Awesome African Adventure. Day 20 -April 28, 2025

Farewell to Wilson and his Excellent Executive Safari. 

Uganda calls itself the Pearl of Africa and Wilson has given us an absolute Pearler of a trip around the country.

Departed Boma Hotel at 12:30 am. for our 3:50am flight to Nairobi in Kenya then onto Arusha, Tanzania. Wilson collected us from the hotel and left us at the airport. We all really loved the time with Wilson he was a genuine man who took such great care of us in Uganda.
Arrived at Entebbe International and through first security check easily. Then the games began.

The only flight showing our departure time is Rwanda Air, so we assumed a code share and approached the Rwanda Air desk, only to be told we should wait for Kenya Airlines to open their check in. No sign of anyone at the desks they directed us to so we waited in hope. There was another bloke who found a chair and was waiting so we had some hope.
Eventually their check in opened. AND the details on the screen matched our online boarding pass.

We approached the desk only to be advised that the plane is delayed 3 hours 50 mins taking off at 8am, which means we would land at 9:20 an hour AFTER our next flight departs Nairobi.

Our check in man was working on it, indicating we should wait while the staff in the Kenya Airlines office sorted out our connection.
Kenya air are a joke. We’ve had nothing but grief. Keith has spent days chasing flights and yesterday’s arrangements are no longer an option.
The Kenya Airlines people here at the airport have been helpful and we’ve made ourselves a little nest at check in. We have been at the airport since 1.00am. Sitting waiting for news of our connection from Nairobi. Meanwhile many others are checked in and through to the gates.
Eventually there was no one left in the Kenya Airlines check in line. Fred (our check in man) had come to update us twice and another woman once indicating that Kenya Air staff upstairs were arranging our new onwards flight from Nairobi to Kilimanjaro Airport in Arusha, Tanzania.
We were getting antsy when our man Fred indicated he would go upstairs and see what was going on. He phoned his colleague who advised we had our flights and we should check our luggage and proceed through immigration and second security. Ironically, the flight they have checked us into is from our original itinerary, it departs Nairobi at 7:35 this evening. They have also arranged some accommodation for us at Nairobi Airport and a voucher for drink and snack at the Crane Cafeteria – big whoop!!!

We were all pretty edgy at this point and pottered around looking at the duty free and shops. Passing the time on our technology backing up photos.

At about 7:30 they called the gate for boarding. Four very relieved passengers walked on board.

At 8:05 we pulled back from the gate. It’s been raining since we walked in at 12:30am. Within 5 minutes of sitting down the other three are nodding off. I’m on a window so watching intently. We had Lake Victoria on one side and Entebbe on the other. 8:17 we hit the engines and we are finally flying. Yay!!!

Lake Victoria dominates the landscape with Entebbe City spread across the lake shore and into the hills. There are some craters that show previous volcanic activity.

The flight was unremarkable – a 55 minute up and down again flight with a chicken roll and OJ somewhere along the way.

Touched down into Nairobi at 9:08 and a long taxi back to the gate by 9:19.

Then onto two buses as Phil caught one and the doors shut behind him. Then to the Transfers Desk to secure our promised hotel accommodation.

Several others there are also impacted with missed accomodation and activity costs and no insurance.
They tried to get us to apply for a Visa before we were able to explain we already have them.

We eventually got a letter from the Kenya transfers desk to take to Immigration. There we showed our Visa and were cleared through to go to the next Kenya Air desk to get the actual voucher and have them organise transport. Every step is only started after the previous one is complete and it all takes time.

There were two Moslem women with a 4month old who had arrived from London at 5am and had been at the first desk for FIVE hours, they needed Visas and finally got a voucher AFTER us and got a car before our bus.

We walked out to the bus only to be told we are waiting for 14 people, we waited to get to 11 people and everyone was getting edgy, as we will not have a long time at the hotel. But no point getting our knickers in a knot. We sit and wait. 11:00am came and went. Still waiting for three people! The driver has his instructions and we wait. One, 2, 3, 4 more people came and the driver checked the paperwork and we are off at 11:04.

15 – 20 minutes to the hotel according to Jamie at Kenya Airlines. Needless to say it’s a busload of tired and fractious passengers. It was more like 30-40minutes. But always something to look at.

We are booked into the Hemmesis Hotel. Fingers crossed check in is seamless.
Suzie had a fabulous plan for getting checked in. There was a lady beside her from Brunei – 7
Months pregnant. I was sitting right opposite the steps and door. Suzie planned that I get off quick with the voucher and that she would assist the pregnant lady to hold up others. In the meantime I google mapped the hotel so as to be poised to grab her backpack for her and go. It all worked perfectly. Phil and Mary came around in reception as we all needed to provide details. The staff here were organised and super friendly, organised and efficient. We headed to rooms just before midday with plans to meet downstairs at 3:30.
The hotel was a bit ‘tired’ and noisy, but we all got horizontal and maybe a bit of sleep.

Mary and Phil were advised that we also had lunch as part of the voucher so down we went for the dregs at end of service.

Suzie went back up for a shower. And we had hot chocolate/tea and snack before most of the same group piled back on the bus back to airport at 3:45.

The Nairobi traffic is bumper to bumper and chaotic.
Our next flight to Kilimanjaro International is due to depart at 7:35!- this time with Precision Air (arranged by Kenya Airlines) now we hope that all our luggage and us catch the flight in a timely manner.
The traffic chaos is incredible. The city has 5.5Million people and looks a bit like Uganda but the haves and have nots gap seems wider. A central city with high rise and much poorer and more rubbishy roadside trading etc.
Our driver has wended the bus through horrendous traffic and back to airport about 4:45. Then in we went to try our luck again. Very pleased to say that everything related to our Precision Air was a walk in the park. Susan the attendant at check in had a sense of humour and was helpful in altering our seat selections. The airport was much more efficient. We found a place to sit and have a drink and something to eat – Java House with a lovely waitress Ashila who looked after us so well.

Our Precision Air flight was in a small twin engine plane with possibly 80 seats. It wasn’t full. The flight got away pretty much on time and we landed 45 minutes later at Kilimanjaro Airport. About -16 people got off the plane and the rest were heading for either Zanzibar or Dar Es Salem.

We cleared immigration and had our Visas checked then out to meet JB (about 8;45) who is working with Ishmail. We loaded into our new Troopy. This one with 6 seats in the back a little cosier than Wilson’s. We have a two hour trip to Arusha – I succumbed to a few moments of shuteye along the way.
It was raining and cooler here. Arusha area is city of 2.2mill with 800 000 in the city area.

120 tribes in Tanzania. We are driving for two hours to Arusha to our hotel. The area here is the Meru tribe.

It was 10:30 by the time we reached our home for the next two nights Pazuri Inn.

Into the room and ready for shower and bed. Half my case is going to laundry tomorrow. It’s been a hectic few days! But the new adventure begins tomorrow.