Road notes from East Africa
Permits, park fees, seasons and road conditions for driving yourself through Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda.
Rwanda and Uganda Cross-Border Safari: Gorillas Both Countries in One Trip
The Rwanda-Uganda cross-border gorilla safari — trekking in Uganda's Bwindi Impenetrable Forest (USD $800 permit) and Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park (USD…
Kenya Nairobi Restaurants and Food: Where to Eat Before and After Safari
Nairobi's restaurant scene has grown dramatically over the past decade — from a city with limited international dining options to a genuinely diverse food…
Uganda Bwindi Rushaga Sector: Gorilla Habituation Experience in Depth
The Rushaga sector of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest — the southern sector approached from Kisoro (45 km, 1.5 hours) or Kabale (55 km, 1.5 hours) — has the…
Tanzania Ngorongoro Black Rhino: Finding and Photographing Africa's Rarest
The Ngorongoro Crater's black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis michaeli — the eastern black rhino subspecies, Critically Endangered at approximately 700…
Rwanda Bisoke Volcano Hike: Crater Lake Summit and Virunga Views
Bisoke (also spelled Visoke) — a 3,711 m stratovolcano in Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park (the Virunga chain), with a 1 km-diameter crater lake at the summit…
Kenya Hell's Gate National Park: Cycling Among Wildlife and the Gorge Walk
Hell's Gate National Park — 68 sq km of dramatic Rift Valley gorge country, geothermal landscape, and open savanna on the southern shore of Lake Naivasha — is…
Tanzania Kilimanjaro Acclimatisation: Preventing Altitude Sickness on the Climb
Altitude sickness (Acute Mountain Sickness — AMS) is the most common reason for Kilimanjaro summit failures — not fitness, not weather, not equipment. The…
Uganda Kibale Forest National Park Complete Guide: Chimps, Trails and Red Colobus
Kibale Forest National Park — 766 sq km of tropical moist forest in western Uganda, at 1,100–1,590 m altitude in the Albertine Rift, containing the world's…
Kenya Samburu National Reserve: Reticulated Giraffe and Northern Specials
Samburu National Reserve — 165 sq km of semi-arid acacia and doum palm savanna on the banks of the Ewaso Ng'iro River in northern Kenya, 330 km north of…
Uganda Murchison Falls National Park Complete Circuit Guide
Murchison Falls National Park — Uganda's largest national park at 3,840 sq km, centred on the dramatic spectacle of the Nile River forcing itself through a…