Hi all! I'm in the process of putting an itinerary together for my honeymoon with my adventurous fiancé and we've decided to do a long self-drive in Africa. I've taken my time to research all the parks and campsites I've seen on this forum and would love some advice from seasoned ex-pats, safari adventurers, or locals in any of these regions! Your tips so far have been incredibly helpful. Our trip would entail picking up a 4x4 w/ rooftop tent in Kampala and dropping it off 35 days later in Nairobi (Uganda -> Rwanda -> Tanzania -> Kenya). I would love anyone's thoughts on the below!

• We would start the trip in Uganda. I spent much time researching Kidepo NP based on various recommendations and it seems like incredible, untouched wilderness worth seeing. The problem is, it's out of the way. The rest of the trip in Uganda would be Murchison Falls, Queen Elizabeth, Bwindi NP (for gorilla trekking). I have budgeted 13 days for this but am still unsure if it's worth an additional 10 hours driving to see Kidepo NP.
• We would work our way south to Rwanda for a shorter itinerary. We thought about spending 2 days in Kigali to understand the people and the culture of Rwanda before heading to Akagera NP for 2 nights. I have budgeted 5 days for this
• We would then head east to Tanzania. We would spend about 2 days making our way across the country until we reach the main areas of our exploration there: Serengeti, Ngorongoro, and Tarangire NP. I've made note of of various campsite recommendations here and would aim to avoid heavily crowded areas (I could use some advice on how to book "special campsites"). I have budgeted 14 days for this.
• To end the trip, we would explore the southern portion of Kenya - the Mara Triangle and Maasai Mara area.I have budgeted 6 days for this.

Does this timing feel too ambitious or quick to you? I don't have a sense of how slowly we would be moving on African roads (it's been 10 years since my last self-drive safari!) and want to make sure the trip doesn't feel rushed. And also to budget time for truck breakdowns (fingers crossed!)

Most of my research has been on finding the authentic, primitive places to camp as well as getting a sense of the culture of each country. That is why parks like Kidepo appeal to me so much – where we can see untouched wilderness and increase our chances of meeting interesting people along the way (and off the tourist track). Thanks in advance.

How eager are you to see Kidepo? If you want to avoid a long drive, you can fly to/from Kidepo nonstop from Kampala. But, if i understand your plan correctly, your trip is self-drive. Flying would mean doing it as a separate round=tripplane trip, then returning to Kampala and getting your 4X4.
Friends recently went to Kidepo, which they loved, but then had the very long drive to Murchison. They had a driver and it was a very grueling trip--far more challenging than they'd anticipated. They said given that, had they known in advance, they'd have skipped Kidepo. .

There are other long, challenging drives in Uganda: between Murchison and Queen Elizabeth, and then from Queen to Bwindi. Not jsut length, but road conditions (between Ishasha QE and Buhoma, for example).

While I've not been to Kidepo--- so perhaps this opinion means little - I have been to other countries/ places you'll visit. JMO, but considering the inconvenience of reaching Kidepo (assuming you would not want to fly there) and knowing HOW many, many truly incredible places you'll be seeing during the remainder of the trip, I'd skip Kidepo.

Either way, an amazing journey awaits you!!!

The only comment I have, based upon my daughter and son-in-law’s overland trip from Cairo to Cape Town in their own 4X4, is don’t spend all of your time driving from place to place. Stop off for a few days at special places, staying where other overlanders stay. You will get lots of useful information that way. Certain parts of the trip it was essential to travel in convoy with other overlanders, who helped each other if they got stuck or broke down. They needed special permission to visit authentic villages, as opposed to the ones set up for tourists, which they had by travelling part of the trip with professional photographers who had the permits.