Travel Medicine · Kenya · Destination
Yes, for safari and the coast. The CDC says malaria is present in all areas of Kenya below 2,500 m (8,200 ft), including the game parks like the Masai Mara and Amboseli and the coast around Mombasa and Diani, so pills are recommended. Central Nairobi has only rare cases and needs precautions rather than pills. Kenya is also one of the destinations where the CDC recommends the yellow fever vaccine, which is a separate shot. Doxycycline and Malarone both work, and we can prescribe either. CDC guidance checked June 19, 2026.
| Destination | Malaria pills? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Masai Mara, Amboseli, Tsavo, the safari circuit, the coast (Mombasa, Diani, Watamu), Lake Victoria, all below 2,500 m | Yes | CDC lists malaria across these areas. Doxycycline or Malarone are appropriate. |
| Central, highly urbanized Nairobi | Precautions | CDC notes only rare cases in the city core and advises insect precautions rather than pills. |
| High areas above 2,500 m (8,200 ft) | No | Too high for malaria; relevant mainly for Mount Kenya trekkers. |
Since nearly every Kenya trip includes a safari or the coast, the practical answer for most travelers is yes, take malaria pills.
Kenya is chloroquine-resistant, so the CDC lists atovaquone-proguanil (Malarone), doxycycline, mefloquine, and tafenoquine as options. Two of those, doxycycline and Malarone, we prescribe for a flat $45, sent to your own pharmacy. Many safari travelers pick Malarone because you stop just 7 days after leaving; doxycycline is cheaper but continues 4 weeks after. See doxycycline vs Malarone.
Unlike neighboring Tanzania, the CDC recommends the yellow fever vaccine for most of Kenya for travelers 9 months and older, with exceptions for Nairobi, the northeastern counties, and most coastal counties. It is a shot given at an authorized center, and some onward countries ask for proof, so book a travel clinic well before you fly. We do not give shots, but we can handle your malaria pills and a standby antibiotic online while the clinic handles the vaccines.
I am Bidwell Cranage, a nurse practitioner and Member of the International Society of Travel Medicine, and I have provided medical care on international missions. For a Kenya safari I would treat the malaria pills as non-negotiable, the parks are squarely in the malaria zone, and I would book the yellow fever shot at a clinic early. The pills and a standby antibiotic for the stomach are the parts I can sort out for you online.
We do not give vaccines. We refer you to a travel clinic for those and can still handle your malaria pills or a standby antibiotic online. See online travel medicine vs a travel clinic.
Stomach trouble is common on safari and at the coast. Many travelers carry a standby azithromycin course so a bad case does not cost them a game drive. We can include it with your visit.
For one flat $45 visit, sent to your own pharmacy with no markup, we can cover the prescription side of a Kenya trip: malaria pills (doxycycline or Malarone) for the safari and coast, and a standby antibiotic for traveler's diarrhea. We refer you to a travel clinic for the yellow fever, typhoid, and hepatitis A shots, and for mefloquine or pregnancy.
Yes. The CDC says malaria is present in all areas of Kenya below 2,500 meters (8,200 feet), including the game parks such as the Masai Mara, Amboseli, and Tsavo, so it recommends malaria pills for a safari. Doxycycline and atovaquone-proguanil (Malarone) are both appropriate, and we can prescribe either for a flat $45.
For the coast, yes: Mombasa, Diani, and the coastal areas are below the malaria elevation cutoff, so pills are recommended. For central Nairobi, the CDC notes only rare cases in the highly urbanized core and advises insect precautions rather than pills, but most trips pair Nairobi with a safari or the coast, where pills are recommended.
For most of Kenya, the CDC recommends the yellow fever vaccine for travelers 9 months and older, with exceptions for Nairobi, the northeastern counties, and most coastal counties. This is different from neighboring Tanzania, where it is generally not recommended. Yellow fever is a shot given at an authorized center, so we refer you to a travel clinic for it and can still handle your malaria pills online.
Yes. The CDC lists doxycycline and Malarone among the options for Kenya, and we prescribe both for a flat $45, sent to your own pharmacy. We refer you to a travel clinic if your clinician specifically wants mefloquine or tafenoquine, which we do not prescribe online, or if you are pregnant, and for the yellow fever, typhoid, and hepatitis A shots.