We (21yo woman and 22yo man) are flying into Nairobi on 24th Jan, and are hoping to catch a bus straight down to Arusha in Tanzania. I'd assumed that this would be fairly straightforward (have visited this region before and have family in Arusha) but according to my government's travel advisory website this border crossing is known for banditry? Is this true, or is it the SmartTraveler website being its usual pessimistic self?
What would be the easiest way to do this? How long does this trip take? Is it better to take a public bus or a private minivan? How much is it likely to cost?
As an aside, how safe is Nairobi? I have visited before (in 2005) and don't recall it striking me as an unsafe place, but I appreciate the situation may have changed.
Bus from Nairobi to Arusha?
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Banditry? I cant comment on the banditry part, as I have not heard that at all. Maybe when the new road was being built there was a detour where something happened? anyways...The new road is mostly complete, so it should(guess) only take 5 hrs. I dont know how much the public buses are, but shuttles can be had for $35 each way
There are several shuttle buses that do this route every day. Whether or not you can catch the bus right away depends on what time your international flight arrives into NBO. You can do a search for the companies. Most seem to have two shuttles daily out of NBO... 8am or 2pm. The trips seem to take about 5 hours or more and cost $30 to $35 one way. Or, you can take a 50-minute flight on Precision Air... more expensive, but you don't lose a day, if that's a concern. I haven't seen any reports of "banditry" at the border... pickpockets, maybe.
Have a look at this thread - it is a couple of years old, but there is some useful info about traveling by bus between Nairobi and Arusha. In my experience, banditry will be the least of your worries! CR
http://www.fodors.com/community/africa-the-middle-east/bus-from-nairobi-to-arusha.cfm
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If your flight arrives in the late hours of the night or very early morning, it is probably best to stay in the airport until sunrise. The shuttles don't run then anyway. There have been some new issues around Nairobi after dark, but I have not heard of anything between Nairobi and Arusha lately.
Many of the shuttles can also stop at the airport and pick you up on their way from Nairobi to Arusha. As already mentioned most have two departures at 8am and 2pm, taking about 5-6 hours. You could try contacting Riverside Shuttles to arrange an airport pick up, if your flight is arriving at a convenient time.
Namanga border is probably the busiest crossing between Kenya and Tanzania, and I've never heard stories about banditry around there.
Nairobi is reasonably safe if you keep your wits about you ... as with anywhere you travel. There's reports of terrorist attacks but they are mainly happening in the East of the city, which is not really the touristy area. As the common wisdom says, you should avoid walking around the city after dark. Ask your accommodation to arrange a trusted taxi if you want to go out for dinner or something.
Now I'm going to go and check Smart Traveller