Kenya July/August 2007
Jun 11th, 2007, 11:58 AM
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Kenya July/August 2007
Though a little shaken by all of the recent news re: Mungiki violence, explosions, etc... we are moving forward with our Kenya safari next month (July 29-August 11) as planned (though thinking we might limit or omit our excursions in and around Nairobi). I have received several e-mails from concerned friends/family who have been following the headines. We have dreamed of going on safari for years--it would make me personally feel better to know that we are not the only ones still on board. Anyone else traveling to Kenya in the next month or so?
Jun 11th, 2007, 12:08 PM
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Hi Maria,
Don't know if I can say anything that will make you feel better, but we'll be there in 21 days. Granted we will only spend the day before we go to Tanzania and the day after our Safari, but we haven't given it a second thought.
enjoy,
Duane
Don't know if I can say anything that will make you feel better, but we'll be there in 21 days. Granted we will only spend the day before we go to Tanzania and the day after our Safari, but we haven't given it a second thought.
enjoy,
Duane
Jun 11th, 2007, 04:29 PM
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I am not scheduled for Kenya this summer, but when I checked the US State Dept website, I did not see new warnings. (Maybe there will be but none at the moment.) In contrast, there was mention of a public employee strike that could affect travel for the next couple of months in South Africa.
Jun 11th, 2007, 05:22 PM
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I'm going to Kenya at the end of June and will stay there for a month. Will post here again if the situation is bad. I've been in contat with people there and things do not seem to be as bad as they look on TV and in the news. At least that's what I've been told.
Jun 12th, 2007, 06:30 AM
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We are leaving the US east coast on the 24th of June (very soon) and will be staying one night in Nairobi (26th)before starting safari in Kenya and then Tanzania. Also saw the latest news about the bombing and are concerned but won't cancel because of. Too much invested and looking forward to our first time on safari in Africa. Just keep praying.
Jun 12th, 2007, 08:24 AM
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We just got back, and I wouldn't hesitate to go in a second tody, or tomorrow, or next week.
My theory is that anything can happen anytime, anywhere - and when it's your time - it's your time.
I also thought back to two weeks ago when we were there, and how 'coddled' & well taken care of we were as tourists. Pretty well anywhere we went there was guards at the gate (eg Carnivore, Daphne Sheldricks, KWS orphanage, Norfolk Hotel, etc.) some, if not all, with guns.
Our driver guide (Kennedy, but I am sure this would go for most if not all driver/guides in Nairobi) is aware of where not to take us, or if we insist (as in when Jim went to buy a couple of cans of Tusker at a downtown store at night), then he was sure to take us in the store, not just let us go in on our own.
The people & sights of Nairobi are so incredible, it would be a shame not to spend some time there. I probably at this time would not go on my own walking around, but hire a driver/guide and go around with ease.
My theory is that anything can happen anytime, anywhere - and when it's your time - it's your time.
I also thought back to two weeks ago when we were there, and how 'coddled' & well taken care of we were as tourists. Pretty well anywhere we went there was guards at the gate (eg Carnivore, Daphne Sheldricks, KWS orphanage, Norfolk Hotel, etc.) some, if not all, with guns.
Our driver guide (Kennedy, but I am sure this would go for most if not all driver/guides in Nairobi) is aware of where not to take us, or if we insist (as in when Jim went to buy a couple of cans of Tusker at a downtown store at night), then he was sure to take us in the store, not just let us go in on our own.
The people & sights of Nairobi are so incredible, it would be a shame not to spend some time there. I probably at this time would not go on my own walking around, but hire a driver/guide and go around with ease.
Jun 12th, 2007, 05:58 PM
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My daughter and I went to London after the bombings there. My husband and I went to Egypt after they had bombings. There even was a bomb in Las Vegas just before we went there in May. So there can be violence anywhere, at anytime. We are still planning on doing our safari in Sept. In fact it is almost time for the final payment. We feel that you can wait forever for it to be "safe" or just do it.
Julie
Julie
Jun 13th, 2007, 01:32 PM
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We are going Aug.1; yes nervous when hearing the news but Nairobi is a city of 3 million people! I imagine you could put yourself in serious danger walking around the wrong parts of New York too!
We are taking our 3 children so of course I am concerned. Does anyone know if we are OK staying at the Lenana Hotel which is in Milimani and we plan to take a taxi to David Shedricks, Carnivore and the giraffe place in daylight only. Does this sound safe to you guys? We've taken Muthare off our itinerary (kidding!)
I haven't actually heard where the bombing was. Can someone fill me in?
Does anyone know where Muthare is relative to the downtown area? I'm assuming fairly far on the outskirts in some direction but don't know for sure. I'll definitely freak out if I even hear the word Mungiki while I'm there!
We are taking our 3 children so of course I am concerned. Does anyone know if we are OK staying at the Lenana Hotel which is in Milimani and we plan to take a taxi to David Shedricks, Carnivore and the giraffe place in daylight only. Does this sound safe to you guys? We've taken Muthare off our itinerary (kidding!)
I haven't actually heard where the bombing was. Can someone fill me in?
Does anyone know where Muthare is relative to the downtown area? I'm assuming fairly far on the outskirts in some direction but don't know for sure. I'll definitely freak out if I even hear the word Mungiki while I'm there!
Jun 14th, 2007, 06:01 AM
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Abbyo:
The bombing/explosion incident occurred on Moi Avenue in front of the City Gate restaurant/Ambassadeur hotel. Apparently there is a busy matatu stop at that location. I did have a hotel/landmarks map on hand that showed the location of the hotel and was able to determine its location relative to the Serena, where we are staying. I have pulled every tourist map of Nairobi that I can find to try to determine the location of Mathare and have so far been unsuccessful.
I am in the U.S. and I have to go into "research mode" just to find any Kenya news. I am trying to be generally aware of current events, politics, etc... and the best sources I've come across have been allafica.com and bbc's website.
Thank all of you for your replies. My husband and I were discussing this thread over coffee this morning and I think I have been able to put things in a realistic perspective. That there are others planning to travel, that there are hundreds (thousands?) of tourists in Kenya today--flying on the same planes, going to the same places, doing the same things we're planning to do--and that, so far (to my knowledge, but I have not read the news this morning) tourists have not been targeted, is reassuring. We aren't going to go on the trip naiive and don't plan to let our guard down. Yes, there is a risk, but it is satistically very small. In contrast, there were 3 fatal accidents this week on the strip of interstate we travel every day to get to work.
The bombing/explosion incident occurred on Moi Avenue in front of the City Gate restaurant/Ambassadeur hotel. Apparently there is a busy matatu stop at that location. I did have a hotel/landmarks map on hand that showed the location of the hotel and was able to determine its location relative to the Serena, where we are staying. I have pulled every tourist map of Nairobi that I can find to try to determine the location of Mathare and have so far been unsuccessful.
I am in the U.S. and I have to go into "research mode" just to find any Kenya news. I am trying to be generally aware of current events, politics, etc... and the best sources I've come across have been allafica.com and bbc's website.
Thank all of you for your replies. My husband and I were discussing this thread over coffee this morning and I think I have been able to put things in a realistic perspective. That there are others planning to travel, that there are hundreds (thousands?) of tourists in Kenya today--flying on the same planes, going to the same places, doing the same things we're planning to do--and that, so far (to my knowledge, but I have not read the news this morning) tourists have not been targeted, is reassuring. We aren't going to go on the trip naiive and don't plan to let our guard down. Yes, there is a risk, but it is satistically very small. In contrast, there were 3 fatal accidents this week on the strip of interstate we travel every day to get to work.
Jun 18th, 2007, 06:13 PM
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I'm a female travelling planning to travel alone to Kenya/Uganda/Rwanda in July 2007. I'm planning to cancel my trip because of the security issues. I think it is a personal comfort issue. Kenya is somewhat unsafe at the best of times but I feel that it is too risky at the moment. Walking away from a $3,000 investment in the trip but my gut says it's the right thing to do. Anyone else?
Jun 19th, 2007, 12:46 AM
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Cdngirl2, certainly not me! I’ve just checked-in online and I’m leaving early tomorrow morning. The risks to tourists are the same as they have been for years, with traffic and “ordinary” crime being the by far worst. I’d worry about Mungiki if I were involved in the matatu business, residing in Mathare or working for the Kenyan police, and bombs can explode anywhere in the world.
Don’t cancel your trip!
Don’t cancel your trip!
Jun 19th, 2007, 03:35 AM
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Nothing, really. It's the situation in Kenya that I'm concerned about in addition to losing my travelling companion so that I have to go alone. I'm interested in anyone's thoughts, though. It was to be my first trip to Africa and I was really excited about it.
Jun 19th, 2007, 05:18 AM
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Cndgirl -
Of course an incident anywhere one plans to travel can get us thinking "should we" or "shouldn't we" - decisions, decisions.
However, I returned from Kenya only a day or two before this particular incident and at no time during my almost 3/weeks in Tanzania/Kenya never felt unsafe or in jeopardy.
I'm sure if anyone of us were to read the local papers of any country or in our own, we'd find all kinds of treacherous things happening - car jackings, push-in attacks, shootings and even bombings. Does that mean we don't travel to London, Paris, Madrid, New York, Toronto, Jerusalem/Tel Aviv, Cairo, Istanbul, any number of South American countries that have had incidents, etc. etc. Sad to say, it appears, nowhere is immune these days.
Headlines anywhere could drive one under the covers, never to come out till the end of days. But is this the answer? If so, then the bad guys win!
Of course, there is no guarantee anywhere in the world that one might not find themselves at the wrong place at the wrong time, but I've found that tourists to Kenya/Tanzania (and probably many others) are well protected from areas and people who may be out to do harm.
In year's past friends have walked streets/areas that had just been bombed by the IRA; we were in Europe during mid-80s, when American's were advised not to visit; we traveled to Kenya/Tanzania only 2/month after the embassy bombings and to Southern Africa a few weeks after 9/11. For me, unless someone is holding a gun to my head, a knife to my throat or metal is flying past my ears... I don't stay home, I go!
In the end, only you can decide.
Of course an incident anywhere one plans to travel can get us thinking "should we" or "shouldn't we" - decisions, decisions.
However, I returned from Kenya only a day or two before this particular incident and at no time during my almost 3/weeks in Tanzania/Kenya never felt unsafe or in jeopardy.
I'm sure if anyone of us were to read the local papers of any country or in our own, we'd find all kinds of treacherous things happening - car jackings, push-in attacks, shootings and even bombings. Does that mean we don't travel to London, Paris, Madrid, New York, Toronto, Jerusalem/Tel Aviv, Cairo, Istanbul, any number of South American countries that have had incidents, etc. etc. Sad to say, it appears, nowhere is immune these days.
Headlines anywhere could drive one under the covers, never to come out till the end of days. But is this the answer? If so, then the bad guys win!
Of course, there is no guarantee anywhere in the world that one might not find themselves at the wrong place at the wrong time, but I've found that tourists to Kenya/Tanzania (and probably many others) are well protected from areas and people who may be out to do harm.
In year's past friends have walked streets/areas that had just been bombed by the IRA; we were in Europe during mid-80s, when American's were advised not to visit; we traveled to Kenya/Tanzania only 2/month after the embassy bombings and to Southern Africa a few weeks after 9/11. For me, unless someone is holding a gun to my head, a knife to my throat or metal is flying past my ears... I don't stay home, I go!
In the end, only you can decide.
