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Nairo2Rio - Around The WorldNairo2Rio - Around The World
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Nairo2Rio - Around The World

October 2023 - May 2024
Solo backpacking the world, visiting 6 continents and 20+ countries over the next 16 months Read more
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  • TravelerNairo2Rio - Around The World
    1
    Day 21

    Kisoro - An Adventurous Climb

    November 3, 2023 in Uganda ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Our final stop in Uganda brought us to Kisoro, a town close to the Congolese and Rwandan border and the gateway to two activities: seeing the mountain gorillas and climbing volcanos.

    As seeing the mountain gorillas came with an exorbitant price tag ($750!) and it was not a must-see for me for that price, a couple of group members decided to skip the gorillas and go hiking instead.

    On the first day, we hired an excellent guide, Didas, and planned to go for a casual 3h stroll through local villages (loads of kids!) to the nearby lake. However, Didas was so enthusiastic that we ended up going for a 6h hike incl two rather steep view points. It was worth it, though, with incredible views over the wide lake, the nearby villages dotted all over lush green hills and the spectacular volcanos.

    The next day, it was time to summit a volcano - Mount Sabino that is >3600m a.s.I. At the summit three borders converge - Uganda, Rwanda and Kongo. The way up there was a true adventure, but, in hindsight, borderline dangerous. The path through the rainforest was wet and dreadful and at one point it just turned into a personal challenge to conquer instead of a fun hike.

    The final summit push was essentially a vertical climb up, with only wet and slippery wooden steps to pull oneself up. In the rain, with a cold wind, limited visibility and no safety ropes - something that would 100% forbidden in the Western world. The feelings ranged from "Why the fuck am I doing this, this is ridiculous to "alright, I am already here, so let's get this shit over with".

    Anyway, the majority of the group (4/5) made it up, I ate a Bounty in Congo and all of us got back down safely with a certificate of accomplishment waiting for us. And another adventure story to tell.    Read more

  • TravelerNairo2Rio - Around The World
    Day 24

    Rwanda - Too Short, Wanting To Return

    November 6, 2023 in Rwanda ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    It was time to visit the third country on this trip and our travel plan led us to Rwanda - the country of a thousand hills. Similar to Kisoro, the drive to the Rwandan border and through its countless hills was spectacular, but what was most striking, was how clean the country is. No trash, no litter on the streets or pavements. Rwanda has banned the use of plastic bags, so that is a big plus.

    After a few days of relaxing in Red Rocks and spending the afternoon lounging at a nearby lodge or having a few drinks in the pub, it was time to drive to Kigali, the capital. There, we visted, what i wanted to see/understand since I saw the movie 'Hotel Rwanda' - the Kigali Genocide Memorial/Museum. It provided an insightful, shocking and devastating account of the genocide that took place in Rwanda in 1994.

    The genocide was triggered by the downing of a plane with the Hutu leader on it and was the shocking result of decades of propaganda and surpression of the Tutsi minority.

    Within the span of 100 days, the Hutu tribe tortured and murdered over 1 million people of the Tutsi minority in the most brutal ways possible - machetes, hammers, sticks, brute force, etc. Over 2 million people fled the country in that time. Basically, a country of roughly 8 million people lost almost 40% of its population with less than 3 months.

    By now, the country and its people have forgiven (or so at least it seems) - a remarkable feat - and Rwandan now live peacefully next to each other with the Hutu and Tutsi classification eliminated and forbidden.

    With such sad, devastating and horrific insights, we headed out to have some dinner before it was time to say goodbye to Rwanda and hello Tanzania. However, Rwanda and especially its clean and buzzing capital, Kigali, certainly makes me want to come back and explore the country more properly. It feels it has a lot more to offer than I have seen.    Read more

  • TravelerNairo2Rio - Around The World
    2
    Day 27

    Balili - A Spectacular, But Wet Stopover

    November 9, 2023 in Tanzania ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    The fourth and last country of my Africa leg brought me to Tanzania - not an entirely new country for me, as I climbed Kilimanjaro in 2019.

    Anyway, the little town of Balili was basically just a stopover on the way to the Serengeti National Park, but once we arrived at the campsite, the sun was shining in full force and four of us decided to climb the nearby hill for a sunset view over Lake Victoria.

    Little did we know that the sunset became less relevant once we reached the top, because a literal wall of rain was heading our way. The clouds formed a truly spectacular shape and we knew once we made it up that we were about to get absolutely drenched, as we had no chance of making it back to camp in time.

    Luckily, there was an abandoned hotel (leaking...) at the top where we could seek shelter after spending a few minutes at the top and admiring the inevitable. The rain came down hard with bright lightning all over the sky.

    Once the worst of the rainstorm passed, we made it back to camp - still getting wet, though. However, the sight of the clouds and the rain storm, while watching the sunset at the same time, was well worth the hike.    Read more

  • TravelerNairo2Rio - Around The World
    4
    Day 29

    Celebrating My 33. BDay In The Serengeti

    November 11, 2023 in Tanzania ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    After almost 4 weeks overlanding, we finally headed into the Serengeti National Park, which is over 14,000 square kilometers big. Together with the Ngorongoro Crater that we are going to visit tomorrow, the Serengeti was one of the big items I wanted to see on this trip - and it would not disappoint.

    The park and the sheer amount of animals (especially wildebeests and zebras) were stunning. So was the landscape. When we drove into the park, it was all green, hilly with lots of trees - not quite what I imagined. After all, Serengeti means 'endless plains'

    Once we arrived at camp - it was already dark - we quickly set up the tents and before we knew it, we were watched by hyenas and one elephant even marched right through our campsite. The next day, the 11th November and my 33. birthday, we woke up early for a morning game drive.

    Let's put it this way, I could not ask for a better game viewing. We saw prides of lions lounging in the plains - yes, we found the endless plains today -, a cheetah, baby elephants, herds over herds of zebras and wildebeests. What set the Serengeti apart from, for example, the Masai Maara in my opinion, was the sheer amount of animals. From a viewpoint, we could see lines over lines of animals - simply amazing.

    This game drive, we did not in 4x4, but in our yellow overland truck, which allowed us to sit a bit higher, which helped to spot some animals.

    After a whole morning of incredible game viewing, we then set out for a long afternoon drive to arrive at the campsite on the rim of the Ngorongoro crater, where I was surprised with a birthday cake, a birthday card and some birthday tunes. All in all, I can say that I will never forget my 33rd birthday - game driving through the Serengeti and chilling with some lions and other wild and beautiful animals. Simply magical!    Read more

  • TravelerNairo2Rio - Around The World
    Day 30

    Ngorongoro Crater - A Last Game Drive

    November 12, 2023 in Tanzania ⋅ ☁️ 32 °C

    The last stop of my Africa leg was the green Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania - just a mere 100km away from the Serengeti. The crater is the result of a strong volcanic activity 2-3 millions years ago and its ash is mainly responsible for the endless plains in the Serengeti.

    Anyway, since the crater is so small, the chance of wildlife spotting is incredibly high, something that we could witness ourselves. We started early in the morning, as usual, with 4x4 driving down into the crater from our campsite. Within 10 minutes in the park, we saw a pride of lions, buffalos, loads of Thomson Gazelle and so on. The scenery itself is already spectacular - i mean, driving within an erupted volcano with a large lake in the middle - and then adding wildlife to it makes this the most picturesque game drive over the last four weeks. During the 4h game drive, we saw tons of more lions close by, hippos, zebras, wildebeest, and so on… a really perfect end to game viewing.

    In the evening, we all headed to our campsite bar for some last drinks, heart-felt goodbyes and promises to see each other again. It was also pouring down and I cannot wait to go to Bangkok and actually have a proper roof, warm shower, decent water pressure, reliable Wifi, delicious food, etc.

    It truly has been a great adventure.    Read more

  • TravelerNairo2Rio - Around The World
    3
    Day 31

    Goodbye Africa - It Was Magical

    November 13, 2023 in Tanzania ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    My 4-week safari trip around Lake Victoria has come to an end. It is with a crying and smiling eye that I say goodbye to newfound friends, an amazing continent and all the wild animals.

    I can wholeheartedly say that I managed to get everything out of this overland tour that I wanted and then some more:

    1) Managed to finally spot the leopard and thus completed seeing the Big Five
    2) Saw an incredible amount of animals with the highlight being some playful lions 2 meters away from our 4x4
    3) Visited the three most renowned national parks in East Africa (Masai Mara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater) and other hidden gems (Lake Nakuru, Lake Mburo)
    4) First time kayaked and did Grade V rapids - nearly died, but that story is for another time
    5) Got an interesting, even if devastating insight into the causes, effects and aftermath of the genocide in Rwanda - something I wanted to see since I watched Hotel Rwanda many years ago
    6) Had an amazing time with my fellow travellers on the truck and made friends along the way - even if those looooong drives on the truck kinda suck
    7) Saw four different countries (Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania)

    To make a long story short: amazing memories to last a lifetime, great new friends to be seen again and finally saw all the Big Five (gotcha you leopard!) and Ugly Five and invented the Sexy Five (Giraffe, Thomson Gazelle, Cheetah, Flamingo and Zebra).

    Goodbye Africa for now. I will see you later. Asia, here I come.    Read more

  • TravelerNairo2Rio - Around The World
    Day 33–39

    Hello Thailand - Exploring Bangkok

    November 15, 2023 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 33 °C

    After the relatively calm and quiet atmosphere during safari, it was time to travel to my second continent on this trip, Asia, and to a jungle of a different type - Bangkok.

    What a change of scenery it was. I arrived on Wednesday afternoon and in the evening a group of us went out to Khoa San Road. In a nutshell, it was complete chaos, busy like Oxford Street on Christmas and music pumping out of the loudspeakers everywhere - it was a great evening.

    The following few days were spent exploring Bangkok by day, eating street food whenever possible, and partying the night away in various entertainment/nightlife areas.

    The day activities included, firstly, to go on a little city walk and explore some of the countless and amazing temples that Bangkok had to offer, learning about the Buddhist culture/religion and finishing it off with a sunset view at the Golden Mount. The next day, we jumped on a longtail boat tour through Bangkok’s canals and ending it at the very impressive and stunning temple of Wat Arun. On the third day it was off to the Chatuchak weekend market and its 15,000 stalls.

    During the night, Bangkok certainly does not sleep and going out is a must to see another side of the city. After Khoa San Road on the first night, we went to Soi Cowboy (the redlight district) to check out the vibe there and see various non-PC shows (sorry mom and dad!) - before heading back to Khoa San with 9 people in a 4-seater taxi (saving on the completely wrong things). Lastly, we also checked out Chinatown by night, had some delicious, and freaky spicy food before spending the rest of the night at a rooftop bar and a local bar where tarot cards were part of the drinks - I picked 'The Fool', which apparently means embracing new beginnings and taking a leap of faith… ah well.    Read more

  • TravelerNairo2Rio - Around The World
    3
    Day 39–42

    Hello Cambodia - Cool Days In Battambang

    November 21, 2023 in Cambodia ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    After the busy days sightseeing and nights partying away, the next stop on my trip brought me to my 6th country - Cambodia. More specifically, Battambang, the second biggest city in the country, but an oasis of peace.

    Indeed, Battambang is not on the list of many travelers, but it most definitely should be. Its authenticity, off-the-beaten-path and fascinating things to do and see make it an absolutely worthwhile stop. I had two full days here.

    On the first day, I took the old bamboo train (more like a flat piece of wood on wheels) through lush rice fields, then went up to visit a killing cave that was used in Cambodian's genocide in the 1970s (more on that in Phnom Penh), some temples on top of a mountain that allowed for magnificent views over the countryside and lastly - the highlight of the day - watching 6.5 millions bats flying out of a cave within 15 minutes at sunset - simply incredible.

    The second day, me and a few other travelers hopped on a tuk tuk and explored the countryside. We first had some 'Bamboo Sticky Rice' (basically sweet-ish rice that is cooked for three hours in a bamboo stick, really nice actually) before learning how rice paper for spring rolls are made and then tasted some rice wine with a cobra in the bottle (30%, but with a bang). We also did a stop at the Battambang killing fields and learned about the horrific ways the Khmer Rouge tortured and killed over 3m people (again, more on that in Phnom Penh). Lastly, we went to a 11th century temple before going back to the hostel.

    In the evening, we had a stroll through the city center and along the river (no other tourist there!) before watching a really funny kids/teenage circus show.

    All in all, Battambang looks what original Cambodia is like. Not many tourists (they all are watching the bats), an authentic feel and simply a great city to explore. One more observation, so far, the people are incredibly nice and friendly. Even more so vs Thailand.

    Long story short - a fantastic start to Cambodia.    Read more

  • TravelerNairo2Rio - Around The World
    Day 42

    Living On Water - The Floating Villages

    November 24, 2023 in Cambodia

    From Battambang, I headed to Siem Reap, the home of the famous Angkor Wat temple complex. Instead of the 3-4h bus, me and a few travel buddies I made in Battambang decided to take the 6-8h boat ride on the Sangker River that feeds into Cambodia's biggest lake.

    While admittedly a bit uncomfortable, the boat ride was fantastic, as it is the same boat that the local people take to get to their floating villages. During the ride, we stopped at multiple grocery stores, a restaurant, dropped people and vegetables off, and generally got a glimpse into what life on a river must be like.

    The insights were certainly interesting, but also left one wondering what sort of future the kids that grow up here really have. After all, the houses are just simple shacks, obvious employment opportunities that go beyond typical village tasks look rare and a playground is a bit difficult to come by.

    With all that in mind, however, it is remarkable how villages can function without roads, without land masses to connect houses and how literally everything is done by boat.

    Definitely an experience not to be missed, even if it might leave more questions than answers.    Read more

  • TravelerNairo2Rio - Around The World
    2122
    Day 43

    Something Unique - Fishing With Locals

    November 25, 2023 in Cambodia ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    The day we arrived in Siem Reap, we met some locals during a pub crawl who invited us to go fishing the next day - so we went. It was an incredible experience that I assume hardly any traveler in Siem Reap gets to experience, as it was not a tour, nothing that can be booked and nothing that is advertised. He was just asking us if we wanna come along for the ride.

    So the next day we set off at 3.30pm, took a TukTuk to Prin Sok's (one of the locals) house, packed up his kids, fishing nets and a few of his friends along the way and drove to a nearby pond. Prin and his friends unpacked the nets, and started throwing them in the water with some good luck. By the end, we had enough fish to feed all 7 of us (+ 2 kids).

    While the fish were caught, we helped to set up the BBQ, which was nothing more than using sticks and stones from the nearby plants with charcoal on the ground. Simple, but yeah, it worked beautifully. Prin even bought some air-dried and chili-flavoured snake that we also put on the improvised BBQ - it tasted quite nice (imagine what snake taste like, this is exactly how it tastes - not very helpful, but it is the best explanation i got). The fish was delicious, too, as we seasoned it with some chilli salt and ate it with our hands straight from the BBQ. Big lotus leaves served as plates.

    We also ate the lotus seeds, dry instant noodles as a snack (quite nice actually, it really works when flavoured) and drank - I do not know how much - rice wine. We talked about life in Cambodia, Khmer Rouge, history, fishing, food, and had lots of laughter and banter (the rice wine helped, haha).

    Afterwards, we all hoped back onto either the TukTuk or the scooters, bought some beef and went to one of the guy's home, who prepared some delicious deep-fried beef-mince-cashfew-chilli-peanut mix - something he makes and that is not on restaurants' menus.

    When I was back in my hostel, I thought about the day and how simple, but with a smile on their faces, Cambodians live. Definitely a unique experience with incredible insight into the Cambodian way of life that I never expected to gain.    Read more

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