Kenya to Ethiopia By Bus

Traveling to Ethiopia from Kenya is as easy as it gets. Kenyans do not require a visa to visit Ethiopia. Only 2 bus trips will be made one way.

Prerequisites

1. Passport
2. Covid-19 vaccination certificates
3. Yellow Fever certificate

Things you need to know before visiting Ethiopia
1. A majority of Ethiopians do not speak English but rather speak Amharic so brace yourself.
2. You won’t get your regular multinational chain of brands and services. E.g. no Uber, Bolt,
3. It is kinda ‘illegal’ to possess US dollars. You will have to use black market channels to exchange your dollars.
4. Ethiopian food is generally spicy.

The trip

Nairobi to Moyale

The journey here starts from Nairobi to Moyale. Book a bus with any of the Moyale-bound buses from 10th Street Eastleigh. I used Royal Traveller bus which was pretty okay. The cost of the ticket ranges from KES2000 for regular seats to KES3000 for VIP seats. Mine cost KES2500 as it was during the holiday season, From experience, the VIP seats are not worth it in my opinion as excess passengers minimize the comfort.

The journey starts at 7:30 PM and takes approximately 12 hours to reach Moyale town at around 8 AM. On arrival, look for a place to rest; I recommend Haven Luxury Guest House, Hotel Azora, or Abuya Palace Hotel,

The price for a single bed with bed and breakfast ranges from KES2500 to KES3000.

Tip: If you plan to travel immediately to Addis Ababa the following day, you better cross the border and get accommodation there as the buses leave at 4AM. I got accommodation ‘owned’ by the bus company Selam which was horrible.

Immigration

The process should be smooth with the Ethiopian Immigration if you have all the required documents with one caveat; the public health officer will reject your Covid vaccination certificates if you only have 2 of them and insist you need a ‘3rd booster’. Those who live in Africa know what this means. Long story short I huggled the KES3000 bribe demand down to KES1000.

Moyale to Addis Ababa

Before anything else, once you cross the border, you need to do the following things:

1. Exchange your Kenya shillings with the black foreign exchange guys who are quite many and visible along the streets. They give a better rate than what the banks offer; in fact twice as much. I got an ETB (Birr) to KES rate of 1.36 against 2.75 offered at banks. Sweet deal huh!
   By banks, I mean ATM withdrawals using your Visa card or MasterCard.
   Exchange as many Kenya Shillings as you would want. I advise 1.5 - 2 times your budget.

2. Get a SIM card by all means. Look around for an Ethio Telecom or Safaricom agent and have them register a SIM card and mobile money for you. I got an Ethio-telecom SIM card for 100 Birr and loaded about 200 Birr to Telebirr, a mobile money service (works well with the Telebirr app). Internet is very cheap in Ethiopia.

3. Download local taxi-hailing apps like Adika and Feres. It is advisable you register with your Ethiopian mobile number which the drivers will contact you with.

Once you have that sorted, it’s time to book a bus and accommodation. I booked a bus with Salem Bus for 1880 Birr. Ask around for directions to their office. The pickup point is usually just near the booking office and the bus leaves at 4 AM. So when looking for a place to spend the night, choose a place close to the office. This would cost you an equivalent of KES500 to KES1500. From this point onwards, lower your expectations.

Expect a lot of military checkpoints along the way. Take extra care of your luggage and valuables. The views are quite scenic if you get a window seat. Ethiopia is vast and bare and you may just have a short-lived Arap Mashamba moment.

Caveat: The bus may, without notice, stop at Hawassa city and resume the journey the following day at 5 AM citing security concerns. I got a cheap but terrible, dirty and bedbug-infested guest house. You can do better as there are many awesome hotels in Hawassa.

Hawassa City photo dump

Once you reach Addis you will probably alight at a neighbourhood called Bole Mikael. Put the taxi-hailing apps to good use and be patient enough with locals when asking your way around as they do not normally speak English

Accommodation

This, I will leave it up to you to do your planning. I can only recommend an Airbnb near Sheger Park hosted by a guy called Wondwossen.

What to do in Addis Ababa

I suggest you get a local guide or do proper research on the places you would like to visit. Otherwise here are some recommendations:

1. Explore the food outlets if you are a foodie. Shekla Tibs is a must try. If you become homesick, there is a restaurant that sells Kenyan cuisine called Africana.

2. Visit Entoto Park (free), Friendship Park (100Birr) and Unity Park.

3. Sample the local beers and spirits. This would probably be followed by experiencing the nightlife. Be wary of the beautiful Ethiopian women or you might end up pleading for a mchango back at home.

4. Visit the National Museum.

   

5. Take a walk or bus/tram ride to explore the city’s architecture, infrastructure, etc. Bus fare is usually 5 Birr while a tram ride will cost you 10 Birr.

   

6. Road trip out of town. Contact me via WhatsApp if you want this arranged.

7. Buy locally-made goods at Merkato and Shiro Meda.

Return Journey

Book a ticket with Salem bus Addis office to Moyale. I got my ticket for 1880 Birr still and the bus leaves the following day at 4 AM from Lamberet Menaharia bus terminus.
If you arrive just before 6:30 PM at Moyale you can cross to the Kenyan side and book a bus to Nairobi that leaves at 7:30 PM the same night. If you are this lucky, your journey from Addis Ababa to Nairobi will take approximately 24 hours. This will have some not-so-pleasant effect to your back and I recommend you visit a massage parlour immediately when you get home.