I'm trying to field my family's anxieties about me travelling the East African route, 2 up starting from Malawi and heading north through Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Sudan, Egypt, Libya and Tunisia.

Is anyone able to give me a balanced view of the risks involved in light of the continuing drought in Kenya and reports of desperation leading to lawlessness and recent worries of a possible return to instability in Zimbabwe spreading to wider areas. Sudan is also giving them some concern in light of foreign office reports of kidnappings in June of this year. Any comments would be most welcome.

It's not pleasant travelling with the worries of your nearest and dearest on your mind so I need to allay their fears or adapt my route. Thanks in advance for your time. Jerry

Howdy...
Just keeping plugging at horizon's use the different area's the 4x4 section
has alot of african guy's who have just done similar route's.
I done west coast 2006-7 when DRC was kicking off but i travelled with the overland bus's and 4x4 guy's.
Find as many contacts as possible on the Net there is SOUTH AFRICAN
forum's for 4x4 guy's and biker's.
Sudan is a concern and egypt as travellers in egypt are normally followed by
police in some situations as for sudan there is nothing there only Khartoum
and not many road's just heat and sand.
Its easy to worrie but just do it..You will find a travel buddy along the way
try to not make your bike to flash as african's are attracted to new thing's
i used strong sticky gaffer tape to make my bike look dull...try
www.african-overland.net/
good luck it will take some home work
regards...Dano

Thanks for that, Dano. I know there's a wealth of information out there. I just have to gather enough info to prevent my family from worrying too much. Any one else out there with any views? the more the merrier. Thanks again...Jerry

Jerry-

I've just returned from a trip that included some of those countries (all you mentioned except Libya and Tunisia). I was there in January and February of this year. Of course everyone's experience in Africa is different, and maybe I was exceptionally fortunate, but I never felt unsafe in east Africa (or west Africa for that matter). I traveled from north to south, entering Africa in Egypt, which was much more stable and less wild than I had anticipated. Yes, there is a great deal of bureaucracy and paperwork, but my biggest worry was whether or not I really got a good deal on that camel rug I bought. The part of Sudan I traveled through (along the nile, across to Khartoum, and over to Gonder, Ethiopia), was one of the friendliest and most welcoming parts of the world I've been in. And even then, during the Darfur conflict, safety was never an issue. Of the countries you will go through, I would say Ethiopia is the most edgy. At the time I was traveling with three european bikers, and each of them had something stolen: goggles, a small backpack, and a cell phone, and this type of crime is a real problem there. I'm sure you're keeping up with the news, so you know about the ethnic Somali rebellion near Somalia- something to keep an eye on. Also, children tend to throw rocks at bikers (in the north mainly), so keep your visor down. All of that said, it's a fascinating country, a highlight of my trip, and there were plenty of wonderful people I met that made up for the negative experiences. Northern Kenya, both the Lake Turkana route and the road south from Moyale seemed to be stable when I was there- bandrity has been a problem in the past, but the military said it has calmed down recently. In the other countries you mentioned, safety was never a problem or an issue for me, other than being wary of crazy drivers in the mountains of Burundi. When near Zimbabwe, I chose to bypass the country because of my anxieties, and now regret not visiting one of the most friendly places in Africa, as many of my friends have been there recently and claim it was their favorite country of all. Of course, the best and most reliable information you will get is when you're there asking the locals where you should and shouldn't go. Feel free to PM me if you have specific questions, and here's my travel log:

Around the World with Jesse

Best Regards and good luck-
Marcus

Thanks Marcus, for all that info, I really appreciate it. It's much as I thought really, I spent three weeks earlier this year hiking around Ethiopia and had a fantastic time with nothing at all threatening. Your comments about Sudan are exactly in line with a couple we met in Ethiopia who were heading off to Sudan, we were later in touch and they said the exact same thing, the friendliest people they had come across on all their travels.

I'm looking forward to dipping in to your blog and may well have some further questions. Thanks again for your time.

All the best

Jerry