Comments on: Rift valley railways: Nairobi to Mombasa

By: Chem

Chem — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 12:21:12 +0000

I’m a huge train fan, done it a couple of times both ways. Last time coming back from MSA we got stuck at Mackinnon Road which is like 100 km from Mombasa due to a derailed train. We were right on the edge of Tsavo East Park so when we finally left 9 hours later, yes 9! at about 10 a.m., we got to experience the trip in daylight and it was the most awesomest trip ever. Coming through the park we saw all the wildlife you can imagine, bar the big cats but trundling past dusty red Tsavo elephants was amazing. I always skip the dinners, instead i pack Java sandwiches, water and potato chips. Love the breakfast which can be oily but it’s filling and delicious.

By: Kip the Porky Gourmand

Kip the Porky Gourmand — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 07:47:24 +0000

@aMERUcan Karibu! Regards the linen & the beds, they were in good shape. The cost of trip including meals is about 3660 kshs.

By: aMERUcan

aMERUcan — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 06:42:58 +0000

Hi,
We were discussing the train over the weekend and guys were saying some bad things about the train. The said it had bed bugs!Thanks for the blog as it has now given me a nice picture of the whole thing. Banks thanks for the tip on the pizza for dinner, those pics did not look appetising at all!How much was the cost of the trip including the meals? I figured you were accompanied(unless you have an appetite for both leathery meat and chicken).

By: Kenya Airways Mombasa to Nairobi | The Porky Gourmand

Kenya Airways Mombasa to Nairobi | The Porky Gourmand — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 15:05:05 +0000

[...] is post brings my Mombasa posts full circle. First up was the RVR railways train trip, then followed by dining reviews of The Moorings, Whitesands breakfast, Whitesands Lunch, [...]

By: Rafiki

Rafiki — Mon, 18 May 2009 19:04:34 +0000

Thanks Porky for such an excellent post with great pics!

I agree 100% with Banks, don’t take the dinner, just the breakfast.

Staff is generally polite and fun (some are real caricatures in their own right, others are drunk during the whole ride)

2nd class is also an excellent option, basically the same as first class, but with 4 people instead of 2 people in a room, so recommended for a group or family of four at cheaper rates.

Yeah, the cutlery, some of it is still there indeed. I understand some of it is silver and travellers steal it as a souvenir. RVR should actually sell it to passengers (other options include postcards, pictures, more choice in the bar etc).

I also prefer NBO-MSA by train and MSA-NBO by air. For one reason or another, there seem to be less delays on the NBO-MSA train than the MSA-NBO train (going uphill???). I don’t mind the delays too much, it is nice to see part of the journey in daylight.

And I agree with Banks again: this trip should be properly marketed! And RVR should think about online bookings.

By: porkygourmand

porkygourmand — Sat, 02 May 2009 16:06:00 +0000

@banks RVR has so much potential, they need a transformational manager to kick them into the 21st century. BTW I love your blog, I have been reading it for years.

By: bankelele

bankelele — Sat, 02 May 2009 10:35:32 +0000

great review; when i take the Mombasa train i usualy opt for break fast only (and carry a pizza for dinner) . last time they ran out of breads, but they bought some at the next station and the toast was warm and ready 5 minutes later. it’s a shame that RVR does not market teh train more, and only a few tourists know that it still exists

By: porkygourmand

porkygourmand — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 18:42:54 +0000

@rista inasemekana string beans were out of stock… Asante.

By: porkygourmand

porkygourmand — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 18:40:05 +0000

@Rista The dude with the loud chime device still makes his rounds. Those chefs in Madagascar are well trained & deserve some applause, sometimes the customer is not always right. I’m familiar with the kausha mentality. I was offered some kaushwad tuna in mombasa, chef had to make another one for me just seared & rare in the centre.

By: Rista

Rista — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 17:58:11 +0000

Also, if you can’t stand overcooked beef, take a trip to Madagascar (regardless of government legitimacy), the chefs there (frenchie influence?) refused to ‘kausha’ the beef for some of us kenyans. They preferred to cook an entirely different dish than mess with their medium rare beef. Said it would be an affront to their reputation!

By: Rista

Rista — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 17:54:17 +0000

Hmm… looks decent. You mean RVR’s hanging in there despite their probies with uprooted railways? Do they still come round with the ‘marching band’ at dawn, and the steamed string beans and carrots? Basi I give them the ‘brass cojones’ award, if the answer to any of the above is yes. Thanks for sharing.