TrophyCollector

Recommendation for travellers who share the passion for adventure, without compromising on luxury

Self-drive-trip (2009):

Kampala Serena Hotel, Kampala, Uganda

Virunga Lodge, Ruhengeri, Rwanda

Lake Kivu Serena Hotel, Gisenyi, Rwanda
(cross-border walk to Goma, DR Congo)

No particular recommendation for Kigali, Rwanda

Hotel du Club Lac Tanganyika, Bujumbura, Burundi
(not full luxury, but the atmosphere is UN-ique)

... continue to the Serengeti luxury lodges with a stopover at Tilapia Hotel, Mwanza.

mecabq

That would be quite an adventure.

Is it really practical (forget about advisability) to self-drive in and between these countries? Is it easy to find your way? Can you cross borders by road readily? Would any agency rent you a car for this, or would you have to basically own the car?

Did you do such a trip? I would love to see more about the logistics.

Kagehitokiri

i thought this looked pretty interesting >
there are also a lot of walking/horseback safaris

http://www.akextremeadventures.com/
7 out of 19 of those are in africa

TrophyCollector

I did exactly that trip in 2009. It is a lot easier that one would think, however a bit of Africa experience is advisable.
In terms of flights, consider SN Brussels, Ethiopian Airways, Kenya Airways. They are good airlines, but not comparable with Qatar or Emirates, who also fly into some of these destinations.
Renting a car is possible, e.g. Europcar in Kampala. If you take a driver (the price for the car remains the same!), you can do a one-way-rental and drop the car in, say, Kigali or Buj or ... The driver goes back alone.
The roads were tarred about 70% of the time, even 100% if you stay on the mainroad in Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi. The only problem may be the amount of people walking on the road, especially in Rwanda. And you need to learn driving on the right-hand-side with the steering wheel on the right ;-).
Border crossings were easy, even though I had not pre-arranged my visas.
Safety is not a problem theses days. Bujumbura feels a bit tense (high UN-presence) and of course Goma, DRC. In general, safety in those little place without a PR-department is much better than you think. And probably better than in Capetown, Mombasa ... or Miami.
Some of the hotels / lodges are top level luxury.
You need a certain knack for Africa. But for me, luxury hotels become even more luxurious, when you roughed it during the day (4x4 in the Serengeti).

stimpy

I travel around these places for work and it's all pretty easy. As for border crossings, just make sure you have new (with the red ink) US currency along with your yellow fever card and you won't have a problem. Facility with French is also quite handy in some of these places.