East Africa
| country: | Tanzania, Uganda |
| location: | East Africa |
| departures: | 2010: 10 Apr |
| price: | From £2045 (5 weeks) excluding flights. Local payment £225. Price includes all accommodation, food, transport, project donation and listed activities |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
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introduction to East Africa
If you’re always hankered to explore a bit of truly untouched wilderness, East Africa won’t disappoint. With landscapes varying from sun-drenched beaches to white mountain peaks, East Africa is a land specialising in extremes. From the highest peaks to the biggest lakes, this is real off-the-map terrain.
Your adventure begins with an expedition through Uganda’s exquisite Queen Elizabeth National park. We stay with locals and learn about the culture, the wildlife and the local language. Keep your eyes peeled for chimpanzees and hippos as we trek through crater lakes to our project site.
Live with the local community of Kgando and help out with the rural-water harvesting programme which aims to provide piped drinking water to the villages in the area. You will assist in building a water-harvesting dam, no construction skills are needed but energy and enthusiasm are essential. Living with the locals is a fantastic opportunity to learn all about Uganda and the families will be very excited to have guests and learn about your culture.
Not for the faint-hearted, your final phase begins with white-water rafting at the source of the Nile and flinging yourself from a vertiginous drop at the “Nile High” bungee jump. We enter Kenya and drop into the Great Rift Valley to prepare for our ascent of Mount Kenya. Climbing above the forests that cover the lower slopes, we follow a series of ridges through the cloud base with spectacular views every step of the way. Your adventure finishes in the Kenya capital of Nairobi with a celebratory dinner.
Your adventure begins with an expedition through Uganda’s exquisite Queen Elizabeth National park. We stay with locals and learn about the culture, the wildlife and the local language. Keep your eyes peeled for chimpanzees and hippos as we trek through crater lakes to our project site.
Live with the local community of Kgando and help out with the rural-water harvesting programme which aims to provide piped drinking water to the villages in the area. You will assist in building a water-harvesting dam, no construction skills are needed but energy and enthusiasm are essential. Living with the locals is a fantastic opportunity to learn all about Uganda and the families will be very excited to have guests and learn about your culture.
Not for the faint-hearted, your final phase begins with white-water rafting at the source of the Nile and flinging yourself from a vertiginous drop at the “Nile High” bungee jump. We enter Kenya and drop into the Great Rift Valley to prepare for our ascent of Mount Kenya. Climbing above the forests that cover the lower slopes, we follow a series of ridges through the cloud base with spectacular views every step of the way. Your adventure finishes in the Kenya capital of Nairobi with a celebratory dinner.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Mwanza to Bukoba. Your adventure begins with a journey across Uganda’s "inland sea" of Lake Victoria. The lake, shared by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, is the world's second largest fresh water lake (after Lake Baikal in Russia) and forms the headwaters of the River Nile. Bukoba is the gateway to Queen Elizabeth National Park. |
| Day 2-4: | Queen Elizabeth National Park. We continue to Queen Elizabeth National Park in South Western Uganda where we can see the world's largest concentration of Hippos, elephants, vibrant birdlife and, with luck, a troop of chimpanzees. From open savannah to rainforest, from dense papyrus swamps and brooding crater lakes to the vastness of Lake Edward, it is little wonder that QENP boasts one of the highest biodiversity ratings of any game reserve in the world. Almost 100 mammal species and a remarkable 606 bird species makes this superb safari territory. Elsewhere, the remote Ishasha Sector is famed for its tree-climbing lions, the Kyambura Gorge harbours habituated chimps and the Maramagambo Forest is home to an alluring selection of forest monkeys and birds. |
| Day 5-8: | Crater Lakes Trek. The Rwenzori mountains dominate this part of Uganda and we skirt around the range to the crater lakes at Kibale for a 3 day trek from one lake to the next. We stay at locally run camping lodges and enjoy rural Uganda at its most relaxed! |
| Day 9-13: | Kagando Project. Project Headquarters is based at the Kagando Rural Development Centre (KCDC) in the south-western part of Uganda. Kagando is in the remote foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains near the border with Congo. Kagando Rural Development Centre is a thriving enterprise surrounded by tiny villages and farms. For most of the people in this area the centre is their main form of health care, education and support. You will spend the first week assisting in building a water-harvesting dam. Tasks will include clearing land, erecting a fence, and building the simple structure. You will not need any particular skills but energy and enthusiasm are essential. At the weekend you will have the chance to explore the centre, visit the hydroelectric power plant and relax in stunning surroundings. It is also possible to travel to Kasese, the local town where there are bars and internet facilities |
| Day 14-15: | Rwenzori trek. We take a break from the project and venture into the mist covered Rwenzori Mountains for a short but enjoyable excursion. |
| Day 16-20: | Kagando Project. Another week on the project. |
| Day 21: | Kampala. We travel from Kagando to Kampala, a vibrant city built on seven hills, but that's where the similarity with Rome ends! Check out the Owino market which is a huge throbbing mass of humanity trading everything from smoke-dried, mummified fish, to bicycle spokes! The handicraft village and the Buganda museum are also worth visiting. |
| Day 22-24: | Jinja. We end this week by making the short transfer to Jinja, the town at the source of the Nile, the mightiest river in the world. Our final activity in Uganda is to spend two days shooting the Nile's mighty white water rapids. Clambering into inflatable rafts, each piloted by an expert guide, we descend the big water of the world's most impressive rapids: surfing the source! We overnight on a mid-stream island which is an adventure in itself. If, at the end of all this, you still have any adrenaline left the Nile High Bungee is available! This is a 43m bungee jump that ends as your fingertips touch the Nile: touch the source! |
| Day 25-26: | Nanyuki. Nanyuki is a market town in central Kenya, Nanyuki’s biggest claim to fame is the Mount Kenya Safari Club. Situated 10km out of town, the club once boasted a member list that included Winston Churchill, Bing Crosby and Bob Hope. It is here we prepare for our climb of Mount Kenya. |
| Day 27-32: | Mt Kenya Climb. We enter Kenya and drop into the Great Rift Valley, one of the world's most impressive geographical features. Created by tectonic plate movements in the earth's crust, the Rift is thought to be the origin of earliest man. Having built up a good level of fitness and plenty of expedition experience we tackle Mt Kenya a 5,199m peak, our first high altitude trek!. Experienced guides and porters will accompany us all the way, explaining how best to conserve energy at high altitude. Climbing above the forests that cover the lower slopes, we follow a series of ridges through the cloud base, spectacular views every step of the way. On the 4th day we set off early in the morning for the final push to the top. Soon after dawn we reach Point Lenana (4,998m) the highest point that can be reached by non-technical climbers and more than five times the height of Scafell Pike, England's highest peak! Climb Itinerary Day 1: Transfer by bus to Sirimon Gate with a brief stop for photographs as we cross the equator. We begin our climb of Africa’s second highest mountain and follow a winding track through bamboo and rosewood forest which gradually turns into heath. We stop for the night at Old Moses Camp. (3,340 m) Approximate trekking time: 3-4 hours Day 2: After breakfast we follow the track through the picturesque Mackinder Valley with breathtaking views of the main peaks and the surrounding scenery. We camp for the night at Shipton’s hut. (4,200 m) Approximate trekking time: 6-7 hours Day 3: Our summit attempt starts at 3am with a 3-4 hour trek to Pt Lenana at 4,985m in time to watch an unforgettable sunrise. On a clear day it’s possible to see the snow capped peak of Mt Kilimanjaro away to the south. We descend for 2 hours to Mintos hut for breakfast and then continue down for a further 3 hours to our camp for the night. (3,017 m) Approximate trekking time: 6 hours Day 4: We continue our descent through lush forest until arriving in Chogoria Village. Approximate trekking time: 2 hours |
| Day 33-35: | Nairobi. |
volunteer travel - what's it all about?
Are you looking for an adventurous trip with a purpose, or on a gap year or career break? If you want to make a difference in some of the world’s most important conservation areas - and in community projects - then volunteer trips are for you! Volunteers tend to have a sense of adventure, and come from a range of different backgrounds and from all over the world. Edward Abbey said 'sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul'.
how this holiday makes a difference
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Community
This adventure supports The Kagando Community Development Centre, Uganda (KCDC). Project Aims: The project emphasis is on the rural water harvesting programme which aims to provide piped drinking water to villages in the area. Water harvesting requires small-scale dam construction to create water catchments that act as reservoirs for the nearby population. Another aspect of this project is our ongoing development of the area's ecotourism potential. Both the stunning Rwenzori Mountains and the Queen Elizabeth National Park are in close proximity to the centre making it an ideal starting point for tours of the area. In order to maximise all of these benefits and make the enterprise fully sustainable, KCDC need to develop ways to generate income streams both for themselves and the local community. As venturers enhance and develop local tourism opportunities, they will be helping to provide locals with an income source. As well as our guides you are also accompanied by local guides and project partners. Groups are kept to a maximum of sixteen people, big enough to help the local communities, but not big enough to have a negative affect themselves. All our development projects have been carefully chosen to satisfy several criteria. They are of definable and sustainable benefit to the indigenous community and allow us the opportunity to work in tandem with the host community. Funding for the projects comes directly from the our Trust. For each person that joins us, we, as a company, give at least US $400 (£215) to the Trust. 100% of the money the Trust receives is spent on the projects. All development projects are over-seen by a resident Project Manager whose role is to co-ordinate the adventures, the funding and the project's objectives. We are committed to direct patronage within the local economies of the countries in which we operate. We pay local tutors to teach languages; accommodation throughout the adventure is in locally owned hostels or based in the project locations; and the entire expedition budget will be spent by the team at local "grass roots" level. Environment Back in the UK we also have our own environmental policy and we believe this is where responsible travel should start, prior to departure. It is simple things that help and perhaps the biggest impact in the office comes from recycling paper, as a rule where possible we print on both sides of paper and it is not until it is completely beyond use that we then send it to be recycled. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |
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