Rapid Travel Chai

Burundi’s claims to tourist fame include where Stanley Didn’t Meet Livingstone and the contested source of the Nile, but don’t tell that to Rwanda or Uganda. One of those countries where guidebooks fall back on the ‘get under the skin’ or ‘locals are friendly’ tropes.

This rock, known as La Pierre de Livingstone et Stanley, marks where Burundians claim the famed “Dr. Livingstone, I presume,” meeting took place. Actually the gents camped here a few weeks after that encounter, which happened in Ujiji, Tanzania.

The spot is 12 km south of Bujumbura. I hoped it would have a nice view of Lake Tanganyika, since from the city much of the shore is blocked by the port, however it is rather far inland among farms.

With a limited road network, I settled on this as the best option to get out of town in a limited time. Quirky fun to visit a tourist site famed for what it really isn’t.

In this series:

• Uganda Visa on Arrival
• Rwanda New Visa on Arrival Process
• The East Africa Borderless Visa for Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda
• Burundi Visa on Arrival
• Tanzania Transit Visa Saves $70 for US Citizens
• ATMs in Uganda – Stanbic When All Else Fails
• Uganda and the Source of the Nile
• Uganda Entebbe Airport Lounge Has a Faux Mountain and Goldfish Pond
• The flyDubai Experience
• Where Stanley Didn’t Meet Livingstone
• More to come…