Travels in East Africa

Some off-river pursuits for your trip to the White Nile...

A trip to the white Nile in Uganda is one of the best experiences you can have as a travelling kayaker - a hedonistic existence; paddling hard, partying harder and immersing yourself in the madness of African life. However, if you find yourself looking for a change of scene or a fresh activity during your holiday, then here’s a few ideas. This itinerary took us about a month. From Jinja, we headed east all the way to the Kenyan coast, then south to Zanzibar, then cut inland through Tanzania back towards Nairobi. For detailed information on travel and costs, consult a Lonely Planet or other guide.

Horse riding on the Nile: Take your life in your hands and put your arse in severe pain with a trip along the river bank on horse back.

Sipi Falls: Take a hike through these lush Ugandan hills and check out the impressive falls. About half a day’s bus from Jinja.

Hell’s Gate National Park, Kenya. One of the few parks that allows you tour on foot or by bicycle. Check out the wildlife, do some top roped climbing on Fisher’s Tower or hike through Hell’s Gate Gorge - the setting for Lara Croft’s frolics in Tomb Raider. We camped at Fisherman’s campsite on Lake Naivasha, frequented by hippos after dark and within easy reach of the Crater Lake reserve – another park that you can freely walk around. This is the Great Rift Valley of Africa and spectacular scenery abounds.

Overnight train from Nairobi to Mombasa An experience not to be missed (except if you’re in a hurry). The train is dilapidated to say the least, but they cling on to a colonial service with a proper dining car and friendly staff. You arrive at the coast fresher than you would from the bus, but in our case, about 18 hours later.

Tiwi Beach Ever dreamed of pitching your tent on white sand, swimming in tropical water, buying fruit and seafood from traders on the beach and taking immense pleasure in doing as little as possible? The experience is yours from just $3 per night.

Zanzibar This legendary island has become more popular over the years but still retains a relatively low impact tourism infrastructure. High rise hotels thankfully have not appeared on the skyline – just an abundance of cabin style accommodation, restaurants and bars. Incredible diving on tropical reefs and the colour and buzz of Swahili culture just add to the experience.

Usambara Mountains Head out of Dar Es Salaam towards Moshi, hang a right at Mombo and get some mountain air in Lushoto. A variety of cultural tourism programmes run from the small mountain town, providing a range of single or multi day guided hikes. Stunning views and village to village hiking – well worth the detour.

Arusha Safaris For many people, East Africa is best summed up as a postcard image of wide, animal filled savannah with a frosty Mt Kilimanjaro in the background. Since it costs a cool $1,000 to climb the mountain we just focussed on the parks. Arusha is the rather unattractive hub for booking “budget” safaris. Prices are mad and budget is still about $120 a day. The big draw is Ngorogoro crater and as an opportunity to see vast amounts of wildlife in a short period of time, you won’t be disappointed. Overall, worth the effort – no matter how expensive it is, you can’t deny the beauty of the crater or the exhilaration of seeing a lion up close.