It took us a while to find the road into the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda. We’d left the beautiful bitumen road after Kabale, and attempted to find the turnoff to the more amiable road into the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. We had been told as we’d pulled over at the UWA (Ugandan Wildlife Authority) office in Kabale, that there were two roads. Both best attempted with a 4×4, one was a little worse for wear and, given the rain, was considered to be in very poor condition. We opted for the alternative, and had set about finding the way – of course without street signs or discernable features along the roadside, it was a little more difficult than we’d planned. We solved this problem, or so we thought, by asking locals. Some gave us one direction, others the complete opposite, so we went with the way directed by the majority. Like so many things in Africa, you just have to have a little faith. As we approached our first sign for the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest (and to Ben’s cries of “it’s the main attraction in this country and there are NO signs anywhere on the main road!”), we found that we were, in fact, on the ‘poor road’. Bugger. Too far in to turn back (and with absolutely no idea where the other road was), we kept going. Many a time did we think we were going to get bogged in the now soggy mud, and a few times we thought we’d topple off the cliff side, but we survived – on beautiful views of matoke fields, small villages and thatched houses and smiling locals along the way. When we approached Bwindi, we discovered that it really lives up to its name. The sudden wall of foliage was indeed, impenetrable to any but the animals that call this place their home. We passed a through of the gates, and arrived at the Buhoma Community Restcamp, right outside the gate, as night was falling. We set up tent, and ran into Stuart, Fiver and Merryl, a group of travelers we’ve since met in various places along the way. Stuart and another couple we’d met in Jinja, Jan and Trevor, had had an unbelievable experience with the gorillas that day. We were excited at the prospect of a sighting the next day.

The day began early, and we met our group at the park headquarters, where the lack of power prevented us from getting the complete video overview package. Our guide reinforced that sightings are not guaranteed, and that there are rules that need to be followed when in contact with the gorillas. We listened intently and made sure we noted it down for later that morning. We’d also been told that sometimes it can take up to four or five hours to find the gorillas, and so we’d brought our packed lunch and plenty of water. What we hadn’t been expecting was the guide to ask if we had our own transport. Pardon? “Do you have a car we can use to drive further to the walk site?” Us: “ah… we have a car, but full of gear, can’t take more than two.” Other Aussies in our group: “we have a small tour van, we can get our driver?” That was settled it seemed and soon we were all piled into their tour van, and taken back along the road we’d come in on for an hour or so. Then we piled out of the car, were given more instructions, met our trackers, and set off, armed with big walking sticks to help us through the dense foliage. Well, we needn’t have bothered with the sticks. We walked for maybe two and a half minutes before we were told to put our sticks down, put our waters away and get ready for our hour with the gorillas. We had been hoping for a bit more of a jungle ‘trek’, but carried on towards the whopping and cackling noises coming from a space a short distance away.

And there they were. The ‘H’ family of mountain gorillas sliding down a tree and sauntering towards us. There were a few mothers with babies thrown on their backs, and few of the younger and older males gazing at us with wonder (as if they hadn’t ever seen a group of tourists paying a fortune to see them every day of the last few years…), and it was only a matter of time before the silverback of the group joined them. We heard him before we saw him – my goodness I’ve never heard so much wind! The big belly of his, dragging along the ground as he walked, must have been full of air, because the farting and belching made me realise the similarities between these primates and many of the humans I know…. he was beautiful though. The huge silver ring around his belly set him apart from the rest of the gorillas, and he towered over each of them, shushing them away from us. We followed… They eventually rested again in an area under the green canopy and we attempted to take photographs. The photos that will appear here were probably the only non-foggy shots we could fire off (and some of these are still going to be blurry), because we weren’t allowed to use the flash. Completely understandable, and the photos couldn’t do justice to the beauty of these animals. Their genetic similarities are so obviously at a close range, and we saw images of many of our friends and families in their facial expressions and mannerisms (ha – none of our own of course…). The hour spent with them absolutely flew, and before we knew it, we had to walk the small time back to the van and then back to park headquarters.

Overall – the US$500 spent on our one hour tracking permit allowed us an intimate experience (groups with each of the habituated families are allowed to take up to 8 people, but no more) with some of the most beautiful and endangered of animals in the world. With less than 350 in Uganda, and less than 1000 left in Uganda, Rwanda and the DRC combined, we felt very privileged to have sighted such close relatives, in such a beautiful setting. All with a great group of people. We did feel a bit cheated with our 5 minutes of ‘tracking’. The process of tracking begins early in the morning, before groups even rise for breakfast, when the trackers resume the trail of where the group had been the previous day. They followed the vegetation, droppings and markings of the gorillas until they find them, and stay in radio contact with the guide of a group – hence, when our guide jumped into the van with us, he knew exactly where we had to go, and there was no ‘tracking’ involving us at all. All in all, an amazing experience, but the price, for a 3 hour experience (driving for two hours, gorillas for one, and walking for 5 minutes), was a little hard for us to enter into the budget spreadsheet.

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For the last week , we have spent time at Uganda Lodge through the Ruhanga Community Development Project. This, as many of you know who contributed to our fundraising efforts, was the primary reason for our visit to Uganda. We were devastated that our time here was cut short, mostly by the delay in our purchasing the car in Kenya and a dedication to meeting others on a time frame later in the trip, but we were happy to have been able to make it to the Lodge at all this month. For those of you who don’t know, we stumbled upon this project via Lonely Planet’s Thorntree forum and Ann Macarthy, who is the UK Ambassador and the lifeblood of this project, got in contact with us to give us more information on Uganda Lodge. We found out that it was in it’s infancy, and that she fundraises in the UK to develop the project further each time she comes to Uganda. Uganda Lodge is owned by a man by the name of Denis Kasiba Aheirwe, and as a local in the area, also identified the need for a development project for his local community. Ann and Denis teamed up and the Community Project was born- the community development art and crafts centre and computer room having recently been finished. You can read more on this project on our ‘Volunteering’ page.

Uganda Lodge itself operates as a bar and meeting place for locals, and accommodation place for visitors. We had heard mention of other events like video nights and functions being held in buildings onsite (a big open area where we did our morning yoga!), but were given the impression that these haven’t happened for a while – though they hope to get them organised more regularly. We stayed in one of the bungalows – of which there are four on the property and it was perfectly lovely. It was a big room, with a double bed and a big double mosquito net that protected us from the many insects in the area (drawn by the light – not many places in the area have electricity), and a small area off to the side that was set up as a shower. Unfortunately no toilet down that end of the property yet, but a perfectly good long drop further up towards the road. As funds permit, Denis is in the process of constructing a toilet right next to our set of two bungalows at the lower end of the property. People also camp – we had one group come through while we were there: Stuart, Fiver and Merryl, and their perfectly fantastic Landrover Defender on an overlander trip from South Africa to Germany. We have since run into them again, all because of our meeting at Uganda Lodge.

The setting of Uganda Lodge is fantastic – most of the staff are wonderful, and attend to your every need with a smile amidst the stunning rolling hills of the area. Denis took us both on a hill climb not long into our stay, and it truly demonstrated how amazingly beautiful Ruhunga is. There isn’t much else in the area for potential visitors, but it is on Kabale Road, on the way to the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and the mountain gorillas and makes for a good rest stop on the way.

The Lodge has a bit of an identity issue at the moment – it’s at the time when it’s defining where it wants to go – of course there is the bar and support for locals, but the community centre and schools are also deemed important and there are not enough resources to finish each of them around the same time. Some parts of the Lodge look a little tired, and they are hoping to fix a huge hole in the ground that sat directly outside our banda (and is currently being used as a rubbish bin) but the area has ENORMOUS potential and with development in each of these areas, by staying here you’ll be supporting local community projects and local business. Definitely watch this space.

When we first arrived, we were unsure as to where we could donate our skills. We knew of the community centre, and we knew of the nursery school that Denis had built on his land to help neighbouring family’s children attend school from an earlier age than they had been previously. What we didn’t realise was that Denis was also keen and in the process of building the next stage of schooling –the first two years of primary school in a P1 classroom, also on his land. To this, you can also add a project of building new toilets for the nursery school (also to be utilized by the primary school children on completion). Now the way it is in Uganda, and many other African countries we’ve come across, is that you buy materials for building when you can afford them, and labour you pay whenever you have the materials AND the money to pay for labourers/engineers services. When we arrived at Uganda Lodge, we found that Denis had engineers working on the building, but had run out of materials. Given so many of you voiced your hope for the money you donated to go towards education, we thought the primary school building was the perfect opportunity for us to help with this very thing. Over $AU1000 was spent on hard stone, bags and bags of concrete, timber, thousands of bricks, trailer loads of sand and reinforced steel rods to reinforce windows. These materials will now put the primary school room close to completion when the labour is available and there are the funds to help pay for the engineers. But we’ve donated solid materials and these will be used to help Ruhunga and the local children in the area develop their education.

Initially our focus was to be on the community centre, but we found the education of children at the critical ages of 4 and 5 to be of higher importance at the time. Having said that, we still helped out with the centre. Ben in particular, put his IT skills to good use and re-programmed and de-bugged all of the donated computers, and instructed the newly appointed computer trainer on some of the programs he intends to teach. To that, we also printed signs to go in each of the bungalows advertising the internet access at very reasonable rates to both guests and volunteers. Although these were more practical, we found that we had come at a time when we could not do much more than what we did in the time we had – although it was a lot of fun helping Denis source and purchase the building materials from local stores and markets. The community centre is ongoing, and will always be able to use a hand if you want to volunteer in Africa, and particularly Uganda. There will be the computer room, a sewing centre to help teach local women tailoring (still in the pipeline), and of course, the Ruhunga Community Development Nursery School and soon to be Primary School as well.

We promise to add more photos as we receive them from Denis and/or Ann on the progress of the primary school. The photos attached are of the site and some of the progress already made with the materials we purchased on behalf of all who donated money. We hope you’re happy with the decisions we made – the children were beautiful and deserve every chance of education in the world. Thanks to you, they’re one step closer to getting it!

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What an experience it has been purchasing a vehicle here in Kenya. Coming from Australia where rules and regulations are set, corruption is (almost) non-existent, and to an extent you can confidently rely on the estimated timeframes and communication of your chosen mechanic, Kenya is an epic struggle. From our efforts over the last six weeks in purchasing and preparing our 1983 Toyota Landcruiser for our five month self-drive adventure through to Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi and every country south, we have enough information to write a book! If you are planning a trip across Africa and are looking to purchase a vehicle in Kenya then we hope the information we have collected will save heartache, time and of course, hard earned money.

So, what first?
First and foremost, you need to be aware of your budget. It wasn’t long into our hunt for a vehicle before we realised our original figure of Ksh450,000 was unrealistic. If you are planning on crossing borders or even spending time travelling through western or northern Kenya then a decent 4×4 able to make the journey will set you back a minimum of between Ksh550,000 and Ksh800,000. We looked at Defenders and Landrovers for around Ksh500,000 (cheap because they hadn’t been driven for a year…) and they would have needed a LOT of work to make it out of Ngong Hills. To give you an idea we purchased ‘Helga’, an 1983 Toyota Landcruiser in top mechanical condition for around Ksh650,000. Be realistic with your budget and do a little research online with Google or second hand car dealers in Nairobi to get an accurate and current figure for the type of vehicle you are looking at purchasing.

What type of 4×4 should I be looking at purchasing?
Depending on the trip you need to be looking at different makes and models of vehicles. It always comes down to your budget, but for the backpacking style traveler, our recommendations have always been to purchase a Toyota wherever possible. Parts are available almost everywhere across eastern and southern Africa and most backyard mechanics can tinker and fix problems on older models. Landrover are also top quality, and they can also handle the harsh roads of Kenya. A number of mechanics in Ngong warned us against newer model Mitusbishis like Pajeros, because parts are increasingly scarce in comparison to Toyotas and you may find it difficult to source sound mechanical help, especially if any electronic or injection issues arise. If you are a budget traveler like we are and both budget and travel time cannot be compromised then we highly recommend looking at a Toyota 4×4. Check out the following websites with listings of overland vehicles for sale across Africa to get an idea of what is on offer:
1.    Africa 4×4 Café (Bundubasher): http://www.africa4×4cafe.com/
2.    Overlander Guide to Africa (Luangwablondes): http://www.luangwablondes.com/

Where do I find secondhand vehicles for sale?
Bundubasher had some great recommendations for noticeboards around the city and you can find these on the website. We coincidentally saw the car we ended up buying the first night we were in Nairobi, staying at Karen Camp, but later saw the car advertised on a noticeboard at the Karen Shopping Centre, towards the KCB bank at the rear of the building. Although Karen is known as a ‘mzungu’ (white person) area (and therefore the cars are more likely to be expensive – apparently), you may well pick up a bargain like we did.

Several car yards located along Ngong Road in and out of Karen (about half an hour south of Nairobi) have great buys and can give you a run down on the type of car you are looking for. Be prepared to pay a little extra through the yards though, especially if the locals see the ‘gold dust’ (a term of endearment used to describe our white skin apparently!) browsing alone. To try and get the best price and if you have made friends with a local or are staying in a youth hostel, it would be extremely beneficial if you could take a Kenyan with you when you go to negotiate prices on vehicles. That way you have a chance of fending off the heavy additions in price that may occur because of the ‘gold dust’. If you are not sure about whether you are being ripped off or not, checking local papers like the Daily Nation can help you confirm appropriate amounts.

You have found a few cars you like the sound of, now what?
For every car you are interested in as a potential purchase you MUST get a mechanic to give you an appraisal of what needs to be fixed or repaired. You should form as much of a relationship with your chosen mechanic as you can (grab a coffee, take him around to help you look for vehicles, or run off a personal recommendation) and explain to him the road trip you are planning. This will help the mechanic with what they should be looking for: suspension bushes, springs/leaf, engine mounts, wheels and hubs, all of which will make your trip that much more comfortable. Below is a list of work that we have completed on ‘Helga’, our Landcruiser and how much each cost to buy or replace. But remember that labour is on top of this, and as each mechanic’s charges vary:

•    Serviced and reconditioned radiator: Ksh2500
•    Front wheel bearings and oil seals: Ksh2600
•    Replacement joint kit and bushes: Ksh2000
•    Rear brake shoe relining: Ksh400
•    Full service (8lts oil, oil filter, fuel filter, fan belt, front brakes, 4 replacement battery terminals, hoses): Ksh5400
•    Replacement engine mount: Ksh1400
•    Front brake pads and replacement pipes: Ksh2400
•    Replaced all suspension bushes (24 pieces): Ksh4000
•    Repaired fuel sensor in tank: Ksh4500
•    Purchased a second spare wheel (new tyre/tube set and secondhand hub): Ksh19500
•    High-lift jack: Ksh7500
•    3 x Fuel jerry cans: Ksh6500
•    Solex door locks: Ksh1400
•    Tools, spare hoses, belts, containers and filters: Ksh12000
•    Regreasing of all wheel hubs and steering joints.

Once the appraisal is complete and a rough estimate is given on how much it will cost to fix, take it back to the owner and negotiate the price down. The seller should be willing to negotiate with you based on the work that needs doing (unless the price is already adjusted to include any potential work). If the seller really won’t budge on price, you’ll get a pretty good idea soon after communicating the mechanic’s recommendations and you can make a decision on whether or not to proceed with a sale.

The nightmare that is Kenyan paperwork and Government process…
Once we had finalised the finances, we needed to shift our focus to getting the registration certificate, known in Kenya as the ‘logbook’ into our name. An unexpected surprise was that it can take anywhere up to two month to finalise a transfer of ownership for a second hand vehicle. None of the research we’d done on the topic had brought this up. If you are on a tight time schedule, this is going to be one of the most influential processes standing in your way. Nepotism, it would seem however, is strong and kicking in Kenya and it’s not what you know, but who you know that might be able to speed up this process. Luckily for us (given we were short on time), we were able to have our logbook ‘pushed through’ by a ‘friend of a friend’ in just over 3 days. We recommend leaving longer than this though, because even when they say something is ready, it can ALWAYS take longer. We aren’t too sure what happened behind the scenes, or whether money was transferred between the two parties involved but the speediness of its return was very much appreciated by us. We would hate to think that we have supported corruption in Kenya, but when it comes down to you leaving the country in a matter of a week and the possibility of the log book taking two months, you’re left in a very sticky situation. Even better if you can build the buffer time into your trip, just in case – 8 days including the ‘3’ that they recommend is best. It’s funny though, almost any Kenyan you speak to (even our taxi driver) knows someone who can help. If you find yourself caught in a situation where paying someone to speed up the process is the only option, agree on a price beforehand. One thing we found quite difficult is that almost everyone will demand full payment upfront, and won’t do anything unless you do it, so it would be in your best interest to offer the individual a few extra shillings if they get the logbook back to you in the timeframe they give you. This will encourage them to get off ‘Kenyan-time’ and eliminate the risk of pushing your travels back even further.

What to expect with vehicle repairs and trip preparation.
Preparing our 4×4 for the long journey south took much longer than quoted and expected. Granted, Kenya was in the middle of electricity and water rationing but we picked an old and slow mechanic. His work was top quality but on a job that should have taken five days he took over two and a half weeks. Always insist on a realistic timeframe from your mechanic, ask them to call or text you updates every other day to make sure work is coming along as expected or that you are alerted of issues as soon as they come up.

After we collected our vehicle from the old turtle-paced mechanic we then needed to engage with several other workshops to complete work that his garage could not cater for, like radiator flushing, wheel alignment and the purchase of a new hub and wheel setup. Once you have a complete and accurate list of work to be completed from your mechanic have him list the parts you need to purchase or take him with you to a spare parts shop and buy the goods yourself, in person. Even though it is generalising, most Kenyan mechanics are opportunists and will bump prices up on each item, and I have yet to be proven otherwise! We found a great spares shop just outside of Karen, south of Nairobi, called Ashro Spares. Ask around for Motherland Centre, which is located behind a Shell service station just outside of Karen driving towards Nairobi. Ask for Ashro, tell him Ben and Kate sent you, and he will fix you up with everything you need from hoses and batteries to screws, nuts, bolts, and power inverters. Also make sure you pick yourself up a high-lift jack. These should be selling for around Ksh7,500 and will save your life if you need it along your trip.

Make sure you agree with your mechanic that they will give you all of the old parts that they remove or replace. Not only does this mean that you will have spare belts, hoses and suspension bushes, it will also ensure that they do the work that you are paying for. Be careful leaving your vehicle anywhere you aren’t comfortable as it is common knowledge that shifty spanner handlers can remove perfectly good parts and replace them with older, cheaper parts in order to make a quick buck.

What spares should you carry on your trip?
The following spare parts should always be carried on any long cross-country trip in Africa:
•    2 x Spare wheels. This is a must, regardless of the distances or route you are taking. The chances of more than one puncture are extremely high and there is no guarantee that you will be able to find a replacement tyre.
•    Top and bottom radiator hoses.
•    Fan belt and air conditioning belts.
•    Spare radiator fan if you can find one. This was recommended to us by another traveler who had broken his enroute to Kenya and took days to find a replacement.
•    Fuel filter, air filter and oil filter. Especially with diesel engines and while driving through Africa it is recommended to change filters every 5,000kms, or stretch it up to 7,500kms if you haven’t taken the extreme routes.

For an extensive list of what you should be carrying for your vehicle, camping, and everything else 4×4 related check out Bundubashers website listed above. He has great advice on what to carry and what to be prepared for throughout the continent.

Insurance, Carnets, Temporary Import Permits (TIPs) and COMESA… it is all so confusing!
Before we landed in Kenya we were so confused about what happens after we purchase a 4×4 and then most of all how do we get it out of the country! Having passed our first border a week ago we can now safely spills the beans on the entire process and hopefully clear up the misconceptions about crossing borders with vehicles and what is and isn’t necessary.

The first thing you need to do once you have a vehicle, the mechanic has fixed everything up, and you are ready to drive the wild streets of Kenya, is to get third party insurance. The only reason you need this is to make the car roadworthy. If you ever needed to claim an accident you would have almost zero chance of getting any compensation so just go with a cheap, third party provider such as CIC from the Automobile Association of Kenya. To cover us for five months we paid around Ksh3,800 so keep this figure as an indicator although it may go up or down slightly depending on the economic climate. You might be asking why we bought insurance for five months when we are only in Kenya for less than two. The reason is that every time you cross a border in eastern and southern Africa you need to pay an import duty or import insurance for your vehicle. What we highly recommend is buying COMESA third party insurance, which is an extension of your local Kenyan insurance and the COMESA covers every import cost for countries in eastern and southern Africa. This means you are much less susceptible to bribes on each border when having to pay for local import insurance. Because COMESA is an extension of your local insurance you need to be covered in Kenya (or the country you are purchasing the vehicle in) for the entire time of your journey. For us, we are traveling south for five months, so our local Kenyan third party insurance and our COMESA extension both needed to cover for five months. Both of these can be organised in one day at your closest Automobiles Association of Kenya (AA) office. There is one is Westlands shopping centre and another in Hurlingham (we were closest to this office and Philip was very helpful) and combined should come in under Ksh10,000.

Another big question is whether someone needs to purchase a Carnet or not. We didn’t buy one. They can be expensive and ARE NOT necessary. The purpose of a carnet is so that you are proving to the border officials that you will not leave the vehicle in another country and that you are not exporting/importing vehicles. Basically a right of passage into each country. What we have found out through our investigating is that as long as you can prove to the border officials that you intend of leaving the country that you are traveling into and will not be returning through the same border with your vehicle in the distant future, you can get through without spending what can be thousands of Australian dollars on a carnet. All you need to purchase on each border is a Temporary Import Permit (TIPs) which for Uganda was only Ush43,000 and equates to around US$22.

Bottom line is that you do not need to purchase a carnet when driving a Kenyan registered vehicle, south towards South Africa.

Officially, we were asked to leave our logbook at the border but you can work around it with patience, time, and a smooth tongue with the customs officer on duty. To get across borders without leaving your original logbook as you will most likely not be coming back through that border and don’t want to leave the only proof you have that shows you are the vehicle owner, you will need two photocopies of your logbook (for each border), patience, and a good explanation of how you can prove your journey. We used photocopies of our flight information out of Johannesburg and crossing the border from Malaba into Uganda only took us an hour and a half. Watch out for ‘clearance agents’ that will hassle you and try and get you to hand over the car’s documentation. Only handover documents to customs officers in their office and never let them leave your sight. If you are doing the same crossing into Uganda from Malaba, head straight to the Immigration window, then to Customs at window one, then right down to the police window to have them stamp you out.

Special thanks to everyone that helped us with the process of buying our Toyota Landcruiser here in Kenya and for all of the priceless information and advice on traveling across the continent. In particular we would like to thank Enzo (Bundubasher) at http://www.africa4×4cafe.com/.

Safe travels and if you have any questions at all please feel free to drop us a comment or an email and we will do our best to help out!

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We wouldn’t call ourselves mountain climbers. Sure, we love the outdoors and cannot get enough of nature, but climbing to the summit of a mountain almost 5000m above sea level is not something we do everyday. Researching the big mountains in Africa we came upon both Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, and Mt Kenya here in the heart of central Kenya. Until recently we had decided to attempt a climb on both mountains but a last minute decision (and the prospect of seeing the mountain gorillas in Uganda) has meant that we will spend our mountaineering time only on Mt Kenya. Not only being much cheaper than its big brother, coming in at around US$520 per person (almost half that of the cheapest Mt Kilimanjaro trek we could find) every traveler we have talked to has told us that Mt Kenya is more difficult to climb, less travelled, and much more beautiful as a mountain to admire during your ascent and on the way back down.

The mountain sits just under the equator and is protected within the Mt Kenya National Park, which is tagged as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is around 620km square in size. Even though the highest point, Batian, sits at 5199m above sea level, it can only be reached by technical climbers and is not an option for less experienced hikers. We aimed for Pt Lenana which still reigns 4985m high and is most popular among those coming to the Mt Kenya National Park.

We were put in contact with Chris from Africa Big Mountains (contact us for details if you are thinking of making the trip) by the GAPS Country Coordinator here in Kenya and began planning our mission which was to head up the Chogoria route to the summit of Pt Lenana, and then walk out of the mountain via the Mackinders Valley along the Sirimon route. It was here at Chris’s house/office that we first met our guides; John and Ciuri, who were responsible for helping us tackle the mountain.

Our beat up Landrover drove us from Chogoria town half way along the entry road to the park. It was here, in the middle of an amazing bamboo forest that we climbed out and started our short trek up to the Chogoria gate where we would camp down for the night. The mist was thick and the air cold once we finally fell asleep for our first night on the mountain. While we slept in our own tent, John #1, Ciuri, John #2, Patrick, and Joseph all slept together in the kitchen tent, utilizing the heat from the burner to stay warm. After a scrumptious breakfast of eggs, toast, and tea we ascended slowly for 7kms through the pockets of forest that covered the mountain. Keeping a keen eye out for wild elephants and the resident leopard that calls these trees home, we packed down for lunch at an altitude of 3200m at the Roadhead. Cars occasionally drive this far up, normally owned by the Kenyan Wildlife Service (KWS) who are the national protectors of all animals throughout Kenya. It was here that we spent our day acclimatising and readying our bodies for the intense climbing that was to occur over the coming two days. While our trusty porters and cook setup camp and started the boilers for dinner, John and Ciuri (our guides) led us to the famous Gates waterfall and the infamous poachers den, used as a makeshift camp for the handful of poachers that scour Mt Kenya for buffalo and wild game that they kill and drag back down to civilization. The KWS are equipped with mammoth guns and, whether it is official or not, given authority to shoot on sight any suspected poachers that are caught with their hands dirty. John and Ciuri told us a story of one guide group, no longer than two years ago, that had been forced at gunpoint to carry the poacher’s bags, equipment, and catch down out of the reserve. Scary to think that this is actually reality and that the campfire just to our left, still smoldering slightly, was used recently.

Making it back to camp, Ben and the men trudged off into the mist and collected sticks for the night’s fire, and shortly after dinner both of us passed out playing Uno and Gin Rummy in our tent. The early rise the following morning was becoming second nature and after munching down some weetabix and egg our porters and chef bolted ahead of us  in true Kenyan style, eager to reach our next camp and start prep for our final days ascent up to the summit. John and Ciuri helped us pack our bags (small in comparison to the ones they were carrying for us!) and the four of us started the hike towards Mintos camp. The 7kms of mountain are stunning. We caught a glimpse of Lake Ellis which we had missed checking out in person the day earlier due to the intense wet weather that had engulfed the mountain only days earlier and the heavy mist that had settled on our camp. As we climbed over the first peak our eyes settled on the Gorgeous Valley (or Gorgeous Gorge) which was surrounded by stunning, rugged mountain caps and sheer rock cliffs. The valley twisted and turned for 15kms up into the mouth of Lake Michaelson which trickled down into the valley, eventually joining further down with Gates falls. We ate our picnic lunch here, atop the sheer cliffs, looking down and sheltering ourselves from the wind gusts that threatened to push us towards the edge. As we started a mild descent towards our next camp it was amazing at how the scenery changes so dramatically. From rainforest just a day earlier to the jagged mountain edges just experienced, and then into what can only be described as a scene from the moon. Arid and flat, the only things that seemed to survive this high were small shrubs, rocks, and a metal Kenyan water gauge. And as we pulled ourselves, wheezing and exhausted from the altitude, up over the final ledge we made it to Mintos camp.

Mintos sits at an altitude of 4200m and it is here that the majority of AMS kicks in for climbers who have scaled the mountain too quickly. Due to our slow and steady pace we both felt fine, tired from the days walking and having to focus on breathing deeper and consistently due to the altitude, but nothing more was felt than a mild pressure around our foreheads. It is cold this high up. The wind has a constant chill no matter how bright the sun is. If you are thinking of climbing Mt Kenya then you definitely need to bring multiple thermal tops, windproof/weatherproof jacket, thermals leggings, merino fleece, as well as cooler apparel for climbing the lower altitudes. While we waiting for dinnertime to roll around we took a look around camp, at the stagnant lakes that are definitely not for your drinking bottle unless you have boiled AND iodized the hell out of it. One thing that you must see when you make it to Mintos is the Temple. A flat, rocky mounting top that sits just above the camp teeters out to a sheer drop of 200m, straight down into the tip of Gorgeous Valley and Lake Michaelson. Mind blowing. Ciuri pointed out a wreckage still sitting on a cliff opposite the Temple that was a fatal helicopter crash two years ago and one of the two bodies is yet to be recovered from the lake. It isn’t surprising that impacts with the mountain happen up here as the mist that engulfs us each morning is thick and constant.

Our final night before attempting to climb to the summit of Pt Lenana was spent huddled together in our tent, wearing four layers of clothing while attempting to sleep in our -5 degree sleeping bags. It is damn cold at 4200m. 2:30AM rolled on and we were up before our wake up call, ready for a quick snack of gingernut biscuits and chai before we started our slow and steady climb. Our goal was to reach the peak just in time for sunrise.

As we walked slowly up the mountain in the pitch black darkness with only our head-torches to guide us, a group of climbers (who had left an hour after us this morning) overtook us. They had been basically running up the mountain ahead of their guide over the previous three days and fatigue and possible AMS was starting to take its toll on their entire group which numbered around 10 climbers. It wasn’t long until we trekked by them again, all resting on the rocky path, tired and exhausted. As we hauled ourselves up the final 100m high rock face, both hands gripping the slope in order to stay balanced and not tumble down into the dark abyss below, we reached the peak with a mass of both elation and a light headed feeling of achievement! We had made it to 4985m, and although the wind was an icy subzero temperature the views above the clouds and into the gorgeous sunrise were unimaginable.

Only staying on the summit for 15 minutes at most, we took on the 300m gravel drop down into Shiptons camp on the other side of the mountain, where we took tea and ate an incredible breakfast, filled our water bottles and began our 14km walk out through the stunning Mackinders Valley to Old Moses camp. Our final night was spent in a well deserved bunk house and after walking out through the Sirimon gate on our fifth day, we said goodbye to our amazing climbing team; John, Ciuri, John, Joseph and Patrick, but not before we all celebrated with a few Tusker lagers back in the bustling town of Narok.

What an epic five days!

Recommendations for climbing Mt Kenya:

1. Take enough snacks for the extent of your trek. Nuts, muesli bars and small chocolate bars pack enough energy to help you make the summit.
2. The water is not safe to drink at a number of camps such as Mintos. Make sure you either boil your water and then filter it, or take enough iodine tablets to kill off any nasties.
3. As a general rule you will be drinking 2-3 litres per person, per day on the mountain. Even though it is cold at altitude, make sure you still drink a large amount of water as it helps fight off altitude sickness and keep your body flushed.
4. Bring warm, wind proof, and weather proof clothes. We took 2 x thermal tops, a set of thermal bottoms, fleece jumper, singlet, 2 x t-shirts, waterproof trousers, hiking shoes, explorer socks, and a waterproof and windproof jacket. Also a beanie and good waterproof gloves are a must.
5. Pay a little extra and take advantage of an acclimatisation day. Extra time at altitude increases your chances of making it to the top feeling fine and being able to enjoy the experience. Climbing too quickly can severely affect some climbers with AMS.
6. Shop around for a good deal, but remember: if it sounds too good to be true then it probably is! We paid around US$520 per person for a 5 day Chogoria (up) to Sirimon (down) route, which, after talking with other climbers during our trek is our recommendation for anyone wanting to tackle the mountain.

On the chilly morning of August 15th here in Kenya, we set off on our first African safari adventure. Our destinations were to include the Maasai Mara National Reserve for three days, the amazing flamingo migration into Lake Nakuru, followed finally by a visit to Lake Naivasha and the mighty gorge of Hells Gate. Not knowing what to expect we were escorted into what was effectively a modified Matatu (Kenya’s flagship public transport system!) with a roof that opened for game viewing. It takes a little getting used to, the African way of business especially when you book a safari in a nice city office, with pictures of 4×4s plastered across the walls and images of big game animals. It was a stark contrast to the Mitsubishi people-mover van that had come to collect us! Either way, everything in Africa so far has been an adventure and we could see this safari not being anything less. Collecting three move eager safari-goers, we arrived at the city office of Kieri Safari Tours where our subcontracted driver was given the details of our safari and we collected the food and supplies that would last us for the next five days.

As we drove on out of Nairobi and towards the Maasai Mara National Reserve with a very quiet and slightly hard of hearing guide, we introduced ourselves to our fellow passengers. Ariel from the United States had been working in Eastern Africa with an agriculture training organization, teaching Maasai and other tribal pastoralists better ways to produce crops and care for their land. Now the other two guys in our van were Vic and Mit. In an uncanny twist of fate these two Londoners had just spent the last three weeks with the Ugandan Lodge organization that we have been blogging about, raising money and awareness for through our website, and where we are heading once we leave Kenya! They had even seen this website and read our discussions on volunteering and our travel stories. Talk about a small, small world.

Stopping for lunch at the Transit Lounge in Narok, we dined on gristly goat meat and uncooked French beans which, although not extremely tasty, has become the norm outside of us eating at the Brydges Centre orphanage where the Aunties are constantly making incredibly tasty stews, chapatti, and chai! Narok is a small town on the main road through to Maasai Mara and eventually through to Uganda, which is the direction we will be travelling in a few weeks once we leave the orphanage.

Filled with food and feeling tired we took off towards the park again. Once on the road it wasn’t too long before we were all jolted awake suddenly, with our safari van bouncing and sliding through the foliage, getting semi bogged down in the deep muddy ruts that appeared on what looked like a shortcut or very, very secret dirt road heading into a back entrance of the park. Surely not though. Park entry fees in Maasai Mara are US$30 per person, per day so we were all expecting to travel through the main gate and get tickets for our three day entry into the reserve. But… given this is Africa, there are always ways around ‘official’ fees. After about two hours of whispering and wondering between the five of us, we arrived at our Flamingo Camp accommodation, no gate, no tickets. It appears our driver was risking the bribes and fines of not paying official entry by scooting through the side roads!

We met our chef in the Maasai camp, who Ben mistakenly heard of as ‘Chief’, and headed out in the van for a dusk safari drive into the reserve. Giraffe, families of Zebra, and Wildebeest trampled across the dusty roads and paths throughout, until we came across our first animal sighting out of the Big 5: the Buffalo. Continuing to drive around the twisting tracks and bushes we also experiences Elephants up close and personal with a family of five grazing only 20m from our vehicle. Our driver Peter was proving good at his job, albeit silently, when we scooted around a small river and came across a pride of lionesses resting in the long grasses, just within sight. Not bad for a two hour dusk drive, so we bumped and bounced back towards Flamingo Camp where we took tea, had dinner and settled in for the night, our faces pressing up against the over stretched mosquito net that we pulled over the double bed.

The next day was our big safari drive day. Leaving camp at 7:00AM we spent the day peering out of our hatch at lionesses, buffalo, endless zebras, blue-balled monkeys, giraffe, and elephants. With all of the Matatu/Safari van drivers using their radios to call in any big sights we were lucky enough to find a lone leopard chilling out in his tree, a group of cheetahs lounging on a disused anthill under an umbrella acacia, and the elusive black rhino. The rhino was accompanied by a newborn, which was the first time in five years that game drivers had seen a youngster born in the national reserve.

Just before lunch we were lucky enough to be caught in the middle of a mass lion chasing. The battle scars that adorned the backs of two older male lions that were running ahead of three adolescents told the tale of them being exiled and overpowered from the pride. A pride’s territory can extend up to 20kms squared and these lions had just managed to take over the pride. As you can see below the photos are amazing, and the lions wander right up to the safari vans and are not afraid of humans, as long as they stay within the vehicles.

The Maasai Mara National Reserve is a fenceless park, where the animals are free to migrate between the Tanzanian Serengeti and the Mara here in Kenya. The five of us took lunch just by the hippo pool after taking a guided tour of the river, crocodiles hippos with one of the gun bearing park rangers. The hippo pool is a must if you come to Maasai Mara, peering down from the drought stricken river bank at the dozens of hippopotomaus that swim or laze around the sandy bottom is definitely an experience amidst the sneaky crocodiles. The pool is located almost on the border line of Tanzania and Kenya, and you can stand on the marker rock that juts over into both countries.

Following our game safari, we travelled north to Lake Nakuru and were witness to the mass flamingo migration that takes place in August each year. Millions of flamingos and pelicans fly north to the lake in search of the algae growth that they feed upon. By comparison, Lake Naivasha was nothing special. It seems to us like it is used solely to fuel the huge flower companies that export Kenyan grown flowers all over the world. Kenya even exports tulips to the Netherlands. It wasn’t long before the final day of safari came, we said goodbye to the other three guys that had come along (as they only took on a 4 day safari) and we rented bicycles and slowly cycled our way down into Hells Gate national park. We were met by George, a Maasai guide who took us by foot down into the deep gorge that was carved many years ago by the river that runs through the valley and the eruption of Mt Longonot. The gorge is amazing and taking the three hour walk down into the depths only costs around Ksh500 (or AU$9) for however many people are in the safari group.

We would definitely recommend Kieri Safari Tours, located on the second level of Uganda House in Nairobi, for the budget safari traveler. All up it worked out costing us US$550 for a five day safari to Maasai Mara, Lake Nakuru, Naivasha, and Hells Gate. There are always little extras that you are expected to pay for such as bicycle hire, drinks, snacks, and of course tips. Reading online it is expected that you will pay 10% in tips but don’t think this is a must. You really should only tip for quality of service, if your guide actually spoke during your trip, did you see the big animals, and did you actually enjoy your safari. All in all, our budget safari was amazing. Definitely a must if you make your way to Kenya and it is good to know that you can still afford a decent safari even when you are on a tight backpackers budget. Send us a message if you would like any additional contact details for budget companies here in Kenya.

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