Talk to me about Kenya

tightauldgit

saajan_12 said:

Would not advise really any time in Nairobi. Its fairly central in the country, so if its a base in between trips then perhaps, but there's not really much in the city to actually 'soak up'. Mostly just offices, factories, residential compounds (so all you see is a tall gate) and broken roads linking those together. Just enough crime, heat and dust that most people travel by car everywhere and strolling around the city isn't really enjoyable. The economic divide and corruption leads to petty theft and protest, and everyone I know there has a story of when that turned violent. 

Now in Kenya and neighbouring Uganda / Tanzania rural areas can be amazing.. great safaris, mountain views, smaller animal sanctuaries. If you're into hiking, Mount Kenya and Mount Kilimanjaro aren't far. Coast wise, I love Mombasa with its long beaches, white sands, all inclusive resorts with options that won't break the bank. 

Nairobi might be a good place to fly into, but with the distances involved, I'd just go from one destination to another rather than using Nairobi as a base - the next place is still going to be a long way from the city. 

Yeah I am wondering if that would be better. Although to be honest renting an Airbnb in Nairobi for 4/5 weeks isn't all that much different from doing it for 10 days. If I am going to factor in Rwanda and or Uganda though I think things might change as I'd effectively probably just end up doing like a week in various places. Back to the drawing board possibly. Or I just take the plunge book a flight and an apartment for a month and then see how it goes! No harm no foul. Although I'm starting to wonder if Mombasa would be better. 

I'm not panicking about the protests etc but I would certainly avoid any places that the govt says not to travel to. 

 

hugheskevi

tightauldgit said:

Rough plan would be to probably just hang out in Nairobi for 4/5 weeks and use that as a base to explore - would probably head down to Mombasa at some stage and at least sample the obligatory safari for a few days. 
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Is Nairobi itself a decent place? I'm pretty experience travelling in weird and wonderful places so not too concerned about that. But other than going on safari there doesn't seem to be a lot of tourist stuff. Not that it's necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes I'm happy just hanging out and soaking up the local life. Safety looks like it might be an issue but I assume it's just standard protocol - don't do daft things and don't flaunt valuables.  

I wouldn't plan to spend much time in Nairobi. It is central, but somewhere you want to pass through rather than linger. There is an elephant sanctuary and a giraffe place that are standard touristy things to do. I liked going to the cinema there too, for an olde worlde experience, but that is about it really as you will probably want to go to further out safari parks than those close to the city.

I never had any safety issues, but I wouldn't be out after dark.

I know I would have to sort out my visa before I go and also probably get yellow fever and malaria prep. And get my other vaccs up to date. 

All very easy - personally I find online pharmacies and travel clinics far preferable to using the NHS for those things as the private clinics do whatever you want quickly with a lot less phaffing around.

Has anyone got any recommendation of in-country safari providers? I assume it would be cheaper to organise something once I'm there, though not sure if leaving it till late makes sense. I don't need luxury but I'm not a fan of camping so probably would want a basic lodge or something. It would only be me travelling solo.

I really liked Ol Pejeta Conservancy, who can organise everything including transport from the airport, your choice of different standards of accommodation (their most basic is actually very good), activities, etc. Other than that I'd usually arrange in-country, it has never been difficult.

Also see I can get a visa which would let me enter Uganda and Rwanda too... but travel looks expensive to  hop between them. And I assume land routes are probably not recommended. 

Buses are cheap and very common, but not necessarily very comfortable and journeys are long.

Sept/Oct seems a recommended time to do it so I assume the weather etc will be OK and the safaris would have things worth seeing?

Safaris are good all year round. The wildebeest migration is time-dependent though, and well worth seeing so you might want to consider that in the timing.

Overland transport is fine, including to Uganda and Rwanda. Probably it would be worthwhile to pay a bit more in order to see the Gorillas and the ´mountains of the moon´.

The cost of Gorilla permits have become outrageously expensive, to the point where I do wonder if it is worth the cost.

Mombasa is well worth a visit, as are other places on the coast, above all Lamu.

Agreed, but be a bit careful about the coast as you get up toward Somalia, and do so some research on the latest position shortly before going up heading toward Malindi and Lamu. Personally I would not go to Lamu, especially given it is in the area advised against travel by FCDO.

Now in Kenya and neighbouring Uganda / Tanzania rural areas can be amazing.. great safaris, mountain views, smaller animal sanctuaries. If you're into hiking, Mount Kenya and Mount Kilimanjaro aren't far. Coast wise, I love Mombasa with its long beaches, white sands, all inclusive resorts with options that won't break the bank. 

Northern Tanzania is well worth considering, as it is both amazing and not a long trip from Kenya. Mount Kilimanjaro, N'Gorongoro Crater, Serengeti and Zanzibar are all amazing places to visit.

A few thoughts of things to consider:

• Drive to Mombasa, stopping off at Tsavo West for a short safari. Possibly head up to Malindi, further up the coast from Mombasa (if safe). Take the train back between Mombasa and Nairobi (or could head south to Zanzibar)
• Safari to Maasai Mara, timing to see wildebeest migration if at all possible
• Visit to Ol Pejeta, and if into hiking Mount Kenya.
  
• Visit to Lake Naivasha, Hells Gate National Park and Lake Nakuru area (could head on from here into Uganda). If you are into running, maybe spending some time in Iten (if not into running, don't bother)
• Drive down to Arusha in Tanzania for trip to Mount Kilimanjaro (day-trip, or can climb it in about 5 days), a visit to N'Gorongoro Crater and maybe a Serengeti safari - although if you have been to Maasai'Mara on safari the Serengeti may be a bit similar. You could also consider going to Zanzibar, although that would be further afield and might not fit well with getting to next destination - although it could fit into a big Nairobi - Mombasa - Zanzibar - Arusha - Nairobi loop maybe. If you are interested in northern Tanzania, you could look at Kilimanjaro Heroes - they are a good local travel company in Arusha.

tightauldgit

hugheskevi said:

tightauldgit said:

Rough plan would be to probably just hang out in Nairobi for 4/5 weeks and use that as a base to explore - would probably head down to Mombasa at some stage and at least sample the obligatory safari for a few days. 
-----
Is Nairobi itself a decent place? I'm pretty experience travelling in weird and wonderful places so not too concerned about that. But other than going on safari there doesn't seem to be a lot of tourist stuff. Not that it's necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes I'm happy just hanging out and soaking up the local life. Safety looks like it might be an issue but I assume it's just standard protocol - don't do daft things and don't flaunt valuables.  

I wouldn't plan to spend much time in Nairobi. It is central, but somewhere you want to pass through rather than linger. There is an elephant sanctuary and a giraffe place that are standard touristy things to do. I liked going to the cinema there too, for an olde worlde experience, but that is about it really as you will probably want to go to further out safari parks than those close to the city.

I never had any safety issues, but I wouldn't be out after dark.

I know I would have to sort out my visa before I go and also probably get yellow fever and malaria prep. And get my other vaccs up to date. 

All very easy - personally I find online pharmacies and travel clinics far preferable to using the NHS for those things as the private clinics do whatever you want quickly with a lot less phaffing around.

Has anyone got any recommendation of in-country safari providers? I assume it would be cheaper to organise something once I'm there, though not sure if leaving it till late makes sense. I don't need luxury but I'm not a fan of camping so probably would want a basic lodge or something. It would only be me travelling solo.

I really liked Ol Pejeta Conservancy, who can organise everything including transport from the airport, your choice of different standards of accommodation (their most basic is actually very good), activities, etc. Other than that I'd usually arrange in-country, it has never been difficult.

Also see I can get a visa which would let me enter Uganda and Rwanda too... but travel looks expensive to  hop between them. And I assume land routes are probably not recommended. 

Buses are cheap and very common, but not necessarily very comfortable and journeys are long.

Sept/Oct seems a recommended time to do it so I assume the weather etc will be OK and the safaris would have things worth seeing?

Safaris are good all year round. The wildebeest migration is time-dependent though, and well worth seeing so you might want to consider that in the timing.

Overland transport is fine, including to Uganda and Rwanda. Probably it would be worthwhile to pay a bit more in order to see the Gorillas and the ´mountains of the moon´.

The cost of Gorilla permits have become outrageously expensive, to the point where I do wonder if it is worth the cost.

Mombasa is well worth a visit, as are other places on the coast, above all Lamu.

Agreed, but be a bit careful about the coast as you get up toward Somalia, and do so some research on the latest position shortly before going up heading toward Malindi and Lamu. Personally I would not go to Lamu, especially given it is in the area advised against travel by FCDO.

Now in Kenya and neighbouring Uganda / Tanzania rural areas can be amazing.. great safaris, mountain views, smaller animal sanctuaries. If you're into hiking, Mount Kenya and Mount Kilimanjaro aren't far. Coast wise, I love Mombasa with its long beaches, white sands, all inclusive resorts with options that won't break the bank. 

Northern Tanzania is well worth considering, as it is both amazing and not a long trip from Kenya. Mount Kilimanjaro, N'Gorongoro Crater, Serengeti and Zanzibar are all amazing places to visit.

A few thoughts of things to consider:

• Drive to Mombasa, stopping off at Tsavo West for a short safari. Possibly head up to Malindi, further up the coast from Mombasa (if safe). Take the train back between Mombasa and Nairobi (or could head south to Zanzibar)
• Safari to Maasai Mara, timing to see wildebeest migration if at all possible
• Visit to Ol Pejeta, and if into hiking Mount Kenya.
  
• Visit to Lake Naivasha, Hells Gate National Park and Lake Nakuru area (could head on from here into Uganda). If you are into running, maybe spending some time in Iten (if not into running, don't bother)
• Drive down to Arusha in Tanzania for trip to Mount Kilimanjaro (day-trip, or can climb it in about 5 days), a visit to N'Gorongoro Crater and maybe a Serengeti safari - although if you have been to Maasai'Mara on safari the Serengeti may be a bit similar. You could also consider going to Zanzibar, although that would be further afield and might not fit well with getting to next destination - although it could fit into a big Nairobi - Mombasa - Zanzibar - Arusha - Nairobi loop maybe. If you are interested in northern Tanzania, you could look at Kilimanjaro Heroes - they are a good local travel company in Arusha.

Cheers all good info. Need to do a bit more digging. Trying to do all this on a budget as well so the more extra things I tag on the more the price tag goes up. One thing I am noticing is internal flights in Africa seem pretty similar to South America - expensive. I guess it's only really Europe and SE Asia where it's cheap to hop around countries. 

Flight costs slowly creeping up for when I had planned to go so need to make my mind up to poop or get off the pot soon. Once it flips into October everything looks to start getting more expensive. If I procrastinate too much I'll end up just binning it and doing another SE Asia trip but kind of keen to do something different 

tightauldgit

Just checked the prices on gorilla trips - don't think they will be happening! Apparently it's $700 for the cheapest license now? 

I'm thinking just to bite the bullet and organise the flight to Nairobi and an Airbnb for 5 weeks as a base. Then just see what takes my fancy when I'm there and go with the flow. Worst case I'll lose a couple of hundred quid on the Airbnb if I decide to just bin it and head somewhere else. 

Rather than do a return trip I've got the fancy to bounce on to Sri Lanka and then onto SE Asia as some pretty affordable connections available. Probably just hang out in SE Asia for the rest of the year then. Just got to get my affairs in order here to make that doable. 

Voyager2002

tightauldgit said:

I'm thinking just to bite the bullet and organise the flight to Nairobi and an Airbnb for 5 weeks as a base. Then just see what takes my fancy when I'm there and go with the flow. Worst case I'll lose a couple of hundred quid on the Airbnb if I decide to just bin it and head somewhere else. 

Rather than do a return trip I've got the fancy to bounce on to Sri Lanka and then onto SE Asia as some pretty affordable connections available. Probably just hang out in SE Asia for the rest of the year then. Just got to get my affairs in order here to make that doable. 

An alternative you might consider... a flight on Ethiopian Airlines to Asia with a stopover in Addis Ababa. This can be an economical way to arrange things. Ethiopia is obviously very different from Kenya but IMHO a good deal more interesting. Many regions are currently extremely dangerous but others should be OK.

tightauldgit

Ethiopia is on my list of places to go but its more expensive to do NBO to Addis Ababa than to do NBO to Colombo for the dates I'm looking at and then the onward to Asia would be the same again. Probably would want to do more than just a stopover in terms of length so even if I could find a cheap ticket to Asia on Ethiopian I don't think that would work this time around.

My original thought was just to start in Egypt or Ethiopia and just work my way down to South Africa but maybe another time. 

Voyager2002

tightauldgit said:

Ethiopia is on my list of places to go but its more expensive to do NBO to Addis Ababa than to do NBO to Colombo for the dates I'm looking at and then the onward to Asia would be the same again. Probably would want to do more than just a stopover in terms of length so even if I could find a cheap ticket to Asia on Ethiopian I don't think that would work this time around.

My original thought was just to start in Egypt or Ethiopia and just work my way down to South Africa but maybe another time. 

Well, my 8-week visit to Kenya was actually a stopover! Airlines have changed, but many African airlines still operate according to the old flight rules that gave so much flexibility, which is part of the reason why they are so expensive. Anyway, I know that Ethiopian Airlines are generally very good with long stopovers, and obviously their hub is Addis Ababa. Addis is far more interesting than Nairobi, while Ethiopia normally has at least as much to offer as does Kenya, but of course security is an issue in far more of the country. Visiting both countries would be likely to cost a lot.

Starting in Egypt or Ethiopia and overlanding to South Africa is not feasible, since Sudan is unsafe now, as is the border area between Ethiopia and Kenya.

tightauldgit

Voyager2002 said:

tightauldgit said:

Ethiopia is on my list of places to go but its more expensive to do NBO to Addis Ababa than to do NBO to Colombo for the dates I'm looking at and then the onward to Asia would be the same again. Probably would want to do more than just a stopover in terms of length so even if I could find a cheap ticket to Asia on Ethiopian I don't think that would work this time around.

My original thought was just to start in Egypt or Ethiopia and just work my way down to South Africa but maybe another time. 

Well, my 8-week visit to Kenya was actually a stopover! Airlines have changed, but many African airlines still operate according to the old flight rules that gave so much flexibility, which is part of the reason why they are so expensive. Anyway, I know that Ethiopian Airlines are generally very good with long stopovers, and obviously their hub is Addis Ababa. Addis is far more interesting than Nairobi, while Ethiopia normally has at least as much to offer as does Kenya, but of course security is an issue in far more of the country. Visiting both countries would be likely to cost a lot.

Starting in Egypt or Ethiopia and overlanding to South Africa is not feasible, since Sudan is unsafe now, as is the border area between Ethiopia and Kenya.

Ah yeah wasn't necessarily meaning overlanding it, just working my way down by whatever means made sense but it wasnt going to be very much/any cheaper than just picking off separate trips to the ones I fancy. 

tightauldgit

Well that's the flight to Nairobi and then onto Colombo booked so no turning back now. 

Voyager2002

IslaMujeres said:

I traveled in South Africa, Namibia, Mozambique but never made it to Kenia. One day probably.

Maybe not worth it...

The beaches are one big attraction of Kenya, but those in Mozambique are generally regarded as being even better.

Another major reason for visiting Kenya is the wildlife, with 'going on safari' a standard holiday activity. Tanzania, closely followed by Kenya, is probably the best safari country in the world but South Africa is a close third.