Kenya to Ethiopia By Bus
"A guide to travelling to and from Ethiopia"
Gideon Maina
Senior IoT Engineer
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
Passport
Covid-19 vaccination certificates
Yellow Fever certificate
Things you need to know before visiting Ethiopia
A majority of Ethiopians do not speak English but rather speak Amharic so brace yourself.
You won't get your regular multinational chain of brands and services. E.g. no Uber, Bolt,
It is kinda 'illegal' to possess US dollars. You will have to use black market channels to exchange your dollars.
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.
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:
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.
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.
About Gideon Maina
Senior IoT Engineer
IoT Engineer and Full-stack Developer passionate about building innovative solutions for African challenges. Experienced in sensor networks, web development, and data visualization.