kenya

area
population
capital
head of state
official language
currency
exchange rate

(source: lonely planet)

583,000 sq km
30 million
nairobi
kibaki
swahili & english
kenyan shilling
check out oanda.com
for current exchange rates

 

this information comes from a visit to the country in november 2003 - january 2004. things might have changed since then. these are my personal impressions and it's well possible that other travellers will not share my views.

visa

 

from dar es salaam, tansania: visas cost 40'000 tanzanian shilling, take 24 hours, no photos needed. openin hours until 14:30 during weekdays.

the embassy is located on plot 14 in ursino on kawawa rd and bagamoyo rd. tel: 270 1747 - 9 GPS: S 06*46,361' / E039*15,840'

single entry visas allow for re-entry into kenya if you have visited tanzania or uganda during the perios if the visa's valitidy

(you should be able to get your kenyan visa at the borders)

 

getting in and out

 

from uganda, malaba border: procedures are straight forward.
you have to pay a road license for foreign vehicles (US$ 20 for a 800 cc bike for one month / KSH 50 for three months extension see below)
insurance for two months for a motorbike cost me 3000 shilling, i had to negotiate the price and you might get away with less.
the money changers at the border were surprisingly correct (after initially trying to give a bad rate).


moyale border, from kenya to ethiopia: (check 'road conditions in northern kenya' below)
getting out of kenya takes no more than 10 minutes. the officials are friendly and efficient. nobody checked road license or insurance papers.

 
places to stay

 

nairobi: chirstof's backpackers is a bit out of the centre in a good area. he's also a motorbike mechanic which makes it a perfect place for the biker.
drive out on gitanga road (a parallel to haile selassie road) until you get to the intersection with johms gitshoro road. take the next dirt road to the right, it's called ambuseli road. it's the second gate on your right side (there is no sign board, it's a black gate). GPS: S 01*17,325' / EO36*45,635'
phone number: +254 722 752 865

other

 

extension for road license: you can extend your road license in the times towers building on haile selassie road, close to the roundabout with uhuru highway. (GPS: S01*17,439' / E 36*49,459').
get a form at the reception and go to counter 15 (you need to bring your carnet) there might be long queues for many counters but number 15 is ususally free. (the whole thing only took me ten minutes).
you must pay in US$

 

out door shop: there is a good, swiss-run outdoor shop on the first floor of yaya shopping centre on gitanga road.
GPS: S01*17,566' / E036*47,248'

 

road conditions in northern kenya:
the tar road north ends in isiolo. the 500 kilometre stretch between that town and the ethiopian borders is one of the most ill-reputed and dreaded in africa.
its really half as bad as reported.
the southern part between isiolo and marsabit is just a normal piste with some slightly rocky parts, no problems there.
coming from the south the first 100 kilometres after marsabit are full of thick , sometimes almost fist-sized gravel. but the hairy parts amount to less than a dozen kilometres. drive slowly and there should be no problem at all. the remaining 150 kilometres to moyale are good laterite.
BUT the entire piste, especially the northern part, becomes a muddy nightmare when it rains! the mud here is especially slippery and soft.
hope: if you hit the rain in the northen part try to make it to sololo (80 km before moyale, where ismail, the village chief, is used to lodge exhausted and frustrated travellers. they have small rooms, food and a nearby hospital.
shiftas: there are still some incidents of robbery on the entire stretch. but it's rather unlikely that they'll hold up motorbikes