Road notes from East Africa
Permits, park fees, seasons and road conditions for driving yourself through Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda.
Kenya Samburu National Reserve: Rare Northern Species and Samburu Culture
Samburu National Reserve in northern Kenya (165 sq km, on the south bank of the Ewaso Nyiro River, 350 km north of Nairobi) is the gateway to Kenya's dry…
Uganda Sipi Falls: Coffee Farm Trek and Waterfall Hiking in the Slopes of Mount Elgon
Sipi Falls in eastern Uganda — a series of three consecutive waterfalls on the Sipi River as it descends from the Mount Elgon escarpment into the Karamoja…
Tanzania Mahale Mountains: Chimpanzee Trekking on Lake Tanganyika
The Mahale Mountains rise from the western shore of Lake Tanganyika in remote western Tanzania — a granite massif reaching 2,462 m at Kungwe Peak, covered…
Kenya Coast: Watamu Marine National Park and Arabuko-Sokoke Forest
Watamu on Kenya's north coast (120 km north of Mombasa, 8 km south of Malindi) is East Africa's most ecologically rich coastal destination — a small beach…
Uganda Kidepo Valley National Park: The Most Remote and Wild Uganda Safari
Kidepo Valley National Park in northeastern Uganda — 475 km from Kampala on roads that range from good tarmac to severely corrugated murram — is widely…
East Africa Safari Health Guide: Vaccinations, Malaria and Medical Preparation
Health preparation for an East Africa safari is one of the most consequential parts of trip planning that many visitors underestimate or delay too long. The…
Rwanda Lake Kivu: Congo Nile Trail Cycling and the Island Archipelago
Lake Kivu — the great freshwater sea on the western edge of Rwanda, forming the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo for its entire 89-km length — is…
Kenya Lake Naivasha: Boat Safari, Hippo and the Crescent Island Game Walk
Lake Naivasha is Kenya's highest freshwater Rift Valley lake at 1,884 m altitude — 139 sq km of open water surrounded by yellow fever acacia forest, papyrus…
Uganda Mgahinga Gorilla National Park: Golden Monkeys and Multiple Volcanoes
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in southwestern Uganda — at only 33.7 sq km Uganda's smallest national park — shares the Virunga volcanic mountain massif with…
Tanzania Tarangire National Park: Baobab Trees and the Elephant Concentration
Tarangire National Park (2,850 sq km) in northern Tanzania is the least-visited of the main northern circuit parks — consistently overshadowed in itineraries…