Kenya January 2006

Thought it was about time I posted a trip report on Liisa's and my trip to Kenya. We are both MDD members so I suppose that makes it a MDD trip :-)

Having worked hard all through summer and right up to Christmas, we decided that a long break in the quieter month of January would be appropriate. We nipped into the local travel shop late one afternoon in November and asked for something warm in January. Kenya came up as an option straight away, the price was right, so three weeks were booked there and then with no real idea about where we were going. The brochure looked ok, a 4 star beachfront hotel just north of Mombassa with a dive centre on the premises.

Day one

Arrive in Mombassa very early after a night flight, eased our way through immigration. 30 minutes on a coach and we arrived at the hotel. Great hotel, we had breakfast made ourselves comfortable had a look around, sunbathed and investigated the dive centre.

Day 2,3,4 Diving… hmmm how are you supposed to see the reef with all these fish around? First dive was at shark point then on to Mushroom Reef. Viz was a respectable 15m plus and the marine life was awesome.  And after the diving we were forced to lay around getting a suntan…. The next couple of days we visited the local wreck, lobster reef, stingray city and mushroom reef again. We were amazed at the consistent 15m viz and abundant marine life on every dive.

Day 5, 6 and 7

Safari time, we visited Tsavo East and Ambroseli game reserves with a nights’ stay in each location. Safaris are hard work, with a lot of time spent in a hot and dusty minibus – but they can be very rewarding. About the only animal we didn’t see was a Rhino. 

  On the 8^th day

We rested…… well not really, rest means we didn’t go on safari and we didn’t dive! We did however take in some of the local sights and have a few local experiences, including a familiarization with local “transport systems”!

·        The “Tuk-tuk” - basically a three-wheeler that will take you most places for a few shillings. (1 shilling is les than a penny).

·        The “Boda-boda” or pushbike with a passenger seat, these guys work for their money!

·        The ‘Matatu” - local bus transport which the travel reps tell you not to use. Forget that, they are great fun cheap and a cool way of meeting the locals and getting around for a tenth of the cost of a taxi. They are everywhere, colorful and normally have some God loving slogan on them – but sometimes something much scarier… Liisa built a little photographic collection of these.

·        We also visited a local workshop where training and employment is given to disabled Kenyan women.  The products are well made and well worth purchasing. And of course you get a warm feeling knowing your purchase has made a real difference to someone who has extremely limited opportunities to compete with the equally needy able-bodied.

Day 9,10 and 11 diving

Over the three days we visited Shark point, Green Turtle Reef, Pinnacle Rock, Three Hills, Stingray City and Brain Coral Reef. Ill let the pictures below tell the story except to mention Pinnacle Rock. Pinnacle is a deeper dive, and a location where virtually no dive centers visit. The best action on the reef is a drop off at 33m where you can suspend yourself in the current and just sit back and watch all the big fish in action. Fantastic, so good we had to come back later.

Day12 and 13 rest

Being prudent we both wanted to ensure that we stayed well clear of any potential DCS issues and ensured that we had regular periods away from diving. Visited Mombassa city centre on one of those guided tours.

Day 14 15 and 16

The wall, Shelly corner, Stingray, Brain Coral, Shark Point, Stingray city (… these fish are REALLY getting in the way of the photographs…)

Day 17 and 18

A different safari this time, just a short distance south of Mombassa.  Shimba Hills was set in rain forest; the lodge was fantastic – set on stilts next to a watering hole. It’s amazing waking up to find an Elephant scratching itself against the lodge foundations. Unlike the previous safari, this one was very relaxed, you tended not to see the quantity of animals, but the quality of

what you saw was excellent, and following a ranger with a loaded rifle on foot really is as exciting as it gets.

Day 19 and 20

Back to Pinnacles, Three Hills, The Wreck,  and Green Turtle Reef. The last 2 days we were given the option of where to dive and these 4 were a must.

We managed to talk the dive centre into letting us carry stages to extend our dive by 15 or 20 minutes for Pinnacle Rock. This was apparently “a first’ for divers along Bamburi Beach! So, with a much extended bottom time we managed to spend a great deal of time on the ledge. Most of this time was unfortunately spent with Liisa fending off the amorous approaches of a large Grouper (very large) - even repelling it with a 10-liter stage didn’t put it off.

Day 21 rest

Once again rest meant loads of work.  We visited the Bamburi nature park, just across the road from the hotel.  If you survive the road crossing, you can choose to wander around the re-habilitated quarries and spot wildlife or to cycle.  We wandered along the beach, indulging in good-natured haggling with souvenir sellers on the beach (hint – as your sun-tan develops, they hassle you less).  In the last week we found an excellent Italian beach restaurant with fabulous espresso and cappuccino and consequently spent several afternoons sipping coffee in the shade, writing up logbooks and gazing across the beach at the surf rolling over the barrier reef.

Day 22 home

A daytime flight, so not as tiring as the out-going overnight flight.  A bit sad as we’d had such a great time.  To cheer ourselves up we decided there & then to go back next year! If your interested in coming with us – let me know!