Kenya

Lake Naivasha

Cycling in Hell's Gate National Park

Sandstone canyon

Longonot crater

Steam outlet

Mt Kenya - view from Pt Lenana

Glacier and lake

Glacier and terminal lake

Tarns at Mt Kenya

*** Kenya ***

* Nyaharuru and Thompson Falls *

After an overnight bus into Kenya, I firstly stopped by Nyaharuru, one of the highest towns in Kenya where I relaxed by the nearby Thompson Falls that plunge down into a deep forested gorge.

* Mt Kenya – 4 day trek *

My last big hike was up to a 4900m high viewpoint over the jagged peaks of Mt Kenya.
The first day I climbed above the tree line and camped with a view over the sloping sides of the mountain. The next day was cut short by some early snow, sleet and rain, and I sheltered and thawed out in the relative warmth of a perfectly situated cabin, that looks up to the Mt Kenya bluffs. We rose early for the summit climb over some fresh snow, arriving at dawn to see beautiful vistas of the impressive peaks and surrounding glaciers and mountains. I came down via a different route, which took me past a number of pretty ponds and a couple of shrinking hanging glaciers on the side of the mountain. The high alpine scenery here was absolutely awesome!

* Lake Naivasha, Hell’s Gate National Park and Longonot crater day-hike *

I then travelled across to Lake Naivasha, and camped a couple of nights beside this large freshwater lake in the Rift Valley, where the hippos come up at night to graze. There’s papyrus everywhere along the shoreline, and floating Hyacinth plants drift from side to side in the middle of the lake.

I visited Hell’s Gate on bicycle, riding through a striking cliff-sided gorge past Zebras, Gazelle, Giraffes and Warthogs! Ditching the bike for a minute, I walked through a small but superb sandstone canyon. On the way back, I took a detour on the mountain bike via a rough road that rises to excellent views over the main gorge and surrounding landscapes, getting caught in some afternoon rains!

On a hired small motorbike, I rode down to Longonot National Park for a walk up to this imposing 2km-wide crater, that is flat-bottomed and filled with green vegetation. The walk around the crater rim is absolutely fantastic, and I also passed by a natural geothermal steam outlet in the side of the crater rim!

* Busy Nairobi - souvenir shopping *

I spent my last couple of days in Africa souvenir shopping, having to do some serious haggling! And the crazy crowded streets of old-town district were something else, mayhem everywhere it seemed! I also caught a good live performance of some popular Congolese style music at a classy nightclub.


** Food and drink **

The food of East Africa is quite a mix of African, Western and Islamic/Indian influences. I found the food in Uganda to be the best, with the widest variety of staples (including the popular Matooke, cooked mashed bananas), and the most tasty stews. I also tried a few of the local liqueurs made from bananas, pineapple and cane sugar. They all went down pretty well.


*** Mauritius stopover ***

On the way back home, I spent a day exploring this isolated tropical island that is dominated by people of Indian origin. The beaches were gorgeous, as were the tropical waters.


* Home again *

I’m now back home after 3 months on the move, and just love home all the more!

Uganda

On the road in rural Uganda

Local butcher

Banana market

My Mt Elgon guide

In Mt Elgon crater

Dress shop

Golf at Jinja overlooking the start of the river Nile

Busy Kampala market

Bonfire by moonlight, Sesse Islands

Sesse Islands in Lake Victoria

*** Uganda ***

* Sesse Islands, Lake Victoria *

After crossing the border into Uganda on a rainy day, I took a small minibus along the some very rough dirt roads to the Sesse Islands. I camped here at a small beach for a couple of days just relaxing and enjoying the pretty setting. One afternoon I set out on a kayak (keeping as dry as I could to avoid getting the Bilharzia bug) for a paddle around the shore and to see some of the other islands, passing some fisherman in a boat who had a healthy catch of Tilapia fish.

I took the new ferry from the Sesse Islands up to Entebbe, passing by many floating plants as we sailed through the islands and alongside the mainland coast.

* Kampala, Golf at Jinja, and whitewater kayaking on the Nile *

Arriving to the capital Kampala, the traffic was horrendous, and people and things were just everywhere. I stayed here a day, checking out the extremely busy markets, and also getting along to a great jam session of local reggae and rap/hip hop music.

Moving on to Jinja, I firstly had a round of golf on a simple course that overlooks the start of the Nile river at Lake Victoria. The big thrill though was coming down the first 11 rapids of the White Nile on a tandem kayak. We went through some serious rapids (including 2 grade five rapids), and even got through some of them without coming out of the kayak, including a couple of rolls from upside down. I did come out down the second big rapid that throws you back into a huge wave just when you think you’ve made it past!

Here I camped at an excellent spot right beside the roaring Bujagali falls (one of the more difficult rapids you come down).

* Mt Elgon 3-day hike, and motorbike day-tour *

On the border with Kenya is Mt Elgon, a huge volcanic caldera that rises to 4300m. Here I went on a 3-day trek with my trusty armed guide/ranger. The first day was a bit of a slog through the forest to reach the moorlands. On the second day we reached the crater and camped right in the middle of this huge caldera, seeing the crater wall all around us. We visited some hot springs that flow into a pristine creek, and also trudged our way up to the summit of course, for great views of the caldera and surrounding landscapes.

On my last day in Uganda, I hired a small motorbike and went on a solo tour of some small mountain-side villages nearby. I happened to pass by a small town where it was market day, and the place was just absolutely thriving with people and activity. The main road was blocked with people just everywhere. There were thousands of green bananas changing hands, and also a rowdy cattle market. I visited a small town that rose steeply up a small creek on the mountain side, seeing lots of small-plot farming and agriculture, and simple living.