It’s not often that you get people to hop in on one of your crazy spontaneous adventures. Or at least, going by the number of times I’ve had to either cancel or find alternatives for my plans; the level of dedication by friends who promise to tag along is always on an all time low. For this one time though, things were different; Oprah contacted me regarding an idea for a different sort of road-trip across the country to show around one of her friends who was flying in. We figured there was much more to travel than just the typical ‘mzungu‘ touristy locations to which we’re used to; therefore we decided to have a different take. Since we had ‘Matilda’ with us we resorted to having at least 2 more people to tag along but it really didn’t happen, the usual last minute cancellations and a bevy of excuses to support the same despite the number of convincing we had them through. We ended up going just the 3 of us and here’s some of what we encountered along the way covering 2600KM in 11 days across Kenya. Nairobi being our start point, we ended up in South Coast a week later having passed through Kisii, Rongo, Apondo, Kisumu, Nandi Hills, Iten, Kapsabet, Eldoret and Muhoroni.
We had a booking at a camp in the Mara but we got there too late (park closes at 6:30pm) and weren’t allowed in so we ended up getting a pretty affordable and cosy guest house in Sekenani. Up early the following morning we took a self drive game drive with a local Masai as our guide.
Points to Note:
- Always ensure that your vehicle is ready for long journeys, it’s advisable to have a full mechanical check at least a week before you start.
- Home-stay & camping are the most efficient cost saving means of getting around if you’re on a budget.
- Plan your trip well to avoid delays and inconveniences.
- Interact with locals, you’ll get more insider information and more tips to help you with your adventure.
- Camping during the rainy season isn’t a good idea, I learnt!?
- It helps when you research your destinations beforehand, especially with regard to the topography, weather and activities you can have while you’re there.
- Ensure you have time to rest at least a few hours everyday to avoid getting fatigued.
I have always loved to travel, and while struggling through with no car- I piggyback a lot of trips with friends a lot just to get out of town. A week, a weekend, even just an hour on the road makes me feel alive.
Any interesting cross-country trips? Let me know.
