|
Africa
Middle East
Asia
America
Australasia
London
to China & Japan by
Trans-Siberian Railway
or silk route
London to India
overland
London to Australia
without flying
European
& overseas Railpasses
Explore Europe with
InterRail
Taking your car:
Motorail
Non-flying
Holidays by train
Ski holidays by train
London to Paris by
Eurostar
The
end of the real Orient Express?
The luxury
Venice Simplon Orient Express
The scenic Swiss
Glacier Express
Auckland-Wellington on
The Overlander
NZ's most scenic train:
The TranzAlpine
Canada's Rockies on the
Rocky Mountaineer
Bridge over the
River Kwai
Britain's most scenic train ride
The West Highland Line
Scotland's cruise train
The Royal Scotsman
Buy train tickets & passes
online at the Seat 61
Rail Shop
Buy ferry tickets online at the
Seat 61
Ferry Shop
Comments?
Feedback? Need more help...?
Email the Man in Seat
Sixty-One..!
Sign the
guestbook
Important
note about the information on this site.
Webhosting by
Hostroute
Thank you
for visiting my site...
|
Travelling by train in Kenya...
|
If
you are willing to brave Kenya's cities (check
www.fco.gov.uk
for advice), Kenya Railways
provides the classic and very enjoyable way to travel between Nairobi and
Mombasa. Indeed,
spotting big game from the Nairobi-Mombasa night express
has always been one of Kenya's great travel experiences, so
make sure you factor the train journey into your itinerary.
On this page...
Train service
Nairobi-Mombassa
Train service
Nairobi-Kisumu
What are Kenyan trains like?
Bus service
Nairobi-Kampala
Bus services Nairobi/Mombasa-Dar es Salaam
On other pages...
Train service Dar
es Salaam - Kigoma & Mwanza
Train service Dar
es Salaam - Kapiri Mposhi
Train service
Kapiri Mposhi - Livingstone (-Victoria Falls)
Train service
Victoria Falls-Bulawayo
Train service in
South Africa
Sponsored links:
Nairobi
► Mombasa
|
|
Mombasa ► Nairobi
|
|
Days
of running: |
Mon, Wed, Fri |
Days
of running: |
Tues, Thurs, Sun |
|
Nairobi |
depart |
19:00 |
Mombasa |
depart |
19:00 |
|
Makindu |
arr/dep |
23:15 |
Voi |
arr/dep |
23:20 |
|
Mtito Andei |
arr/dep |
01:11 |
Mtito Andei |
arr/dep |
01:50 |
|
Voi |
arr/dep |
04:00 |
Makindu |
arr/dep |
03:50 |
|
Mombasa |
arrive |
08:25* |
Nairobi |
arrive |
09:00* |
This train is the JAMBO KENYA DELUXE, Nairobi-Mombassa.
What's the train like?
Travellers' reports
It has 1st class 2-berth sleepers, 2nd class 4-berth
sleepers, restaurant car, 3rd class seats.
* Expect an actual arrival around 11:00. The train can
run late, sometimes hours late, so relax, play safe and
don't plan any tight connections at the other end!
Yes, this originally daily train now only runs 3 times a
week as they only have one trainset operational, although
there is talk of restoring daily service by Easter 2010.
Look out for impala, giraffe, ostrich and other game whilst
taking breakfast in the restaurant car in the Mombasa to
Nairobi direction. Nairobi to Mombassa is 530km (329
miles).
Fares
|
|
1st class |
About
3,660 Kenya Shillings (£25 / $50) per person sharing a
2-berth compartment, including dinner and breakfast in the
restaurant car.
Children (aged 3-11) 2,225 Kenya Shillings, children
under 3 free. |
|
2nd class |
Around 2,640 Kenya Shillings
(£20 / $40) per person sharing a 4-berth compartment,
including bed & breakfast.
Children (aged 3-11) 1,715
Kenya Shillings, children under 3 free. |
How to buy
tickets...
You can book
the train when you get to Kenya at the station reservation
office at Nairobi or Mombasa. Or you can book it in
advance before you get to Kenya, through one of several
travel agencies:
Is this train daily or three times a week?
Historically, the Nairobi-Mombassa train has always run daily, but a few
years ago it was reduced to running 3 days a week. Daily service was
later re-instated, but as from August 2004 it
was once
again reported as running only 3 times per week, but by all
means
double-check this locally.
Nairobi ► Kisumu
|
|
Kisumu ► Nairobi
|
|
Days of running: |
Mon, Wed, Fri* |
Days of running: |
Tue, Thurs, Sun * |
|
Nairobi |
depart |
18:30 |
Kisumu |
depart |
19:00 |
|
Naivasha |
arr/dep |
22:30 |
Nakuru |
arr/dep |
02:55 |
|
Nakuru |
arr/dep |
01:05 |
Naivasha |
arr/dep |
04:55 |
|
Kisumu |
arrive |
07:45** |
Nairobi |
arrive |
08:00** |
* IMPORTANT:
It was reported in November 2008 that the
Nairobi-Kisumu train was not running due to
track problems, then at February 2009 it was reported as running again. In June 2009 another report says the track has been damaged
and it was yet again not running. However,
latest reports in November 2009 say this train is
definitely running. Please double
check locally! If you have any more feedback,
please email me.
This train is the PORT FLORENCE EXPRESS, Nairobi-Kisumu.
** Expect an arrival 10:00-11:00. Don't plan any tight
connections!
It has 1st class 2-berth sleepers, 2nd class 4-berth
sleepers, restaurant car, 3rd class seats.
See the photos & information below.
Fares
|
|
1st class |
About
2,550 Kenya Shillings (£17 / $32) per person sharing a
2-berth compartment.
Children (aged 3-11) 1,555
Kenya Shillings, children under 3 free. |
|
2nd class |
Around 1,750 Kenya Shillings
(£12 / $24) per person sharing a 4-berth compartment.
Children (aged 3-11) 1,155
Kenya Shillings, children under 3 free. |
There
is no passenger train service into Uganda at the present time,
see alternative bus
service.
How to buy
tickets...
You can book
the train when you get to Kenya at the station reservation
office at Nairobi. Or you can book it in
advance before you get to Kenya, through one of several
travel agencies:
Both
the Nairobi-Mombassa "Jambo Kenya Deluxe" and the Nairobi-Kisumu
"Port Florence Express" have 1st
class sleepers (2-berth),
2nd class sleepers (4-berth) and 3rd class seats with restaurant car serving full meals,
snacks, drinks and beer. Advance reservation is
required.
1st
class converts from seats to sleeping berths at night with
full bedding, with 2 berths per
compartment plus washbasin. The 1st class fare
includes dinner and breakfast in the restaurant car. 2nd class converts to
bunks at night, 4 bunks per compartment plus
washbasin. 3rd class consist of basic seats.
Take
your own insect repellent, a bottle of mineral water, and
toilet paper.
As well as the
photos below, these short videos give an idea of what the
journey is like:
Watch video 1
Watch video 2.
 |
|
 |
|
Above
left:
Relaxing in a 1st class 2-berth sleeper on the Nairobi-Mombasa train.
(shown with berths folded away and sofa folded out)
Above right: The Nairobi-Mombasa express... Photographs
courtesy of David Pinney
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
| On board
the Nairobi - Mombasa train... |
|
A meal in the restaurant
car is included in the 1st class fare... |
|
...before retiring to your sleeper. |
|
These three photos
courtesy of Audrey & Jeroen |
Mike from
Wiltshire reports from a Nairobi-Mombassa train journey in
summer 2008:
"My girlfriend and I
travelled on the Nairobi to Mombasa overnight service,
first class, in September 2008. We're pleased to
report some improvements, and confirm that everything
written below by previous correspondents remains roughly
accurate!
The rolling stock remains
late 50's - with very narrow corridors. Think ex BR
from 1970. Not everything works, so expect some
lights not working etc, but at least the electricity now
works all the time and the mosquito nets are intact (very
important!) so one can sleep with the window open
(recommended, as very hot otherwise) which is noisy but
not that bad, if one is tired! The fans are never
going to work! A nice touch was the vanity closet in the
corner with running water, so at least one can wash one's
face and clean one's teeth in the morning. The
company is now, I believe, being run by a South African
concern and a number of improvements are being made - not
least to punctuality.
The Train Manager
"Amos" introduced himself as we set off and stated that
there were armed police on board - possibly true, though
we didn't see any. Security didn't seem to be an
issue though, as the train was mostly full of European
tourists, and I suggest that you book first class, or you
may end up sharing a cabin with two drunken backpackers!
Food and drink on board was average quality, but tasty,
plentiful, and cooked to order. It's nice to have a
proper table cloth! No instances of gippy tummy
reported! The staff tried really hard to be of good
service and their friendly manner helped make the journey
very enjoyable. Tip: Ask for the second sitting when
the station staff give you the restaurant sitting card -
the first sitting is only good if you are already starving
as it starts about one hour after departure, but you are
rushed to complete your dining so they can start the
second. The second sitting allows you time to
reflect, chill out, watch the sights and talk to your
fellow travellers - which I highly recommend. I
enjoyed a stilted but fascinating conversation with a
large German businessman whose Kenyan wife and himself
were sitting at our table - sharing is often the case, so
don't expect a quiet tête-à-tête! The same applies at
breakfast next day (first or second sitting) to which one
is summonsed by a loud ringing of bells. Booze is
available at cheap prices. A 500ml Tusker beer was just
120 shillings, approx £1. Decent wines were also stocked.
In fact, I suggest you club together and get one white one
red for the table for about a fiver...
The beds are made up whilst
you are at dinner (take your valuables with you for
safety) and are surprisingly comfortable. We slept like
logs! The cabin attendant will expect a tip, 30
shillings is reasonable (about 25p). The doors lock
from the inside but you cannot lock the cabin when you go
to dinner. Having said that, security isn't an issue
as long as you're moving.
The toilets are, let's say,
basic - try squatting when rattling along! The look
on my girlfriend's face was priceless! But some
European variety are available, you just have to check a
few booths before you find one.
Punctuality is much improved.
The train left only 15 mins late, at 7.45pm as opposed to
its regular scheduled time of 7.30pm daily from
Nairobi. It arrived only one hour late at 10am, despite a
few stops during the night for animals on the line etc.
All in all, as the above
correspondent states, it's a very good adventure to enjoy,
and one pulls into Mombasa refreshed and ready to transfer
to the lovely hotels along the beaches there.
Incidentally, if one is looking for a quality hotel nearby
that is excellent value, I recommend the Sapphire, which
is only 5 mins walk across the main roundabout outside the
station in Mombasa. It can be seen from the station."
Traveller Dave Siviour used
both the Nairobi-Mombassa & Nairobi-Kisumu trains in late
2007, and has the following advice:
-
I booked our tickets via East
Africa Shuttles (thanks for the link!) and they did the
bookings as requested and took payment from a standard faxed
form with my credit card details. They delivered the
tickets to our hotel which was a help, although on their
downside they failed to produce both prearranged transfers
to and from the airport which hardly helped confidence for
the first visit to a new country!
-
The tickets for 1st & 2nd class
sleepers need to be checked at the station and a boarding
card collected which gives details of the coach number
(which is the actual carriage number!) and berth numbers.
The tickets also have a receipt for breakfast and or dinner
and this is collected by the steward on the Nairobi-Kisumu
train (who is also the sleeping car/bedding attendant) or
taken to the restaurant car on the Nairobi-Mombasa service.
-
Quoted arrival times are
varied, all ticket offices said arrival at both ends would
be 'around 1100' and this was true to form on the Nairobi -
Mombasa run although whether the Kisumu - Nairobi was
considered 'early' after arriving at 1000 is anyone's guess!
I never saw a printed timetable or display at any station.
Nobody seemed to mind the late running as it gave a chance
to take in the lovely scenery along both routes.
-
The condition of the train on
the Nairobi-Mombasa route was much better (although they
were the same type of carriages) the lights worked
throughout and the general repair of the compartments was
better. On the Kisumu service there was only one first class
sleeper (although to be fair we were the only first class
passengers outward and only 2 more on the return) and in
this and the second class sleepers the lights gave out
around 2 hours into the journey and the 'western' style
toilet in both coaches was broken leaving only the 'hole in
the floor' type. Sleeper compartments B-C & D-E have
interconnecting doors which allows the compartments to open
out into two which is quite nice, especially when the
compartments are used as 'day coaches' with the late
running.
-
The food on the Nairobi-Mombasa
run is noticeably better, with an extra fish course, better
quality and more of it. Probably because the train is busy
enough to have plenty cooked whereas on the Kisumu service
as we were the only dinners it was cooked to order and was
'adequate' rather than good.
-
The entrance to the platforms
at Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu are all guarded by security
guards. Although it didn't stop us wandering
willy-nilly onto the platforms it did seem to deter
non-travellers, taxi touts and ne-er do wells that seem to
hang around station entrances. Mombasa and Nairobi all have
left luggage facilities which seem to be open even on the
days when trains are not running. Nairobi station has a good
station buffet 'platform side' operated by Rift Valley
Railways open all day (even when trains aren't running)
serving good quality cheap food.
-
On arrival at Kisumu the train
from Nairobi detaches two of the three third class 'day
coaches' and works a branch service to Buture. Although it
is third class travel, with the locals and their chickens
and bags of maize and slow (6 hrs for 140 km round trip) its
a lovely branch with fantastic views of Lake Victoria as it
climbs into the surrounding mountains. Although there is no
marker to indicate it the line crosses the equator near to
Kisumu, as far as I know the only scheduled passenger
service to do so. The 'connection' both ways will
always make as the coaches are part of the Nairobi train -
there seemed to be no spare coaches at Kisumu.
-
Security on trains seems OK
with police (armed) travelling on all trains (although not
that visible apart from the odd pass through the train). The
biggest annoyance is the compartments cannot be locked from
the outside, as although there is a lock the sleeping car
attendants say they don't have keys. There is no luggage
facility in the restaurant cars so its just a case of
keeping you valuables with you.
-
On hot evenings the windows
have to be kept open to keep some air in the compartment
(albeit with a security/mosquito mesh in place). This makes
the compartment noisy - ear plugs are recommended.
-
Tipping seems to be expected
among the service staff. The steward on the return run from
Kisumu was a particularly surly client who made no effort,
including claiming there was no coffee on the train until we
saw the tins in the kitchen, kicked us out of the restaurant
after dinner in the evening at 21:00 even through we wanted
some more drinks because 'he wanted to go to bed' and never
collected the bedding in the berths until we nearly arrived
at Nairobi. He then made a point of hovvering
expecting a tip on arrival until turning his back in disgust
when he realised he wasn't going to get one. The
steward on the Mombasa run was more blatant picking up a
pack of crayons we were throwing to local lineside kids
saying 'I'll have these for my children!'.
-
Although security is a
perception I found we had no problems (maybe because there
were 6 of us!) provided you keep you wits about you, take
sensible precautions and don't engage the more obvious scam
merchants or hangers on.
Traveller Victoria Green used
the train both ways in September 2007: "The journey
time given when you "check in" is now 17 hours - i.e.
arrival time is midday at either end. And if you're lucky
you'll usually arrive half an hour or so earlier than that,
rather than, from what I've heard, several hours later than
the old 9.00 estimate. The train is certainly slow! We
took it both ways, and I would say the Mombassa to Nairobi
run is the better for spotting wildlife en route - after
breakfast I managed to get pretty decent photos of ostrich,
impala and gazelle out of the windows of the moving train.
Your description of the basicness of the facilities is true,
as there are few working lights in the carriages, no working
fans (but the windows do have mesh screens so you can open
them) and it's all looking a bit run down. I've heard the
train company has recently changed ownership and they have
plans to improve the service and introduce higher speed
trains on the line, so things may change."
Traveller Sue Waterman
travelled from Nairobi to Mombassa on the Jambo Kenya Deluxe
in June 2007: "Your recommendation of East Africa
Shuttles was spot on - they were excellent ! We love
night trains and have taken them all over the world, so we
couldn't resist a Nairobi to Mombassa one with character.
And we weren't disappointed - this one was was an adventure
! We were in 1st (apparently 2nd class has separate
men’s' & ladies carriages and we wanted to be together), and
the first surprise was getting stuck with our backpacks on
in the very narrow corridors. Backpacks off we walked
sideways to our door. There is no longer any
electrical power in any of the carriages except the
restaurant car & engine - we discovered this at 6.30 when it
got really dark, and at 7.00 an employee came around with
big fluorescent lanterns - very necessary to go to the pitch
dark washroom on a moving train... They ran out fairly
quickly, but fortunately we also carry a key ring
size compact fluorescent Coleman Lantern which more than
proved its worth that night. Walking to dinner with
our lanterns was a little like camping trips in childhood -
great fun. And the dining car was incredible: 1950s
original china and cutlery, bent, chipped and faded but
still being laid out formally for dinner as it had been
under the Brits. Seats let down to surprisingly large
& comfortable beds, certainly among the biggest & most
comfortable we've ever met - but with no power I'm glad we
were there in winter because that top bunk would have been
hot in summer. We arrived only two hours late - lots
of stops and starts and one truly hair-raising downhill
stretch coming off the escarpment in the night when we
reached some pretty high speeds and we woke up wondering if
the brakes actually worked - and in the morning along the
way into Mombassa it seemed as though every child (and
lots of adults) along the way was coming out of their
villages to wave to us. A great adventure..!"
There are no
international trains from Kenya to Tanzania, and the railway
from Nairobi to Kampala is non-operational, at least as far
as passenger trains are concerned. But there are bus
services as follows:
Bus service
Nairobi - Kampala (Uganda)
Three main reputable bus companies
ply this route: Akamba Bus Company,
Regional Bus Company, Kampala Coaches. Akamba offer two overnight buses
(departing 19:30 & 21:30) and an air-conditioned daytime bus
departing Nairobi at 07:15 and arriving Kampala at 20:00.
Eastbound the day bus departs Kampala 07:00 and arrives
Nairobi 20:00. See
www.akambabus.com.
Bus service
Mombasa - Dar es Salaam (Tanzania)
A daily bus
leaves Mombasa at 08:00, arriving Dar at 18:00.
Northbound, it leaves Dar at 08:00, arriving Mombasa 17:30.
Fare 1,600 Kenyan shillings or 10,000 Tanzanian shillings
(£11/$19). See
www.scandinaviagroup.com. Note: It's
reported that this service will cease from 20 June 2009,
there are other operators but as yet I have no information
on alternatives.
Bus service
Nairobi - Arusha - Dar es Salaam (Tanzania)
www.akambabus.com run a daily bus, departing
Nairobi at 06:30 and arriving Dar es Salaam at 21:00. Fare
in region of 3,200 Kenyan shillings or 38,000 Tanzanian
shillings (£22/$38)
Feedback on
any of these bus services would be welcome.
For onward
train travel to Zambia, Zimbabwe & South Africa see the
Zambia & Tanzania page,
Zimbabwe page &
South Africa page.
   The
best place to find train,
bus and ferry times for any country in Africa, Asia,
America and Australasia is the
famous Thomas Cook Overseas Timetable, published every two
months. It's essential for every serious overland
traveller, and an inspiration for armchair travellers!
It costs £13.99 from the bureau de change section of any branch of
Thomas Cook, or you can order online at
www.thomascooktimetables.com.
You'll
also need a good guidebook - which for serious independent
travellers means either the Lonely Planet or the Rough
Guide. Both provide an excellent level of practical
information and historical background.
Click
here to buy the Lonely Planet guide to Kenya or
here
to buy the Rough Guide to Kenya at
Amazon. Or buy direct from the
Lonely Planet website, with shipping worldwide.
|
|
|
|
Find
a
hotel
in Nairobi, Mombassa or elsewhere in Kenya...
A good guidebook like the Lonely Planet or Rough Guide will
point you at some good hotels in each town or city when you
get there. Alternatively, you
can pre-book hotels in
most Kenyan cities through
www.hotelscombined.com, just use the search box
below.
It's not a hotel booking website, but a free search tool
which checks all the main hotel booking sites for you (AsiaRooms,
Asiativ.com, Opodo, Expedia, Travelocity, LateRooms and many
others) to find the cheapest hotel rates on the net. Set
up in 2005, it's an amazing system and probably the best place
to start for booking any hotel online worldwide.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Overland travel by train & bus
around Africa is an essential part of the experience,
so once there, don't cheat and fly, stay on the ground!
But a long-haul flight might be unavoidable to reach Kenya in
the first place. For flights to
Nairobi, start with
Opodo.com. Opodo is a flight-booking site started by
a consortium of airlines and Amadeus, and it's normally
where I start looking for a flight myself. Seat61 gets a small commission through this link.
|
|
|
|
If you're a UK resident, try Direct Line whom I've used myself on many occasions, or Columbus Direct.
If you're resident in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland or the EU, try Columbus Direct Australia.
If you're resident in the USA or Canada, try Travel Guard USA.
Get an international SIM card...
