If you want a budget out-of-the-country vacation and adventure, East or West, Kenya is a good place to start. Read on for a breakdown of how to go about the trip, the logistics and the cost of navigating the 'Pride of Africa'.
Uganda and Kenya have a lot in common starting from colonial history to the official language so much so that Uganda adopted Swahili as a second official language. Apart from the famous Uganda vs. Kenya Twitter wars, you are likely to encounter a lot of things that won't be familiar and won’t naturally appeal to you or come off as strange.
To be fair, I didn't go all the way to Nairobi and instead camped in Nakuru. If Nairobi is the yardstick of the Kenyan experience then I didn't miss out on much, according to the Nakuru residents.
Nevertheless, adjusting to life in Nakuru, Kenya is still another thing entirely and these tips will give you a solid heads-up.
1. Border patrol
If you are on a budget-budget, then a road trip by bus is likely in your lane. Depending on the bus company, your ticket (to and from) may cost between Shs250,000 or more. You soak in over six hours of Uganda's Eastern Frontier before coming up against the border. A national Identification card or passport will suffice including the COVID-19 vaccine certificate (which has been removed from the list of requirements as of August 2023.) However, have your Yellow Fever Card ready with you or be ready to spend Kshs3500 (UgShs88,000) or more.
2. Changing to Kenya currency
The money exchange is dizzying! Each time you have to pay for something you have to do quick maths of the 25.35 or 30 exchange rate. You can exchange your Uganda money for the Kenyan currency at the border using the brokers crawling the place. It is easier, faster and cheaper all things considered.
3. The grey land and cool air
Perhaps it was because I travelled in the last months of the year but I did not feel a touch of warmth once! So pack your warm clothes and accessories just in case your system fails to adjust to the environment. Nakuru is grey, I almost missed the red-brown dust back home. It feels less like you are dusty and more like you are pale from not using Vaseline or lotion.
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4. TukTuks are everywhere and exciting!
TukTuks are not common in Uganda and if you take a ride in one and enjoy it, the experience haunts you forever because it is not common. This auto rickshaw is a hallmark of vacation and adventure in Kenya. It is a nice break from taxis, Uber, and boda bodas and somehow more fancy than all those combined.
READ: These 6 cheap ways to travel are 'impossible' in Uganda
5. Coca Cola
Kenya has a Coca-Cola glass bottle size I had never seen let alone touched. At first, I thought the difference was my head because it was my first time outside Uganda. And my hosts didn't know what I was talking about because they have never seen anything different. I felt like a character in "The Gods Must Be Crazy" marvelling at the bottle. I fell in love with it! It, dare I say, tasted better?
6. Architecture and Airbnb
A fully furnished self-contained AirBnB can go for Kshs2,000 per day depending on the location. It helps to have someone on the other side help you get a good one. A notable aspect of Kenyan architecture is its doors. They are similar to the metal ones in Uganda but have a sort of "holding box" to prevent the key from falling inside. It is genius, I don't know why we don't have it here.
7. Kenya's Ugali is overrated!
Posho is an informal noun for an upper-class person. In this case, it fitting for Uganda's Ugali because it is upper-class from Kenya's Ugali. I don't know whether it is the type of maize flour or the preparation method, but I have never appreciated posho more. Unfortunately, it doesn't get better from there in the food department.
They have something called "Nyama Bite" which is basically raw sausage. Trying to fry it doesn't help! They also have a street food called "Mutura" which is a hot dog of animal intestines but I couldn't hear the praise over the alarm of food poisoning in my head.
So, yes Kenya might package their maize flour as we package our wheat flour but as far as Ugali is concerned, Uganda's posho is better.