My year begins on March 17th.  It’s a little delayed, but it gives me the first part of the year to sift through the excitement of holiday celebrations and failed resolutions, and to reflect on what I really want for the year ahead.  It’s also the day I moved to Kenya, exactly two years ago.  So, it works.  I can’t fully put into words what I’ve experienced this year.  At the beginning, I made many new years resolutions.  Of course, 99% of them ended up in the land of forgotten dreams, but one, just one, I stuck to: Travel Africa. This past year, I can say with certainty, has been the wildest year yet.  Please indulge me, as I sit down to recap- whisky in hand.

First, there was The Great African Road Trip – After my annual summary, scroll down for more details and pics!  This filled all of my vacation days with breathtaking adventure!

Secondly, I went headstrong for four months trying to start a sand volleyball bar in Nairobi!  Spoiler Alert: That didn’t work out… for many reasons, none of which I’ll explain here.  You’ll need to buy me a drink to hear those stories… and because I’m broke after all my vacations, I need free drinks 🙂  Oh and if you have a few minutes, I made my way onto Kenyan national television as a contestant on the Lion’s Den (national equivalent of Shark Tank). *face palm* << Watch it here!

Following the bar, I left my job at Wasafiri Consulting to pursue a shift back to the social enterprise sector.  As much as I hate the words, “Social Enterprise,” I knew I wanted to work for a company focused on sustainable technology.  I received an offer to work for Pamoja Life, a company that does last-mile distribution of affordable household energy products – improved cook-stoves and solar lights, radios, and TV’s.  I have since started my job as the Product and Operations Manager, and am LOVING IT! Check us out here.

At the end of my time with Wasafiri I took 2 months off to enjoy part of the road trip, and to travel home to visit family before starting the new role.  Like I said, quite a year!

But to get back to the exciting stuff… this whole road trip…

Last year I had the joy and privilege of joining some remarkable people on a four-part adventure (for me) across several stunning African landscapes.  Mike McCaffrey, now a dear friend, selflessly quit his job to spend a year traveling Africa by road.  Nomadic by Nature.   It’s also a bit self-serving as I’m mentioned in several of the posts, and he captures the experience much more eloquently than I.

Rwanda – In April, I was blessed to make a split second decision to fly to Kigali, Rwanda.  At 9:00p.m. on a Wednesday, I booked a 6a.m. flight out on Thursday to join a slightly unknown crew of travelers who have grown into family.  We left Kigali the same day and drove to the Virungas, Volcanoes National Park.  

It was the off season, so a bit cold, rainy, and misty.  Africa is beautiful.  You wind through hills and valleys of artistic farms and villages, colorfully splashed on a canvas of rich and fruitful soil.  Each stop comes with music, friendly smiles, local loiterers, and corner stores with peanuts, potato chips, and glass-bottled Coca Cola.

We woke up early to uncomfortable rain, and set out to hike Mount Bisoke.  A volcano turned crater lake.  The hike was miserable.  

We purchased gum boots from the locals, and sunk knee-deep in mud with each step.  It took almost 4 hours to reach the top, and another 3 to descend, but the views were stunning.



Uganda – After the grueling hike, and not-so-sober recovery, we headed to the Impenetrable National Forest in Uganda.  One of two natural homes to the endangered mountain gorillas.  Uganda is God’s country. It’s lush, and green, and it smells like life. 

We trekked about 1 hour into the forest to find these beautiful giants, and then sat quietly in awe for an hour as they ate, played, and ignored us.  Before all this however, the male silverback charged at me, twice.  Whether or not I shit my pants is up for debate.  I’m pretty sure I blacked out.. as per the first photo below.

After that humbling experience, we headed to Lake Bunyonyi.  A lake of 29 islands peaceful, and filled with crayfish, delicious crayfish.  We also had the luck of staying at an eco lodge with a geodesic dome, and outdoor showers.

After Bunyonyi, Mia and I headed to Kampala by bus to catch flights back to Nairobi, because you know, jobs.

Ethiopia – About a month later Mia and I flew to Addis Ababa to join for the our second leg of the The Great African Road Trip. We took two days to drive to Mekele, Ethiopia, a town just south of the Eritrean border. The next morning we jumped in rugged 4×4’s and headed to the Afar region, one of the lowest places on earth (116 meters below sea level). Our first stop, was to the vast salt mine where rectangular blocks of salt are cut and loaded onto camels backs and transported into town for sale.

Next we visited the Danakil Depression. This looks like a science experiment gone horribly wrong and left to rage on an abandoned planet. The air is hot and dry and wreaks of boiled eggs as a result of the bubbling sulfuric acid.  We also stumbled upon the fragments of an Italian potassium mining operation.


Lastly, we hiked to the base of a live volcano lake, Erta Ale. The camels transported food and mattresses as we trekked with our packs in the dying heat at night. You can get quite close to the lava, according to comfort, within several meters of the edge. It feels as though you’re staring into a blazing furnace, the dry heat sucking the life out of your body. You sleep under the stars to uncomfortably hot for tents or blankets.

Our week of mind-blowing landscapes ended with a big party in Addis, and then returning home to Nairobi, because you know, work.

Northern Kenya – I returned to Addis in June to accompany Mike down through southern Ethiopia and Northern Kenya. The first two days were grueling with heavy spurts of rain on not-level dirt and gravel roads. The big tease is the almost-complete tar road that runs parallel to the path. We got stuck at the border in a town called, Moyale. It’s a run down town with a few gas pumps along the road in lieu of stations. For three hours we argued back and forth with the customs agents to finally let us through.

South of Moyale, the driving is a dream. The Chinese tar road is flat and smooth, and hardly traveled. The only nuisance is the unmarked speed bumps before and after every village with a population greater than 10 people. Our next stop was Marsabit national park, home to three picturesque crater lakes, water buffalo, black mambas, and tusker elephants. We drove in early in the afternoon and set up camp along paradise lake. We lit a large bonfire, cooked over a charcoal stove, drank whisky and stared at the stars.

After Marsabit we headed to Samburu National Park. This was my first real safari. And to this day, still the best. We set up our tents along the river, home to quiet evenings, and beautiful early morning sunrises. 

Camping in a national park leaves you vulnerable to wild animals. The first night I awoke to hearing sniffing and swift breathing outside the tent. Still too scared to identify what could have been a leopard! Below are some photos of the animals. Note: these are taken with an iphone, so you can see just how close we got!

After Samburu, I hopped in a taxi and headed back to Nairobi, because you know, work.

South Africa – I flew out to Cape Town at 5a.m. the day after my last day of work.  Wow. Freedom is more than a feeling.  I rented a car (manual) and spent five days solo taking in the nearby activities. I pet a cheetah

jumped in a cage to dive with great white sharks

 strolled along Boulder’s Beach with hundreds of African Penguins

hiked up Lion’s Head peak

and hit the town, local style with new friends.

Then, the real adventure started. I threw my gear into Mike’s Prado, and set off to the airport to pick up Alex (from trips 1 and 2) and then we set out along the Garden Route to Wilderness National Park.  

Camping in South Africa is a thing.  Every one does it, and they do it in style. Along the Garden Route, we stayed in three separate parts of the coast, each more beautiful than the last!  At Tsitsikama National Park we camped at the edge of the ocean, which was lined with large sharp rocks breaking the violent waves.

Alex and I jumped off a bridge to complete the highest bridge bungee in the world… this might be fake news, as the company listed several taller jumps next to that claim.  

It was the most incredible view, and I kept my eyes open the whole time!  Alex blacked out.  He doesn’t remember any of it. (The before and after)

It was beautiful for 3 days, and on the 4th day, we endured the wrath of Satan with 60kph winds, sharp rain, and a tent that wasn’t water proof.  At all.

After the Garden Route, Mike, Alex and I took a two-day trip to Lesotho – as one does – and drove up the gorgeous Sani Pass.  This 9 km pass lies within no man’s land between South Africa and Lesotho at the edge of the Drakensburg Mountains.

Known for having no mercy in poor weather conditions, we lucked out with a clear sunny day in both directions. We stayed cozy at the highest pub in Africa, and vegged out in front of the fire, reading, drinking, and relaxing for Christmas.

After a couple days of R&R we drove back down to rejoin the rest of the crew on the Wild Coast of South Africa. We stayed in Coffee Bay, and all I can remember is the oysters. They were the biggest, tastiest, cheapest oysters I have ever eaten!  

Alex an I went running on the beach, and kayaked through a river filled with the most dangerous kinds of jelly fish.  Thank god we didn’t fall in!

After Coffee Bay, we stopped just north of Durban to cut our drive, and then made a bee line for Maputo, Mozambique.

Mozambique: So, Africa is not known for having a good relationship with Google Maps, but this may have been the worst.  We crossed the border at Ponta do Ouro, which on the map looks like it coincides with some roads. After a fairly simple border crossing, we spent the next 7 hours navigating sand and dirt before hitting pavement. Mad respect to Mike for driving that whole leg!

We reached Maputo disheveled, hot, and tired but lucked out with an air conditioned room. We rang in the New Year at a seafood restaurant at the edge of the water with sangria.

The next day we woke up early and hustled to Tofo Beach. It was insane. Think Daytona Spring Break. The madness of the new year took a couple days to calm down, but the rank smell of piss and vomit lingered.  

Still beautiful…

I made the decision to get my PADI Open Water Certification – best. decision. ever. I saw all sorts of rays, eels, and fish I couldn’t identify. Against all caution, I sealed my “burner” phone in one of those dinky plastic “waterproof” cases and took it down 16m to snap these shots.

After a few days of diving I flew to Vilanculos to meet the crew and dove off the coast of the Bazaruto Islands.  Stunning. 

We hiked beautiful dunes, stuffed our faces with stuffed crab, and it was then I knew I had to be a beach bum.

For the final week of the trip, we headed back to Tofo for more diving, more seafood, more tanning, and more R&R. 

Leaving Mozambique was depressing.

Alas, my adventures across Africa seemed to have ended, but wait!!!  New Year’s Resolutions for this year…  Mt. Kilimanjaro, Mt. Kenya, beach, beach, beach, beach, beach. 🙂