Old trip - posting due to DM requests Places: Uganda - Kampala, Jinja, Fort Portal, Kasese, Masindi Rwanda - Kigali, Volcano National Park Tanzania - Dar Es Salaam, Arusha, Serengeti, Ngongoro, Zanzibar Places seen: Jinja - source of nile river with a Gandhi statue nearby Lake Victoria Speke monument Entebbe airport - site of the famous Israeli raid Idi amin palace Equator monument Aero beach Mount Stanley/Margerita Peak - saw old medical cans doubling for Ebola and Covid at the dam entering the park. Murchison park/Falls - watched the rainbow over the falls and crocodiles hunt, eat a hippo along with elephants swimming across the falls downstream Mount Karisimbi Gorilla Trek - climbed trees to take videos of silverbacks Baby gorilla naming site with huge statue where the annual baby naming festival happens Diane Fossey site Genocide Memorial Hotel Rwanda Mount Kilimanjaro Ngongoro Crater - lots of different animals - was almost like being in the lion king Serengeti Game Drive - lots of different animals - came close to sneaking up on a large lion and almost grabbing its tail Zanzibar - saw Freddie Mercury's childhood home Sultan's palace - site of the shortest war in history Stone Town Lake Victoria Total Budget: 12K USD Travel Type: Solo Fun: 1 (teacher in Kigali) Accommodations: 3/4/5 star hotels with good wifi Transport: Self-drive car, flights, trains, tabbing on my own feet Work-Life Balance Slightly difficult - worked till 2 AM local times to stay in tune with US PST Visa Type: East Africa Visa - online application - with visa on arrival Gear: 1 backpack with laptop etc 1 duffel with climbing, scuba gear # of photos: 2000+ Previous posts Morocco - https://www.teamblind.com/post/OGpeSyF0?cid=22545079 General - https://www.teamblind.com/post/[AMA]-remote-worktravel-during-covid-lockdown-i3SSTGCr Mexico - https://www.teamblind.com/post/[AMA]-2-months-in-Mexico-E7wVEQib
Bookmarking this. Any places on your list that you don't recommend? Or felt a bit unsafe?
I felt safe everywhere - just be sure to not show flashy things in Kampala markets and you will be ok. I had copies of my passport and 2-3 large currency notes in the zippered pockets of my cargoes - so nothing happened to me. There's poverty, so no need to add to temptation.
Any language barriers?
This is soooo fucking awesome especially for the people who keep asking if you can work out of the country yes you can!!!!
Yeah - I had a blast and crossed more items from my bucket list.
Man I’m proud a living legend
Thinking about doing this, how do you mitigate danger and regional conflict?
I used to read lots of adventure/action novels as a teenager - so danger is my middle name :) The reality is that the news sensationalize conflict to a certain extent. As long as you dont visit dangerous areas and use common sense, I think you should be ok. The government need tourist money and reputation, so do their best to prevent tourists to not visit dangerous places and protect them well. The security situation was stable everywhere I visited.
Do you use embassy guidance in evaluating security risk? Did you ever need assistance from embassy?
Pre travel vaccine list and how was the romance scene in Africa?
Yellow fever primarily - this is checked before entry. Romance is in the air everywhere around the world for travelers :)
Btw what u mean by fun with 1 teacher at Kaigali
Phone and Cameras used ?
Overland - Galaxy A series - dual sim no cameras Underwater - Paralenz
Congrats on kilimanjaro, i did the rongai route a few years back. Which route did you take and was the last day tough enough to almost give up? It becomes f***ing lonely on these long trips, how do you deal with that?
Machame route. Toughest was the day before summit. Severe altitude sickness and was not experienced enough to recognize it, puked on the way down - but still proud since it was one of the 7 summits. I am a lone wolf by nature I guess. As long as I am busy, healthy, have a full stomach and enough books, movies to catch up on, I do well without human contact.
Gear list?
1 North Face Duffel - M 1 Osprey Mutant - 38l 1 Camelbak - 3l 1 Nalgene with insulation - 1l 1 BD Headlamp 3 pairs of gloves - outer, liner, midlayer 1 pair of crag/belay gloves 6 carabiners 1 REI - 3 in 1 stormhenge - rain + windproof + insulated 2 pairs of patagonia alpine simul 2 pairs of north face trekking expedition pants 1 teva sandals 1 la sportiva cube mountain boots 1 salomon gtx hiking boots 1 climbing helmet 1 rescue + med kit with water purification tablets 1 g12 grivel crampons 1 BD ice axe 2 BD trekking poles 1 rain poncho 1 BD harness 1 dive mask 1 snorkel 1 paralens underwater camera
Noice. Are the La Sportiva cubes any good?