After two matutu (minibus), one boda boda (motorbike), and another matutu ride, 7 hours after I left Mbale, I arrived in Kisumu. I walked to the de-facto hostel which was really a hotel that was reasonably priced, in a good…
Sipi Falls and Mbale
After a week in Jinja, I was rested and recovered and ready to move on. Of course, a 3 hour road journey ended up taking 7, but I arrived in Sipi Falls before dark, giving me time to set up…
Jinja- source of the Nile
Jinja is Uganda’s third largest city, but after Kampala, felt really small. Which was kind of nice, particularly for running errands. In Kampala, we had struggled to do errands (other than the great thrift shopping), but here we easily found…
In which my bed bugs turn into Bilharzia- Queen Elizabeth National Park and Kampala
From Lake Bunyoni, we caught a boat ride, taxi, bus and matatu (shared minivan) to arrive in Katunguru, a small town sitting at the entrance to Queen Elizabeth National Park. As soon as we got off the matatu we were…
Shivering on Lake Bunyoni- Uganda
As I drank my fifth cup of tea for the day, I realized it was only just after noon. I had slept in til nearly 8am, a result of the one hour later sunrise in Uganda, the pouring rain and…
The muddiest hike of my life- Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda
After a few days of hiking on the Congo Nile Trail, Kersten and I decided we were ready to tackle Besote Volcano, one of the peaks in Rwanda’s Volcano National Park. Our real goal was to hopefully see the gorillas…
Hiking the Congo Nile Trail- Rwanda
After a hearty breakfast at the hostel in Gisenyi on Lake Kivu, the four of us were ready to go. As we stepped outside, it started to rain and we immediately put on our rainjackets and backpack covers. Welcome to…
Kigali and Kibuye, Rwanda
After an epic journey from Kigoma, Tanzania, to say I was happy to be in Kigali, would be a vast understatement. I woke up to a fresh pot of filtered coffee and free breakfast (I actually had no idea how…
Transiting in Tanzania Part III- Kigoma to Kigali, Rwanda
I woke from a very light sleep with a kink in my neck and a returned awareness of the pain in my legs and my back. I checked my phone and saw it was 1:15am and that we were finally…
Transiting in Tanzania Part II- Sumbuwunga to Kigoma
Waking at 5am in Sumbuwanga, I was pleasantly surprised when breakfast was being made for me. It was included in the room price but when I asked it it would be available so early, I had received a definitive “no”,…