Safaris in Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve, Amboseli National Park and Nairobi National Park and the underwater experience in Kistie-Mpunguti Marine National Park were incredible. Still, I viewed returning home with much anticipation. The first step in the journey was a flight in business class to Johannesburg, South Africa (JNB) on a Kenya Airways 787. Before that flight I visited Kenya Airways Pride and Simba lounges at NBO.

Pride Lounge

Location

This lounge is situated on Level 2 above Gate 17 of Terminal 1A.

Admission

Admission is free to business class passengers on Kenya Airways and other Skyteam airlines and passengers on any Skyteam airline who have Skyteam Elite Plus status irrespective of the class of service flown. Certain passengers on China Southern, Air Mauritius, Precision Air, and Rwandair also have free access. Anyone can purchase admission for $40. Purchased admission is good for four hours.

Hours

The lounge is open 24 hours except in the winter when it is open from 0500 – 1200.

Layout and Services

The Pride lounge is larger than the Simba lounge and nicer overall. The seating capacity of this lounge is 251 guests with a floor area of 990 sqm (10,605 sqft).

A picturesque mural of the Kakamega rain forest in Western Kenya and hardwood earth tones welcome guests at the lounge entrance.

The Pride Lounge has abundant, comfortable Italian-designed seating accented with murals of Kenya and African art.

The dining area with its honeycomb-design ceiling provides a buffet of high-quality food and alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. I didn’t get to try the food unfortunately because the staff was switching over from breakfast to lunch when I dropped by.

The lounge has several day beds in a separate quiet area.

Other services include four showers, cable TVs, business center, high-speed wifi, international newspapers and magazines, kids room, and flight information displays.

Simba Lounge

The Simba Lounge is also located on Level 2 of Terminal 1A. It has the same admission policies and hours of operation as the Pride Lounge. It offers the same services as the Pride Lounge but seats only about 60 persons.

This lounge has an exclusive VVIP Room that costs $50 in addition to any entrance fee. Steward services are availed to these guests on request. The President of Kenya flies Kenya Airways. My guess is that this room is primarily for government officials and they probably pay nothing.

VVIP Room

Both lounges have ramp and runway views.

Kenya Airways 737-800 in Skyteam livery.

Overall Impression

Kenya Airways’ Pride and Simba Lounges provide a quiet and uncrowded place to relax before flight, which is more than jampacked U.S. lounges can claim. Food and beverages are superior to many Priority Pass lounges. I enjoyed spending time in these lounges and think they are worth a visit if you have a few hours before your flight even if you must pay to enter.

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