Transport in Mombasa - Lonely Planet Travel Information

Getting there & away

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Land
Air

Land

Bus & matatu

There are dozens of daily trips to and from Nairobi (mostly in the early morning and late evening). Daytime services take at least six hours, while the overnight trip takes anywhere from eight to 10 hours. Fares vary from KSh500 to KSh1000. Most companies have at least four departures daily. Recommended companies include the following:

Akamba (490269; Jomo Kenyatta Ave)

Busscar (222854; Abdel Nasser Rd)

Busstar (Nairobi 02-219525; Abdel Nasser Rd)

Coastline Safaris (312083; Mwembe Tayari St)

Falcon (Nairobi 02-229662) Offices on Abdel Nasser Rd and Jomo Kenyatta Ave.

Mash Express (491955; Jomo Kenyatta Ave)

Mombasa Raha (225716) Offices on Abdel Nasser Rd and Jomo Kenyatta Ave.

Msafiri (314691; Aga Khan Rd)

Numerous daily matatus and small minibuses to Malindi leave from in front of the Noor Mosque. Buses take up to 2½ hours (KSh100), matatus about two hours (KSh120).

Tawakal, Falcon, Mombasa Raha and TSS Express have buses to Lamu, most leaving at around 7am (report 30 minutes early) from their offices on Abdel Nasser Rd. Buses take around seven hours to reach the Lamu ferry at Mokoke (KSh400 to 500), stopping in Malindi (KSh150, two hours).

For buses and matatus to the beaches south of Mombasa you first need to get off the island via the Likoni ferry. Very frequent buses and matatus leave from the mainland ferry terminal and travel down the southern coast.

Train

The popular overnight train to/from Nairobi leaves Mombasa at 7pm on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. The fares are KSh3160/2275 in 1st/2nd class with dinner, breakfast and bedding; reserve as far in advance as possible. The booking office (312220; 8am-5pm) is at the station in Mombasa.

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