I had been in Kenya for nearly 3 weeks when my Kenyan friends insisted that I take a trip to Mombasa on the eastern coast of Kenya. Unfortunately, none of my friends could come with me – so this gave me good practice at solo travel and meeting other people on my own.

Some of the things my friends told me about were Mombasa’s vibrant night life and beaches. The other thing was that I had been on the go with a safari and climbing Kilimanjaro pretty much since I had arrived in east Africa– so a little relaxation and vacation from the trip seemed like a good idea. With these things in mind, I started looking for cheap flights and a cheap hostel near the beach.  After a little bit of searching, I was able to find a cheap flight and a great hostel within 5 minutes walking distance of one of the beaches. It’s only about an hour – an hour half flight to Mombasa from Nairobi.

After my flight, I arrived and was picked up by my hostel at the Mombasa airport. I settled into the hostel and found that a few people were planning on going out that evening. I decided that seemed like a good idea. We went to this place called Bob’s and had a really good evening – although drinks and food seemed a bit expensive. Another plus is that many of the bars/pubs in Mombasa have outdoor areas instead of indoor seating. This seems to make meeting people a little bit easier as well.

The next day I decided that I needed to hit the beach and the ocean. I went up to the White Sands Beach Hotel and rented a jet ski to take on theIndian Ocean. It was a bit pricey, but how many times are you going to be able to go jet skiing on the Indian Ocean – not many times, right? That’s what I thought too. The rules were a bit funky and they didn’t want you to go too far out (I’d say a total of 1.5-2km from shore), but it was really fun. I was also “redirected” to another area of the ocean after I interrupted some fishermen. So watch out for the fisherman. After getting back to my hostel, I decided to hit the beach for awhile to do get some R&R and hop in the ocean for a swim. One of the more memorable moments was having dinner with a group of travelers along the Indian Ocean at one of the beach resorts. Hearing the waves come crashing into the shore and feeling the wind from off the coast is something I won’t forget.

I’d recommend visiting Mombasa for 2-3 days of rest and relaxation. It is a great way to escape Nairobi without having to sacrifice many creature comforts. I did lose a bit of patience with all the touts in the city. If you can get past that, the beaches and night life can be enjoyed. If your budget allows, consider staying in one of the beach resorts which is what I will do if I choose to visit Mombasa again.

Pluses:

-        Really, really great beaches along theIndian Ocean.

-        Cheap flights – any where from $100-200(USD) roundtrip from Nairobi(Tip: Check the Kenyan Airways website directly for the cheapest flights)

-        Great Hostel near the beach

-        Lots of beach resorts to choose from

-        Vibrant nightlife choices

-        Good for a weekend escape from Nairobi

Minuses:

-        Too many touts

-        The city itself is dirty, trashy, and has a lot of garbage

-        Hotel restaurants are expensive

Tim is preparing to travel the world on a much needed career break. His travels have already taken him to New Zealand, India, China, Taiwan, and many places in western Europe. On his world trip he hopes to become more fluent in Mandarin Chinese, meet new friends, gain new perspectives, and find new opportunities. Follow Tim on his global adventures.

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