My partner and I bought a package tour to Kenya in December. We are set to go on 25 February but the situation in the country as a whole is very uncertain.
On the other hand there were no worrying reports from the area we're going to - Kilifi resort about 50 miles north of Mombasa plus safari park near the Tanzania border.
The tourist company (African Safari Club) still says it is safe to go but on the other hand it has cancelled a lot of flights and tours as, I presume, many people wish to candcel their holidays now.
So, if anyone has been to Kenya recently or is going to there soon, please share your views and thoughts about your experience.
Reply to this I'll be following this post and the replies, because I, too, have booked a trip. My trip is from Cape Town to Nairobi, but not until July and August. I hope things settle down, for me and for all you other travellers. But also I hope the situation is resolved soon for the citizens of Kenya, because no one deserves this.
Reply to this My wife and I are going this Friday and will return on 2/24. We have been concerned due to the media coverage but have talked with some people that live there and they say tat the areas where we will be are safe. The areas are pretty much the same as yours; camps near the Tanzania border and Mombasa beach. I had thought about cancelling the trip but figured I'd take the chance.
Reply to this It appears to be calmer now according to these updates which seem quite reliable:
http://www.katokenya.org/breaknews.asp?ID=1
Reply to this Hello Aleksmot 😊
Good question!!!
One never knows when the situation there will blow up again despite their efforts to make a peace plan.
Here is a site set by expats. U could ask the ones living in Kenya what they think.
http://www.expat-blog.com/en/directory/africa/
Mel
Reply to this Hello Aleksmot,
Am a travel consultant in Kenya and about the situation in here I would say its getting back to normal,especially towards coastal region and eastern part of KENYA which have been very calm and still are.If you are planing for a safari this can be at the Amboseli National Park or Maasai Mara in addition to your coastal trip.You can get in touch with me for more info with regards to the East African desitination.My email is
Rgrds
Hudson Reply to this My husband and I just returned yesterday from Kenya and we had an amazing time. We did have extra security (provided by the police and arranged by the travel company) when we were in Nairobi (first day and last day of 12 day trip).
We visited Samburu..stayed at Serena Samburu Lodge and Sweet Waters Tent Camp. We then stayed a night at the Mt. Kenya Safari Club. From there we traveled to the Mara for a stay at the Mara Safari Club. All of our in-country travel was done via small planes but this was planned before the recent events....I did enjoy flying as the roads in Kenya are not quite what we are used to in the States.
All the people were wonderful and so friendly. It was great for us that there were cancellation as we were often the only ones at each place (sometimes a few guests)...but it is was heartbreaking for the people there. They asked us to share with the world our experience. Please go and do not cancel...be safe and stay away from the troubled areas.
We saw the big five and so much more....it was the best trip we have ever taken.
Reply to this KEnya has always been a very violent country, something the tourism industry has been very good in hiding. So far no tourists has been hurt as a result of the vote-rigging or the following turmoil. The few people that's been killed down by the coast (a British resident shot in his chest and two Germans executed in their house) is just normal business in Kenya. There are far better countries to visit in East Africa (i.e. Tanzania and Uganda) which are much better value for money, have friendlier people and more beautiful landscape.
If you decide to go, dont be too nervous. I just crossed the country on bicycle and had no more problem than usual, kind off. Having an armed guard with you throughout the journey sound a bit over the top, I can't see what that would be neccesary for.
Bobbie. Addis Ababa.
Reply to this Instead of having an armed guard throughout the journey, I would rather choose a good local guide! He will know which places you should avoid, his help might be very important at this moment!
The current situation is not as bad as it was a couple of weeks ago. However, it hasn't come to normality yet, so you should be careful. If I were you, I wouldn't cancel my trip, but I would be very careful in selecting the places to visit. You shouldn't have any problems within the national parks, but you should be sensitive to the local situation while you're on the road, visiting towns, etc...
Reply to this Did u see any of the stuff we are seeing in the media happening Pallen5 and Le Flow? It is always interesting to hear about how it is from the point of view of somebody who was there.
It certainly always was a violent country Le Flow. I was there 10 years ago and was appalled by some of the things people told me. They had such a shocking matter of fact attitude towards the violence.
Mel
Reply to this Mel -
We did not see any violence at all. I am sure however that they made sure we were safe. I do want to clarify that we only had security with us when we were in Nairobi. We also did have an excellent guide for the entire trip and we stayed well away from the Rift Valley and western Kenya.
We did talk about the issues in the country with our guide and our drivers. Our guide was Kikuyu which from my understanding is the largest tribe of the 42. So we got his perspective as to the fact the post-election violence was planned no matter how the election turned out. He did also talk about the need for all the tribes to come together and end the violence and that the members of Parliament were working to do so. He told us that the two biggest flow of money in Kenya comes from agriculture and tourism. It was difficult to see the places we stayed mostly empty...this means people have been laid off and the economy of the country as a whole suffers.
We also visited a cooperative farm near Mt. Kenya and they were having trouble selling goods and getting supplies because the violence has interrupted the flow of traffic. So for me it was just hard to see the repercussions on the every day person and the loss of revenue that people depend on to make a living.
I am sure that our guide did not tell us everything...why would you want to tell people the bad things about your country. He did though give a us a 2 hour talk about the history of Kenya and the countries that helped shape the country today. He was well-informed and I feel that I know a little bit about Kenya, where it has been and where they hope to go in the future!
Thanks for asking!
Paige
Reply to this We crossed the RIft from the Ugandan border to NAirobi on the 7:th of Jan, just after the worst atrocities (the burnt church aso.) What we saw wasn't up-lifting, but we as white tourists never felt threatend. There was a huge exodus of Kikuyu from the area, some leaving for the Ugandan border where the UN had set up two camps with aprox 1200 souls in each (at the 6:th of JAn). The others where heading for NAirobi and the Kikuyu heartlands around Mt Kenya.
In Nairobi we got cought between the prtesters and the armed forces as the demonstrators tried to reach Uhuru PArk. We heard 12 shots and then 12 canisters of teargas landed on Kenyatta Avenue and dispersed the crowds. Nothing serious has happened in downtown Nairobi, the violence has been contained to the slums (except the execution of the ODM MP). The Kikuyu area around Mt Kenya felt very safe and stable, altough, people of the Luo, Luya and Kisii tribes had been forced to leave.
The Kikuyu have no doubt that the election was fair, they're all rediculously biased. To be a Kikuyu and oppose the results is like being an Israeli opposing zionism, you would be seen as a traitor (just like Avraham Burg, the former spokesman of the Knesset, in early autumn 2007.)
Any rational thinking human being knows for a fact that the election was a big joke, and most of the Kenyans are by now fed up with the power monopoly held by the Kikuyus.
Reply to this Thanks Le Flow 😊
U sure saw a lot of bad stuff. 😞
Mel
Reply to this its good tyo hear Le Flow claiming that Kenya has always been a very violent country only for him to make it by road from Uganda.
Reply to this My wife and I just got back from Kenya on Monday, 25 Feb '08. We were in three different camps and at a hotel in Mombasa. We visited Amboseli NP at the foot of Kilimanjaro and stayed in Tortilis Camp. We visited Lewa Downs, at the foot of Mt. Kenya and stayed at Lewa Safari Camp. We visited the Masai Mara and stayed in Governor's Camp. We visited Mombasa and stayed at the Serena Beach Hotel. We never saw any violence, even the one night we were in Nairobi coming in and the one night in Nairobi going out. We never felt threatened except when the elephant charged us. From what we were able to gather, the violence is in small pockets and even those pockets are few and not near any tourist areas. The country is the size of Texas or Spain and the areas of violence are small. There are more people killed in Washington DC or Philadelphia than in Kenya. We had the trip of our lives and would go back in a heartbeat. I think that it is a disservice to the country to put the entire country under a travel advisory when there is less than 1% of the country involved in the trouble. If you want to go, then go and stay away from the pockets of trouble.
That's my two cents.
Reply to this Thank you for the positive post.Without doubt there are isolated incidents ocurring but they are incidents that are occurring in any city or country in the world.
I feel more anxious and on my guard on public transport in London than anywhere else.Yes people have been displaced but no tourists have been attacked specifically for their status.
I will be going down in 2 weeks if anyone wants any more information.Today Kofi Annan announced a agreement had finally been reached ,details are still sketchy.
In theory it will now take a few months for business to start returning to normal. Ideall time for tourists to reap some bargains as the hotels and tourist industry tries to recover as it is at the moment.
Reply to this To anyone thinking of visiting Kenya, DROP EVERYTHING AND COME ! ! !
Forget everything that happened a few months ago. Forget what the "international media" say about the potential for violence in Kenya. Take it from those who spend each and every day here. Its probably much safer here than in your home cities.....
JUST COME AND HAVE THE TIME OF YOUR LIVES!!!!
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