Gap year travellers have been boosted by the news that plans to link seven countries in East Africa with a new railway system have been unveiled.
The announcement that 15 new train lines will be built was made at the recent East African Community (EAC) investment summit in Rwanda.
The continent has long been a popular destination, and the improved transport infrastructure will clearly be welcomed by backpackers planning to make trips to the countries involved in the coming years.
Kenyan finance minister Amos Kimunya welcomed the news at his latest budget speech, expressing his delight at the prospect of better links with neighbouring countries.
He said: "We will need to make significant investment in the expansion and modernisation of our railway infrastructure.
"This will be an investment in a standard gauge railway network linking Kenya and its neighbours."
Kenya also signed a deal with the US recently - known as the Open Skies agreement - to help improve its international tourism routes.
This follows research which showed that the number of American tourists heading to the country increased by 17 per cent last year.