Written from the driver's seat.

The Bwindi road is better than it has been in five years

We drove Ishasha to Buhoma twice last month, once dry and once in a downpour. The regraded section past Kihihi has changed the timing enough that we have rewritten day seven of the Gorilla & Crater Loop. Here is what to expect, and where it still bites.

How far ahead you really need to book a gorilla permit

June to September sells out roughly seven months out. March and November you can often get one inside a fortnight. The real numbers, month by month.

Changing a Land Cruiser tyre, in order, without panicking

We show every traveller this at handover and almost nobody remembers it a week later. So here it is in eleven photographs and no jargon.

Six lodges we changed our minds about this year

Two got better, four got worse, and one raised its prices 40% without changing a mattress. We only recommend places we have slept in — this is the audit.

Is Kidepo worth two days of driving? A straight answer

Yes, if you have sixteen days. No, if you have ten and want gorillas as well. Here is the arithmetic we walk every traveller through.

What to leave at home: the honest packing list

You do not need a sleeping bag, a water filter, or the drone. You do need a head torch, cash in small notes, and shoes you can ruin.

Eleven days in Uganda with a four-year-old and a seven-year-old

The Okonkwos wrote up their family route for us — including the two things they would change and the one afternoon that saved the trip.