Kenya to Ethiopia
 

Any news on the rumored repairs to the road between Kenay and Ethiopia? Can it be ridden now, or is it still wisest to load the bike onto a truck in a convoy and cross that way?

The road condition between Moyale & Isiolo is not great, but it was definately rideable twelve months ago. The section between Turbi (120kms south of Moyale) & Marsabit can be a bit rough on your tires as there are a lot of sharp rocks - make sure you have spare tubes. Marsabit to Isiolo is heavily corrugated and lots of loose gravel.

Avoid the temptation to go via the convoy as it is horrendously slow.

Thank you Matt. might could be that by the time we have worked our way to that corner, the road will be better. not likely, but one can hope.
j

We drove this piste in February this year and I can confirm Matt Roach's info. Heavily corrugated in some parts but no major problem.
Have a safe trip
Albert

Thank you Albert. The tires on a motorscooter, while smaller than those on a cycle, are much thicker and more heavily constructed. With your input added to Matt's, I think that by going slowly we should have no problems. How long did it take you to make the trip from decent road to decent road again? We will be going south to north and shipping out of Djiubouti and if we are too tired by then, might not go to Ethiopia but leave out of Kenya for India.

hope you are having a good trip.
j

locals were shooting each other and chucking grenades (might have been just one grenade) when I was there, approximately 14 days after Matt was there. The army closed the road for a further 10 days to mop up the mess.

Situations change all the time, you'll only know what it's like when you get there. Even the guy at the customs post on the Kenya side that morning (I was heading south) didn't know about the problems just 60 k's south.

damn! that sounds like great fun doug. that's the time when you tell the pilon rider to jump off and push. being shot at is not fun but the odds of being killed accidentally are pretty slim. in truth, the odds of collecting a hole where there shouldn't be one are pretty slim. it was once estimated that for every man killed in combat something like 8000 rounds were expended. I have been bumped twice though and don't like the idea of it happening again. paint a bullseye on the passenger's jacket, ride fast.

thanks for the info.

shiny parts up

j

"damn! that sounds like great fun doug."

sh*t myself, thought i would die, ended my trip. no, not fun.

the real fun is when you are finally safe and you hear your heart winding down to a nice 200mph and you realize "I Made IT" then life is fun again. glad you are okay. let's hope that things get settled down before the next travellers go through.

It just occurred to me that you might be able to fit agriculteral tyres. to scooter wheels....whilst not much for sppeed, they can be even tougher

hmm. now that is an idea I had never considered. i rode cycles for so many years that entertaining a thought about scooters is a new process. i will look into the sizes for ag tires and if the fit that would be one heck of a solution for the nasty parts. use them for the stretch of horrible road then sell them or just leave them. thanks for the idea

Marsabit-Isiolo stretch is quiet
 

at least for the last couple weeks so you shouldn't have to much trouble. The local warfare is mainly over cattle, though they occasionally stop people for "road tax", so shouldn't be a worry. It is a beautiful stretch. Safe travels.

thanks for the update. I never have any problems contributing the local economy even via "tax" mysterious fine, whatever. I figure I was by chance and good luck born in a nation that allowed me the wherewithal to travel, provide college educations for my kids, medical care and not worry about food, waater, or safety. If someone less blessed asks for a few dollars out of need and deprivation, as long as it doesn't endanger me, no problem.

You have the right attitude, just put the bulk of your important items away from your road tax. No harm no fowl.

Yeah, that may be so, but the odds of being killed deliberately are a heck of a lot higher. The portion of Eastern Kenya that abuts on Ethiopia is ethnically Somali, not ethnically Bantu, and the south-eastern part of Ethiopia is full of refugees from the conflicts in South Sudan. Many of those refugees brought their weapons with them.

Do your homework concerning politics, security, and local turmoil in the area before you go.

Well, that's a very noble attitude, but the likeihood that the aggressor you meet enroute will be equally as thoughtful and just ask for 'a few dollars' is zero to nil. There are a lot of folks in that area who have refined cattle raiding and cattle rustling to a fine art, and when you show up, you will be considered to be a two-legged form of cattle. Why should they settle for a few dollars (a pittance) when they can take everything you have got?

I'm not trying to put down the local people, but I have spent enough years medivacing 12 year old cattle tenders out of South Sudan who have bullet wounds from cattle rustling or other robbery efforts to know that it is a rough place. The 12 year olds that simply had bullet wounds were the lucky ones - the person who shot at them didn't have good aim, that's why they were still alive.

I am still not overly worried. I know quite a number of people who live there without problems. They travel the roads, conduct business without armed guards, and in general, exercise only the extra precaution that any prudent person would. If we rely on statistics only, then Iraq is 3 times safer that New Orleans, twice as safe as Miami, Florida, and more than twice as safe as 7 othe cities in the U.S. If we examine only the statistics, Washington, D.C. is far more dangerous than any place in Africa. Now, how many tourists stay away from D.C., Miami, New Orleans, Houston, TX, or the other five deadly cities in the states. Do you see dire warnings about tourist travel there? Certainly an amount of precaution is needed. Don't ride at night. Don't leave the main roads, don't go into the slum areas, and avoid areas where there is known banditry. I have studied politics, and am aware of the societal problems. I do not approach the trip with a pollyanna attitude, nor one of resignation to a determined outcome. When I referred to the given money it was in context to an earlier statement made about bribes by officials, police officers, and possibly beggars: certainly not about robbers. Nor will I allow the paranoid fear of others to deter me from travel, just as most people who want to see The Smithsonian will not stay away because only two miles distant is a slum in which the crime rate is the highest in the world.

Well, Hindu, I hope you have a pleasant trip. Bon voyage and all that.

I must confess that I really don't know that region of the world as a tourist. I only know it from having lived and worked in Africa for the past 20 years, as an aircraft pilot in humanitarian relief service. I don't think I am either paranoid or fearful - if I was either, I wouldn't be doing this work. I'm prudent, that's all.

You should revisit your own analogies about travel to Washington, Miami, and so forth. If you want to make that kind of comparison, sure, it's perfectly safe to travel to Kenya and Ethiopia, as long as you go to the places that the tourists go to. However, the route that you proposed on the first page of this thread was very different from the usual tourist trip to Masi Mara game parks, the game preserve on the outskirts of Nairobi, and the beaches of Mombassa.

FYI, here's a related thread about travel in that region:
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...-warning-11464

Well Duhh! Sure I am eager as hell to go to the slums, the deprived areas, the places where ganglords rule. That makes sense to me. Everyone who travels, spends money and makes years of plans sits back with his or her spouse and says "Gee, Sweetheart, let's pass by the tourist attractions, the natural wonders, the great markets, and go to where they are shooting at each other, where disease is rampant, and crime is at an all time high. Hey, I know, let's stuff hundred dollar bills in our pockets and go to Central Park New York late at night."

You know what, I had not really thought I was stupid about traveling until you pointed out that I should avoid those very areas I had planned above all else on visiting. Having spent 20 years on a bicycle traveling in some reasonably rugged country I should have learned what you learned in your 20 years of doing humanitarian work. I guess I need to visit more slums so I can get mugged more.

Go right ahead, enjoy your trip, have a wonderful time. I can tell from reading your replies that you will quickly make friends with all you meet along the way.

Do-able
 

We rode this way (N to S) in Sept/Oct last year. The security situation seems to flare up and calm down periodically, so keep your ear to the ground there. The road is terrible on a bicycle, probably less bad on a motor (only guessing as I've never actually ridden one) but no worse than others in Africa.

It feels remote in parts and is very beautiful. We certainly don't regret riding it (although we probably did at the time...)

You might find this - www.africabybike.org/nkenya.html - useful for some practical info on distances, water, places to stop etc.

Good luck and enjoy!

Hey PanE - who do you fly for?

AfricabyBike: Great website, must have been a fantastic journey! Talk about big cojones - I mean that figuratively by the way!