Road notes from East Africa
Permits, park fees, seasons and road conditions for driving yourself through Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda.
Tanzania Budget Safari 2025: How to Self-Drive the Northern Circuit Cheaply
Tanzania is not typically considered a budget safari destination — the Northern Circuit's national park fees, accommodation costs, and vehicle hire make it…
Uganda Sipi Falls: Three-Tiered Waterfall Trek on Mount Elgon
Sipi Falls is Uganda's most spectacular waterfall complex — three distinct waterfalls that cascade down the southwestern escarpment of Mount Elgon in eastern…
Kenya Hell's Gate National Park: Cycling, Rock Climbing and the Fischer Tower
Hell's Gate National Park is one of the most unusual wildlife experiences in East Africa — the only Kenyan national park where visitors can cycle through…
Uganda Mabamba Swamp Shoebill Tour: How to See the World's Most Sought-After Bird
The shoebill stork (Balaeniceps rex) is one of the world's most remarkable birds — a prehistoric-looking, 1.5m-tall wading bird with a massive shoe-shaped…
Tanzania Ngorongoro Crater Accommodation: Inside vs Rim Lodge Comparison
Accommodation at the Ngorongoro Conservation Area divides into two categories that create meaningfully different experiences: the five lodges on the crater…
Kenya Maasai Mara July: Migration Timing, What to Book and Where to Stay
July is the Masai Mara's transition month — the wildebeest migration begins arriving from Tanzania in significant numbers from around July 10-15, building to…
Rwanda Gorilla Habituation Experience: The 4-Hour Encounter Explained
The Gorilla Habituation Experience (GHEX) at Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park is an extended gorilla encounter that provides 4 hours with a semi-habituated…
Tanzania Arusha: Base Town for Northern Circuit Safari
Arusha is the gateway city for Tanzania's Northern Circuit safari — every visitor beginning the Tarangire-Manyara-Ngorongoro-Serengeti circuit passes through…
East Africa Long-Haul Driving Guide: Nairobi to Kampala and Beyond
The Nairobi to Kampala overland route is one of East Africa's classic long-haul drives — approximately 700 km connecting Kenya's capital with Uganda's,…
Kenya Nairobi Safari: Nairobi National Park and the Elephant Orphanage
Nairobi National Park is the only wildlife reserve on Earth within the boundaries of a capital city — 117 sq km of highland savanna and riverine forest with…