That's Kenya too... (page 6 of 8)

Your sunrises are stunning, Christelle! I think I appreciate them even more than sunsets. Clever move—after seeing your photos, I regret not making the effort to get up a little earlier! We were a bit further north than you (I was curious and checked on maps), and I think we saw the acrobats (or maybe not the same ones—I was in the sea, and from a distance, they looked like kids to me).

I think there are two different groups, Muriel, sharing the 20 km of beaches, and they both amazed me just as much with their "how to put on a great show... with nothing at all!" style.

And yes, sunrises take effort—around 5 AM—but they’re still some of my favorite travel moments. Way better than sunsets, which are often noisy with the "crowd." Plus, in Diani, the sun sets behind you anyway 😄

I feel like I’m hearing myself! I really struggle when traveling to get past the discomfort I feel when I don’t give as much as others. Mind you, it’s not just when traveling—at a red light somewhere in my city, when I don’t always have change or when people pretend to answer their phone while a clown is working hard to collect enough to eat. Gotta work on that guilt to stop living through those moments 😉

Yeah, it’s a long process when you’ve got that "social fiber" ingrained in you, Kate 😅. I get not giving money—I don’t do it all the time either—but not even a glance, a smile, or a word 😱!! To me, that’s the height of contempt. And they deal with that all day long!!

I couldn’t stop being hit on all evening (which was magical, by the way). Looks like nothing’s changed…

What a flirt, this Bruno! 😂

I feel like I’m hearing myself! I really struggle when traveling to get past the discomfort I feel when I don’t give more than others. Mind you, it’s not just when traveling—at a red light somewhere in my city, when I don’t always have change or when people pretend to answer their phone while the clown is trying to collect enough to eat. You’ve got to work on that guilt to stop living those moments. 😉

Yeah, it’s a long process when you’ve got that "social fiber" hardwired into you, Kate 😅. I get not giving money—I don’t do it all the time either—but not even a glance, a smile, or a word 😮‍💨!! To me, that’s the height of contempt. And they deal with that all day long!!

Plus, though I haven’t been to the big cities, I found that in Kenya, you’re often approached, but it’s always in exchange for something (a show, an activity to do...). I didn’t see begging there in the same way we have it here.

We only explored rural areas, but even in the train stations, we didn’t see any begging. It was really only in Diani that we were approached, but always in exchange for a good, a service, or a performance 😊

And here’s a little story: the Samburus we met told us they were there because of a severe drought. They were herders, but their livestock died, so their families sent them to Diani to try to earn some money from tourists. They sell bracelets on the beach and put on a show at a hotel every week.



I’ll admit I only half-believed them, imagining it was a story to tug at our heartstrings. But luckily, I kept my mouth shut—otherwise, I’d have been kicking myself after the latest *Terres Inconnues* episode! Because that’s exactly what they say about the Turkanas, their neighbors in northern Kenya: a terrible drought that forced them to completely change their way of life 😮😢. Except the Turkanas turned to fishing. Only time will tell who made the right choice!

Oh yeah, I saw that episode of *Rendez-vous en terre inconnue* too, but Lake Turkana is even further north. It's true that around Samburu, it's usually very dry (though when we were there last year, it had exceptionally rained a lot, so it was really green). But it gets more and more desert-like as you head north.

Ah, I haven’t had the chance to go to that area yet, but it’s on my list for one of these days. You’ll have to give me some tips (or write a travel journal to tell us all about it 😄).

I made a travel journal, but that was before VF reopened, so it's here: https://www.routard.com/forums/t/retour-du-kenya-en-images/399338 Nothing out of the ordinary 😉

Oh great, thanks Muriel, I’ll check it out 😉

Good evening, Samburu and other regions of Kenya have been hit by severe droughts in recent years (and a locust invasion in 2020 too). These periods have been incredibly tough for these semi-nomadic herding communities, and climate change is really taking its toll on them. Their young people are struggling to find work and a place in society...

We’ve been regularly visiting this area since 2010, which has allowed us to build connections, better understand the challenges, and occasionally provide a little financial support.

In 2019, I put together a travel journal: https://voyageforum.com/v.f?do=post_view_flat;post=9781073;page=1;search_string=kenya%20hors%20des%20sentiers%20battus;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;mh=20; From page 6 onward, it covers Samburu. We returned in January 2025, and I’ll try to start a new journal in the next few days to share more recent updates.

7 trips to Kenya—this isn’t love anymore, Sylvie, it’s obsession 😄. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and your travel journal. I see Muriel was already on the ball 😉. You’ve convinced me to head to Samburu next time! Have a great evening

And we wrap up this trip with a recap of the last few days, starting as usual with a sunrise.



Then we explore the southern part of the road.



We stop pretty quickly at the sacred forest of KAYA KINONDO.



It’s a tropical primary forest that grew on coral, since a loooong time ago, all of this was underwater!



But since it’s sacred, you have to cover your legs with a slightly tight wrap. Perfect timing, since it’s about 50° out there 🥵😂 It’s really beautiful, and this burst of greenery did us a world of good—especially since it ended with a big hug 😉



After a first stop at a beautiful beach (though not really swimmable because of the algae), we finally reach the very end of this road.



A group of fishermen are chatting in the shade of the mango trees while a woman across from them is cooking. It’s Nehemia, who’s showing us the lovely viewpoint of Chale Island with her little boy in her arms. She tells us she makes a living by cooking for the fishermen. So, we end up enjoying some pretty greasy chapattis, and honestly, it was a really nice "end-of-the-world" spot.



On the way back, we finally find our grail of the day: THE beach that even DiCaprio has never seen this beautiful (but nooo, who said I have a taste for exaggeration? 😜).



And then, as evening falls, we cross paths with a stranger. But really, a stranger like we’ve never seen before. She’s a Swiss citizen named Amivi, 23 years old, who just spent 2.5 months in Tanzania and has already traveled to over 20 countries! She loves being called Queen, her nickname, and her laughter nearly brought the roof down.

The whole world is her home, and meeting people is one of her passions.

And I’ll admit, we would’ve loved to stay with her longer, but the public beach is waiting for us to experience our very last big moment 😉

The last one 😉

Remember those two handsome Samburu guys from the beginning? After crossing paths and chatting so much, we ended up forming a bond. Their names are Manuel and Lorian, and they’ve only been working on the beach in Diani for two months. Their whole family lives 15 hours by bus away, in central Kenya.

One day, they invite us to watch the performance they’re putting on at a hotel. But when I tell them it’s impossible because we have to head back to Paris, I hear, "Wait, you don’t live in Nairobi?" 😱 Oh man, those guys have a memory like elephants! We’re forced to come clean, a little nervous about their reaction—but in the end, no worries: "Ah, ah, ah, you are so intelligent 😅." Phew, they’re not mad at all!

Anyway, they’re just as keen as we are to say a proper goodbye before we leave. So we hop on a scooter and meet them on their beach of the day. They pull us in for a hug—but not some rushed, tight squeeze, more like a distant pat on the back 😉. And there we are, like four goofballs on the beach, standing in front of two massive resorts with not a single public shack in sight!! No way we’re leaving without sharing a farewell drink! It wasn’t easy, but one of the hotels agreed to host this odd mix of Samburu guys and folks from Chalosse! Now *that’s* what you call a memorable quartet… especially in a setting like this 😂.



And just like that, this incredibly eye-opening Kenyan adventure comes to an end on a local high note.

And a tuk-tuk with a message we spotted on the way to the airport 😅 (even more surprising since no one speaks French here!)



See you soon, friends—somewhere else on the planet 😉

Come on, we can't part ways without sharing a farewell drink! It wasn't a sure thing, but one of the hotels agreed to host this curious mix of Samburus and Chalossais! That’s what you call one heck of a quartet... especially in such a setting 😄.

I can just picture the hotel owner’s face: “Uh, can we sit down for a drink with our friends?” 😄

And so ends this incredibly immersive Kenyan adventure, wrapping up with a local beauty and a tuk-tuk with a message we followed on the way to the airport 😆 (even more surprising since no one speaks French here!) See you soon, friends—somewhere else on the planet 😊

Thanks, Christelle, for this lovely recap of a trip, though we had no doubt, centered on human connections… As always, beautiful encounters!

Thanks Christelle for this refreshing travel journal 🙂.

all the more surprising since no one speaks French here!

Surprising because we actually met several people who were very eager to practice and improve their French. They told us they were learning at the Alliance Française (I even think there’s a branch in Diani).

"I can just picture the hotel manager’s face: *‘Uh, can we sit down and have a drink with our friends?’* Sooo Bruno!! Lulu was like *‘Nooo, don’t even try, they’ll never go for it’* 😂

Apart from hotel staff, we only met one Kenyan in six days who, by the way, spoke French very well. But maybe it was just chance that we met so few—I don’t know 😉 Have a great day, Muriel

I'm feeling really annoyed today, Christelle 😏... but at the hotel where we were staying, one of the female guests had "brought back" a beach boy (not entirely sure why 🤪), and it didn’t seem to be an issue (at least not in public... I didn’t go check it out more closely 😏).

Otherwise, I really hesitated between Diani and Watamu. I honestly don’t regret my choice thanks to the scooter, which let us explore the surrounding areas. But for those who’ve been to Watamu post-Covid (or other spots north of Mombasa), could you tell me a bit about it? How’s it different from what we saw in Diani? Thanks

This time, I'm like you: I hesitated for a long time between the two... so I'm also interested in hearing people's opinions 😉