Kenya Uganda Tanzania Zanzibar 2025-6

Kenya Uganda Tanzania and Zanzibar

A 5 week holiday December 2025-January 2026




Link to my favourite Animal pictures  Here


Link to my favourite Birdlife pictures  Here


Link to all my pictures: a few less than 900 and including my favourites Here


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Holiday Notes

 

Thursday 11th December, 2025.

  • Early morning flight BA, from Newcastle upon Tyne via London to Nairobi
  • Wish all flights went as smooth as these 2 did.
  • In flight food and movies good
  • Evening arrival Nairobi at about 10pm, transfer to Hotel. “Jambo” to Kenya.
  • Large plate of chips an 2 beers to settle in and feel the warmth overlooking a pool. All quiet in the hotel as I delayed the staff knocking off.

 


Friday 12th: At leisure

Poolside baptism when what in numbers could have been a busload from perhaps a church 90% female with 1 baby. It appeared that all were to be baptised that morning in the pool.

“Johns tour” via Booking.com. National holiday and town was quiet

  • Kenyatta street and war memorials- Contribution of African soldiers to follies of Europeans
  • MacMillan Library as paid for by wife of a wealthy British man who lived and farmed Kenya. Under refurbishment
  • Mosque- emphasising the Omani influence from pre western colony days
  • And others including Fairmont Hotel, university and Arap Moi building

 


Saturday 13th: At leisure until 6pm Tour start

National Museum

  • Birds galore display emphasising the relative and very diverse sizes.
  • Omani influence in trade and slavery as emphasised later when I visited Zanzibar
  • Joy Adamson of Lions fame
  • Snake display and camouflage

Tour get together at 6 when met fellow travellers- 14 in all from UK-2,  too, several Ozzies and a Kiwi, a Swiss. (3 Ozzies. 1 Kiwi, Swiss and me were to continue 2nd leg)

After intro / briefing meeting adjourned to restaurant for meal and get to know

 


Sunday 14th, 2nd official day of the 16 day tour group tour westwards Kenya to South west Uganda and ten back east, returning to Nairobi

  • Early start in our overland truck to Lake Nakuru national park. (north west Nairobi)
  • Long day drive arriving as night falling.
  • Did have about 2 hours driving around park, including hippos resting by lake and birdlife.
  • Picked a tent and plonked it in the middle of the short grass to be told that should be next to a long line of bush that separated the open space from a ravine. Rule one- stay out of any unknown animal pathways.
  • First night under canvas
  • Campsite ablutions of poor quality and poorer maintenance.
  • Getting to know fellow travellers
  • Slept well and did not need toilet till sunrise.
  • Big animal poop next to tent in morning
  • Afternoon included a pair of Rhinos, pelicans galore, an eagle as photo’d and many buffalo

 


Monday 15th Game drive followed by lunch at exit gate, long drive to Eldoret

  • Pack up and drive in the park. Another vehicle had spotted a lion kill about 2km from where we had camped. Male lion stuffed and flat on back. 3 lionesses, 2 in tree and one was too stuffed to descend cat like and needs to reverse down, All very young / not filled out.
  • Several groups of rhinos, quite relaxed, eland, impalas, giraffes and pelicans galore
  • Drive to Eldoret and due to lion viewing arrived after sunset.
  • Opted for upgrade at $30 to chalet accommodation
  • Camp food good as Purity did her magic. We ate healthily many flavoursome meals.

 


Tuesday 16th Leaving Kenya and drive to Kampala

  • Long day drive, border crossing to Kampala where our accommodation was lovely, on outskirts of city, and city traffic horrendously slow.
  • Economic observation was the extensive tailback of commercial vehicles waiting to cross border from K to Uganda. Politicians should sort out.

 


Wednesday 17th Heading to south west Uganda and Kalinzu Forest

  • Long day drive westwards to Kalinzu Forest where we arrived about sunset
  • Tents up and song dance entertainment.

 


Thursday 18th from Kalinzu to QE Park

  • Forest trek to find chimpanzees and “Kadu”, was a most impressive male, twice failed challenger to leader and still in group. Looked like he will rule one day
  • Dexterity of Chimps descending from high up in canopy to forest floor, fast fast and up another tree
  • Shorter drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park
  • Hippos galore on south side of channel. Elephants on north side. Plenty of young elephants. Fish eagles with territorial patches.
  • Nighttime at camp fire, bites galore impervious to all. First and last time in 4 weeks that we were all on the menu.



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Friday 19th

  • A game drive as we exited the park, Equator crossing again and on our way to Kisoro- 9 hours driving.
  • Outside Kisoro we stayed at Mutanda Eco Community Centre where I was happy to pay $50 per night for a wooden hut with balcony and a bathroom overlooking a lake. It was so pretty a view after the prior hectic travel and game viewing days with early starts.

 


Saturday 20th. Gorilla Trekking

  • Gorilla trek day and one of the highpoints in my Life’s encounters with Nature.
  • Others have been Komodos on Komodo island, Baby turtle release- Turtle island Sarawak and Pandas (new born and lots Red and Black at Chengdu Panda Sanctuary China.
  • Early morning start and journey in minibuses to Bwindi National Park
  • Approx 60 tourists gathered together for instructions on protocols and a dance show.
  • Divided to groups of 8 tourists, each led by a Ranger, each tourist group allocated a group of Gorillas, with optional porters not so much for the bag carrying but in my case to keep me upright on a what was a very slippery path through tense bush.
  • Rules were minimum 15 feet from G, face masks when there for our “Hour”, silence (we did lots of whispering).
  • We trekked downhill first which I always consider a bad sign, crossed a smallish stream and headed uphill through dense foliage. After perhaps 90 mins of perspiration and tripping on unseen roots at ground level we get a message from the 3 trackers who had gone on ahead of us. We then left the alleged path and headed crossways on the mountain side. In a sea of green were various black shapes which we began to identify. Our excitement was high.
  • Our assigned group were a silverback, primary female and 3 baby gorillas of different ages e.g. 1/2/3 years. The youngest was the most active replicating chase beating of “daddy”. For the duration of our Hour (the maximum daily contact gorillas get here)
  • Towards the end of our Hour, there came a crashing rolling sound from up the mountain and heading our direction or more specifically my direction. The Ranger and my guide put their bodies between it and me. It was a female gorilla who after landing just about next to me set about eating, checking one of her hands (paws) where a 5 inch patch of skin had come loose in a tear. She tried to peel it off as most humans might and using her leg paws for grip. Failing this, she continued eating and relaxing totally unconcerned about me.
  • My happiness was not just that the gorillas were unconcerned about us, but that this female who landed at my feet was chilled.
  • Daddy ate, Mum relaxed. Children played and this other female popped by.
  • We were told they were heading downwards to the stream, a drink and would then return up the mountain. Next day, similar again presumably for them.
  • A sense of joy that these animals who live on the edges of agricultural land which invariably creeps upwards on hills and mountains can live side by side and are not threatened by most of us.

 


Sunday 21st Rest and walk

  • Rest day / Lazy morning start, Optional tours
  • I sat out by the lake watching a busy bird scene
  • Coffee walk in afternoon to see an organic farm, coffee growing and roasting

 


Monday 22nd. Drive east

  • Drive east to Mbarra (6 hrs) where we arrived at lunchtime lazed about, enjoyed a massage.

 


Tuesday 23rd Eastwards

  • Drive east to Jinja (2 nights), the source of the Nile upon Lake Victoria

 


Wednesday 24th Jinja

  • I skipped the optional river rafting and selected the late afternoon sunset cruise on the lake.
  • Lave Victoria the “source” of the Nile as it’s a basis for multiple rivers and streams from neighbouring countries.
  • The colours of the very small Malachite Kingfisher  a delight.

 


Thursday 25th East To Kenya and Kericho

  • Another Christmas day in Africa- I’ve enjoyed quite a few from Cape Town (1983) to Aswan Egypt 2022.
  • Border crossing back to Kenya was quick and easy and east to the town of Kericho in tea plantation country
  • Secret Santa was fun with “stealing” allowed adding to the fun

 

 

Friday 26th One of great Parks: Masai Mara

  • Drive to Masai Mara -2 nights.
  • Visit to Masai village- Tepesua in the Loita Hilla. Mid aged female quiet spoken, small in stature and powerful in achievements, met us and told us about how she had established a village for widows. And? Masai culture is cattle focused and very traditional. Widows are not a priority except in this village as established by our Matriarch from where girls can get an education in a  recently built school. The young men (about 6 including a few teenagers) gave us a traditional Masai dance in welcome and the women in circular dancing. Involvement not optional and plenty of fun.
  • At the park we changed to 6+2 seat jeeps as we had time for a drive around. Plenty of tourist vehicles. Plenty of lions. Sparse open plains
  • Recent lion kill with 2 male lions enjoying the spoils.
  • Camped outside and upgraded to Posh walk in tents with bathrooms – All under canvas.

 


Saturday 27th

  • Balloon trip at dawn
  • Posh breakfast with linen. Glasses of bubbly frequent refills and something stronger including a few bloody Marys.
  • Atmospheric rather than lots of animals. From the balloon the view was of a massive plain, few trees and bushes. The cyclical migrating path of 1.4 million animals varies with weather / time of year and the big herds were awaiting us in the Serengeti.
  • Too many jeeps chasing the animals and kills.
  • A group of 6 lionesses were stalking a herd of several hundred buffalo and dozens of jeeps were stalking the lionesses. Two lionesses broke away after a couple buffalo who had been splintered off. We were fortunate to witness what is a very cruel scene, a kill in the wild. Its not fast and its noisy. Just as quick two hyenas popped into the circle of jeeps. Lion who had killed, bloody mouthed growled back. The 2nd lioness who had been there performed that feline head to head run as both ate.

 


Sunday 28th

  • Back to Nairobi for end of this 16 day tour and bye byes
  • 6 of us continue./ 8 departed
  • Power failure at hotel
  • New tour from 6pm- 18 of us in all including the 6 from 1st tour, family of 4 French Canadians who had moved to Aus, a Dutch guy, German woman and others from similar areas.

 

 

Monday 29th

  • Drive south , (10 hours) plus border crossing to Tanzania and onwards to Mto wa Mbu.
  • Tuesday 30th
  • Early morning decanted to 6 +2 seater jeeps leaving most of our luggage in Overlander. Cook went onwards with our Tents
  • Ngorongoro Caldera, approx. 16 miles diameter, big lake, birdlife and wildlife galore.
  • Serengeti Lush Green green in comparison with MM and herds galore crossing the road as we entered. Id have loved the opportunity to view from high up as everywhere there were animals, with lions galore, the occasional Cheetah, plenty of hyenas.

 

 

Wednesday 31st

  • Balloon safari booked as optional extra. Great breakfast again conjured up like magic and although somewhat less alcohol much more enjoyable for the animal spectacle.
  • Lots of animals to see across the plain, hers galore grazing and moving,
  • Line of lions, including cubs at the back of the “line” and then suddenly the “line” split and the lions headed out in diverse directions towards the buffalo.

 

  • Hippo at edge of camp that evening outside toilet block,
  • Campsite very basic ablutions- Temst in semi circle opening to fire and all pitched closely. Vehicles fill in the 2gap” along with the cookhouse. Grass cut short so as to disinterest grazers and their predators.
  • Leopard in tree- just our 3 jeeps (6 tourists per jeep plus a driver plus our Tour Leader.) and this represents what was the magic of the Serengeti- Lots of space but not as many tourists in comparison with the Masai Mara notwithstanding the migratory pattern of animals which were in the Serengeti for us.

 


Thursday 1st New years Day as we exited the Serengeti

  • A paid of Cheetahs on their haunches observing something, unconcerned about us
  • Back to MwM via Ngorongoro caldera. Weather clearer and view better this time.

 

 

Friday 2nd

  • East to Lushoto high in hills – 2 nights
  • Plantation country and what attracted Germans originally pushing the local people higher into the hills.

 

 

Saturday 3rd

  • Walk in the hills, traditional lunch in a village with fresh ingredients and an extra spicy dish included. Fresh fruit as always tantalising fresh.
  • Dance entertainment too,

 

 

Sunday 4th – south east to Dar es Salaam

  • Windy bandanas on the beach.

 

 

Monday 5th

  • Crossing to Zanzibar- Packed and very comfortable as we seemed to be upgraded of approx. 3 hours.
  • Ages to get our luggage
  • Walking tour of Stonetown. Slave trade and Spice as part of the long established Omani empire.

 


Tuesday 6th north to beach for lunchtime

  • Dhow sailing,
  • Music and sun and drinks

 

 

Wednesday 7th

  • At leisure and sure was as fond memories jam the brain

 


Thursday 8th

  • Back to Stonetown
  • Bye byes in  the middle of the day

 

 

Until Saturday 10th Stonetown

  • Colobus monkeys tour—red backed and said to have been close to extinction as their eating habits conflict with local farmers
  • Prison island tour with their tortoises 100 to 150 years old
  • Spice tour- Cloves the money spinner from Oman times



Return to Dar by plane, long wait, cancelled flight, late to  Nairobi but could have caught the BA flight. Five extra hours and then to Amsterdam with KLM on Sunday and home for midnight 18th January

 


Final words.

  • This was a great holiday across 3 countries, 7 Parks /Reserves, 4 weeks of overlanding with a lovely group(s) of travellers mostly very experienced or eager for experience.
  • The people of the countries were welcoming friendly and helpful. I wish their politicians did more for their countries and peoples.
  • I had spent 18 years in Southern and Western Africa from 1983 to 2002 and this was a great reconnect with those memories
  • My last African Safari had been when my parents visited me in South Africa in 1993 and I took them to Zimbabwe, Kariba, Vic Falls and a Zambian riverside game park (I had shown them around RSA on an earlier trip.
  • This trip  reconnecting with what had been great memories of wildlife in Africa. My interest in Birdlife has grown. I continue to be enthralled by the beauty and the nature-human conflict and good works by humans that help Nature to live and thrive.

 

The end, of this trip.

 

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