After spending a month in Uganda, we were eager to hit the coast of Kenya for some much needed beach vibes. We had spent 8 days in Kampala finalizing the transfer of the car we had bought 6 weeks before to a friends name so that we could get insurance to let us travel to other East African countries like Rwanda and Kenya. It took us days to arrange everything from local insurance, Comesa insurance and a allround service to make sure the car was safe to hit the road.

We left Jinja on Thursday morning, dropped our friend Arthur off in Eldoret so he could grab a flight to Turkana to court a special lady. We drove 3 more hours to Nakuru, the fourth-largest city in Kenya, where we grabbed a cheap hotel to get some rest and stock up on supplies. The next day, fiercely determined to hit the coast, we woke up at 6AM to hit the road again and cover as much distance as we could. We took shifts driving and drove  around 12 hours a day to arrive in Voi, a little town near Tsavo National Park. Hungry and exhausted, we hit the town to grab some grub and a Nile Special (our beer of choice) to relax. The next day we set off on the last stretch, a 3 hour drive to Mombasa and then 1 more hour up to Kilifi, where we promised ourselves to hit the beach that afternoon.

I hadn’t been to the Kenyan coast in over 16 years, so the sight of the seductive Indian Ocean at Bofa Beach was a nostalgic endeavour. Immediately the weight of the past few days had fallen off our shoulders, and the peacefulness of the beach vibes covered our minds like a breathe of fresh air.

Immediately after we arrived at Distant Relatives we noticed that this place was different.  Offering everything from ensuite bandas with their own charming private courtyards to dorms, Distant Relatives delivers it’s lovable concoction to budget travellers as well as those with a little more to spend.

A magical energy surrounds this place, creating a friendly atmosphere in which friendships are made in the blink of an eye. It’s unique laid back vibe polished by a fantastic driftwood theme, friendly staff and cool people makes it a place you MUST visit if you come to the coast of Kenya.