Driving in Kenya as a tourist- Self Drive East Africa.
Officially the Republic of Kenya, Kenya is a country positioned in the eastern sub-region of Africa. It borders a number of countries including Uganda to the West, Tanzania to the South, Somalia to the east, and South Sudan to the northwest, Ethiopia to the north and Indian Ocean to the southeast. With coverage of 580,367 square kilometers by area, the country stands as the 48th largest country by area in the world.
It encompasses variety of beautiful and important cities including Nairobi which is its capital and largest city, the coastal and first capital city which is Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru and Eldoret. In these cities and many others, you will discover several adventurous attractions in different destinations like national parks, reserves, historical and cultural sites.
Kenya is among the best tourist destinations evidenced with its geography that ranges from Cold-snow capped mountain summits, the vast surrounding forests, wildlife and birdlife. When planning your safari in Kenya, there are key points to note before starting your self-drive trip. As a tourist you must note the following while driving in the mighty country;
Move with a valid driving license
You will need to have a valid driving license which will help you have peace and freedom during your day and night movements. If one comes from the Commonwealth countries and also holds an international driving license, he or she will not do any driving tests in case of the conversion of the license to a Kenyan driving license.
Follow the traffic rules and regulations
As a tourist in the beautiful Kenya, you have to follow all the driving rules and laws as the locals while on the country roads. Therefore before starting your journey on the country roads, it is better to first read and understand the road laws to avoid getting harassed by the police officers.
Drive left while on the roads of the country
While driving as a tourist in Kenya, you have to get used to driving to the left side of the road since all the Kenyan vehicles are right-handed. This requires some bit of practice since one has to get used to where the indicator lights are and also to overtake especially if you are used to driving vehicles with a left hand drive.
Limit your driving speed while on highways
As a tourist in the Republic of Kenya, you have to limit your speed especially on highways. The standard speed limit of the country is 110km/h thus required to drive below it.
The speed limit on highways is strictly enforced and when caught driving above the standard speed, it will give you a hard time to explain to the officers and thus destruction in your movement and safari.
Avoid driving during night hours
As a tourist in Kenya, you will have to avoid driving during night hours since it exposes you to high levels of risks including hijacks from harmful people, accidents and many others.
Roll up your windows
While driving on the roads of Kenya, make sure that your windows are rolled up and doors locked especially in traffic jams. This is done to overcome people with bad intentions like the thieves who will pretend to be pedestrians. In case the windows are down, make sure that you put all your devices away from view.
