Mombasa

[Martin00]

Hello,

Does anyone know how is the situation around Ukunda / Diani Beach in terms of massage parlors? Of course looking for proper places with all the extras that we like! :-the.

Thanks.

[Cadmus]

For Tanduri and Manyatta good thing is that you can go outside part of the place when the loud music start to bother you. For most of the places you just have to stay inside and suffer. Music is played too loud in almost all the places. Worst is club Volume in Shanzu in my opinion, I like to visit there but leave after one beer because volume is too high. In Hypnotica, even in toilet music is too loud. Casourina, Cheers. I have been considering starting to use some kind of hearing protection when visiting bars. In Big Tree, I complained many times about too loud music. Management just tell me that local people like loud music.

Only place that I know with decent volume levels is Safari Inn, maybe because there are so many musungus there. That is Tuesday and Friday place, little bit boring place but there are many girls on those days.

I was in Bamburi and Mtwapa in summer of 2021. In those covid-times, Casourina was empty, quiet and closed most of the time. Big Tree restaurant was mostly empty. Cheers was livelier but chilled, with comfortable noise levels.

So are those places currently more busy, meaning also higher noise levels?

[MadDin19]

The relevant Kenyan authorities.

And who exactly is that?

I have the impression that in Kenya every government agency has different information. So I prefer to rely on the information from my home country's government.

I entered Mombasa on October 20th and was explicitly asked for the QR code.

My printout of the code was retained.

Again, it only takes 15 minutes to generate and print that damn QR code. But rather you spend hours in this forum to find out how to bypass the code. I do not understand that. Just do it. And if you really don't need it then you've lost nothing.

[Leblon]

There is high season in hotels for Christmas / New year in Mombasa. That means that hotels double their room rates, so many visitors coming from Nairobi and foreign countries. Looks like this high season has started already, some hotels are full already. And I heard rumours that Cowrie Shell for example raised their room rates already. That was just a rumour.

Big Tree hotel management told that they have high season nowadays all the time in visitor point of view, hotel is booked all the time. But they double their room prize only in 15 Dec, until 5 of Jan.

So make your hotel bookins in advance.

[Bajuni]

Who says you don't need the QR anymore?

The relevant Kenyan authorities.

Always better to get the information from the source than from some 3rd parties that don't keep their site uptodate.

[MadDin19]

But you have to fill in the dates, the batch numbers and the brand names of the vaccinations that you received & a photo of the green pass that you already have.

I can read all this information in my vaccination card and only need to copy it. 5 minutes. Scanning my vaccination card another 5 minutes.

So even if you don't need it any more it is a small effort if you want an extra to be on the safe side.

Who says you don't need the QR anymore? I am German and follow the instructions of the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs for trips abroad. There you need the QR. So I get the QR.

[Zimzam]

I am just back from Kenya. It took me 15 minutes to generate my QR at globalhaven. After sending it, it took me 2 seconds to get it.

I don't understand all the fuss about 15 minutes work. Just do it.

Yes, actually it's true that once you understand the structure of the global haven site and what they want it can be finished in short time.

But you have to fill in the dates, the batch numbers and the brand names of the vaccinations that you received & a photo of the green pass that you already have.

So even if you don't need it any more it is a small effort if you want an extra to be on the safe side.

[Neddy69]

Nowadays NEOS Air operates direct flights from different cities in Italy to Mombasa.

Once a week, soon it will be twice a week, on Wednesday and Thursday.

In September they refused you to board without the QR from global haven.

I don't know if they still have that policy now.

Some airlines are sleeping and using outdated information. Show them the IATA Travel centre page. That's what ALL airline check-in staff are using. And there it states VERY clearly that Global Haven IS NOT required any more by the Kenian health authorities. PERIOD. If some creative health official wants to capitalize on misinformed people and make a quick buck that's a different matter.

The most trouble I always had was with dumb check in staff of the airlines. Same as Visa policy. Insist that they're going to check with their supervisor in case they give you trouble. Thanks God this COVID BS comes to an end. Except for the Chinese. LOL.

Mwalimu.

[Zimzam]

Lufthansa and Etiopian are only airlines that I know that travel from Europe to Mombasa, instead of Nairobi..

Nowadays NEOS Air operates direct flights from different cities in Italy to Mombasa.

Once a week, soon it will be twice a week, on Wednesday and Thursday.

In September they refused you to board without the QR from global haven.

I don't know if they still have that policy now.

[Leblon]

One friend arrived to Mombasa on this week Tuesday, with Etiopian Airlines. Lufthansa and Etiopian are only airlines that I know that travel from Europe to Mombasa, instead of Nairobi.

Same thing with him, just this Covid Vaccination Certifigate print, nothing else.

But as I said, make QR code print, maybe they ask in Nairobi. Or maybe sometimes even in Mombasa.

This Lufthansa info that I put in General forum folder. It was something like this: Vaccination certifigate OR prove of corona test in 72 hours OR you will be taken tests in the airport.

According that you could arrive without any corona document. I don't recommend though.

[SceticoBlu]

My arrivel in Nairobi was 4 weeks ago.

I saw some people without QR code held up. I am sure they somehow managed to get in but I don't need negotiations with greedy officers after a 8 hrs flight.

[Leblon]

Leblon I think you are not right. I was flying with KLM and they asked me for the QR code already in my homecountry. And at Nairobi airport I had to show it again.

Different airport, different airline. I was not asked from Lufthansa when doing checking or in Mombasa health check. Confusing.

How long time was this, SceticoBlu? I arrived on last Sunday.

If that QR code is so easy to get, then better to get just in case. And if airline operator like KLM demands it, then you need to have it, otherwise they will not let you board to plane.

I did not arranged it because it was not demanded by Lufthansa in their travel documents section, I wrote to General board already what Lufthansa was demanding in their website.

[SceticoBlu]

Leblon I think you are not right. I was flying with KLM and they asked me for the QR code already in my homecountry. And at Nairobi airport I had to show it again.

[Leblon]

I just arrived to Mombasa, couple of days ago, with Lufthansa flight.

I had my European Union Covid Vaccination Certificate printed, I showed that in the Health Inspection. No questions about anything else. I did not have any QR-code from Global Haven.

Like it has said and I have also written, airline companies know if some certificate or document is needed or not because they are in so much trouble if passenger is rejected in immigration.

So follow your airline company instructions, if they allow you to get in plane, immigration should be easy. I have been rejected to enter a plane a few times, and nearly rejected many times, because airline company has thought that my documents are not good enough for immigration in destination country.

[Neddy69]

Now, what about if the airline company doesn't let you board the plane if you can't show this damn QR from Global haven. ?

Even if you try to explain to them that nobody in Kenya will ask for it.

Very easy. You show them the IATA page I copied in general questions.

Mwalimu.