East Africa’s glamour is legendary. It has a string of delightful old Swahili towns, some of Africa’s most moving safari destinations and the world’s last remaining mountain gorillas. Wildebeest pound over the Savannah in the Serengeti-Masai Mara ecosystem, rhinos stand in the shade in Ngorongoro Crater and chimpanzees brush past visitors in western Tanzania’s Gombe Stream and Mahale Mountains parks and Uganda in Kibale Forest National Park and Rwanda in Nyungwe Forest National Park.
Spotting the coast are moss-covered ruins and the magical archipelagos of Lamu and Zanzibar, while inland, green landscapes rise into rolling hills and stunning mountain panoramas. Red-garbed Maasai warriors rub shoulders with semi-nomadic Hadzabe hunters and the bead-bedecked Turkana all part of a vibrant kaleidoscope of cultures where over 300 tribal groups live within close proximity in an area roughly a quarter of the size of Australia.
East African wildlife on the 4×4 Rooftop tent Road trip will take you in 4 basic countries for bespoke safaris including Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda.
Tanzania
Tanzania is the land of safaris, with wildebeest racing across the plains, hippos pushing for space in rivers, massive elephant herds kicking up the dust on their seasonal migration routes and chimpanzees swinging. But it’s not just wildlife that enchants visitors.
Tanzania’s Indian Ocean coastline is magical with its tranquil islands, long beaches and sleepy coastal villages steeped in centuries of Swahili culture.
The Road trip in Tanzania takes you to a peerless collection of national parks and reserves. An undisputed highlight is the magnificent Serengeti-Masai Mara ecosystem, famed for the annual wildebeest migration. Nearby are Tanzania’s wildlife-packed Ngorongoro Crater and Tarangire National Park, with its baobabs and elephants.
Now since you’re on 20-day wildlife safaris in East Africa, a short trip in Tanzania can last less than a week and rotate around a handful of national parks in the country’s north circuit.
Kenya
When think of Africa, you are probably thinking of Kenya. Peopling that landscape, adding depth and resonance to Kenya’s age-old story, are some of Africa’s best-known peoples, among them the Maasai, the Samburu, the Turkana, Swahili, the Kikuyu. Drawing near to these cultures could just be a highlight of your visit.
While on a road trip in Kenya, don’t miss out the beautiful Maasai Mara National Reserve for great migration of the wildebeests and zebras migrating in their millions with the great predators of Africa following in their wake of the red elephants of Tsavo, of the massed millions of pink flamingos stepping daintily through lake shallows. Amboseli National Park, with elephants, giraffes and other wildlife in a lovely setting framed by Mt Kilimanjaro in the background, Africa is the last great wilderness where these creatures survive. And Kenya is the perfect place to answer Africa’s call of the wild.
Rwanda
Tourism is once again a key contributor to the economy and the industry’s brightest star is the chance to track the rare mountain gorillas through bamboo forest in the shadow of the of the Virunga Volcanoes. Spanning several ridges and valleys, Kigali is arguably one of the most attractive capital cities in Africa, as well as one of the cleanest and safest.
Road trip to Rwanda highlights include; a hike to the forested slopes of the Virunga for a close encounter with mountain gorillas and golden monkeys in Volcanoes National Park. Hack your way through steamy rain forest in search of colobus monkeys and chimpanzees in Nyungwe Forest National Park.
Watch an Intore dance performance at the National Museum of Rwanda, the finest museum in the country, in Huye (Butare). Confront the horrors of the genocide at the haunting Kigali Memorial Centre on the outskirts of the capital. Kick back with a locally brewed Braliwa on the sandy shores of Lake Kivu at Gisenyi or the equally beautiful Kibuye further south. Take a Rwanda style safari in the up-and coming Akagera National Park.
Uganda
For a relatively small country, there is a lot big about the place on a 20-day road trip in Uganda. It is home to the tallest mountain range in Africa, the source that feeds the world’s longest river and the continent’s largest lake. And with half the remaining mountain gorillas residing here, as well as the Big Five to be ticked off, wildlife watching is huge.
More than one quarter of Uganda is protected in some form, with a particular rich concentration of protected areas in the country’s south-west. Uganda has one special attraction that only two other countries in the world also share: Mountain gorillas. The country is home to half of the world’s remaining population of these great apes, and seeing them in the wild is one of the planet’s most thrilling and memorable wildlife encounters. And Uganda is the only country that offers the gorilla habituation experience, where you get to spend half a day with a gorilla group that is in the process of being exposed to humans.
But there’s more to Uganda than just gorillas: the country is also a fantastic place to do chimpanzee trekking, another wildlife activity that you can only do in a few places in Africa like in Tanzania and Rwanda. Another special animal highlight is Uganda’s tree-climbing lions, which are found in Queen Elizabeth National Park, but the area’s largest and most diverse park is also full of other big wildlife and is one place certain to satisfy your safari urge.