Ethiopia to Uganda

2 weeks since the last update and the last real internet opportunity in Addis. The past couple of weeks have brought us out of Ethiopia, through Kenya and into Uganda – with lots in between. Our journey south from Addis Ababa through the northern regions of Kenya took us through some long tough days of hectic drives, basic facilities and very bumpy roads (250km in 11hrs!).

Our first night in Kenya we camped in the grounds of the police station – could there be a safer place? The road south from Moyale is extremely corrugated, no tar, and not much in the way of human habitation. But fantastic never-ending horizons. Eventually we reached Samburu, where we stayed in a basic camp run by a local Samburu women’s group, and visited the National Reserve from there. Samburu is renowned for some weird and unique animal species that we won’t find elsewhere on our trip. These are the Grevvy’s Zebra (with very fine black stripes and a white belly), the reticulated giraffe (which is your classic geometrically marked giraffe), the Somali ostrich (with blue-ish legs and neck), and the gerenuk, a particularly long-necked antelope. We also saw lions and ellies and looots of dik-diks. Apart from the animals, morning tea at one of the larney lodges in the park was a highlight (and having picnic lunch within sight of a lion).

Sunset

Reticulated giraffe

Samburu women from the women's village that runs the camp

From Samburu, we crossed the equator and moved on to Nakuru. A great entrance into camp as we walked the last 900m to the bar while Rogan, Nick, Jason, Kevin and Di changed a tyre... But what an awesome camp to arrive at. After some fairly basic facilities in the previous weeks we reached our first ‘luxury’ camp – hot showers, a cosy bar with fireplace, and a 3-course meal prepared for us by the camp. Here we’ve welcomed Sean to our team of expedition members, joining us for 3 weeks of our journey. Some opted for tours into Nakuru National Park, probably most famous for its flamingo population on the lake – but also great for waterbuck, rhino and even lion sightings for some.

Up close and personal with the lions

Juvenile lion, still has spots on the legs

Rhino seeking shade under a tree

We then headed towards the Ugandan border, stopping at another beautiful and well-equipped campsite just outside Eldoret. Thus far in Uganda we have spent a couple of nights in the capital, Kampala – lots more to gawk at – big supermarkets, good meat, wifi at camp, and pizza night!

Nope, not a supermarket, but one of the fantastic fruit and veg markets along the way

We then journeyed to the south west of Uganda, crossing the equator again (the 7^th or 8^th time?) and based ourselves at Lake Bunyoni (a rift valley lake said to be 6000ft deep – but did they confuse this figure with our altitude?).

One of the many equator crossings!

Camping at Lake Bunyoni

Not a bad view from the tent...

A boat trip to an island with some of the remaining pygmy population living on it was on the cards for some (with a hectic storm in between), others paddled dug-out canoes (or tried to), or psyched themselves up for a jump off the high diving board.

Boat trip on Lake Bunyoni

Stunning views

Colleen & Glenn dancing with the pygmies

Sue and Claire

Glenn

Village kids

Carrying heavy loads, African-style

But the big thing about Bunyoni is that it is from here that gorilla tracking/trekking happened. There are only about 740 Mountain Gorillas left in the world and they are only found in this region, on the border between Uganda, Rwanda and the DRC. There are very strict rules as to how many people can visit and observe these great primates each day. Numbers (of both gorillas and spectators) are limited, which makes it an even more special experience. The different habituated gorilla families and groups all have their own story and history, and it really is a fascinating and magical experience to observe these creatures feeding and playing. All the more special after a steep trek in dense rain forest.

Gorilla trekking

Unforgettable to see them up close in the wild

Remarkably human-like

Jason plus ancestors

Hazel

Baby gorilla

Kevin with his gorilla trekking certificate and one of the trekking guides

Bruce & Sue

Caolan

Now we are off to Jinja, to a campsite overlooking the White Nile. This is a major kayaking and white-water rafting region, but if you prefer this as a spectator sport, there is a great deck to watch the river from! Also a few other adrenalin activities on offer, as well as visiting and working with the local community on a volunteering project called Soft Power, or just plain R & R...

Oh, did we forget to tell you about the chickens? Meat was in short supply on our early days in Ethiopia so we decided to do it the local way and buy a couple of live chickens while we were in the Simiens and do it ourselves. Well, to pluck all 5 would have been time consuming so our scouts on the Simiens did most of it for us and left us one chicken so we could learn how to do it for next time. Rogan was a bit forceful and the whole head came off... where did that ‘running around like a headless chicken’ phrase come from?!

Plucking

Wow

Here’s a blog post from the crew, internet in Ethiopia is somewhat challenging, so it is a couple of days out of date and the group are currently in northern Kenya…  more updates to follow once they reach an internet connection again!


It seems an age ago that we left Sudan, and we are already on our 10^th day in Ethiopia. It’s amazing how neighbouring countries differ within metres of having crossed the border. Coming from Sudan, Ethiopia is the Africa many people think of when they think ‘Africa’. People, cattle, huts, trees.

Interesting roads...

Traditional huts

Village scenes

And as we climbed higher on our drive to Gonder (elevation about 2200m), the temperature dropped and I think the change was appreciated by all. 2 nights in a basic hotel in Gonder gave people time to regroup, get some laundry done, try out some restaurants, and finally have a few drinks.

The Royal Enclosure, Gonder

We then climbed higher, into the Simien Mountains National Park. From one extreme to another – the heat of Sudan to the chill of this altitude, our base camp was at 3300m. First time at altitude for some, and the effects could definitely be felt – short of breath after only walking up a gradual slope! Nevertheless, this is a fantastic place for trekking, so we based ourselves here for a couple of days and some of us opted for day walks, while others went on an overnight trek, summiting 3926m. Breathtaking views (if you weren’t already out of breath!) and some sightings of rare species endemic to Ethiopia, such as the Ethiopian wolf and the Gelada baboons.

Simien Mountains

Kaye and a waterfall

Chilling after some high altitude hiking

Gelada baboons

Market day

Market day

From here we returned (a little stiff) to Gonder, en-route to Lalibela. Lalibela is one of the sights in Ethiopia with rock-hewn churches dating back to the 11^th century. Some of them are free-standing, carved completely out of the rock, while others have been built in caves or sculpted into the sides of rocks. 11 churches in the area were built within 24 years, at the orders of King Lalibela. It is quite amazing how well-preserved these churches are, and they are still in use, with worshippers attending daily services, and pilgrims visiting these sacred sites.

The incredible St George's church, Lalibela

Some of the group at St George's

Fascinating to wander around the churches

Tranquility

The ever-photogenic St George's

Lalibela was also a place for some to taste the local tej (honey wine) and try to dance as the locals do.. we found a really cheerful atmospheric bar, and most managed a jar of strong tej, and a bit of shoulder dancing...

Tej

Now we’re in Bahir Dar on Lake Tana, the source of the Blue Nile. A day of walking, relaxing, visiting monasteries on the lake, and/or the Blue Nile Falls, before we head to the capital, Addis Ababa for a couple of nights. From there we start the long trip south to Kenya, with some hectic days and ’interesting’ roads ahead taking us to very remote places. Hold tight as Athena tackles these bumpy roads!

Alison and Rogan getting Athena ready for the onslaught...

Sudan

Wadi Halfa was great, but we had to leave eventually, so as soon as Athena was off the ‘sandbank’ (which we later found out from the captain was actually Aswan harbour) and in Sudan we headed off to a bush camp on Lake Nasser. The first of a few...

Wadi Halfa where we were based for a couple of days while waiting for Athena

Bushcamp, breaking camp in the morning

In the heat and the desert, water has been the necessity. We found a spot in the Nile to cool down and wash in which was definitely a good call. All the settlements in Sudan are dotted with clay water jars, and a cup attached, so water is available to all. We found one of these spots to fill our jerries too...

Filling water

This man helped us refill our water supplies, and was very appreciative of his new Odyssey t-shirt

While for much of our time in Sudan we have been off the beaten track in the desert, the Sudanese we have met in the small towns we’ve visited have been so friendly and welcoming – it’s a pity the language barrier prevents us from having more of a chat, but with a bit of sign language and smiles on both sides, we all manage to make ourselves understood.

Apart from amazing and changing desert landscape, we have seen a few archaeological sights too, starting with Jebel Barkal, the Holy Mountain, with a cemetery of pyramids at its base.

Pyramids at Jebel Barkal

We were blessed with some rain briefly, and how nice it was to have the temperature drop slightly for a short while!

Really rain??

We camped behind the pyramids of Meroe on Sue’s birthday and managed to find some legs of lamb for a celebratory roast (after a brief stint of sand-matting when Athena got a bit stuck in the sand!). Sudan us a dry country in more ways than one, so a delayed birthday G’n’T is in order when we get to Ethiopia!

Pyramid at Meroe

Unfortunately one of the more remote sites of the Naqa temple was just beyond our reach as recent rains had left the tracks and sand soft and muddy, but it was great to be off-road for a bit and the good news was: an earlier arrival in Khartoum which means showers sooner!

Our crossing of the desert in Sudan has been extremely hot, drinking water is more like tea and everyone has sand everywhere! So now the showers and toilets of the Blue Nile Sailing Club on the shores of the Nile in Khartoum, while hardly anything to write home about under normal circumstances, have much to offer! We have 2 nights here to regroup, do some laundry, get clean, shop, and explore the markets while we camp on the bank of the Blue Nile. Already most of us have found our way to Omdurman Souq, one of the largest markets in Africa, where everything can be found if you look for it – food, utensils, fabric, beauty products, and even ivory (+- 1500$ for 2 small tusks). And after that we found an air-conditioned shopping mall with free wifi...

This may be it from us for a while, as all being well we hit Ethiopia on Wednesday, and internet access becomes even less frequent or reliable. Don’t worry, it doesn’t mean we don’t have anything to write about! Lots planned for Ethiopia – we are looking forward to a reunion with a couple of fellow expedition members, cooler temperatures, and cold beer!