Sorry about the use of the first person, I just copied and pasted from a friends email.

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Enzo

Thanks everyone for your help in this thread.

Am I right in saying that this is the "correct" way to drive north, from Kenya to Ethiopia, crossing at Fort Banya?

1. If you're leaving from Nairobi, get your carnet stamped at here in Nairobi, they are aware of there being no customs at Fort Banya. (where?)
If you're not leaving from Nairobi, don't bother with getting your carnet stamped out, when you get an entry stamp (and exit stamp) from another country further down the line, there will be no issues with Kenya trying to obtain import duties on your vehicle.

2. After leaving Sibiloi National Park, get the Kenyan exit stamp in your passport at Ileret.

3. Enter Ethiopia, and detour to Omorate to get the Ethiopian entry stamp in your passport. (Must have valid visa already, you can't get one at Omorate)
You won't be able to do customs at Omorate. (side note: I see on tracks4Africa that there is a building in Omorate marked "Omorate Immigration and Customs Office" - which would obviously imply customs in Omorate is possible?)

4. Continue to Addis, where you have to do the customs process (get carnet stamped into Ethiopia)

Is this all correct? If so, where in Addis do we go to do the customs process? If not, what is the "correct" or "best" way to do the whole red-tape malarkey for getting from Kenya to Ethiopia via Fort Banya? Am I right in saying not getting Kenyan customs to stamp the carnet out is ok?

Thanks for all the help
Cheers
Steve
www.overafrica.org

In Ethiopia, coming back down again from Sudan I was asked for my Carnet which thay stamped as usual but also gave me a TIP...

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"If we don't find something good at least we will find something new." Voltaire

For what its worth;

We travelled up Turkana and got the passports stamped at the police post in Ileret. There is no customs though so we asked them to stamp the Carnet too, officially not valid but who cares as long as the whole pack is stamped and you can return the full set to your automobile club. They don't look that close and ultimately the carnet system in Africa does not really work.

Up on entering Ethiopia we did not feel like going to Omorate so we skipped that. Result; no passport stamp and no Carnet stamp. I guess after 1 one year of Africa one becomes a bit more cocky

Anyway, in Addis we went to the Foreign ministery but they did not have a stamp for our passports either so they send a fax to our Sudan/Eth exit border post that we would turn up some day and that the border official should accept our unstamped passports. Meanwhile we drove around in Ethiopia unstamped but got a telephone number of the ministery in case of police problems. Recipe for disaster one would think.... Not really. Zero police checks and up on our departure at that particular border they were happy to see us and "were expecting us" !!!!! Worked like a charm.

Moral of the story; it is not that stricks in Ethiopia... (in 2006!!)

cheers,
Noel
www.exploreafrica.web-log.nl

the Masarbit route is not all that bad, after all its only about 400km and takes two days. You can get some fantastic tribal photos there.
I was stopped by a couple of dodgey looking guys in uniform who told me I had to give them "something for them to enjoy" !! when i offered to sing them a song , they didnt seem all that impressed.
above all make them think that you are just ahead of a big group, just so they dont get any ideas.

but as for physically doing the route, stand on the pegs, bring lts of water , and keep the power on .

I did it solo going north in 2007 and they did stamp my carnet ( in Kenya), guys are rigth about ethiopia, you dont need carnet.

find out if they lifted the ban on mobile phones there , as I had no coverage at all, some sort of governement ban

keep it lit

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Life is for Living - so Live

5 Eyes, am I correct in saying you're talking about the Moyale border post? Indeed there is Kenyan customs there, but it's the Fort Banya border post which I want to cross through, and that doesn't have customs I think.

Re your comment on mobile phones... I was very surprised to hear a few nights ago from an Israeli guy who's just driven through Ethiopia solo. It seems all communications in Ethiopia are severely locked down! Apparently they don't allow international roaming, and to get a local SIM card, you have to apply for a permit from the government!! He also told me about an experiment he did (a bit ballsy if you ask me, considering he knew what the results would be). He sent an email from his gmail/hotmail account or whatever it was, and typed in several "key" words, such as "government, corruption, dictatorship, banana-republic, etc", and tried to send it to a few friends. His result, not a single person received the mail - he knew the government intercepts internet traffic coming and going in Ethiopia, and would block his mail! Crazy stuff! I'm happy to report he's not stuck in some Ethiopian jail on treason charges, but I'm not sure I'm going to repeat his experiment when I get there!

Steve, yeah I was talking about the Moyale post, sorry.
Isnt it a bit mental about the Ethipoia thing. Having said that, it is really worth a visit. despite some reports to the contrary , i found the people to the very nice there.
I had an incident where I left my mobile phone and camera in a taxi by accident late one night in Addis.
luckily the guy had given me his number and I called him. He got up and searched his car found them, and brought them back to my hotel. cool guy.
I see you are in Putney, I used to have an Irish uncle who lived there.
take care

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Life is for Living - so Live

Hello,

just crossed Ethiopia Kenya in south direction, via Lake Turkana.

We did both immigration and custom exit from Ethiopia at police post in Omorate.

After you'll find an ethiopian check point on the route to Illeret and when you'll arrive in Illeret, you'll be registered on a book by police but no stamps on passport.

All the formalities must be done in Nairobi, immigration (aliens office booth 6) on the left when you enter the big yellow building (S01.17.247 - E036.49.086), custom (carnet de passage) you'll get it stamped at 4th floor of Times Tower, don't go at 10th as somebody suggest. (S01.17.456 - E036.49.444).


ciao
luciano

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Luciano

www.deserts.it

Steve the mobile phone thing in Ethipopia is a royal PAIN in the ass.

I believe youre right, your UK sim will not work in Ethiopia, you have to buy a local one. Mine and none of my freiends' European sims worked.

And yes, you have to be an Ethiopian resident to buy an Ethiopian sim. Well, officially at least. I found some guy who ran an internet cafe who sold me a 'spare' one he had for 120 birr, but jeez I might as well noth bothered, the coverage was sketchy at best, and when messages did go through they wouldnt be received for hours.

Beware, there are 2 types of sim card, they start with different numbers.....and to top up the credit you must buy the right kind of card that matches the number of your sim....i forget what the numbers are now, but dont get it wrong or youve wasted money.......but jeeez all in all a real ball ache, try and avoid if at all possible!

I've just done this route, and it was awesome!

Here are some recommendations:

Get your passport and carnet stamped out in Nairobi, this is the only place to do it legally.
Drive 200kms on good tar to Nanyuki.
Here in Nanyuki is your last chance for a decent supermarket (Nakumatt). I advise you fill up all your fuel tanks here.
Head NW out of town past the Nanyuki River Camp.
9km out of town take the right fork in the road towards Kinamba.
Kiss the tar, you won't see it again for more than 1000km!
This road is locally known as the "Stock Road". Those with high vehicles beware of the Elephant Gates - they are steel cables strung across the road with steel cables hanging down. They are to prevent elephants getting into farms etc. Drive through at pace and you'll smash your windscreen!
At the time of writing this was a great gravel road all the way to Kinamba.
Head north from Kinamba towards Maralal.
We spent the night in the yard of some Kenyan Settler's farmhouse at Mugie. Ask nicely! They are super friendly people, but we did make sure we provided the s! N0 42 36.2 E36 35 33.1
From Kinamba the road is badly rutted and corrugated.
You can get fuel from a fuel station in Maralal, but you're starting to get remote now so supplies aren't guaranteed.
We bushcamped on a deserted farm in beautiful surroundings. N1 34 16.0 E36 43 12.6
Next town north is Baragoi. This is the last chance to fill up from a fuel station for the next 700kms. Expensive fuel of questionable quality may be found on the black market elsewhere.
Head north through South Horr and on to Loiyangalani on the shores of Lake Turkana. We camped at the excellent Palm Shade Campsite.
Head north out of Loiyangalani. Just before Gusi Village turn left onto a track through the desert (N3 03 44.3 E36 47 55.2)
We bushcamped under an Acacia Tree in the desert - a fantastic spot! N3 11 45.0 E36 46 38.1
At N3 22 09.5 E36 45 20.2 you rejoin the main track which comes from North Horr heading for Sibiloi. Join the track heading west for Sibiloi National Park.
Cost for entry is $20 per day plus 300 shillings for a car. We have a big overland truck but told them the weight was less than 3 tonnes, which they bought. This costs 500 shillings.
Take the main track around the eastern side of Sibiloi National Park. Do not attempt to use tracks which haven't seen recent use, even if they exist on the map. You will most likely lose the track and get stuck (both of which happened to us!)
As you leave Sibiloi heading north you get to Illeret. Here you must go to the police who will take down your details. They don't have a stamp for your passport, but we were able to get them to give us a letter stating we'd left Kenya on such-and-such date etc. We got this from the Chief of Police, an amiable guy called Charles.
We spent the night at the Catholic Mission in Illeret run by a German priest.
Head north for Ethiopia. When you get to the main gravel road (N4 44 53.2 E36 10 27.5) turn left to go to Omorate where you will find immigration and customs.
You are now in the Omo Valley. I recommend going to Turmi to see the Hamer People. Try get to see a bull jumping ceremony. We camped at the Mango Campsite which is excellent.
Next I recommend going to Jinka to see the Mursi People (lip disks, body paint, etc). We stayed at the excellent Rocky Campsite. In Jinka you have the first opportunity to find diesel in a fuel station (not petrol though, that is from barrels on the black market across the road)

Overall we averaged about 15 or 20kph - the road can be very rough in sections but is extremely beautiful and well worth it. Take a LOT of water and as much fuel as you can carry. Fuel consumption will go up on the bad roads.

For photos and details of this trip check out our journal on www.overafrica.org

Hope this helps!
Cheers
Steve