Safety in Mombasa, Kenya What do other Racers need to know in order to be safe? Current safety protocols/precautions in place? Any relevant issues/concerns? Any precautionary suggestions?
People’s Opinions
Mombasa is super safe! Be careful with your things as you would be anywhere on the World Race, but overall this place is very safe. The people are nice, you can definitely walk around the city or the beaches… the local buses (matatus), tuktuks, Uber’s, & taxifys are all great ways to get around. I never felt in danger here, and no one ever even tried to take any of our things. Great place!
Ministry Summary
Ministry Summary in Mombasa, Kenya Breakthroughs? Suggestions? Concerns? On a scale of 1-4 (1 being not at all, 4 being absolutely) how strongly would you recommend another World Race team go to this ministry location & why?
People’s Opinions
If you have time in Mombasa, I DEFINITELY recommend Little Sisters of The Poor. It’s in the northern region of Mombasa Island, and it is a retirement home. The people that live there are the CUTEST and most wonderful people, and they would just love to have conversations and company. Not everyone speaks English, but they would LOVE it if you brought nail polish to pamper the women, a balloon to hit back and forth with the men, or a guitar to sing them some songs. It is run by sisters (of the Catholic faith), and they don’t really use phones… I would recommend just showing up and trying to schedule a time to visit with the people there. They are a great organization, and the grounds are VERY clean and beautiful. They accept the elderly from any religion, but often have mass that almost everyone attends… it’s a PHENOMENAL opportunity to introduce a lifelong Muslim (etc.) to Jesus. Do be ready— some of those that live there do struggle with dementia, etc. And the conversation may be you telling them you are from America over & over… but it is SUCH A COOL opportunity to love on people… I guarantee you’ll love the time you spend there!!
We partnered with Manna Worldwide and helped at two of the schools that they support along with The Hope Foundation. Working with the schools was great. There was slight miscommunication as our main contact, Pastor Allen, was not seen every day. Maybe once a week at best. Pastor Katanna we saw on a day to day basis. Sometimes they would call and give us different information. Besides the miscommunication everything was great!
Lodging
Lodging in Mombasa, Kenya Where did you stay? What were the accommodations (sleeping arrangements, toilets, showers, etc.)? Cost (per person per night in USD), Contact info.
People’s Opinions
We stayed at what we dubbed a “villa”. We had two rooms and one bathroom. We shared a common space and a kitchen with multiple other people who also rented there. We did have a pool which was a plus. The landlord was nice, but some of our neighbors were a problem. Overall it was a decent place to stay and it felt very safe.
Food / Meals
Food / Meals in Mombasa, Kenya What did you eat? Where did you get the food? Cost (per person per day in USD)? Contact info (if applicable).
People’s Opinions
Also!! Definitely check out Queens Cafeteria. They serve incredible traditional African dishes at super reasonable prices!! It was some of the best food we had in Mombasa… and we became friends with the owners! They are AWESOME people, and even took the time to offer cooking lessons to us. Seriously couldn’t recommend a better place!
We mostly cooked for ourselves, and we mostly shopped at Naivas (the one down the street from City Mall). It was affordable and had a great selection!We also went out to dinner at Il Covo and at a cafe in City Mall! There are lots of great restaurants on the beaches (like Yul’s), and in Mombasa town.The best place to get ice cream was definitely Naivas… the cheapest price for the most delicious & biggest portion sizes of ice cream 🙂
We cooked for ourselves. The grocery store Tusky’s has a decent selection (if you go to the larger one in the Mtwapa mall). Or for an even bigger selection there was the Naukumatt at the mall.
Transportation
Transportation in Mombasa, Kenya What transportation did you use to enter the country? Where were you coming from? What transportation was used to move throughout the country? Be sure to include the cost per person in USD and contact info if applicable.
People’s Opinions
We bussed in from Kampala to Nairobi for ~$20USD/person. We took the train from Nairobi to Mombasa for ~$10USD/person each way. Awesome train ride with lots of wild animals to see during the trip!!! Very safe way to travel. Once in Mombasa, we mostly used Uber, tuktuks, and taxify to get around! Taxify is an app that allows up to six riders in one vehicle and therefore can be significantly cheaper than two Ubers. DO NOT LET LOCAL TRANSPORT OVERCHARGE YOU. They will ALWAYS try because muzungus tend to overpay tremendously. If you’re not sure what something should cost, check the Uber app so you know what price range you should be negotiating for!
We flew into Nairobi and then used Tahmeed to bus us down to Mombasa. We tried to book online before hand, and the 3rd party that was supposed to bring our payment and actually book the tickets never did. So that was a bit of a problem. But after that it was okay. The buses were nice, we had air conditioning, wifi, and a free bottle of water. We used them on the way back from Mombasa to Nairobi as well.
Medical
Medical in Mombasa, Kenya Information on local hospitals / doctors / pharmacies. Where would someone go in a medical emergency? (addresses and contact info).
People’s Opinions
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Communication
Communication in Mombasa, Kenya Did you have cell reception / Internet service? Where? Carrier / Provider, where did you get phones / SIM cards, cost? Country code?
People’s Opinions
I got a SafariCom data plan in Nairobi before heading to Mombasa. It was ~$20USD for 15gb of data. Definitely more than I needed, but it has been nice to have this month! Most Kenya numbers start with +254
Financial
Financial in Mombasa, Kenya Location of banks or ATMs, notes about transaction fees, best places to exchange money, and other money related advice.
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Translators
Translators in Mombasa, Kenya List any local translators – name and contact information, languages spoken
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Off Days / Fun Activities
Off Days / Fun Activities in Mombasa, Kenya What activities did your team experience? Recommendations? List locations/contact info. Any locations to be avoided? Any extra safety tips for off days?
People’s Opinions
The beaches are fun to spend time at. We also took a tour for ~$5USD/person of Old Town Mombasa. They showed us around the outside of Fort Jesus, the lighthouse, to a beautiful restaurant that overlooked the ports, mosques, Hindu temples, the fruit market, etc. It was a fun way to spend a day! We ended the day at Blue Room for ice cream. The tusks are fun to see, but there isn’t much else in that area… it’s not a whole day event!
Haller Park is very nice. They have some walking paths, giraffes, monkeys, crocodiles, and many other animals. If you think of it as a zoo, it is a bit pricey for the amount of animals you see (which is not all that many). But walking around through the trees and everything was great. I would say it was a mashup between a zoo and a state park. If I remember right it was about 14 usd per person,
We found some great things to do on off days. Yul’s is a restaurant on the beach that has amazing ice cream, pizza, and wifi. the Indian ocean is warm like a hot tub which isn’t nice when the temperature is 90+ but you can get any kind of souvenirs on the beach there.a couple of us also rented motorcycles for the day. we just asked around and people directed us to where we could rent for about $10 usd a day.
Other Important Contacts
Other Important Contacts in Mombasa, Kenya Additional ministry opportunities, local pastors, etc. Relationship & follow up suggestions
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Tips
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Additional Info
Additional Info in Mombasa, Kenya Anything we’ve left out? Any additional suggestions to make travel easier for others?