To Kenya


We had been given some information about an alternative route into Kenya which avoided the usual formalities of visas, exit stamps and customs officers. By driving south-west toward Omorate we would pretend to visit the local villages, then quietly slip over the border. Well, that was the plan anyway. The attraction to this option was simply because it was illegal. Also the villages we would pass through were the true traditional tribes people of both countries. These people have very unconventional ideas on clothing, piercing and have apparently never heard of David Beckam or Posh Spice. This was obviously too much to turn down.

With the Belgian Landy and the Dutch Land Cruiser we made our way south stopping at Arba Minch, Konso and rough camped in the bush, where we finally found a use for our bucket. On the morning of our attempted crossing we were awoken by local villagers who seemed surprised that 3 large spaceships had landed in their neighbourhood.

That morning we drove through dry riverbanks to reach what we thought was the correct place to run for the border. Unfortunately, what we found was a military camp. Here, we were told it was impossible for us to proceed. All attempts at negotiations failed and things turned a little nasty when our path was blocked by soldiers who were thoughtful enough to release the safety catches on their guns and point them in our direction. We decided it was time to leave.

On returning to the main track we drove to Turmi where we managed to bluff our way past the first police post. Luckily the military radio was not working and so the other checkpoints were unaware of our previous attempts. From there we eventually found a dirt track. From this point lay 80km of bush, desert, villages and checkpoints. The plan was to avoid the villages (and hopefully the bad guys) but this proved difficult. On approaching a large village we spotted the border police and barrier checkpoints. The first Landy made the decision to drive directly at the barrier, then swerve round it at the last minute. Everyone followed, waving politely at the police as they produced their guns but seemed unsure about whether or not to fire them. Two men dropped to the floor and aimed at the cars. I'm not sure if they decided that shooting 6 tourists would be bad for business or their guns jammed but they didn't fire and we put our foot to the floor and drove through the bush. After 60km we realised we had reached the Kenyan side without any damage to anyone. We found Illaret where the Kenyan border police were most welcoming. They even sold us half of their beer supply.

It maybe wasn't the most sensible thing we've ever done but it was an amazing feeling to get through the border.

After a boozy celebratory night which we spent in a police camp (due to the local villagers occasional tendency to murder people for the price of a slice of bread) we headed down to the lake to take a swim. However, we got both land rovers stuck and took an extra 2 hours to dig them out (Donny the sand ladders were finally used!).

After losing the Dutch land cruiser (they are heading to Uganda) we entered Samburu national park in the hope of spotting some animals. We camped by the riverbank that night and were convinced we heard a lion next to us. This led to the world record in scaling a land rover. A park ranger claimed that lions never entered the camp. That was until he heard the same noise. His face dropped as he uttered the words 'Shit, it's a lion' and promptly raised his gun.

The following day was an animal fest with elephants, giraffe, cheaters, buffalo and Orynx. We have now decided to cross into Tanzania via the Masai Mara/Serengeti parks, hopefully picking up more quality souvenirs on the way.


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