Category Archives: TIA

Guide to Banjul, Gambia

A guest post By @Varyanne

Getting There : I went to Banjul through Lagos, having used Kenya Airways (KQ) to get to Lagos for approx. $900 that was paid by the host organization. I then used Arik Air from Lagos to Banjul which was a three hour flight, and the ticket cost approx. $700, also paid by the host organization.

On Arrival: First, having come from Nairobi, which was cold at the time, walking out of the plane (in Lagos) felt like stepping into a sauna that was pre-heated for too long. I heard there was air conditioning but they might as well have spent the money on some kind of indoor sprinkler system.

I met two other Kenyans who were going to the Africa Commission on Human Rights Conference so I stuck around with them. We got help from one of the immigration officers who collected the passports from all transiting passengers. He didn’t give a reason, but he was the immigration officer so we were in safe hands, we hoped. The officer walked us through what seemed like a maze without telling us where we were going, but he was very friendly so it didn’t matter, and we walked with him through many security check points till we ended up in an office with a big industrial fan that seemed to be blowing more hot air than fanning.

Since our flight from Lagos to Banjul was eight hours away, we went to find ‘VIP’ lounges where we could shower and enjoy proper air conditioning, and Wi-Fi of course. We left the officer filling in our passport details in some kind of register, with the understanding that we were to go back to the office 3 hours before the flight to Banjul. We paid $40 to get into one lounge which offered a plate of food, good Wi-Fi, showers, escape from the sauna and as many drinks as we wanted, soft or otherwise. The immigration officer made the trip easy for us, we didn’t have to pay for anything in Lagos.Banjul airport

We finally got to Banjul at 2 a.m. on 22nd April having left Nairobi on the 21st at 9a.m. At Banjul airport, we had to pay $25 for entry clearance, but residents in the ECOWAS region did not have to pay. Curiously, travelers in our group including Germans, Singaporean, and Americans did not have to pay either.

Getting Around: There are yellow and green taxis (both saloon cars) which are used for public transportation in Gambia. The yellow taxis are more like the public buses or ‘matatus’ in Kenya, while the green taxis are the…cabs, which are costlier. Generally the yellow taxis charge 8 Dalasi (20 Kes) for short distances, while the green cabs charged me 150 Dalasi (350 Kes / ~3.50) to go from the venue of the conference to the hotel where I was staying and back to the conference venue – about 15km total.carving

I saw a group of young people walking leisurely at 11pm on my way back to the hotel, and I imagine it is safe to walk in Banjul than it is to walk in Nairobi.

The official language in Gambia is Wolof, which replaced English in 2014 when President Yahya Jammeh declared English a colonial relic. Most people I met spoke English so communication wasn’t difficult.

I used Gambian Dalasi while there and spent on average 800 Dalasi daily ($20) on food and transportation.

Staying In Touch: While there, I did not make any calls from my phone. I relied on Wi-Fi at the hotel and at the conference venue to send messages and to make calls (on whatsapp). I was only there for three days so I didn’t see the need to get a SIM card, and the most popular telco in Gambia is Airtel.

beach houseWhere to Stay: I stayed at Lemon Creek hotel and the other Kenyans stayed at Kairaba Beach hotel. From the two, it seemed like it costs between $100 to $300 to stay in a slightly above 3-star and slightly below 4-star hotel. Both hotels were right by the beach, and we had no complaints.

There was no power outage during my stay.

Eating Out: Since I didn’t leave the hotel or the conference venue, I didn’t get to find out what the local dishes were. I did however eat more tomato soup than I have in my entire life, on this trip. meal

Odd Points: The policemen (I didn’t see any policewomen) are extremely friendly. At any stop, the policemen would have a quick minute of chitchat with whoever the driver was. They weren’t as stern looking or as up-to-no-good looking as the kind of policemen I’m used to seeing.

 

Guide to Bukavu

A guest post by @abbyqoey

Getting There: We did not take a direct flight to Bukavu. We flew with Kenya Airways to Kigali (Rwanda) then took a taxi to Rusizi the border town between Rwanda and DRC (South Kivu).

On Arrival: The Kigali International Airport is pretty fast and efficient. As an East African citizen, I did not have to pay any taxes or get visa to go through Rwanda. However, for non-East Africans you have to make a visa application online otherwise even the authorities from the point of origin (Nairobi) won’t let you fly to Rwanda (it happened to my Canadian colleague and he missed his flight from Nairobi to Kigali. They also do not allow visa payments at the airport – which differs from the information on their website)

The taxi ride takes about 5 hours one way, and it’s a scenic route through the forest on a really good road. The border crossing was not too hectic. It took about 10 minutes on the Rwandan side and about 15 minutes on the DRC side. People have to be wary of the moneychangers on the Rwandan side. The guy at the border office warned me that they sometimes give people fake currency and it’s safer to just stick to the legit bureaus.

Getting Around: We has a personal driver to take us round and this was mostly because we were working in a village that was about 1.5 hours out of Bukavu city. I did notice that locals took either small saloon cars or what appeared to be 14-seater vans to get round the city. These vehicles were mostly in a sorry state, but there were quite a number of taxis in a much better state. We took one once at night and it turned out okay. Out in the village we saw quite a few lorries transporting cargo and people, and we were told this is a popular form of public transport out there.

The locals speak French and Swahili. The Swahili dialect was quite different to what we speak in Kenya. Some people do speak English but they are few and so we had a local translator helping us for our time there. Our host client hired the driver and translator for us.

During the day we felt pretty secure walking around. We would sometimes walk around 7:00 pm to a restaurant near our hotel but we were a bit antsy doing it as we had been warned about doing so at a security briefing given by our host client. We also had to make sure we were out of the field by 3:00 pm so as to get to Bukavu by 5:00 pm. We noticed the streets emptied out really early in the night (compared to Nairobi).

Staying in Touch: We were able to use our personal mobile phones. We got new phones and local SIM cards too. We chose Tigo as our carrier, over other available carriers like Airtel, Orange and Vodacom. But sometimes we had problems making local and international calls via the network. Our friends and family also reported having problems while trying to call us from Nairobi. That said, the quality of calls when they worked was good.

We also had access to Wi-Fi at the hotel we stayed at, at some places we frequented for dinner and also at the office we sometimes worked out from.

Where to Stay: We paid $60 USD per night for B&B at the Horizon Hotel, which was for a simple standard room. The lights kept going off a lot of the times and most places in the city seemed to have generators.

We didn’t use any credit cards. We ‘d use both the USD and Congolese Franc. You can pay for something in USD and get the change back in Francs, dollars or both. On average I spent about $22 per day, usually on food.

Eating Out: There was a lot of plantain and different types of fish in the local hotel we frequented. There was also cassava, sweet potatoes, yams, rice, ugali, pork and a kind of eggplant stew. Lunch was always buffet style so I couldn’t really tell what was the staple dish. Also, mayonnaise was served with meals at almost all the hotels.

Beer is mostly in one-litre bottles and goes for around $5. A double tot of rum, whisky and other spirits is an upward of $10 and a red wine carafe was about $20.

Shopping & Sightseeing There is an area that has a lot of colorful Congolese fabric. My colleague got some for his aunt and friend.

Gorilla trekking is something I would recommend for those who are fit. This is because it entails about an hour’s drive out of the city and then walking through a hilly forest to get to where the gorillas chill J in the Kahuzi-Biega park area

You can also chose to take a ferry ride to Goma in North Kivu and go see some volcano. We heard it’s awesome but we couldn’t manage the logistics given the limited time we had. (You need to book for an excursion online, go across Lake Kivu to Goma, get a vehicle to get you to Mt. Nyiragongo which you then scale and then spend a night at the top – as it’s best to view the volcano at night).

Odd Points: The country uses two currencies, the US dollar and the Congolese Franc. The Franc notes were quite old, like really old and tattered. The Congolese would happily trade in these notes but if you gave someone a dollar with even the slightest of rips or dent they wouldn’t take it. They’d tell you stuff like, “This is not money here.”

Guide to Seychelles

A guest post by @Honoluluskye about a visit to Seychelles. In it’s November issue, Vanity Fair featured a travel guide to the Seychelles which has 115 islands, located 1,000 miles east of Kenya, which is the closest point on mainland Africa.

Getting There: I used United Airlines miles to purchase the flight so it was a much better deal than the going market price (which I believe is about $1,500 USD per person). I used 70,000 miles and paid about $250 USD in taxes for two people round-trip with a 1 week layover in Ethiopia on the way back.

On Arrival: It was very easy to go through. The great thing about Seychelles (and Ethiopia) for Kenyans is that there is no visa needed. We got a pick-up at the airport included in our lodging so I’m not sure the exact cost but taxis are not cheap. It could cost between $20 – $50 USD to get from the airport to your lodging.

Getting Around: Most locals use the bus system which is quite reliable. It comes every 30 minutes or so and costs 5 Seychelles rupees ($0.37 USD) per person per trip. However, as a tourist you will probably want to rent a car (about $50 USD a day) as it is much more convenient to move around the island.

It is very safe and secure (esp. as compared to Nairobi). We were just told to watch our belongings and that pickpocketing has become more common but no violent crime.

Where to Stay: We used Airbnb and paid approximately $90/night. Most hotels are between $150 – 300 USD/night. Electrcity is quite reliable, and they have the British plug system.

Staying In Touch: You can purchase a SIM card quite easily (about $3.75 for the SIM card and some airtime credit). Data is expensive to use on the SIM and phone calls cost more than they do in Kenya. Also, it’s hard to find Wi-Fi hotspots or cybers.

Shopping & Sight-Seeing: While most Seychellois use Creole (a pidgin French), most in the tourist sector are able to speak English well.

The capital city, Victoria is a small town walkable in about an hour or less. You might be able to find some gifts there but there’s not much to purchase. We stopped by a grocery store to buy some vanilla tea and also brought home some coconut oil. There is a local rum, Takamaka Rum, that one can purchase either at local shops or even at the airport to take back to your home country.

The main sights are the beaches!!! We especially recommend Petit Anse on Mahe Island and La Source D’Argent on La Digue Island. Hiking is also great. We recommend Copolia trail on Mahe Island and Anse Major.A beach in Seychelles

Eating Out: Most Seychellois (locals) eat at home so there are very few tasty and reasonably priced restaurants targeted to locals. Most restaurants are expensive and targeted at tourists.

The main local food is seafood (esp. fish). There is a delicious sauce called creole sauce that can be put on everything. Local beer is called SeyBrew and goes for about $1.50 USD – and easy to get anywhere.

Lunch could go for as much as $50 and dinner between $50 – $100 so if you plan on going to tourist joints, I would budget about $150 a day. We ate at smaller kiosks/take-away so we were able to get by on about $50 a day.

 

Dakar & Mauritius Redux

Updating previous visits by @Honoluluskye and @kkaaria, here are more travel tales from Dakar  and Mauritius  by @kahenya and @carolmusyoka respectively 

Dakar
Getting There:  My best bet on this would be to fly from Nairobi, through Addis to Bamako and then on to Dakar. It’s a more comfortable ride than Kenya Airways (KQ) and from what I heard, has better quality of inflight services. KQ was delayed at take-off and was not really worth it. Cost of the ticket return is about US$ 1400 + tax.
Senegal now has an Embassy in Runda, Nairobi – and it’s mandatory that you obtain a visa here, or you’ll get turned back in Dakar. The visa process is not really complicated, but also accept that there are numerous delays at the embassy, and book way ahead of your travel (about  3 weeks. The cost for the visa (for under 30 days) is Kshs 1,750 for Africans and Kshs 3,500 for non-Africans.
On Arrival: In Dakar, getting out of the airport was fairly easy; they scrutinize your visa and picture to ensure that it is you, but once you get your passport stamped, you are good to go. It took about 45 minutes from getting off the plane to getting into the hotel. There were no unexpected taxes or fees, and the cost of a taxi back and forth between our hotel, and the airport was about US$ 15.00.
Getting Around: I stayed in the hotel where the conference was so there wasn’t much commuting taking place. There are numerous ways to get around, from what seemed to be a well-built bus service, but more  common were small taxis which are very reasonably priced for the distances covered.
Bring your French with you, and it will get difficult, so it is always best to get the hotel concierge involved if you are uncertain about where you want to go, but for the seasoned traveller, walk out of the hotel, walk a bit of a distance and then flag down a taxi and you are guaranteed to get reduced rates. Walking is also a good way to get around, and I did that a lot, in the evenings when it was cooler.
Not once, did I feel insecure about walking around at night, and I did walk out as late as 1.00 AM. I was told to mind vendors who can be very pushy but that was it. I could not quite remember being warned about crime and did not see anything happen. Its quite a peaceful place.
Social Scene: For something good, expect to pay about US$ 200+ per night though it may get affordable. In 3 days, the electricity failed once for a few minutes and that was it. I ate dinner out twice, which cost about Kshs 1,000 per meal. There was a lot of fish involved, and rice. I randomly picked meals and they were quite good.
I used a bit of extremely bad French and English. I did not ever once run into an English written publication. Everything was French. A lot of the Senegal people I met were more interested in telling me where their fabric shops were and talk about Gorée Island, but besides all that, did not quite talk much else. When it comes to Agriculture, I watched a news clip one evening, and if my French was right, the government was encouraging people to focus more on agriculture and was going as far as creating access to clean and safe water for consumption and agriculture.
 
Stay in Touch:  Making calls was very easy. I bought a SIM card from Orange/Sonatel, put it into my phone, waited about 30 minutes for it to be activated and that was it. The network also has monthly BlackBerry packages, but it seemed overkill to buy that for 4 days.  Roaming from Dakar is expensive, hence the choice of buying a local SIM-card – and if you save your numbers in the + {country code} {number} format, it is as easy as dialing as if you are at home. Call quality was ok, but sometimes sounded poor as most of their international calls are routed through VoIP.
Calling from Senegal across Africa and overseas seemed to be affordable, possibly the most affordable city in Africa! I topped up about Kshs 850 ($10) and that was more than enough for me to call Kenya, South Africa, China and USA every single day for a few minutes and text non-stop. I also managed to find the Tablet Cafe at Medina set up by Google which was impressive and the hotel had very good Wi-Fi hotspots that allowed for Skype access.
Odd Points:  The Senegalese are a bunch of really nice people, very warm and affectionate and really go out of their way to make you feel at home. What I found odd was that they also work out a lot, and right outside the hotel, you will find local joggers every morning and evening – more than I have seen anywhere else in the world. A taxi driver pointed to some senior government official going for a jog with 2 bodyguards one afternoon.
Somewhat related, the Minister of Communication, Telecommunications and Digital Economy, Cheikh Abiboulaye Dieye, impressed by arriving on time to give his speech, and then keeping to the allotted time without diverging into political rhetoric or making outlandish statements.
Going to Gorée Island had to be the highlight of the trip, seeing the actual guns used in the making of the movie, The Guns of Navarone, which were actual forward artillery pieces during World War II made it just about the best thing there is to see, but also learning (and seeing) about what slaves had to endure before being shipped off to the New World. Even the movies we watch today have nothing on the reality of what really happened.
Shopping & Sight-Seeing: There are many European style malls – like Sea Plaza which was right next to the hotel, which put places like Westgate and Junction to shame. I guess many of this malls are there due to the proximity to Europe an actual real focus on investment as well as French and Arab influences which are easy to see. It shocked me that things there are quite affordable even in malls, unlike Kenya where buying some things seems to be a compromise if you are buying for a mall. I bought a lot of fabric and artwork, as well as some books to read and catch up on my French.
I spent about US$ 500 for shopping and stuff, managed to get a bit of bowling done, went out for drinks and a cigar at some fancy lounge and stuff like that.
Biggest surprise about the Country: Honestly, after watching news clips about Dakar, I expected a downtrodden backward country, but that was not the case. Dakar is a beautiful and fairly well developed country. There were times you could not distinguish between being in Dakar and being say in Corsica or Ibiza due to the Mediterranean atmosphere. Their Duty-Free was also very impressive, featuring a tobacconist where obviously, I had to make a stop and shop.
 
Mauritius
Getting There: You have two options; Nairobi-Madagascar via Kenya Airways, then Madagascar-Mauritius via Air Mauritius or a direct Nairobi-Mauritius flight on Air Mauritius.  Though direct flights are only on Saturday, Tuesday and Thursday, it is preferable as Madagascar is horrible, and can take up to five hours during which you wait in a room without food and drink. Tickets cost about $700.
On arrival, there is no visa requirement just a yellow fever certificate requirement. It was a very busy immigration area but the officials are friendly.
Getting Around: There is a public transport system and taxis are available, but I didn’t use any as I was at a conference. I also felt pretty safe getting around. They are insane about speeding and there’s a deep respect for speed limits in designated zones as there are traffic cameras and strong penalties for breaches.
Communications: Do not use Safaricom roaming…..horrifically expensive. the hotel i stayed in was all-inclusive and had Wi-Fi but it was very slow.
Social Stuff
– English is widely spoken. French too and the Mauritians are exceedingly friendly!!!
–  A good hotel will cost about 100 euros all-inclusive and the electricity was quite reliable
– In terms of food, there is lots of Indian influence so a staple is rice and curry.
Shopping & sight-seeing: Port Louis market and Gran Baie lovely for shopping and hanging around – and there is plenty of tourist stuff to do like boat tours, swimming etc.
Biggest surprise about the country?  How small it was – 65 kilometers long and about  45 kilometers wide

Guide to Juba

@mankangwafo visits the world’s newest country – South Sudan

Getting there: Traveling to the Republic of South Sudan is not a simple task as few airlines serve Juba, the Capital and largest city in the world’s newest Republic. If you are coming from Nairobi, Kenya Airways (KQ), Fly540, and Jetlink (until last week) are your direct flight options. KQ has several daily flights to Juba and tickets range from US$400-$600, a steep price for a 90-minute flight. Edit: Other flights to Juba are with Egypt Air (via Cairo), Ethiopian Airlines (via Addis Ababa), and Air Uganda (via Entebbe).

While most eager businessmen and doe-eyed development workers might shell out the cost of a ticket, the government’s new visa requirements could be a hurdle for some. Applicants are expected to have invitation letters and business documents explaining the purpose of their trip. A single journey visa (valid for a month) costs US$100 and a multiple entry visa costs even more. Also required are two photos, a valid yellow fever card and a travel permit (if you had visited South Sudan before independence).

Once in Juba, getting through immigration, baggage claim and customs is daunting as the arrival lounge is a large empty space with few signs and  no air conditioning. The heat is exacerbated by the large number of passengers struggling to claim their bags and get them checked by customs in no defined sequence – and unclear signage has some visitors claiming their bags before being checked by immigration instead of the other way round. There are no unexpected taxes at the airport and a cab ride into the heart of Juba town ranges from 30-45 South Sudanese Pounds (SSP) or (US$10–$15 at the official dollar rate). English is the national language, though  most people speak Arabic as well.

Accommodation: Finding a decent hotel at an affordable price is a challenge as there is no apparent standard for hotels and bed and breakfasts. On average, a simple hotel room (either prefab or cement) ranges from US$160 – $400 with breakfast included. Full board prices can range between US$180 to US$500. But, the higher prices  do not guarantee accommodation equal to a five-star hotel.

Cows block traffic on main road in Juba town.

The most recent crisis between Sudan and South Sudan has gravely affected South Sudan’s economy and the cost of living has significantly increased, with inflation high and foreign reserves are low. The black market price of the SSP is almost 50%  higher than its official rate. This, (among other reasons) coupled with the fact that it is a landlocked country with limited agricultural productivity, has caused food prices to be significantly higher now than they were a year ago. One can easily spend about 60SSP (US$20) on a meal of fish and chips. There are cheaper options, however, as you can find a delicious meal of ugali and Sukuma or foule in some restaurants.

Communications: Getting a local SIM card is pretty easy. Most people have two lines either Vivacell or Gemtel. For international calls, Gemtel is relatively cheaper than Vivacell. Unfortunately, neither Safaricom (Kenya) or T-Mobile (USA) SIM’s have network coverage in South Sudan. Other MTN subscribers are able to roam in most parts of the country, but getting data on mobile devices with Vivacell or Gemtel is difficult as it needs to be configured at headquarters.

South Sudan does not yet have a power grid. All electricity is supplied by generators further hampering the business environment and increasing the demand/importance of oil. Getting a steady Wi-Fi connection can be costly, and while most hotels have V-SAT’s and free Wi-Fi for guests, the bandwidth is usually really slow. The best time to get a decent connection is usually after 9 p.m. The costs for internet access ranges from about 1 – 4 SSP per minute, and cybercafés have 30 minute and hour-long bundles.

Social scene: There are several hotel restaurants, bars and barely a handful of clubs. That said, South Sudanese are very warm and welcoming. Most discussions there are about politics, football, nationalism and the future of the new republic. Unfortunately, I did not get to taste any typical South Sudanese food, but you can be sure to find a tasty dish of nyama choma, ugali and other East African delicacies. One unique thing to South Sudan is that it has its own beer labels, brewed locally. Try a Nile Special, White Bull or Club Pilsner—all local brewed by SABMiller.

Safety: Even though there have been more reports of crimes—particularly in the Jebel Hills—Juba is still relatively safe. There are police checkpoints along the main roads after midnight, but as a general rule, it would be wise to travel with a group of people and be mindful of your surroundings. While some foreigners have reported being harassed, I haven’t experienced that.  As the country is still pretty new, there are few developed tourist sites. However, if you are into outdoor activity, a hike up Jebel hills is worth it.

Random fact: In South Sudan, there are SUVs—yes including Hummers and Porsches—everywhere. In fact, its not uncommon to see someone with a luxury SUV and no actual home. More recently, there are several matatu-style buses operating in Juba. I tried to take one but was advised against it because they do not always have defined routes.

Other Travel Tips:  

  • There are few ATMs in Juba, so be sure to have hard currency (preferably US$ or SSP). If carrying US$ make sure you have US$100 and US$50 notes—few places (if any) accept 1, 5, 10 or 20s. Also, make sure your US$ notes were printed after 2006. 
  • Do not forget to take malaria prophylactics at least two weeks before your trip to South Sudan and also try to get a typhoid vaccine.
  • The quickest and cheapest way to get around the city is by Boda Boda. But, though efficient, Boda’s are a bit more dangerous in Juba than elsewhere in the region because of the rough terrain.
  • Most hotels have potable water, but if traveling outside Juba be sure to carry a bottle or two of water.
  • If you are traveling out of Juba have a mosquito net & insect repellent handy. There are few hotels outside the main cities and you might have to stay in a tukul (hut).