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Uganda
7 Top Weekend Trips from Kampala, Uganda

7 Top Weekend Trips from Kampala, Uganda

If you’re planning on spending any length of time in Kampala, there’s definitely going to come a point when you’ll feel the need to escape the city and see some more of Uganda.  So here are my recommendations for the best weekend getaways within relatively easy reach …
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Africa
Mountain Gorilla Tracking in the Rain, Uganda

Mountain Gorilla Tracking in the Rain, Uganda

“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 tracking briefing is normally held outside, but today we’ve been shoehorned into the …
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Africa
Nyiragongo: the World’s Largest Lava Lake

Nyiragongo: 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 go there and see it&…
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Photography
Hiking around Sipi Falls, Uganda

Hiking around 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
Ol Doinyo Lengai – Mountain of God

Ol Doinyo Lengai – 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 scaling 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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Tanzania
The Unsung Heroes of Kilimanjaro

The Unsung Heroes of Kilimanjaro

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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Kilimanjaro
A Kilimanjaro Packing List for Girls

A Kilimanjaro Packing List for Girls

In September 2016 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 to take – and you can read all…
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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
Climbing Kilimanjaro – Day 8 – Descent

Climbing Kilimanjaro – Day 8 – Descent

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, Day Seven is here. Unsurprisingly, I slept amazingly well the night after the summit – as did everyone. There’s nothing like …
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Tanzania
Climbing Kilimanjaro – Day 7 – The Summit

Climbing Kilimanjaro – Day 7 – The Summit

This is the seventh part of my day-by-day account of what it was really like to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.  If you missed it, Day Six is here. If you think it’s hard having to wake up at 4 am to catch a flight to go on holiday, imagine what it’…
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Tanzania
Climbing Kilimanjaro – Day 6 – To Base Camp

Climbing Kilimanjaro – Day 6 – To Base Camp

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
Climbing Kilimanjaro – Day 5 – Barranco Wall

Climbing Kilimanjaro – Day 5 – Barranco Wall

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. There had been a lot of speculation about the Barranco&…
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Tanzania
Climbing Kilimanjaro – Day 4 – Lava Tower

Climbing Kilimanjaro – Day 4 – Lava Tower

This is the fourth part of my day-by-day account of what it was really like to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.  If you missed it, Day Three is here.  Today I’ll talk about the walk up to the Lava Tower. We were now almost halfway through the trip, and the altitude …
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Tanzania
Climbing Kilimanjaro – Day 3 – Shira Plateau

Climbing Kilimanjaro – Day 3 – Shira Plateau

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
Climbing Kilimanjaro – Day 2 – The Forest

Climbing Kilimanjaro – Day 2 – The Forest

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
Climbing Kilimanjaro – Day 1 – Getting Started

Climbing Kilimanjaro – Day 1 – Getting Started

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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