Moyale Border Crossing - Ethiopia to Kenya

Hey everyone,
Having just done this, I have a bit of info. on transport out of here through Kenya.
Firstly, crossing the border is quite easy. Only one checkpoint on each side. I actually overstayed my Ethiopian visa by one day and got a LOT of hassle, but was eventually allowed through, so just a heads up. Kenyan visas can be bought very easily for $50.00 for a 3-month stay.
Onward Kenyan transport leaves between 0930hrs and 1000hrs. Trucks to Marsabit cost KSh400-500 (incl. luggage - make sure you negotiate HARD and don't take the word of ANY of the countless touts, talk to the drivers and ticket sellers only). Onward trucks to Isiolo cost KSh700-800 (incl. luggage).
Now, a bus service IS in operation Saturdays only. Cost is as follows;
Marsabit KSh600, Isiolo KSh1200 and Nairobi KSh1500. I asked around a lot and these prices were the average of everything I received.
I took the truck to Marsabit only, my advice is to do that and break your trip, as by the days end my hands hurt from holding on so hard, my bum was chaffing like nothing else and I was totally ingrained in red dirt. Although Marsabit currently has a water crisis, JeyJey Center takes care of you with an awesome warm bath-in-a-bucket so no worries there.
It's a long, bumpy ride but you see and experience some awesome sights and make some very interesting friends!
Enjoy Moyale, hahahaha, cos there ain't nothing there, and have a great ride!
Cheers
Phil

Thanks for sharing that with us. Alas, your vivid description of the rough drive has convinced me to give this route a miss. I'll go back to Addis and fly to Nairobi instead.

Leo Wuss

see my sig line for additional info about this trip.

No way Leo, rough this drive it is but AWESOME it certainly is! What a highlight of my 3 months so far in Africa...seriously. My bum has chaff spots but the images (of the drive) will stay in my mind forever.

To post some information on the Nairobi to Moyale direction, the bus does indeed depart Nairobi on Tuesday evenings (if nothing goes wrong) . To reserve a ticket, take the #9 bus from Nairobi centre to the muddy Eastleigh neighbourhood (cost 20 Ksh). Find the 10th street and then the Baliti bus ticket office. Many locals do not know it by name so ask for the Moyale bus. The trucks to Isiolo - Marsabit - Moyale also leave from the same area and depart most nights, but take twice as long as the bus and you have to sit on top of the truck cargo.

Bus costs 1500 KSh to Moyale, and arrives the next night, obliging an overnight stay in Moyale, Kenya. Everything is cheaper on the Ethiopian side in case you were deciding what to buy and where.

Walk across the border. Very time consuming immigration procedures on the Ethiopian side. Then either walk 2 km or take a share taxi (1 birr and up, depending on the driver) to the centre of Moyale, Ethiopia. Don't change US dollars with any of the border moneychangers. Better rates at the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia and with moneychangers near the central market/bus station. I liked the Africa hotel on a side street parallel and west of the main road, near the bus station. 15 birr for basic accom. and everything at local prices. A nice introduction to Ethiopia. Learn all the local prices of stuff in Moyale so that they can't rip you off so easily in the Omo valley.

There is a direct bus from Moyale to Konso on Saturday mornings (5:30 am), otherwise daily buses from Moyale to Yabello, from where you can take a truck to Konso. The local price of the Moyale to Konso bus is 46 birr, though they will demand 100 birr from foreigners, plus baggage fees. Welcome to faranji pricing in the Omo valley! In Konso, I recommend (for budget backpackers only) Dawoud's Millenium Pub with 20 birr rooms and new mattresses. It's not marked but ask around. Dawoud is very nice, totally honest, speaks good English, and will help you a tonne.

Any news on how this border is these days? My wife and I plan to drive from Cape Town to London via Marsabit and Moyale but I hear stories that the Ethiopia Kenya border is getting more lawless these days. Any recent reports from travellers that have done that trip would be appreciated. Thanks.