Southern/East African Trip 2019

Day 49 – 27 th July 2019 Rubavu (previously Gisenyi) Immediately after our Gorilla Trek we left for Rubavu where we had planned to camp at Discover Rwanda Gisenyi Beach Hostel.   We inspected the campsite and ablutions upon arrival, and decided that we were definitely not staying there.   As it was a weekend, they had no rooms available and, over a beer, we decided that we would treat ourselves again to a hotel room.   Quite frankly, we were all exhausted - not only physically from the hike, but also mentally from the excitement leading up to and including the time spent with the gorillas. We chose the Peace View Hotel which apparently had the best view over Lake Kivu.   We absolutely collapsed laughing when we saw the number of steps we had to climb to the rooms and the restaurant on the very top floor!   A walk in the park though, compared to this morning’s trek 😊. What a great decision and good choice of hotel.   The rooms were excell...

Day 48 & 49 – 26 th & 27 th July 2019 We left Kigali for Volcanoes NP after breakfast and arrived at Kinigi Guest House just after lunch – a fabulous road all the way.   Because we’d have an early start the next morning, we decided to stay in rooms instead of camping.   Wow, three nights’ accommodation on the trot – we were really spoiling ourselves 😊. You can imagine the excitement in the morning - time to see the Gorillas!!!   The briefing at Volcanoes NP HQ took place at 07h00, however the entourage consisting of our group of four, two porters and our guide commenced the trek at 10h00.   They don’t call them Mountain Gorillas for nothing – a steep hike of around 5 km’s and although I had to stop to rest and get my breath several times, I was ably assisted by the porter on the very steep and rugged terrain.   During the return down the mountain we couldn’t believe that we had actually climbed all that way up, although it did take half the ...

We left Busisi around 08h15 and arrived in Benaco at 16h00.   It took us close on three hours to do the last 60 km’s due to the very badly potholed road.    Thank goodness we would only have another 18 km’s from Benaco to the Rusumo Border Post.   Unfortunately, this is the only way in and out of Rwanda from/to Tanzania, which means we have this rotten road to contend with on the way back. Unfortunately I cant show you haw bad the road is because the wifi link here is to weak to upload pictures. Our night in Benaco at the Starmax Motel was a truly “African” experience (Richard and Lynn – even more so than our stay at the “Lodge” in Kanga, Botswana!).   Amos, the Manager was extremely friendly.   The rooms were clean, but the en suite left a lot to be desired – French toilet, shower and basin the same cubicle.   The town was experiencing a power outage for the last three days already, so there was no water either.   Thank goodness ...

Days 43 & 44 - 21st & 22nd July 2019 The South African couple that told us about Migombani also told us about Rocky Bay Resort and Campsite in Busisi, on the shores of Lake Victoria.  We had originally planned to stay at the Yacht Club in Mwanza, but decided to push through and take the ferry to Busisi and overnight at Rocky Bay. Joanne getting off the ferry - the vehicles are behind the buses Well, when we arrived, we were sold on this little piece of paradise!!  The campsite wasn't ready yet, so we got a great little chalet for $30 per night.   The owners are South African, so it's like being home from home 😊.  Last night we enjoyed a brilliantly cooked piece steak with chips and veg, and tonight the owners are making an oxtail 'potjie' which we have been invited to share (where are you Frans and Petro???) The rocks remind us of the Seychelles - huge and absolutely beautiful.  Just about everything, particularly the restaurant an...

Days 37 to 42 - 15th to 20th July 2019 We passed a few Masaai villages on route to Serengeti.  The Serengeti proved to be everything we dreamed it would be - other than the VERY bad roads, cold showers and atrocious ablution blocks in the public campsites. Because we could only get 2 nights in Kogatende special campsite number 7 and the rest would be public campsites, we decided that we would have one night in Dik Dik , one night in Lobo and then push north to Kogatende which is on the Mara River, then back to Dik Dik for a night, before the last night at Ndabaka. Between the Gate and Dik Dik there were huge herds of Thompson's and Grant's Gazelle, the occasional elephant, some resident wildebeest and zebra, and quite a few lion. A highlight on our way north to Kogatende was a cheetah sat on an anthill, and just hundreds and thousands of wildebeest. We met the ranger at the Kogatende Air Strip - a very friendly guy.  We asked him where we find SCS 7.  ...

Day 35 & 36 - 13th & 14th July 2019 We arrived at the crater at 12h00 so that we would have enough time to get from Simba Campsite in Ngorongoro to the Serengeti National Park on the morning that we leave.  Park fees are strictly for a 24 hour period, so if you are late to exit you need to pay for an additional day. Simba Campsite is on the rim of the crater, and for the first time since entering Tanzania temperatures dropped drastically! A pic taken from the crater rim It was freezing cold up on the rim and also during the descent into the crater the next morning.  Once we had reached the crater floor it warmed up nicely. The crater was teeming with wildlife. Spotting a Golden Jackal was also a first for us. We were extremely grateful that the men had arranged a game guide for the trip into the crater.  We would have got horribly lost, I'm sure, and would never have found the picnic spot for lunch.  The biggest advantage was that we co...

From Tarangire we made our way to Manayara National Park via Mto Wa Mbo (meaning river of mosquitoes).  Because our washing had piled up, we decided to stay in Endabash public campsite in the park for only one night, and two outside of the park to get our clothes washed and dried. A beautiful lake with bird life in abundance - who would have thought that you'd capture spoon bills, pelicans and yellow billed storks in the same photograph?  There was also a large number of stilts and, in the distance, hundreds of flamingo's.  Just stunning. Manyara is supposed to be renown for its 'tree lions'.  We did see lion, but like most, fast asleep on the ground.  Other than lion, we spotted a beautiful pair of Klipspringers and some Impala. There was also a large number of butterflies throughout the park which took my fancy 😃. That evening at Endabash we met a game guide who was taking a young German couple around, who said that we should have rather entere...