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Africa Coffee Tour 2023
  • Bartosz Plotka

Africa Coffee Tour 2023

A 62-day adventure by Bartosz Read more
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  • Bartosz PlotkaAfrica Coffee Tour 2023Traveler

    Up to the volcano again!

    July 8, 2023 in Kenya ⋅ 🌙 13 °C

    The best medicine for a cold is a serious hike - this what people told me here seeing me sneezing and feeling down since I came. What can I possibly do wrong, let's try it! A little bit late I arrived at the entry of Mt Longolot National Park. Not very high, but still challenging dormant volcano is one of the main attractions of the region. And not only for Tourist - I met crowds of local students, school trips but also older folks very willing to chat. So almost without noticing I got to the crater, where the actual hike started, up to the top of the highest point of the crater. It was really beautiful and rewarding "warm up" before the upcoming Mt Kenya trip. And unique opportunity to experience locals hiking, exchanging food and sorties.Read more

  • Bartosz PlotkaAfrica Coffee Tour 2023Traveler

    Long journey to namegiver mountain

    July 10, 2023 in Kenya ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    Next stage of my trip was simple on theory - getting from town Naivasha to town Nanyuki, next to the Mt Kenya, which is the actually source of the name of the country. The very short looking journey took me over 5h, showing again that traveling with matatu can be fun and unpredictable activity. After multiple car changes, stops and finally 1,5km walk with my whole luggage I arrived at my green oasis on the edge of the town. The next day I decided to keep it slow and don't do too much activity, just strolling in Nanyuki and visiting the equator market. Once again, the feeling is I'm the only tourist around here, stone white folks in my place area here only due to do business. Now the next chapter is coming, 5 days long hike on the mount Kenya!Read more

  • Bartosz PlotkaAfrica Coffee Tour 2023Traveler

    Mount Kenya

    July 14, 2023 in Kenya ⋅ ☁️ 5 °C

    Diamond in the crown of all my hiking trips in Africa - highest mountain in Kenya and second highest after Kilimanjaro, I couldn't miss such an opportunity. To stay on the safe side I booked ( like 100% of other people met on the way) the tour in the local agency, so I got not only a guide, but also a full crew to support me. Such luck! The only way to survive in these winter conditions (-5 at night) is to get proper guiding, food and tent. Thanks to those heroes I managed to get on top of the highest peak of Kenya accessable by hiking. Starting the trip at 3 am, we walked the first few hours under the perfectly visible Milky Way, just to see a mind-blowing sunrise on the top. On the very long way back we passed through one of the biggest afro alpine forests in the world. Despite all the freezing at night and light altitude sickness, this adventure was one of the best experiences during that trip!Read more

  • Bartosz PlotkaAfrica Coffee Tour 2023Traveler

    First days on the coast

    July 17, 2023 in Kenya ⋅ 🌙 25 °C

    After all the climbing and freezing, getting a train to Mombasa and 6h later being in the coastal part of Kenya was quite a big change. The climate is radically different - warm, sunny and humid, with occasional heavy rains. Today I was lucky - got great weather for the morning walk along the beach and some showers when I was negotiating the prices for multiple not needed products with the local merchants on the market. Also people are slightly different here - majority are Muslims, many of them with roots in Oman, India or even south Iran ( long story, look for keyword Baluchistan). I've seen the first actual old city in East Africa and tasted the best Biryani of my life. In general - food and hospitality on the coast are on a galactic level, let's see if the "touristy" south will keep the level set by the North. Last but not least - new means of transport, the Tuktuks! Yay another invention of the "3rd world" that I would wish to have at home sometimes, works like a charm.Read more

  • Bartosz PlotkaAfrica Coffee Tour 2023Traveler

    Going on the tree(house)

    July 18, 2023 in Kenya ⋅ 🌙 24 °C

    Today's rather short update - after a 3h long journey between Mombasa and Diani Beach, I checked in on the most interesting accommodation so far - big, fully functional flat on the tree, very next to one of the best sandy beaches that Kenya has to offer. Tomorrow I will get a chance to dive deeper in nature and stroll around , but the next 3 days here are already very promising.Read more

  • Bartosz PlotkaAfrica Coffee Tour 2023Traveler

    Biking off from the troubled paradise

    July 19, 2023 in Kenya ⋅ 🌬 28 °C

    Two days in Diani and I already wanted to escape this paradise. Undoubtedly, the beach is clean, beautiful, one of the best I've ever seen. The infrastructure of the resort hotels exceeded any of my expectations and I had a very relaxed morning and evening. Unfortunately, it doesn't take much time to start seeing more: extremely poor locals without any access to the beach besides 2 local bars and walking around for hours as coconut sellers. The whole idea of blocking access to the coast by building multiple hotels with exclusive access is but new - but still very sad especially in the African context. One of the locals said me straight "you can always get through, but they will never let us in". This is the first place in Kenya where I cannot connect with anyone - people are so desperate, that every conversation, small talk, even eye contact lead to question for money, so as the consequence I just avoid it. I'm still using it, buing stuff, but it brings me a lot of mixed feelings, why cannot we just share the beauty of nature without discriminating against each other? :(

    On the good side - this morning I escaped the beach with the help of my amazing mountain bike guide "The Gift". The trip read a really big challenge, but definitely a fantastic experience and brought me back to balance.    Read more

  • Bartosz PlotkaAfrica Coffee Tour 2023Traveler

    Jazzy comeback to Nairobi

    July 23, 2023 in Kenya ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

    When did it happen? The trip is almost over, 2 months have passed, I'm already in my last station, Nairobi. This time for longer, to understand this fascinating city better. I do also feel way more comfortable - living in a very beautiful apartment in Kiliani, strolling between great African restaurants, bookstores and spending hours on the jazz concert turned into a jam session. Coming days have potential to be very enjoyable :)Read more

  • Bartosz PlotkaAfrica Coffee Tour 2023Traveler

    Last meeting with Kenyan wildlife

    July 25, 2023 in Kenya ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    The last strictly tourist attraction on my way, local national park. Living Nairobi without seeing it would be a shame and having a well established network of tour guides, it was very easy to organize it last minute. And I don't regret any minute spent there! Not only I could finally see rhinos ( 12 of them), but also experience lions, zebras, ostriches, giraffes and jakals as close as I never had. On top of that, it wasn't really crowded, compared to Massai Mara, we could almost always find places without any cars. As you can see on the lion picture, the city was always in the background, with its skyscrapers and motorways. Definitely a very special place. One sad moment at the end, the ivory burning place, where all the confiscated ivory and rhino horns are being burned as a statement of African governments against hunting and killing elephants and rhinos. The single pile of dust is a result of slaughtering 20 elephants :(Read more

  • Bartosz PlotkaAfrica Coffee Tour 2023Traveler

    This is the end, my friend

    July 28, 2023 in Kenya ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Its really hard to get all my thoughs together, sitting on the airport again after 2 months in my beloved East Africa. On one hand, I'm coming back home to my friends, family, to comfort zone where I can process my experiences and craft future plans, as we muzungu used to do this. On the other, it also feels like leaving some other kind of home, friends I gained here, new comfort food and new comfort zones. But hey, every end is a new beginning and it depends only on me now, how much I really wanna go back to my old life and how much I will reshape it with so much Africa in my soul. Not single day of this trip was wasted, every day I learned something new about the world, about myself, understood better where I wanna go. What is left to be said? Pack your backpack and go to East Africa! You can meet me there very soon :)Read more

    Trip end
    July 28, 2023
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