Questions on East Africa from a novice:
 

Hey wonderful people!

I am planning a 5 month trip (January-May 2018) from Djibouti around Lake Victoria and back up to Djibouti (Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania). I will be on my Yamaha YBR 125. I currently live in Djibouti. I have backpacked quite a bit in South America and Asia, but this is my first time to travel through Africa and on a motorcycle. I naturally have tons of questions. I have been scouring this sight for over a month now and have found a lot of answers and inspiration. However much of the information is older and I still have a lot of questions left. I would love to connect with someone who knows the area or has made a similar trip in the past.

Right now my biggest questions are...

Whether or not I need a carnet?

Is it safe to camp in these areas?

What documents and copies of documents do I need to bring?

What is some essential gear to pick up?

If there is some super helpful person out there that would rather private message me or start a correspondence over email I would be open to that as well.

Thanks.

Hi Kevadoric the Scurvy and welcome,
You should be able to get into most or all of the countries you plan to visit without a carnet by getting a temporary importation permit at the border and a couple of copies of the registration document, insurance if you have a comesa and your passport and driving licence should be everything, I also scan everything and e-mail it to myself as a back up.
You can camp in some places, I did free camp a few times in Africa but usually in the grounds of a guesthouse or backpackers where they allowed it.
Apart from your riding gear, spare clothes and camping gear all you need is a small tool kit with something for fixing punctures, a few cable ties and a roll of tape might come in useful, for spares and oil filter, spark plug, throttle and clutch cable and and an inner tube.

Although the forum below is aimed at 4x4 drivers, you will find lots of trip reports on the countries you are asking about. The campsites and documentation needed is the same whether you are on a motorbike or in a vehicle.

Overland advice, reports etc

Thanks for the input guys!

I thought of a few more questions:

Do I need to bring a stove? If so what kind, not sure what fuel availability would be?

Do I need some kind of water filter or purifier?

What would my best bet for navigation be? Are maps reliable and available? Are most people using GPS? What are some GPS recommendations?

I appreciate your help Mark and Wazungu.

Stove: yes, but don't know what bikers use as space more of a premium than in a Land Rover.

Water: not necessarily as bottle water readily available in most places. Your choice and depends where you are planning on going and/or how remote and intrepid.

Navigation: Tracks4Africa dataset for the GPS. Bring your own paper maps with you. Not readily available.

A very useful app is iOverlander and Maps.me. i would get Reise paper maps of each country ,really helpful planning your routes and backup when your gps fails.Make sure you know how to remove your tire from the rim and replace it and have the tools to do it. Medical kit and a sense of hhumour are also helpful.

I use paper maps as I enjoy the interaction with locals when you have to ask the way but most now prefer GPS, whatever suits you best, Michelin maps 745 and 746 should cover the general area although more detailed one should be availalble.
I use a fiter as I prefer not to use plastic bottles but bottled is available most places. A petrol stove can be useful if you like to cook but again cooked food can be bought most places.