One of the options that you will have when you spend a nice relaxing vacation in Mombasa, Kenya will be bed and breakfasts. These are places similar to private homes where you will have your own bedroom, possibly sharing a bathroom with other guests, and breakfast will be catered for you in the morning.

Some people love the experience, sanctuary, and sense of home that they receive when they stay at a bed and breakfast. There are some limitations, though, when you stay at a bed and breakfast as opposed to any of the wonderful hotels throughout Mombasa.

One of the significant disadvantages would have to be location. Many of the bed and breakfasts in Mombasa are farther away from the main attractions. This would require that you have a taxi or other transportation to get back and forth to wherever you want to go.

Another issue is that you might not know much about the owners. If the owners are responsive and welcoming, then you could end up having a wonderful time staying at one of these lodging options. However, if you end up with a host who is not gracious or who doesn’t respond to your needs or questions, then you could be left feeling that you didn’t have the most relaxing time in Mombasa as you could have had.

Few of these bed and breakfast accommodations will offer any type of pool to relax in. When you’re here, you will quickly realize that the hot temperatures warrant a nice, refreshing dip in the pool either in the morning, afternoon, or evening. Or all three.

If you are limited to just being in the ocean to feel refreshed, by the time you make it back to your bed and breakfast, you’re going to wish you had something else to jump in.

While you are certainly entitled to choose the bed and breakfast option, there are plenty of great hotels throughout Mombasa that offer you more options, exercise facilities, pools, and even poolside bars.

Traveling to a foreign country is going to expose you to different bacteria and other potential health risks. That doesn’t mean that you can’t stay healthy on your next vacation to Mombasa.

There are a few things that you can do to protect yourself and your family, improving the chances that you will remain healthy throughout your trip and even for the weeks after you return.

Don’t drink tap water.

Even though the water is clean in Mombasa, it will undoubtedly contain different minerals, chemicals, and bacteria that your body is not used to. You will notice the locals drinking the water without a problem, but they might have an adverse reaction if they drank tap water from your home.

Stick to bottled water. Even though you might prefer to save money, it’s best to be safe rather than sorry.

Pay attention to health notices from the area.

If there is a health advisory, such as informing you to stay out of polluted or contaminated beaches or other issues, heed those warnings.

You may believe that you’re healthy and strong and nothing’s going to bother you, but you’d be surprised by how quickly you can become susceptible to bacteria that your body might never have faced before.

Wash your hands.

Whenever you touch door handles or anything that other people are touching, you should be washing your hands. That includes any time you use the bathroom or public facilities, including changing rooms at the beaches.

Washing your hands will reduce the risk of spreading any bacteria to your mouth and thus into your body.

The more than you focus on staying healthy on your next trip to Mombasa, the more you’re going to enjoy your trip and be able to return home with some amazing stories to tell your friends and family.

Any time that you travel overseas, you want to make sure that you and your family are going to be safe. This begins before you even arrive at the airport. Below are 5 tips that should help you remain safe on your trip to Mombasa, Kenya.

1. Have any medication you require properly packed. There’s nothing worse than getting to the security checkpoint at the airport and finding out that you can’t take a necessary medication with you because it’s in a plastic bag. You might have thought this was safer or more convenient, but in order to pass through security, all prescription medications need to be in their pharmacy bottles or containers.

2. Know your route to Mombasa. You will likely be taking at least one connection flight to get to Mombasa, but more often it’s more than one. Know where you’re going to be connecting, get a layout of the airport, and give yourself enough time to make your connection.

Also, you want to have a pretty good idea about how to reach your hotel once you arrive in Mombasa.

3. Take a taxi to your hotel. While you may be planning on renting a car for your trip here, getting around this city can be confusing if you’ve never been here before. It’s best to take a taxi to your hotel, get settled in, and then determine if you still want to rent that car.

4. Always rely on legitimate transportation services. There are plenty of ways to get around in Mombasa, including the bus system and taxis. Avoid taking rides from private citizens as you never know what their motivations are or whether they can be trusted. If you have any questions about this, talk to your hotel staff.

5. Pay attention to warnings in the area. No matter where you travel, there’s always going to be risks involved. Pay attention to and heed any warnings regarding the beaches, rip currents, or other threats. Don’t simply ignore these warnings as they could just save your life.

Fort Jesus, Mombasa Kenya

Vacationing in the tropical paradise known as Mombasa is going to expose you to many wonderful things. You can visit Fort Jesus, engage with locals and check out the arts and crafts that they create, or bask in the beautiful warm tropical waters.

If you prefer to spend most of your time on or around the turquoise water here, you may be interested in taking a boat charter to visit some of the more interesting regions. You may want to go on a whale watching expedition, if one’s available during your stay. You may want to see different marine creatures.

There are generally two options to choose from with regard to boat charters: group and private. A group charter will generally take you to some of the more common ‘tourist trap’ destinations. These will be places that attract numerous boats. It can become quite crowded here as a result.

A group charter will generally also be less expensive than a private charter. However, a private charter will actually allow you to see some sights that you would never experience with a group charter. There are so many incredible sights to behold in the waters off Mombasa, away from the white sand beaches.

You might see some interesting marine life that tends to hide away from the tourist sections (because of noise). You may see some shipwrecks or downed planes or even an occasional cannon from a 18^th or 19^th century warship.

Finding a private charter here in Mombasa can be challenging. You never know what you’re going to get and whether the captain will actually show you interesting sights. Ask around and you’ll likely find some locals who know the best captain to approach. Private charters do increase risk, so you need to determine how important it is for you to have a truly unique experience during your trip to Mombasa.

Getting around in Mombasa is not like traveling through many ‘Western’ cities, such as London, New York, or Toronto. Once you arrive in Mombasa, you will notice that there are basically three ways to get around: public transportation (buses), tuk-tuk, and taxis.

Public transportation can be a nightmare, especially since you don’t know where you’re going or where anything is. You could end up getting on the wrong bus and end up in a place you don’t want to be.

Tuk-tuks have exploded in popularity in recent years. These are hand drawn carts and are ideal for getting you short distances throughout and around to the outskirts of the city. They can get expensive after a while, especially if you rely on them to take you anywhere you want to go.

Once you arrive in the center of Mombasa, you should consider walking for a while to get the true experience. Of course, like any major city, the distances between some of your target attractions can be significant, so it’s nice to get some transportation once in a while.

The best way to get around, at least when you have to travel a fair distance from your hotel to your destination, are taxis. You can find some very reliable service from a number of local taxis.

The cost for a taxi ride is going to be more than a tuk-tuk and certainly more than traveling on a bus. With a taxi, you won’t have to worry about getting off, transferring, and then trying to get another ride just to reach your destination.

Each person is going to have different expectations when it comes to transportation. However, even if you prefer taxis for getting around while vacationing in Mombasa, you really should take the opportunity to ride along in a tuk-tuk at least once. Then you can say that you did it (and you’ll have that experience locked in your memories for life).

Planning your Mombasa vacation could mean including a wonderful scuba adventure while you are there. Scuba diving is one of the more popular water activities in tropical climates. When you can see the aquatic life up close and personal, and dive down into the depths, you will experience things that you may have only seen on TV shows or videos.

Planning your scuba trip should begin before you head out on your vacation. Here are a few things to consider so that you can make the most of your stay in Mombasa.

Be certified.

If you do not have a scuba certification yet, it is essential that you become certified before you can go diving. This is an international rule and is recognized all across the world. Without proper certification, you will not be able to rent equipment from a legitimate scuba dive shop, and you will miss out on an incredible opportunity.

You can always obtain certification when you are here, but courses generally take anywhere between 6 to 10 hours to complete and it could take you the majority of your vacation time to do so. It is best to find a local scuba certification course and obtain your card before leaving for your trip.

Find out where the scuba dive shops are.

When you arrive in Mombasa, you are going to need to rent at least the scuba tank. No airlines will allow compressed air tanks to be checked or brought onto planes. If you are only planning on diving one or two days on your visit, it may be more practical to rent some of the bulkier equipment, including the BC vest and fins.

Determine the best places to dive.

There are many wonderful experiences to be had while diving in Mombasa. Your interests may be particular so it is a good idea to research and find the ideal diving places for you. You may want to consider a charter boat to take you to the prime destinations.

Always have a dive partner.

If you are traveling to Mombasa alone, you will need a dive partner. You can generally find group dive charters that will pair you up with somebody else. Be honest about your experience level in diving so that they can match you with somebody comparable to your level so that you both can enjoy your dives as much as possible.