Enduro holiday around the heart of Africa: Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda & Kenya

Typically, participants fly overnight from Europe to Kenya and arrive in the morning hours in Nairobi. The OVERCROSS driver picks you up from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi and drives you to the workshop where the Kibo rental machines are waiting for the participants. The group meets at the hotel for the first tour briefing and subsequent dinner. After a final drink, it’s off to bed.

We leave Nairobi in the late morning after a hearty breakfast and travel about 300 kilometers north across the equator line. We have planned the first day on the machines as an "acclimatization day" for man, machine, and traffic. About 100 kilometers after Nairobi, we make a short stop at a typical Kenyan coffee trader by the roadside before heading on light offroad paths to our daily destination. In the late afternoon, we will reach the camp not far from the Ugandan border and set up the tents.

Today marks the first border crossing with the motorcycle convoy and our accompanying vehicle (Toyota or similar). Welcome to Uganda, welcome to the heart of Africa!

We travel along typical African roads towards Jinja, by Lake Victoria, where the Nile originates. The source of the Nile was only discovered by western explorers in 1862. Here begins the 6,650 km long Nile, the longest river in the world. We arrive at sunset in the chaotic traffic from Kampala and dive into the nightlife of Uganda's largest city.

We ride along the shores of Lake Victoria heading southwest through the East African Highlands. This can be up to 1,500 meters high in Uganda. Our route takes us through the Rwenzori region, which borders the Congo and is a phenomenal hiking area. After a day's journey of about 300 kilometers, we reach Lake Mburo. Here we set up our campsite and end the evening as usual by the campfire.

Near the border with the Congo lie two parks where the last mountain gorillas live. One of them is the Bwindi Rainforest, which we reach via winding roads and smaller off-road sections. The Bwindi National Park has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1994 and is world-renowned for the mountain gorillas that call this place home. We set up our camp for the next two days at the foot of the Albertine Rift.

Today, the travelers have the option to take a day off or visit Bwindi National Park, which is home to half of the entire gorilla population! With a little luck, you can discover one of the ten monkey species, such as the black-and-white colobus monkey, the silver monkey, or the chimpanzee, as well as elephants and various small antelope and, of course, mountain gorillas, which are truly very, very impressive!

At the foot of the Virunga volcanoes on the border with Congo, we drive the long winding serpentine roads to the small town of Kisoro. In Kisoro, we make a coffee stop, get provisions, and then travel to the border to Rwanda. Depending on how long we spend at the border, we either take the main road to Giseny by the lake or back through the hinterlands along the border with Congo, from where we will have a great view over the lake.

We say goodbye to the rainforest and drive to the capital, Kigali. Our route takes us over beautiful mountain passes until we reach the legendary Hotel Rwanda. Terry Gregory filmed the story of the genocide in Rwanda against the Tutsi and moderate Hutu in 1994. The film is based on the true story of Paul Rusesabagina, who saved over 1200 people from certain death.

After breakfast, we set out to visit the Kigali Genocide Memorial, located 12 kilometers away. About 250,000 Tutsis are buried here. After visiting the memorial, which gives us insight into the dark chapter of Rwanda's history, we will probably ride thoughtlessly on our motorcycles over well-developed asphalt roads and wonder at every police checkpoint: Where were you in 1994? After this experience, even the border control to Tanzania won't get us worked up anymore. In Tanzania, we tackle the last tough 50 kilometers on bad roads and wash down the day by the campfire with a good wine in the evening.

Along the Burundian border, we travel on typical African trails towards the east. We can expect a day full of dust and dirt, just as every enduro rider wishes. If we're unlucky, rain will join in, and then we have a "battle day" ahead of us through African mud. In the late afternoon, we reach our camp by Lake Victoria, where we leave our motorcycles and take a raft trip. We will also bring the fishing rod! For dinner, hopefully, there will be fish, fire, and... wine?

Today you are always driving along a boring road on the eastern shore of Lake Victoria, we are rolling along with the enduros, mile after mile, until we reach the border to Kenya. We pass the Serengeti, which stretches eastward to the Ngorongoro and Rift Valley, and reach our campground at sunset.

The sun rises and we start the engines of our Kibus. We have several hours of off-road ahead of us until we reach the border to Kenya. After crossing the border, we treat ourselves to a cool drink at the edge of the Masai Mara, as there will hardly be time for more. We leave the Masai Mara to our left and drive with our hands on the gas towards Lake Naivasha.

We get up early and at dawn we set off for the last kilometers along small federal roads to Nairobi, where we will put the motorcycles back in the workshop for inspection and then be taken to the airport. Those who still have time can end the evening as usual with us around the campfire with BBQ and wine.