Visiting Kenya

Lamu, Kenya

Kenya has no shortage of places to visit. With so much variation in its geography, there are a lot of spectacular areas in the country. Here are what I consider to be the top 5 places to visit in Kenya:

1. Masai Mara – Famous for its safaris, the Masai Mara is one of the most popular places to visit in Kenya. Visitors can stay in a safari lodge and go on game drives to see lions, elephants, giraffes, rhinos, hippos, and other African game. If you are visiting Kenya during the annual wildebeest migration, you can see thousands of the animals make their yearly crossing from Tanzania into Kenya and back.

2. Lamu – Lamu Island is one of the most popular places for beach holidays in Kenya. The beautiful isle in the Indian Ocean is a great place for fishing, diving, dhow cruises, and relaxing in the sun. Visitors to Lamu can stay in Lamu Town, Shela, or on neighboring Manda Island.

3. Mombasa – Like Lamu, Mombasa is a great location for beach holidays in Kenya. Popular with visitors and locals alike, it is one of the top 5 places to visit in Kenya. Mombasa is famous for its beautiful beaches as well as its historic Arab-influenced old town and famous sixteenth century Fort Jesus.

4. Nairobi – Most people that visit Kenya skip the capital. It is worth spending a day or two in Nairobi, though, as the city is home to attractions like the Giraffe Centre, the Elephant Orphanage, the Karen Blixen House, and the Mamba Village. Visitors can also go on safari in Nairobi National Park, take tours of the Mathare slum, and visit local markets and museums. The capital is also home to famous restaurants like Carnivore and Talisman, which serve some of the best food in the country.

5. Rift Valley – Located close to Nairobi, the Rift Valley is one of the top 5 places to visit in Kenya. Home to attractions like Lake Naivasha, Lake Nakuru, and Hell’s Gate National Park, the area is full of beautiful natural monuments and is a great place for adventure travel in Kenya.

Zanzibar

Flights from Mombasa to Zanzibar are a great way to get from one of Kenya’s most popular beach holiday destinations to Tanzania’s beloved Indian Ocean archipelago.

There are several airlines that offer flights from Mombasa to Zanzibar. Some are regional East African airlines, some are Kenyan low-cost airlines, and others are larger European airlines.

The list of airlines that fly from Mombasa to Zanzibar includes Condor, which flies from Frankfurt to Zanzibar via Mombasa, Fly540, a budget airline that offers cheap flights to Zanzibar, as well as Jetairfly, Precision Air, and ZanAir.

There are good, reliable airlines that fly to Zanzibar, and there are not-so-good ones. Low-cost airline Fly540 is a good airline that flies high-quality planes and offers cheap flights. The airline is a good option for flights from Mombasa to Zanzibar.

On the other hand, Precision Air is not a very good airline. It has a habit of overbooking its flights and rebooking people on later flights. Most of the time they do not notify passengers of these changes until they arrive at the airport. In light of this, only book with Precision Air if you have to.

All flights from Mombasa to Zanzibar take off from Mombasa’s Moi International Airport (MBA). They land at Kisauni Airport in Tanzania, which is also named Zanzibar International Airport (ZNZ). The Zanzibar airport is on the island of Unguja and is located just south of Stone Town.

Bus from Lamu to Mombasa

Buses from Lamu to Mombasa are operated by multiple carriers. Tickets for buses from Lamu to Mombasa can be purchased from the ticket offices in Lamu Town.

Since there are no buses on Lamu island, you must first take a 30 minute motorized dhow ride to a point on the mainland, then board the bus to Mombasa there.

There are several buses a day from Lamu to Mombasa, all of which stop in Malindi and allow passengers to alight and stretch their legs. Buses are not supposed to stop elsewhere, but often do so anyway to let passengers on or off.

The road from Lamu to Mombasa is in disrepair. It starts out as a dirt road, making the bus ride uncomfortable. The bus also travels through territory that the Kenyan government considers to be dangerous, so armed guards travel on the bus for part of the ride.

The total driving time from Lamu to Mombasa on the bus is supposed to be 6 hours, but it usually ends up being at least 8 hours. Some buses from Lamu to Mombasa take much longer. It’s not rare for buses to take up to 13 hours.

Buses from Lamu to Mombasa are generally old and in poor condition, and often break down or have to stop to repair a flat tire.

Because buses from Lamu to Mombasa are so unpredictable, it is advisable to take a flight from Lamu, Nairobi, or Malindi to Mombasa instead.