you cross.