Moyale - Longido 10 Days 705km

Moyale, Marsabit, Merille, Isiolo, Timau, Nanyuki, Sagana, Nairobi, Bissel & Longido

It was great to be out of Ethiopia but because of the recent attacks by Al Shabab (Mine & Bus killings) the Police in Moyale said that it would be best if I took a bus to Marsabit and set off from there. It was difficult to get a straight answer from them and I was a bit disappointed to be back on a bus again but I thought it best to follow their advice.

The ride was along a rough road and from what I saw out the window I didn't miss a lot by being on the bus. The most surprising thing was waking up after a nap to see a farmer sitting next to me with a G3 rifle.

Downtown Marsabit

The good news was that there was a football game on in Marsabit so I watched for a while then went for a cup of tea and to read a newspaper. After many months I was back in a country that spoke English and it was great. I could order from a menu, read signs, read a newspaper and communicate with the locals without any problems. The food was good, the tea excellent, the people friendly and I thought that I might really enjoy Kenya.

 

I had done some reading about the roads in Northern Kenya and it wasn't great. Up until recently the road from Moyale to Merille had been described by cyclists as the road from hell. Fortunately the Chinese are here building a new road and I had missed 250k of the road by taking the bus to Marsabit. There was however a 120k section that I had to negotiate and it wasn't great. Here the choice is the old road on the left, rutted and corrugated or the new road made with volcanic rocks, smoother but likely to shred the tyre's.

I chose the old road (the new road didn't always exist) which was a little bumpy. It made for a slow day - 8 hours to cover the 120k.

Along the way I was joined by one of the local children for lunch (Noodles and Banana) who was out with around 20 camels. It all went well until he started looking in my bags so I had to get him to move on.

Sections of the road were partially complete so at times it was great. Others not so.

Merille and the last section of the road from hell.

The journey from Marsabit to Merille was spectacular, not because of the road or the scenery but because of the Samburu people. The way they were dressed was incredible - it was like something of a national geographic show. I would see people on the roadside or in town in traditional dress and just be amazed at how they look. So there is the question of why there are no photos? I just didn't think it was right. These people are just going about their normal lives and are dressed like this because of who they are. I looked, starred even, but I never got the camera out. It however is something that I will never forget. 

There are plenty of photos of Samburu people on the internet.

There was one minor incident in the North where a youngster chased me down the road demanding money. After a hundred meters he got out his knife (maybe 40cm long) and started waving at me while running. I turned and chased him and he ran off. Kids, always causing trouble.

I was in a bit of a hurry to get to Timau to meet with a friend of my sisters. Flick and her husband Sam were going to give me a bed and a hot shower for a couple of nights and I had to get there before they left to go on holiday back to New Zealand. I was excited about a bed but mostly about the hot shower (it had been two weeks), so it was three big days from Marsabit and a long climb up the side of Mount Kenya to get to Timau.

I called Flick when I got to Timau and she said she would send someone to get me. I thought this was a bit odd as I though she would just come and pick me up. I had been waiting for a while and the locals I had been talking to seemed impressed when the Land Rover appeared. The bike was thrown in the back and I was on my way.

After a fifteen minute drive I was at a the gate to a park. I had no idea where I was, where I was going or what Borana was but it looked like I was going there.

Zebras on the drive to Borana

When I arrived I meet Flick and found out that Borana was a and eco-lodge and the area the park is in has some of Kenya's most prolific wildlife (second only to the world famous Masai Mara) as well as the highest populations of endangered species in the country.

My sister (Jenny) had told me nothing other that I would have a place to stay and a shower so this turned out to be the best Christmas present ever. I had a small cottage to sleep in and took a very long, very hot shower, sat on a couch and watched the cricket with a cold beer (NZ v Pakistan). It had been months since I had been able to do any of this so it really was Christmas!

The following morning I was woken by this tapping on the Window. I have no idea what it wanted. So it was an early start and horse riding while looking at Giraffe and various other animals.

In the afternoon there I was to meet Sam as he organised to drop off the park rangers to look after the Rhino. Along the way there were lions in the grass so I looked at them for a while then directly behind them a herd of Elephants appeared for a drink. Both times the animals were no more than 30m away. It was amazing.

Eventually I made it to Sam and we left to drop off the heavily armed and Park Rangers. The Rhino in the park are monitored/watched day and night by Park Rangers to ensure their safety. A rhino horn fetches U.S. $1 Million in China so there is a lot of work in ensuring that they are kept safe. Dropping the Rangers near the Rhino also meant I got to see a Rhino going about its business, in this case it was standing in some bushes.

I left Borana Lodge after an amazing day. I had seen 4 of the big 5 of African animals in an hour (no Leopard), slept in a bed, had a hot shower, eaten toast and NZ made Marmite, sorted a route through Southern Africa and had a great time with Flick and Sam. I cant thank Flick and Sam enough for their hospitality - it really was once in a life time stuff. Thanks to you too Jenny for organising it.

Food options in Nanyuki


So it was onto Nanyuki some minor repairs to my Chinese rear wheel. The barring was loose and getting worse and one of the staff at Borana had told me to get in touch with (cant find his name on the internet)

He represented Kenya the at the Glasgow Commonwealth games so I was sure he would do a good job. Here he is outside his workshop in Nanyuki having fixed the wheel and cleaned the bike. It looked brand new again!

The 8000k mark at the Equator, Naynuki. I nearly rode past the sign without noticing.

Vegetable stall at the Equator

Downtown Nairobi


From Nanyuki it it was a short ride to Nairobi. It was the cleanest and most organised African city I have been to and I enjoyed a couple of days off there. I got out and about during the day and did see The Hobbit at a iMax 3d cinema. It was however not that safe at night so I didn't venture out. Its sometimes referred to as is Nairobbery so I just stayed by the fire in the hostel and made use of their excellent internet.

As I made my way South the Maasai people became more prominent and again I was in awe of their dress. This is the town of Bissel where I stayed the evening. I went for a beer in the large green bar here and as I walked in and the place was full of Maasai. I sat down, wrote up my notes for the day then looked around the the people. It was a really great end to my time in Kenya.


The Lonley Planet guide book says that "Kenya is the Africa you have always dreamed of" and I think it absolutely was. The scenery, the hills, the roads, the people, the food and the traditions meant that it was a fantastic experience and easily my best time in Africa so far.