On my arrival at Jomo Kenyatta airport in Nairobi, I was greeted by the biggest, and most intimidating of officials, who very dismissively pointed me in the direction of the exit. This turned out to not be a true reflection of Kenyan hospitality. As I walked outside I was greeted not only by the family I was staying with, but the savage heat as well. Kenya straddles the equator and experiences a tropical and humid climate throughout most of the year. The day I landed was no exception.

I had always felt that Africa was buried deep in my bones, and I felt an overwhelming sense of excitement and anticipation as my adventure began. Not a second was wasted as I piled into an old Isuzu 4x4 which, compared to most of the cars on the road, was the equivalent to a new Porsche in RSA.

Not knowing what to expect, my heart did a triple bounce as we reached the first traffic circle. This was no ordinary traffic circle, because in Kenya, there are no rules of the road it is literally a case of 'just drive'. Between 20 and 30 cars were entering, circling and leaving the roundabout at the same time. Noticing my terrified facial expression the driver of the car simply looked into his rear-view mirror and smiled, “welcome to Africa”.

I spent one night in Nairobi at my hosts’ family home, which was like stepping back into the colonial era. I was greeted in true Kenyan style by the Kenyan nanny, houseboy and security watchman, all of whom were dressed in crisp white outfits and had wide bright smiles to match.

We indulged in some traditional Kenyan food prepared by the Masai cook Raziki. The tasty meal of meat, rice and vegetables (all locally grown) was followed by delicious coffee — Kenya is world renowned for its quality coffee and exports to most countries.

… toilet stops were a challenge…

The following morning we woke up at the crack of dawn to head down to Mombasa on the coast. The drive was both interesting and stressful at the same time. Toilet stops were a challenge as most public ablutions consisted of a hole in the ground and a bucket filled with water! Needless to say I managed to hold it in the rest of the way!

The roads in Kenya are notorious; you are lucky if you can go 200m without the car hitting a crater of a pothole and banging your head on the roof. A suggestion for those ‘fragile’ travellers; a kidney belt may be useful. As a result of competing with the roads and the hundreds of wildly driven matatus (local Kenyan taxis) the journey to the coast took 10 hours.

The beach areas directly north of Mombasa, together with Diani Beach in the south, are the busiest. If you like a lot of company, they’re good, but there are enough beaches left where you’ll be very isolated. Well, apart from the many sand crabs who keep you company during the beautiful warm evenings! We were lucky enough to be on one of those beaches in the south, Msambweni. Msambwei is 6km of white sandy beach a 45 minute drive to Shimoni at the Pemba Fishing Channel. It was here that we jumped on a dhow and went snorkelling before feasting at a beautiful restaurant on Wasini Island where we ate giant crabs in an exquisite ginger and butter mixture. A local favourite!

Being humid, the coast is plagued by mosquitoes who will take any chance they get to attack you. When going to Kenya, and specifically the coast, one must be sure to take malaria prophylactics. Remember too, that a Yellow fever inoculation is compulsory to enter Kenya.

Fresh fish off the beach

If you are not lucky enough to know a local, you can rent a house at the beach or there are many comfortable resort hotels to stay at. Our days at the coast were full of local experiences such as buying fresh Parrot fish, bucket-loads of fresh oysters and prawns from the local fishermen on the beach.

Night life at the coast is very active with hotels and lodges such as the Ocean Sports hotel and Hemingway’s providing good music and clubbing facilities. If you really are looking for the local atmosphere, the markets on the tourist beaches buzz in the evenings. This is when the merchants (who often don’t take no for an answer) will try and hustle you to buy their curios. Finding a spot under a bending coconut tree and sipping on a cold Tusker, the local Kenyan beer and listening to the local music playing from within the stalls is both relaxing and gives local flavour.

On the journey back to Nairobi, the phrase “Hakuna Matata” kept coming to mind. From te local Swahili, it means "don’t worry and enjoy life". You’ll hear that a lot in Kenya, and with friendly people, pearly white beaches and warm local atmosphere that truly was the case.

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