The road North

We had heard a lot of bad things about the Moyale-Marsabit road in northern Kenya. It is known amongst overlanders as the worst stretch of road from Cape to Cairo. We had decided to take this main route north to Ethiopia and then to try and come back south through the Omo valley and Lake Turkana further to the west.

We left Nairobi and took the good tarred road to the east of Mount Kenya. The mountain was in the clouds as always but the road was very scenic, lined with lush forest and coffee and banana plantations. As the road heads away from Mt Kenya to Isiolo, the landscape changes dramatically, giving way to typical African acacia savanna. We spent the night at the Range Hotel campsite just before Isiolo. The asphalt ends very abruptly at Isiolo…

Into the Northern hemisphere...

It took us six hours to cover the jarring 250km to Marsabit on the deeply corrugated road. The road is thankfully under reconstruction with many dusty detours taking you through an increasingly barren landscape. We had to re-attach the bull-bar en route, because one of the brackets had cracked.

Steve fixing the bullbar - bloudraad and duct tape!

We arrived in Marsabit in the late afternoon, passing bands of Samburu warriors armed with spears and AK47’s from time to time, some of them looking very angry and serious. We spent the night at Henry’s campsite, where we learned that there had been a cattle theft earlier in the day and that the herder had been killed. Everyone was now waiting for the retribution killing before peace could return. Apparently Marsabit has always been a hotspot because it is at the junction of three different tribal lands and is also the only reliable source of water in the area. We were reassured that as foreigners we were definitely safe.

One of the few rivers we crossed - an Oasis

Acacia sunset at Henry's campsite

The next morning we headed into town to repair the bull-bar and a grease seal on the front left wheel. Fortunately we had a spare seal with us and we were done in three hours. We spent another relaxing night at Henry’s before heading for Takaba the next morning.

Repairs to Scarlet in Marsabit

Family portrait at Henry's Campsite, Marsabit

The road from Marsabit north is very rocky (for us, better that the corrugations on the previous stretch) and descends through a landscape of volcanic cones and craters down to the flat desert plains. Before long we were passing camel trains, shimmering in the distance…

Camels and rocks

Need some space?

And then a lot of Mzungu (White) cyclists with numbered vests? Ever heard of Tour d’Afrique? Its an annual cycle event from Cairo to Cape Town. There are sixty competitors and a number of support vehicles. Every day is a stage on the long road south.

Tour d'Afrique

Petrol/diesel gets more expensive in Kenya as one gets further from Nairobi. Petrol (Benzeen) is available in Moyale (from a drum) and Marsabit. Fuel is approx 25% cheaper in Ethiopia than Kenya. The road from Marsabit to Moyale took us roughly 5 hours.