Read on to find out essential information if you prefer self-drive road trips. Details covered in this section include:
Driving in Kenya is safe and rewarding if you follow precautions. Here are comprehensive details for driving in Kenya:
What happens in case of a breakdown? Despite driving well maintained, secondhand cars, sometimes issues can occur, a factor that you should consider in general when hiring vehicles where roads are rough in Kenya. Our suggestion is to leave enough time in your itinerary for the unexpected.
Fuel consumption and exact mileage are dependent on your driving behaviour and the terrain. However, it is around 9-10 km/l for a Toyota Hilux and 7-8 km/l for a land cruiser. Fuel cost ranges from USD 1.10 to 1.30 per litre. Keep in mind that fuel is paid in cash in Kenyan shillings, through mobile money payments, or credit/debit card.
Are you wondering what the condition of roads in Kenya is? Road conditions are good by African standards. All primary roads radiating out of Nairobi are tarmac roads and will bring you to your safari destination. The so-called ‘D’ and ‘C’ roads are usually not surfaced, and you can expect potholes and eroded surfaces.
Some access roads are rough. Hence, consult your travel guide about self-driving where driving and road conditions.
Download Kenya maps before you travel to Kenya and offline navigations are easy if you install the free Google Maps on your smartphone. Do not map out the entire day; break the journey in pieces. Otherwise, you run the risk of Google maps outing the shortest routes, which in practice are not shorter at all.
Dealing with traffic police in Kenya is easy if you have not broken any road rules. There is quite a lot of traffic police, and they will frequently pull you over to check if your car is insured, if you’re carrying a fire extinguisher, if tires are okay, triangles and a first aid kit. However, the police will want to see your driving licence, and a valid one from your country of residence is acceptable in Kenya. Kenyan traffic police are friendly and will want to make chitchat. If you did not break the law by overspending, dangerous overtaking, overlapping, etc., you are good to go.
It is possible to cross Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda through Kenya. However, you cannot cross to Ethiopia, South Sudan and Somalia. If you want to make multiple country road trips, arrange a COMESA card and extension of car insurance for your vehicle. The insurance is around $70 and lasts for three weeks.
The distance you can cover in a day depends on a few factors. You will not make more than 50-60km/h due to many speed bumps, the need for sanitary stops and reducing speed when passing through villages, and probably because you want to take a significant number of pictures. However, asphalt roads are in good condition. On gravel roads, you will cover an average of 30km/hour.