Overlanding through Kenya and Uganda: A real-talk review

Okay — as I was saying before I went off on a huge tangent about how Cape Town was the best week of my life.

I went to Africa for my birthday because Rwanda was the most special, unique part of #peaceplaypassion, and I became extremely obsessed with wildlife based on my beginner’s safari in Akagera National Park. I needed to come back for more, and I needed the real thing.

I wanted to feel connected to the land, be one with the wildlife, soak in every sunrise and sunset on the African horizon, and check some major items off my bucket list (hot air balloon sunrise safari and chimp trekking). I just wanted a special and unique experience.

Spending 15 days overlanding through Kenya and Uganda with Absolute Africa checked off all my boxes and then some, but I also faced some major challenges.

I knew overlanding through East Africa wouldn’t be easy. I knew I would be tenting every night, waking up before dawn, enduring long drive days. I know I would be cooking, cleaning, roughin’ it along the way. This was the kind of mental and physical challenge I wanted — I am at the point as a traveller when these are the kind of experiences I seek, because I know they are the most rewarding. My recent journey has been proof of this.

The challenges I didn’t expect were some social situations and also how much “roughin’ it” would take away from the intention I set for the trip, which was to take things slow, soak it all in, reflect on myself and my experiences.

Overlanding is incredible and was honestly the perfect first African safari experience, but what I was missing was those sunrises and sunsets, taking time to connect with the land and the animals. It was pretty go-go-go: you wake up before dawn, go on a safari or drive for 8 hours, stop to pick up groceries, and as soon as you reach your campsite you set up your tent, and do your chores, which are either to cook for the entire group, wash dishes, or clean the truck. This is all necessary for a budget overland tour, and I’m not being a princess here, but it took away from some of that reflection time I was seeking.

As for the social challenges, I have definitely become a lone wolf traveller over recent years. I prefer travelling solo. In real life, I don’t hang out with people I don’t totally click with — I only hang out with my people, people who I 100% resonate with, who support me, who inspire me. So in tour groups where you are stuck with the same people to interact with whether you like it or not — even if they are absolutely lovely, which most of them were! — is just tricky for me. It’s something I should probably work on, but when I make connections with people (travelling or not-travelling) I am definitely about quality over quantity.

Okay was that downer?! Now for the good stuff!!!!

So, Africa is just the best. Plain and simple. My favourite part (after the animals) is just driving through the streets and waving to everyone running out to wave to you on the road. It’s the easiest thing ever to make people smile, all it takes is a smile and a wave. I don’t know why people don’t do this more often — it works all over the world.

Then there’s the animals — ahh. I was so so lucky on my trip to see basically all the animals I wanted, including a leopard which may or may not have made me tear up (they are really rare you guys, some people go their whole safari trip without seeing them). I saw the Big 5 (buffalo, elephant, rhino, lion, leopard), I went on a hippo cruise, did a game walk and biking safari with giraffes, zebras, and Pumbas. Speaking of Pumba, my biking safari was in Hell’s Gate National Park, which served as the inspiration for the Lion King setting. You can see the cliff that inspired Pride Rock and the gorge that set the stage for the stampede scene. I was FREAKING. OUT.

But this all left me wanting more.

When I say the leopard on day 2 of the Masai Mara, I did not want to tear my eyes away. She was sitting in a tree, having polished off a fresh impala kill, and then slinked down to take a pee and then lounge in the grass. I stared at her amber eyes and she stared straight back into my soul (via my binoculars). She is an insanely elegant, incredibly beautiful creature. I never wanted to leave, I need to see more.

I also need to see some real raw action. I want a male lion’s roar. I want to see a kill. I want to see the migration. I want to go on a more private safari on my terms, and not have to leave until I’m ready to leave. (And then I want to go to my luxury lodge with a hot water shower and comfy bed and not have to set up a tent). I just can’t wait to go back to Africa and keep building my safari story.

Here’s a lil snapshot of the places i went (in point form/lowercase because I jotted this in “Notes” along the way and, well, you get the gist):

Kenya

nairobi

i wish i came earlier (but also not because then i would have had to leave Cape Town) to experience the city, i bet it’s got a scene if you know where to look. wildebeest eco lodge is amazing. giraffe center was cool cause it’s so insta famous and you get so close to the giraffes, but felt like a zoo. same w elephant sanctuary. i recommend seeing both but i wanted to get out in the WILD, you know?!

masai mara

unreal. saw the big 5 in 24 hours. so beautiful, trees on the horizon, saw cheetahs, lions, off the beaten path rhino, the elusive leopard. epic park. hot air balloon ride at sunrise is bucket list goals, amazing perspective to watch all the animals frolic below you. would be EPIC over the great migration. champagne + delish breakfast on the plains after, made me excited for when i’m rich and can do a proper luxury safari lol (i’m manifesting this sooner rather than later). road to masai mara is about 7 hrs from nairobi and bumpy/dusty af.

Hot air balloon sunrise safari in Masai Mara. Bucket list check.

Leopard selfie in Masai Mara. Another bucket list check.

lake naivasha is beautiful, tons of hippos in morning/evening, crazy birds that make you feel like you’re in Planet Earth. the drowned trees look creepy/magical. hell’s gate cycling safari was cool, saw zebras, pumbas, antelope, buffalo, etc. gorges are beautiful, the set of Tomb Raider and Lion King (pride rock, stampede, etc). basically felt like i was in lion king all day. game walk through Crater Lake was cool, feeling the ground rumble as the herd of giraffes ran away.

Fishermen surrounded by hippos in Lake Naivasha

Lake Nakuru is a different vibe than Masai Mara, mostly driving through the forest rather than the flat open plains. there are no elephants here because it’s too small, but we saw lots of rhinos, and also almost got attacked by a baboon LOL. video for your viewing pleasure here.

Flamingoes in the background at Lake Nakuru

went to Eldoret by the Ugandan border, known for its Olympic athlete training with its high altitude.

Uganda

crossing the border, make sure to have your East African Tourist Visa — $100 for Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda. you can get it when you enter the country (i got mine at the airport). the border had a lineup of trucks that looked like it was about 8 days long, our driver dave breezed along the side. we thought he was a special vip ninja until he told us after those trucks were just parked there for storage??

okay arriving in uganda felt familiar and lovely. it’s so lush, with the red dirt roads, rolling green hills, vibrant clothing, kiddos coming out to wave at you as you drive by. garbage was piled up in mounds which made me happy they’re making an effort to collect it. Uganda seems less developed than Kenya but felt more welcoming to me (maybe cause the last time I was there I was basically snuggled up to my beloved silverback).

My all-time fave travel photo: Gorilla trekking in Uganda, November 2017

In Uganda we posted up at Nile River Explorers in Jinja for a few days and it was amazing. got to chill, unwind, read my book (Born a Crime- Trevor Noah — so good), do sunrise yoga overlooking the Nile, just me and the instructor. NRE is a big backpacker’s lodge set in RURAL jinja — the reddest dirt paths framed by lush vegetation, locals all out on the streets. there are chapati stands outside the camp’s locked gates, or you can eat (and drink!) inside at the restaurant.

we went white water rafting (not for me lol — limbs everywhere 😧), did a sunset booze cruise, and my fave day, visited an elementary school by Solar Power Education. this was so special. one girl named Rihanna shook her hips like a boss when the teacher introduced her, and i knew we had to be besties.

Playing with the kids at Solar Power Education school in Jinja.

the kids just want to touch you, they hold your hand, sit on your lap, pet your hair. one just rolled my elastic up and down my wrist for a bit, one took a bead from her bracelet making and placed it in between each of my toes. these little moments are so special. then i walked into the primary class singing waka waka (this is Africa) by Shakira, the theme song for my #wakawakabirthday, and almost burst into tears.

we had one night in a campground just outside of Kampala, a gorgeous site with a pool called Red Chilli Hideaway. woke up at 1am to people chanting where sounded like RIGHT outside our walls — which transitioned into “ hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah”. went back to sleep, woke up again at 5:50 (just before our 6am alarm clock) to BOASTY pounding on the speakers for the world to enjoy. friday night in Kampala, amiright?

side note, when i have kids i wanna name them after destinations. Havana, Brooklyn, Kampala. cute right?

my final stop on the tour was a 6 hour roundtrip stop, but so worth it as it was the sole reason i chose to return to uganda: CHIMP TREKKING

nothing could top the gorillas, but i was willing to try out what their cousins had to offer. i had heard they screech at the top of their lungs and swing to branch to branch and that is a vibe i wanted in on.

we camped just outside of Kalinzu, our most camp-y camp yet: campfire (aka where swarms of ants go to die), no wifi, gross shower, no hot water, baboons everywhere.

The chimps were high up in the trees and difficult to see, but we caught a few glimpses and heard them getting vocal, which was awesome. Here’s a shot I got on my camera!

Okay going to wrap my rambling up here — I told you this was my unfiltered travel journal! Make sure to check out my tips for overlanding in Africa for all the stuff you need to know if you’re up for an overland adventure :)