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sub-Saharan Africa Topics specific to sub-Saharan Africa. (Includes all countries South of 17 degrees latitude)
Photo by Daniel Rintz, Himba children, Namibia

The only impossible journey
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Photo by Daniel Rintz,
Himba children, Namibia



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  #1  
Old 9 Mar 2010
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Any 4WDs made it into Kenya without a carnet?

I know that Kenya officially requires a carnet for vehicles, however has anyone managed to obtain a Temporary Import Permit at the border to enter Kenya in a 4WD recently?

Please note that I am specifically interested if it can be done in a 4WD rather than a motorbike, as I know that it is likely to be easier to get a TIP on a bike.

cheers
Matt Roach
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  #2  
Old 13 Mar 2010
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I was refused entry at the border and so had to leave my vehicle at the border post and get a matatu up to nairobi to buy a carnet before they'd let me in.

I have met a guy though that entered the country through a small border post behind Kili - small enough (at the time) for them to let him in without a carnet. However you'll still need a Foriegn Vehicle Permit (bought at Nyao House) and for that you'll need to show your Carnet if you decide to stay more than a month.
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  #3  
Old 14 Mar 2010
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Bundubasher,

where was your vehicle registered? I ask because I am about to import my UK registered Hilux into Zambia, who don't have an autoclub such as AA and so can't issue Carnets. I have no idea how to get into Kenya, because I will have given up my UK RAC carnet.

From your reply it seems that Kenya issue their own version of a carnet....... Is going to Nairobi the only way of getting one? Was it pricey?

Mike
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Old 14 Mar 2010
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Howzit Mike

My 4x4 is registered in Zimbabwe - I brought the vehicle in from the UK as a returning resident so it came in duty free. If your vehicle is Zambian registered you can drive it all the way up to Kenya without a carnet. Once you get there join the kenyan AA etc etc. As to the cost - are you planning to live and work in Kenya or just visit?

From my website:

Quote:
NB: We actually ended up buying our Carnet in Kenya as after importing our car into Zimbabwe, via South Africa, this is where we got stuck (we had always been allowed to use Temporary Import Permits (TIPs) elsewhere but the Kenyan authorities were sticklers: no carnet, no entry. So we left the car at the Namanga Border Post and traveled up to Nairobi where we bought an AA insurance guarantee: 3% of 750,000 Ksh (Car valued at 500,000 Ksh, Carnet worked out 150% of the cars value, total = 22,500), plus stamp duty: total 26,850 Ksh. Formalities normaly take 3 days but my wife did it in 1 and a half! Then we took the guarantee to the AA and they issued a 25 page Carnet for 30,000 Ksh (AA members).

Namaga Customs storage fees amounted to 4050 ksh (450 per day).

Plus US$ 40 for one months "crappy" road tax.
So the total cost was approximately US$ 850 - cheaper than buying it in the UK as you don't have to have the 500 GBP deposit.
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Old 14 Mar 2010
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Thanks for that Bundubasher.

$850 for a carnet for a fortnight's visit isn't really a bargain!! The Hilux is only worth £1000ish. I am just planning a short visit to my daughter's study group in the Maasai Mara, and if I have to go through all that rigmarole and spend that sort of money I would be better off keeping the RAC carnet running. The whole point of registering the vehicle in Zambia was to remove the necessity for continually replacing carnets, but it looks like Kenya is going to foil my cunning plan. What a pain.

Mike
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  #6  
Old 14 Mar 2010
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OK - if you are visiting the Mara...

You could enter TZ on a TIP, drive up to the Sand River Gate (well that's what it's called on the Kenyan side).

Then you should be able to pop over for the day as long as you do not intend to stay over there permanently (This is because there are no border facilities there).

We did this (coming the other way ie: into the Serengeti from the Mara) a couple of years ago. The border guards allowed us (3 vehicles) to cross the border to chase the Migration for a day - for a small consideration.

So don't give up hope...maak 'n plan man!
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Last edited by Bundubasher; 14 Mar 2010 at 21:41. Reason: txt edit
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Old 15 Mar 2010
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bundubasher View Post
maak 'n plan man!
Thanks for the advice, both here and on the two sites you link to. I have a friend in Dadoma so I'll check with him a few weeks before the trip about the state of that border crossing before I commit to attempting it without a carnet.

Nice sites, BTW........ Below is my Hilux in action.

Mike
Attached Thumbnails
Any 4WDs made it into Kenya without a carnet?-africa-2009-snappy-camera-211  

Any 4WDs made it into Kenya without a carnet?-africa-2009-snappy-camera-338  

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  #8  
Old 15 Mar 2010
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Thanks Bundubasher,

I have heard that occasionally people heading south from Ethiopia have managed to get in via Lake Turkana without passing customs.

Do you know if there are any small border posts coming from either TZ or Uganda that are similar?

cheers
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  #9  
Old 15 Mar 2010
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Mike - love that amazing roof tent! Home made or what?

Matt - the only possible border post coming from TZ is the small on ebehind Kilimanjaro. Coming from Uganda...I just don't know - any car ferries on Lake Vic?
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Old 15 Mar 2010
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Errr...... MikeAG ......... don't look yet, but has anyone mentioned you've got a house on top of your car?
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  #11  
Old 15 Mar 2010
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Mr Basher - I bet you'd wished you had one of them on top of your HiLux.
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  #12  
Old 15 Mar 2010
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Absolutely amazing RTT! Finally something that will fit my whole family! I WANT ONE!
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Old 15 Mar 2010
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Yep.......home-made. There were no 4 man rooftents available when I set off on my trans-Africa 15 years ago, so I made one. This one here is the Mark 11 version, without all the mistakes I made on the Mark 1. The Mark 111 is currently underway in my workshop.......should be 30 seconds to erect rather than the 3 or 4 minutes of the one in the photo.

There.......that's how you hijack a thread!! Sorry.

Mike
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Old 15 Mar 2010
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Serious...I want one! What are the external dimensions?
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Old 15 Mar 2010
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Folded it is 1500 x 1500 by 250. Open it is 1500 x about 4350 at the base. So, effectively it is bigger than two king-size double beds end to end. The photo doesn't really do it justice, because it shows it un-braced...........leaving the material just a bit slack. The mosi-net that runs along the length of the roof is covered up with a top sheet when we feel cold or if it is likely to rain.

Is there a hijacking tzar on this forum who will come along and slap my wrist shortly?

Mike
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