Anyone been to East Africa. Advice please?

Question

I'm trying decide one two different tours. I only have 3 weeks. Should I ....
a. do Uganda and Kenya or
b. Nairobi down to the Victoria Falls.
I really want to go to the Serengeti in Tanzania so could tag that on after the first trip. If I went to Uganda I would see the gorillas and get to do a couple of the game parks but if I went down to Vic falls I would go to Serengeti, Zanzibar, Lake Malawi and the falls. I have read just about every brouchure and checked out all the websites but want some personal opinions please. Wish I could do both!

Check out the website onthegotour.com and help me decide! Thanks.

Thanks Wharlrus. I would love to do all that and am definitely going to go back and do more of Africa. Also in regards to the gorillas, it wouldn't necessarily be in Uganda, but probably be Rwanda. Should have said that before.

Answer 1

In response to what Icarus said:

"Kenya was the worst"- Has he ever been there himself? The people that say Kenya is bad have come purposely looking for slums and other 'bad' things.

"I realise that I was not a tourist and saw some pretty awful slums (way worse than South Africa and India)"- We currently have the largest slum in Africa, it's called Kibera but I have done work there and as ugly as it is on the outside, and despite the nasty things that happen there sometimes, a lot of good small-scale projects are done there and you're probably not even going to see it on your trip. It is so out of the way.

"predatory bandits (worse than the Hong Kong/ China border)" - I have never met a predatory bandit in my life. And I spend half my time out at night. Sure, we have some pickpockets, but show me a major city that doesn't have any.

"and the fact that most currency was covered in dried blood (i've never seen this anywhere else in the world)" - This is an outright LIE. I can't believe someone even had the audacity to repost this lie on the internet. Dried blood? Unbelievable.


Anyway, Kenya is very beautiful and the weather, even in the wintertime, is great. I love it. I'd do the second trip- the Victoria falls are stunning and Zanzibar is wonderful. Also, you will get to see wildlife and a variety of beautiful scenery while a Kenya-Uganda tour will give you an abundance of wildlife but the scenery in both the countries is sort of the same, it starts to change as you go down towards southern Africa. The important thing, though, is that you go with a well-known and trusted travel company and that you take your anti-malarial drugs before you go.

Have a great trip.

Answer 2

Depends what you want to do and see.

If you after a chill out tour, then Zanzibar and Pemba are good chill out islands. Beachs, bars and scuba diving. However as with all countries in Africa, Zanzibar have had riots in recent years resulting in mass violence. Check for update before going.

If you after an overlander tour, then I recommend Kenya to Zimbabwe say 5 to 6 weeks. Lake Malawi and Zanzibar makes good chill outs rest points on the way. Zimbabwe ref Vic Falls is the adventure capital of Africa with rafting, bungee jumping, microlights, canoeing etc... However since I have not been there since 99 I can't comment on Vic Falls now due to the troubles with Zimbabwe land reforms policies resulting in poverty and uprest.

Rwanda/Uganda overlander you get to go Gorilla trekking. However once again check safety first ref -1997? or 1998? a group of travellers were kidnapped and some killed whilst on a Gorilla trek in Uganda.

If you feeling up for it, then a trip up Klimajaro say 6 days would be good, but beware of the park fees are 400 plus dollars and you must take a useless local guide whom is unfit, lazy and knowing nothing about mountain leadership. This guide will insists you hire many porters to carry his gear and food. The porters then chop down trees and crap at the camps thus destroying the local environment. At end of the trip, they surround you insisting on a tip of several hundred dollers. Everyone that I know whom been on Kliminjaro, me included says the guide/porter were a burden to the expedition of anything. Why need a local guide, when a clear path marks the way but park rangers insists you hire one. See the Thorn tree link below for details of the Kilminjaro guides problem. Read the postings by Homeless and Bertie_Bollocks.

Answer 3

with out being totally ugly Ur quest is outlandish izzy.
1st of all gorillas in Rwanda or Burundi r Betta options.
as Ive done African guidance tours and u seem to have a split time avail,i reckon concentrate on whats more important to u.
land in naairobbery trav 2 Tanzania and do Ngoro goro,Zambia south lunges nat park,Vic falls,skip MUGABE'S palace into Chobe Botswana and suvuty,okavavango then huzzz it to rsa or Namibia.
not sure of ur return flight but 3 weeks is a pee in the ocean if u get my drift.
sometimes its better to re-visit a continent and enjoy it rather than be some kamikaze traveler and need a break when back home.
u cannot possibly do all uve suggested and absorb the magnificence of our continent.
slow up baby and take another trav option.
have fun anyway.

Answer 4

*Firstly this is a non tourist account of Kenya- it's supposed to be amazing!*

I did some work in Nairobi and the plains (Masai Mara) North of Nairobi and I gotta say that out of all the approx 30 coutries i've visited Kenya was the worst.
I realise that I was not a tourist and saw some pretty awful slums (way worse than South Africa and India), predatory bandits (worse than the Hong Kong/ China border) and the fact that most currency was covered in dried blood (i've never seen this anywhere else in the world). I was in several non-touristy areas of Kenya and have friends who were brought up there (in the more touristy areas) and others who have been tourists there and they loved it.
I always suggest going to as many places as possible and Kenya has got wicked recommendations probably a good idea to keep with package deals that come with a good reputation.
I can give you a little more personal info that i received but if you are a tourist you prob won't need this- email me if necessary.
Have a wicked trip dude
Icarus

Answer 5

I have been to Kenya. Nairobi is quite nice but dangerous. You cannot go out alone there day or night. The safari parks are wonderful and the people very friendly. I was also in Mombasa at a resort there. Again you need to stay pretty much within the complex of where you are staying. I haven't been to Vic Falls but to Thomson Falls which were wonderful. Good luck deciding.

Answer 6

Nairobi conjures most of the relationship and adventure of its colourful colonial days and is a good place to pay your vacation, discover more with hotelbye . One of the points worth see could be the Nairobi's rich record and tribal lifestyle is brought your in its exceptional museums and the Karen Blixen Museum in one of many memorial many visited. Also in Nairobi you can visit Nairobi National Park. The park is just a rhino refuge and safeguards over 50 of these critically put at risk creatures. As well as the rhinos, visitors could see: lions, gazelles, buffaloes, warthogs, cheetahs, zebras, giraffes, and ostriches, and a lot more than 400 species of birds have now been noted in the wetlands and here, the Nairobi Safari Walk is a popular interest giving pet fans the opportunity to place wildlife on foot, and strolling paths place around the region called Hippo Pools. Nairobi is surely a city wherever full the household can enjoy.

Answer 7

Went to Uganda two months ago: HERE IS A COPY OF ONE OF MY ANSWERS POSTED ON YANSWERS ABOUT AN HOUR AGO ABOUT UGANDA:
IN ESSENCE GO TO RWANDA. IT IS A GLORIOUS COUNTRY AND IF YOU NEED PROOF SEE MY FILM LOOP BELOW!!

"Visited [Uganda] about two months ago and absolutely hated it. I went there on holiday intending to spend about three weeks .....I ended up leaving after four days and going into Rwanda which was a beautiful place.

What I hated most about Uganda was the dishonesty of the people. Whilst I appreciate that this is borne out of poverty it seemed that every thing had a price. If I asked someone the time i had to pay, it someone pointed out a direction to me I had to pay. I also saw countless bribes being paid by bus drivers to road side police officers.

A further problem with the country is the currency itself. Before I left I had to ensure that all of my US dollars were pristine [no marks or tears and all over the year 2001] and even when they deal with their own currency it can be problematic because often they will not even accept their own money if is it marked or creased... I met an American guy there who had wads of US dollars that would not be accepted [even by banks] as they were folded and creased up!!

The country itself is very run down aside from the national park areas and to be honest I really did not see that many ex-pats there mostly NGO's due to the civil war going on in Northern Uganda.

If you would like a recommendation then I would say Rwanda. Glorious country, many, many ex-pats there and the country is prospering. I was told that it was poorer than Uganda but it actually looks much wealthier due to the fact that a lot of international foreign aid has poured in since the 1994 genocide. When I arrived in Kigali I was so surprised by the number of really expensive cars people were driving...
Really consider Rwanda which borders Uganda... it is much nicer!!! P.S Many, many people speak English there [even the President is English speaking as he was a refugee in Uganda] so you do not have to know French although it does provide an opportunity to learn!!"

In the end I crossed over into Rwanda from Uganda and never regretted it. You could also go and see the mountain gorillas in Rwanda and Dian Fossey's grave. It might be good to tie it in with Tanzania as the two countries have close links due to the fact that the International Criminal Tribunal For Rwanda [regarding the genocides which occurred in 1994] is convened in Tanzania!

FILM LOOP OF RWANDA:
http://www.filmloop.com/cgi-bin/bv/bv.py?ticket=Y0lJ3uQYXkKWjRogcxLhQuBQWio7IURH&flash=1&extAds=1&px=FL

Answer 8

Yeah, me as well :)

I guess you can do both in 3 weeks (i d go for zanzibar, serengeti, masai mara, uganda-kampala -mtn. gorillas, possibly then tanzania and vic falls).

Answer 9

im here stay and live there..as just travel directly to tanzania and go all the way to serengeti national park and if is a matter of Gorrilla why dont u take tour to Gombe national park which is near Lake tanganyika and you will be amazing ..your self..

Answer 10

Went to Kenya for x-mas had a great time. Can you take me back.