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Uganda
7 Best Weekend Trips from Kampala, Uganda

7 Best Weekend Trips from Kampala, Uganda

If you’re planning on spending any length of time in Kampala – perhaps because you’re living, studying or working there – there’s definitely going to come a point when you’ll feel the need to escape the city and see some more of Uganda.  When I was working there …
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Tanzania
Ol Doinyo Lengai – Climb the Mountain of God

Ol Doinyo Lengai – Climb the Mountain of God

Most climbers travelling to Tanzania have only one target in mind: the towering summit of the six-kilometre high Mount Kilimanjaro.  Ask them if they’re planning on climbing Ol Doinyo Lengai and odds are you’ll get a blank stare.  Ol Donny-who?! But if you want a serious challenge, in …
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Uganda
Gorilla Safaris In Uganda – The Real Inside Story

Gorilla Safaris In Uganda – The Real Inside Story

“Does everyone have waterproofs?” asks the ranger, looking around him.  The thirty-two of us, crammed into the tiny room, nod grimly.  Yes, yes we do.  And we know we’re going to need them. The gorilla safari briefing is normally held outside, but today we’ve been shoehorned into the …
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Kilimanjaro
An Overthinker’s Kilimanjaro Packing List

An Overthinker’s Kilimanjaro Packing List

In September I finally got round to ticking one of the top things off my bucket list – I climbed Kilimanjaro. I’m an organiser and planner by nature, so before I went I did a LOT of research to work out what should be on my Kilimanjaro packing list –…
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Africa
Nyiragongo Volcano: Trek To The World’s Largest Lava Lake

Nyiragongo Volcano: Trek To The World’s Largest Lava Lake

Imagine a place straight out of fantasy and mythology: a portal to the centre of the earth. A fiery pit, spewing red-hot smoke and flames and boiling molten rock. The real-life incarnation of Mount Doom from Lord of the Rings. Now imagine you can actually trek there and see it&…
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Uganda
What To Do In Sipi Falls, Uganda

What To Do In Sipi Falls, Uganda

Uganda is known for being one of the greenest countries in Africa. Not for her the dry yellow grasses of the Serengeti, the orange dunes of Namibia’s Skeleton Coast, or the cracked heat of the Sahara desert.  Uganda is lush and tropical, fed by the waters of Lake Victoria, …
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Tanzania
Kilimanjaro Porters & Guides: The Unsung Heroes

Kilimanjaro Porters & Guides: The Unsung Heroes

No one survives even a day on Kilimanjaro, let alone making it to the top, without a frankly embarrassing amount of support from an enormous team of guides and porters.  It’s their job to carry your stuff, cook your meals, supply you with safe drinking water, put up your …
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Tanzania
How To Climb Kilimanjaro In 10 Steps

How To Climb Kilimanjaro In 10 Steps

So your itchy feet have got the better of you and you’ve decided you want to climb Kilimanjaro?  Excellent decision!  But now you’ve got to actually organise and (eeek!) do the damn thing!  Here’s how… (Disclaimer: it does take a few more than 10 steps to get to …
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Tanzania
Descent | Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route 8

Descent | Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route 8

This is the eighth and final part of my day-by-day account of what it was really like to climb the Lemosho Route on Mount Kilimanjaro.  If you missed it, click here for Day Seven. Today’s post covers the descent. What it’s like to finally go down after all …
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Tanzania
Summit Night | Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route 7

Summit Night | Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route 7

This is the seventh part of my day-by-day account of what it was like to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.  If you missed it, Day Six is here. Today: the day we’d all been waiting for. Kilimanjaro Summit Night! If you think it’s hard having to wake up at 4 am …
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Tanzania
Base Camp | Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route 6

Base Camp | Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route 6

This is the sixth part of my day-by-day account of what it was really like to climb the Lemosho Route up Mount Kilimanjaro.  If you missed it, Day Five is here. I woke well before the morning wake-up call on Day Six to a weird feeling in my face.  I …
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Tanzania
The Terrifying Barranco Wall | Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route 5

The Terrifying Barranco Wall | Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route 5

This is the fifth part of my day-by-day account of what it was really like to climb the Lemosho Route up Mount Kilimanjaro.  If you missed it, here’s Day Four or start from the beginning with Day 1 – Getting Started. Today I’ll talk about the dreaded Barranco Wall. How …
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Tanzania
Lava Tower | Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route 4

Lava Tower | Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route 4

This is the fourth part of my day-by-day account of what it was really like to climb the Lemosho Route up Mount Kilimanjaro.  If you missed it click this link to go to Day 3 – Shira Plateau.  Today I’ll talk about the walk up to the Lava Tower. Altitude…
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Tanzania
Shira Plateau | Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route 3

Shira Plateau | Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route 3

This is the third part of my day-by-day account of what it was really like to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.  If you missed it, Day Two is here. As dawn broke on day three, and with barely a cloud in the sky, we got our first proper look at where we …
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Tanzania
The Forest Zone | Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route 2

The Forest Zone | Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route 2

This is the second part of my day-by-day account of what it was really like to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.  If you missed it, Day One is here. It’s not something that had occurred to me before starting, but the nights on the mountain are LOOOONG.  The sun set at …
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Tanzania
First Day | Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route 1

First Day | Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route 1

For several years I had talked occasionally about how ‘One Day’ I would climb Kilimanjaro.  It was one of those challenges that sounded like it might be a Good Thing to do (in a totally bonkers-painful, crazy-yet-hopefully-rewarding kind of way) but for a long time looked like it would be …
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