Diani is on the South Coast of Kenya. This generally means anything south of Mombasa. Here, you will find a less crowded alternative to the tourism machinery of the North Coast. Getting to the South Coast either means flying into Ukunda Airstrip, or taking the ferry from Mombasa Island. The latter means braving the choking Mombasa…
A thrilling cave restaurant in the South Coast of Kenya It had been 10 years since our last visit to Ali Barbour’s Cave Restaurant. Back then, in 2007, the place was a hidden, romantic, and generally unknown gem. Even most visitors in Diani hadn’t heard about it, and it was only thanks to the recommendation of…
Kenya – Africa’s infrastructure powerhouse Kenya’s ongoing infrastructure boom started with former President Mwai Kibaki. Grand projects like Thika Road, and the Northern, Eastern, and Southern Bypasses in Nairobi, ushered in a national sense of yes-we-can. This has become part of the contemporary Kenyan mindset. Kibaki also rehabilitated national roads, like Nairobi-Mombasa, Nairobi-Nakuru, Emali-Oloitoktok, etc. In less than a…
Police corruption exists in all countries. In some places, the vice is more prevalent than elsewhere, though. While all African countries have their fair share of dirty cops, the phenomenon manifests itself in quite different ways from country to country. Having traveled across the continent for 14 years, I am no stranger to police corruption…
Kitagata – a very local attraction in Western Uganda Located about an hour’s drive from Mbarara in Western Uganda, the Kitagata Hot Springs are an important local attraction of the region. I say “local”, because you won’t find a lot of foreign tourists there. People from all around the region and the country, flock to…
Gwalior – a spectacular site where you are likely to be the only tourist Gwalior is about as far off the beaten track as a tourist can get in India. Few travelers have this city of 1 million people on their itinerary. The place doesn’t seem to have received many foreign visitor since Ibn Battuta….
Kenya ecstatic about Obama’s great “homecoming” When I first moved to Kenya in 2002, the then Illinois State Senator Barack Obama was already a name in the news, before 90% of Americans had even heard about him. To most Kenyans, the historic night in November 2008 was more of an apotheosis than an election. Today, every…
As tourism gets a long needed reprieve, new e-visa rules snap defeat from the jaws of victory! On June 18th, the British government finally eased the travel advisory on most of the Coast region in Kenya. The advisory had been in place since the Westgate terror attacks. It has been detrimental to Kenya’s travel and…
The resilience of Kenya’s economy surprises even the harshest pessimists On September 17th and 18th 2013, IMF held A conference in Nairobi in praise of the economic environment in Kenya. Throughout the country, a tangible optimism was spreading that a long period of robust economic growth was in the offings. Five days later, gunshots and…
Seven points to remember when traveling via JKIA Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi is undoubtedly one of the most modern and efficient airports in Sub-Saharan Africa. Recently expanded with the new Terminal 1A, the old parts of Terminal 1 are gradually being renovated too, while a temporary Terminal 2 has boosted the already-stretched capacity of the airport…
