Road notes from East Africa
Permits, park fees, seasons and road conditions for driving yourself through Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda.
Uganda and Rwanda Comparison: Which Safari is Right for You?
Uganda and Rwanda both offer mountain gorilla trekking and are frequently combined in a single East Africa itinerary. But they are distinctly different safari…
Kenya Driving Laws and Road Rules: What Self-Drive Visitors Must Know
Kenya's road rules apply to all drivers including international rental vehicle operators. Understanding the specific laws — speed limits, alcohol limits,…
Tanzania Lake Manyara National Park: Tree-Climbing Lions and Flamingos
Lake Manyara National Park is often positioned as a brief stop on the drive from Arusha to the Ngorongoro Crater — just 128 km from Arusha, it is typically…
Uganda Gorilla Conservation: How Permits Fund Protection and Community Benefits
Mountain gorilla numbers were declining for most of the 20th century, from an estimated 620 individuals in 1989 (the lowest ever recorded census) to their…
Rwanda Coffee Tour: From Bean to Cup in the World's Best Specialty Coffee Country
Rwanda produces some of the world's finest specialty coffees — a fact that has emerged over the past 20 years from almost complete obscurity. Rwandan Bourbon…
Kenya Birdwatching Self-Drive: Top Birding Sites and 1000-Species Target
Kenya has over 1,100 recorded bird species — more than any other country of comparable size in Africa, and more than Europe and North America combined. The…
Arusha Tanzania: Complete City Guide for Northern Circuit Safari Visitors
Arusha is Tanzania's safari capital — a large, busy market city of 400,000 people at 1,400m altitude between Mount Meru and the Kilimanjaro plains, serving as…
Lake Victoria Uganda: Islands, Fishing Villages and Source of the Nile
Lake Victoria — the world's largest tropical lake at 68,800 sq km — forms Uganda's southern border with Tanzania and shares its western shore with Kenya. The…
Tanzania and Kenya: Cross-Border Safari via Namanga Border Crossing
The Namanga border post between Tanzania and Kenya is East Africa's most important land crossing for safari circuit tourists — positioned exactly on the…
Uganda Rafting and Adventure Activities: White Water on the Nile at Jinja
Jinja, Uganda's second city on the northern shore of Lake Victoria where the Victoria Nile begins its 6,650 km journey to the Mediterranean Sea, is East…