Route Planning Sub-Saharan Africa-2 months
 

We are in the final planning stages for our epic trip to East Africa. Our plan is to have two dual-sport bikes looking to spend half our time on sealed roads and the other half on dirt. We will be starting our trip form Zimbabwe and ending in Nairobi. We have a rough list of things we would like to do and see but need the Hubb’s great community to help us fill in the missing dots. Any advice on great parks, things to do, places to stay, etc, would be greatly appreciated.


1. From Zimbabwe should we head to Zambia or go through Mozambique? Which offers the best conditions for travelers in terms of fun roads, interesting sights, and culture?

2. Once we get to Tanzania we are looking at cutting up through Mbeya through lake Tanganyika (Ferry Cost?) To Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, then circling back down from Kampala to Nairobi. There looks to be one main route through Burundi, Rwanda, and Uganda or is there an alternative routing through these countries? Is the western route through Tanzania preferable when compared to the central route through Dodoma and Mwanza?

3. Our Top Things To Do List: Any thing to add?
• Zimbabwe
o Zamebzie River rafting/canoeing
o Mana Pools National Park
• Zambia
South Luangwa National Park
• Malawi
o Nyikia National Park
• Tanzania
o Katavi National Park
• Ngorongoro Crater
• Rwanda
o Gorillas
• Uganda
o Lake Bunyoni - in south west Uganda
o Murchinson Falls-Rafting
o Lake Victoria

4. Not to miss guesthouses or camping spots
• Kembu Camp- Kenya
• Fisherman's Camp Lake Naivasha, Kenya
• Wildebeast--Nairobi, Kenya
• Green Turtle Lodge Kenya

We have been reading a ton of blogs and scouring the hub website and have gotten some great information. We will also be purchasing tracks4 Africa's map set as well. Any help or insight you can provide to our trip with detailed routing information would be greatly appreciated. If you find yourself traveling in the region from July-August drop me a line as we would love to meet up with other riders for a bit.

Tanzania ,Burundi, Rwanda ,Uganda
 

hi
good luck with your trip
I'm planning a trip Around the Nile from Egypt and back
please keep me updated about the route on those countries ,
i will start the trip hopefully by November
will be solo riding on heavy Honda Africa twin
cheers and ride safe always :scooter:

Hi there..

Just thought i'd drop you a line to say that i'm planning on leaving Cape Town in mid/late June and riding solo up the East back to London. Im hoping to meet up with anyone else who's heading that way... I'll be skirting the south of Zambia to enter Malawi half way up and then do a similar route to you..

I'll probably (hopefully!) be around Malawi about august, so keep a look out for a young, solo Englishman on a GS Dakar and i'll keep an eye open for you!

Enjoy The Ride!

Cheers...

A few offerings:
I would have liked to have taken the Lake Tanganyika ferry southwards from Kigoma, but didn't.
Somewhere on the internet, maybe on HU, there's a report of someone doing this but without their vehicle, they made other arrangements to re-join it. Vehicles can only be loaded onto the ferry at certain ports-of-call. (Includes Kigoma)
Whatever you do, Kigoma is worth a visit. And Ujiji nearby.

Other suggestions:

Zimbabwe - Great Zimbabwe

Mozambique - I Iiked Chimoio, near Zimbabwe border at Mutare. A centre of the struggle for independence.

Tanzania:

Mikumi national park
Iringa, nice town set high up on an escarpment
Dodoma's an interesting sort of town, being the capital, yet just a small town of sandy roads.

Kenya:

Roberts Camp, Lake Boringo

Kampala-Nairobi route:
Naiberi River Camp near Eldoret, NW Kenya
Bungoma, NW Kenya. Nice town for a day or two, no tourists.
ditto Kericho.

Have a great trip.