Who dares to drive more than 3.000 kilometers on a scooter through East Africa? Visiting mountain gorillas? Scooter safaris (does this word exist?) in five National parks† To admire lions, buffaloes, hippos and elephants up close, among other things. My name is Eric and I like to travel around on a scooter. Read here part 6 of the unique report of an amazing scooter adventure Uganda, Rwanda en Kenya† In the sixth part of this journey I drive from Kigali to Kabale, a drive of about 100 kilometers.
Uganda has stolen our hearts more than once and as far as we are concerned it is a travel destination that belongs on the bucket list of every world traveler. Find out why Uganda is called the pearl of Africa.
A trip through Uganda will be one you will never forget. Spot the tree-climbing lions, meet thousands of elephants, come face to face with Mountain Gorillas in the jungle and get to know the beautiful culture.
Plan your holiday to Africa here
- Itineraries you can compare + request quotes Africaplus, rickshaw travel en sawadee.
- E-Sims You can make additional adjustments with 1 GB for free Air it.
- Flight tickets for Africa you book through Skyscanner.
- Hotels and Lodges in Africa you book Booking.com.
- Rental cars : Sunnycars en rental cars.
- Tours and Activities in Africa you book through GetYourGuide.
- travel items such as suitcases, bags and more you can buy at Bol.com.
- Parking at the airport you can arrange via Parkos.
A tour of clinically beautiful Kigali
How clean can the center of a city be? I am now doing my second lap. From the valley I slowly circle up into the center of Kigali. Gone is the bustle, noise and chaos. Instead, I drive past empty bus shelters, where you can eat off the ground.
One thing I now know for sure. I will not meet the lion's share of the XNUMX million inhabitants of Kigali in the center. It's almost scary, it's so clean everywhere. On the clinical side. Nothing is bustling here and there are hardly any people. Even the big hotels are eerily empty.
By evening I am back in the valley. There I drive my scooter into the courtyard of a guesthouse and park my scooter in front of the loft that serves as a hotel room. It's not much soup. There is a cot with a mattress, a pillow, a blanket and a sheet. Yet it is cozy, because all rooms are located in a rectangle around the restaurant.
All tables in the restaurant are occupied. Everyone looks at two TV screens on the wall. On the right screen is the draw for a preliminary round of the Champions League. On the left screen, the presenter announces the results of the elections. All faces turn to the left for a moment. "The winner of the election is President Kagame with 98% of the vote," she reads. Laughter is everywhere.
My neighbor tells me why everyone is laughing. 'The elections in Rwanda don't make any sense. Hence. In which country does a president get 98% of the vote?' The waiter has had enough too. He turns off the TV. "Enough with those elections."
New tires at Sameer Hussein
I am in Kigali to buy two new scooter tires. The day before yesterday I got a flat rear tire. The repairman reported that I was driving on two almost worn tires. Since hardly anyone rides a scooter in Uganda anymore, new tires were only available in the capital Kampala, 400 km from Kabale. A phone call later came the good news. I was also able to buy new tires in Kigali at Sameer Hussein's spare parts shop. The distance between Kabale and Kigali is only 100 kilometers.
In Kigali, all streets have numbers. Sameer Hussein storage shed is located between street 86 and 2. It cannot be missed. Everything is going well. I buy two new tires and have them attached to the rear of the scooter.
In the meantime I am on my way to the one and only attraction of Kigali: Kigali Genocide Memorial† I have to be careful for a moment, because a tanker is pouring water on one of the few dirt roads in the center. That at least prevents the necessary dust. But wouldn't it be better to just aim for a layer of asphalt here? Then you don't have to sprinkle water every day.
Kigali Genocide Memorial
Unfortunately, Rwanda is best known for the bloody massacres in 1994. In that year, Hutus and Tutsis fought in a fierce civil war. And while United Nations peacekeepers looked on with resignation, between 800.000 and 1.000.000 were killed.
At the entrance I notice something. For the third time, a safari vehicle is now approaching, letting tourists out. I get a very bad feeling about it. So you are traveling in Rwanda, do a few safaris and then go 'on safari' to this museum full of misery. something like that? Perhaps these tourists themselves do not think about it. And what am I talking about? What would they think about me? A tourist on a wacky scooter with two tires attached to the luggage carrier.
The museum is impressive and sobering at the same time. I walk past a sign that says 250.000 remains are buried.
A visit to the tea plantations in Rwanda
A day in Kigali is long enough. It's high time to ease through the rolling hills of Rwanda in the direction of Uganda to drive.
It is really enjoyable on the scooter. I often stop in villages along the way. The residents walk out in front of a white man on a scooter. And there is no shortage of villages in Rwanda. Rwanda is not for nothing the most populous country on the mainland of Africa.
From the hills, the view of the poisonous green tea plantations is magnificent. About ten kilometers before the border with Uganda I decide to turn off the main road. I drive through the tea plantations. A pair of workers load the bales of picked tea leaves into the back of a minibus.
At six o'clock I approach the border with Uganda. I carefully drive past a mile-long line of trucks. I completed the border formalities in no time. 'See you in Rwanda,' is followed five minutes later by, 'Welcome to Uganda. Keep left.'
A happy accident
Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. This time it's okay. Ten kilometers before Kabale my rear tire is flat again. A boy on a bicycle tells me to walk for 50 meters. "That's where they stick your tape."
The tire repairman immediately decides to replace the tire. 'Throw that old tire away. Actually, your front tire isn't much anymore, but I'll leave it on. You never know.'
In Kabale Backpackers I arrive at sunset. Little David is overjoyed to see me again.
Uganda has stolen our hearts more than once and as far as we are concerned it is a travel destination that belongs on the bucket list of every world traveler. Find out why Uganda is called the pearl of Africa.
A trip through Uganda will be one you will never forget. Spot the tree-climbing lions, meet thousands of elephants, come face to face with Mountain Gorillas in the jungle and get to know the beautiful culture.
Plan your holiday to Africa here
- Itineraries you can compare + request quotes Africaplus, rickshaw travel en sawadee.
- E-Sims You can make additional adjustments with 1 GB for free Air it.
- Flight tickets for Africa you book through Skyscanner.
- Hotels and Lodges in Africa you book Booking.com.
- Rental cars : Sunnycars en rental cars.
- Tours and Activities in Africa you book through GetYourGuide.
- travel items such as suitcases, bags and more you can buy at Bol.com.
- Parking at the airport you can arrange via Parkos.
