Mapped Routes for East African Odyssey

Here is three of the possible routes I will be taking while travelling in Africa this summer.

Route one: Using black is the original planned route, starting in Khartoum Sudan. I shall cross through North Sudan to explore the many ancient Egyptian and Nubian sites that are scattered along the Nile. After Sudan I shall head southwards to Ethiopia to see Gonder, the supposed home of the Ark of the Covenant, then continue to Lalibela, a place of ancient pilgrimage for Ethiopian Christians and is said to be one of the places where Saint Matthew began the Christian Church in Africa. Once I reach the Ethiopian Capital Addis Ababa       

I will have a decision to make, with the ultimate goal of making it to Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania by July 30th for my one week climb. The question now is what route do I take? The main plan with route one will be to make my way down through Kenya to Dar es Salaam, hit up Zanzibar Island to relax and then make my way over to climb Mount Kili.

Route Two: Route two, highlighted in red ont he map gives a couple excellent options on how I can get to Mount Kilimanjaro  I can head North East in Ethiopia and go to Somaliland, the self declared independent nation on the northern part of Somalia, then cut up to the former French colony of Djibouti, before coming back to Ethiopia and head down to Kenya and Tanzania.

Route Three: Now route three can be a continuation of route two, or a complete 180 in the trip. I may head South West and make my way to Africa's newest country. The Republic of South Sudan. From here I can head down into Uganda and make my way over to Kenya and Tanzania from there. All of these options are viable, and knowing myself, I will be tempted more and more to explore the road less travelled once I get going on the continent.  

After eventually arriving and climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, I will board a flight that takes me to Madagascar, via Kenya. I will spend two weeks in Madagascar searching for Lemurs, exploring a completely different culture and history than anywhere else in Africa and most likely indulge in some fo the world's finest chocolates and vanilla, which are two of Madagascar's biggest cash crops.

To top it all off, after Madagascar I figured a short 5 day stop in South Africa would be needed. Hop down to Cape Town, and go up into Wine country to relax and learn about one of my other passions, WINE! And to take an opportunity to reflect on this vast and diverse continent in the comforts of the Western Cape.

Check it out! And suggestions for any of these areas are much appreciated.

Cheers,

William Delaney

East African Odyssey Overview

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to round two of William Delaney's travel blogging.

Between the lines of Asia was a huge success last year and has only inspired me to continue writing about these adventures I undertake annually around the world.

This years take is a slightly different angle, a more focused angle and the trip is a little bit shorter than the last. However, this trip is packed with some of Africa's greatest highlights, and also some of its most incredibly hidden secrets.

I shall begin this trip in Khartoum, Sudan in mid June and finish in Cape Town, South Africa at the end of August. In between these two incredible destinations I will overland through Ethiopia to seek a further understanding of the ancient Coptic form of Christianity found there, to look for the tomb of the Queen of Sheba and hike through some of the most beautiful mountains in the world. After Ethiopia I will venture by land to Kenya, spotting some of the Africa's best wild life, swimming in the source of the great river Nile, Lake Victoria, and hopefully meeting up with my good friend Jen Barr. After Kenya, I shall overland to Tanzania to explore the famed Arab trading Island of Zanzibar, where I hope to relax after this wild overland trek and recharge my batteries before attempting to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peak

The trip gets more exciting, and while planning and sourcing out flights, I managed to get the deal of a life time to get to Madagascar for an affordable rate. My friend Alejo and I have been discussing Madagascar for years. He and I have sipped many glasses of Port dreaming of this Island of mystery, and I am dedicating this portion of the trip to his inspiration.

After Madagascar I shall venture by flight to South Africa to finish up the tale end of my journey sipping fine Pinotage and Chardonnay in the mountain towns surrounding the Cape of Good Hope.

I know as is always the case that I will leave with a plan, but as with every adventure I have ever taken the path I set out for myself always changes and new and exciting adventures appear around every corner. But I guess that is the nature of my life.

As a teacher, I pride myself of being a life long learner, and bringing as much of the "World to the Classroom" as I can. I can only hope that this trip will open up new doors to whole new worlds for myself and for others. And with less than two months to go before departure, I cannot be more excited!

Please feel free to email, facebook or tweet me if you have any questions about the trip, contacts in this parts of the world, or suggestions of what I can do while over there.

wdelaney333@gmail.com

www.facebook.com/william.delaney.12

twitter.com/WilliamDelaney7



This shall be one heck of a summer, so stay tuned for regular updates from The East Africa Odyssey.

Sincerely,

William Delaney