Mombasa is the city and chief port of Kenya. It is situated on a coralline island in a bay of the Indian Ocean. Mombasa, a melting pot of languages and cultures from all sides of the Indian Ocean, waits like a decadent dessert for travelers who make it to Kenya’s coastline. Having more in common with Dakar or Dar es Salaam than Nairobi, Mombasa’s blend of India, Arabia, and Africa is uniquely enchanting, and many visitors find themselves falling for East Africa’s biggest and most cosmopolitan port, but not us.
We landed here with FlyDubai just a few days before the vessel. We arrived in the evening, so the airport was pretty deserted. After smooth passport control, where you could choose how long you wanted to stay (up to 90 days), we collected our luggage and went out through disturbing customs officers. You could change money there. They offered 120 KES / 1 USD, but we insisted on a better rate, so in the end, we got 125 KES / 1 USD. Since we could not buy the sim card in the evening, we did not have internet and could not order Bolt. Negotiating any reasonable rate with the “taxi mafia” was hard, and we paid 1500 KES to get to Nyali, where we booked a small apartment (27 USD / night).
The next day, we took a tuk-tuk (200 KES) to City Mall in Nyali, which became our beloved “western hub” for the next few days. We bought a sim card there from Safaricom (27 GB / 3000 SMS / 1500 minutes / 30 days – 3100 KES or 2100 KES for 17 GB). Since we had SIM cards, we only used Bolt, the cheapest and most reliable transportation to explore Mombasa (bike, tuk-tuk, car). Every day we went here to shop in expensive Carrefour or have dinner at Cafesserie (Spaghetti Carbonara – 1550 KES, Grilled chicken breast with mashed potatoes – 1490 KES, Caesar salad – 1290 KES, Croissant – 290 KES, Chocodeaux cake – 590 KES, Strawberry cheesecake – 590 KES, Sparkling water – 0,7 l / 580 KES). Good was also Dominos Pizza (Large Pepperoni – 1450 KES, 1,25 l Coca-Cola / 300 KES). Don’t miss the famous, lively, and friendly cosmopolitan Zero 01 nightclub (open 24/7, lively after 22:00, White Cap beer – 0,5 l / 400 KES) on the third floor. Next to the mall are also popular Ten Street Pub (Mojito – 590 KES) and discotheque Hypnotica. We also went to Roberto’s Italian Restaurant for the best pizza in town and the local Tarboush Street restaurant for Swahili dishes.
Before Mombasa became well established as an essential port for trade across the Indian Ocean, the general area had long been the site of settlements inhabited by Bantu-speaking peoples who engaged in farming, fishing, and local trading. It was visited in 1331 by the Arab traveler Ibn Baṭṭūṭah and in 1498 by the Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama. Because of its strategic position, it was continually fought over, passing among the Arabs, Persians, Portuguese, and Turks until 1840, when the Sultan of Zanzibar finally gained control. It came under British administration in 1895 and was the capital of the East Africa Protectorate until 1907. Mombasa became a municipality in 1928 and assumed council status in 1959.
Mombasa has two ports, Mombasa Old Port on the island’s east side and Kilindini Harbour on the west. The old port is now used only by dhows and small craft, bringing trade from Arabia, the Persian Gulf, and India. The old city is strongly Middle Eastern, with narrow streets, high houses with carved ornamental balconies, and mosques and temples. It is the site of Fort Jesus (🎟️1200 KES – only with M-PESA), built by the Portuguese (1593–95). There are Anglican and Roman Catholic cathedrals and a Hindu Lord Shiva temple with a gilded dome built in 1952. We also visited the Spice Market, Mandhry Mosque, Old Law Courts, Tusks, Jain Temple (closed to the public), and Swaminarayan Temple. Do not even try to go to the touristic Camel’s Cafe next to Fort Jesus; the food was terrible.
😭Our troubles in Mombasa Port😭
We were very unlucky. First, the ship arrived a few days later than expected. Second, we probably chose the wrong agent (Bay Cargo Movers) recommended in some FB groups. In the end, the only one helping us was the partner/agent of NMT in Mombasa. The procedure should cost 2615 USD, but they got 2700 USD and never showed up with the change.
All troubles started during the off-loading of the truck from the vessel when we received messages from the truck unit about the permanent repeated starting of the engine (they did it 47 times to drive from the ship a few hundred meters to the customs yard). To make the story short, they did off-load the truck without releasing the parking brake (that’s why the engine always went off), so they damaged our clutch (wholly burnt), the parking brake, and a few other things 😭. It took us five days to push it through customs and put at least our claim to the port, shipping agency, agent, and vessel. We will probably get nothing out of it, but we at least tried our best. Then, it took another few days to find someone ready to repair it. Ultimately, we did it in some dirty yard with a guy recommended by other overlanders (600 EUR / 2 days). Luckily, we carried the whole clutch set with us. We also took diesel at Shell (⛽168,40 KES / liter). Locals told us to do it only at Shell or Total. AdBlue is also available for 5650 KES / 20 liters.
