Trekking around East Africa (Part 2 - Uganda)

Day 6 - Lake Bunyonyi

​Ready for some R&R, Liz and I decided to skip out on Genocide Museum and hit the road for Uganda. We'll have to come back another time, I've heard the museum is incredibly powerful and well-designed. 

Lake Bunyonyi was exactly what we needed. Byoona Amagara was the cherry on top. Don't question it. Just book a geodome, order the rumballs for dessert, and enjoy yourself!

Thank you Liz for doing all the work when "we" rowed for an hour to get to Byoona Amagara (you can also pay 25k UGX to take the motorboat which we did on the way back. 

Day 7 - Kazinga Channel, Queen Elizabeth National Park

​Although we wished we had more time at Byoona Amagara, we met Isma, our driver for the rest of the trip, and set off for Queen Elizabeth National Park. Isma does a lot of driving for CHAI and my parents graciously subsidized the cost of hiring him for the second half of our trip. Since Liz and I don't know anything about cars really, we didn't feel like it was the best idea driving ourselves around a part of the country we had never been with the risk of car troubles. Plus, Isma has the greatest mix CD of anyone I've ever road tripped with and makes friends with everyone (except matoke merchants trying to rip him off). 

My biggest regret of the trip was not driving through the Ishasha sector of the park. This is where the famous tree-climbing lions are. I did talk to a friend who was there around the same time and she went on a game drive in Ishasha and said that they didn't see any lions because it's been so hot so they've been hard to find...that made me feel a little better. 

Anyways, we made it just in time for the 3pm Kazinga Channel Boat Tour. It's an official UWA (Uganda Wildlife Authority) tour and it was well worth the $30 (plus park entry fee of $40). The park ranger was really informative, spoke great English (yay back in an English-speaking country!!), and humored our many questions. The boat has two levels which means you have shade!! You're guaranteed to see lots of interesting birds, hundreds of hippos, and some buffalo. If you're lucky, you'll find herds of elephants drinking and spot a croc or two. 

We stayed at Pumba Safari Lodge which was okay. Not sure it was worth the $120 we paid, especially when you compare it to our $30 geodome, but the food (included in cost) was delicious and there was plenty of hot water for our showers. 

​Day 8 - Southern to Northern Hemisphere

We woke up early for a disappointing game drive within the park (your $40 entry fee is valid for 24 hours which is nice). It's always a gamble since these are wild animals and I've seen lots of crazy cool photos from friends' safaris in Queen Elizabeth. But we saw a lion alongside the road on our way out of the park, so we didn't leave completely empty handed. 

After crossing the equator near Kasese town, we continued north towards the Mountains of the Moon. We spent the afternoon relaxing at the Trekkers Hostel which seems to be more or less run by Rwenzori Trekking Services (RTS), the company that we booked our trek through. It's super basic, but they had cold beers and a killer spaghetti bolognese. Anyone who knows me knows I love a nice big bowl of pasta. It was just the carbo load we needed before setting off on our trek...would our legs be ready?

​Days 9, 10, & 11 - Rwenzori National Park

How many people does it take to bring two muzungus hiking? More than we'd like to admit...

​While it's a national park, the trails are maintained by RTS and you can't hike in this area without a guide. If you're ambitious and fit, you can do the 8-day trek to Margherita Peak, the third highest in Africa after Kili and Mt. Kenya. It's a glacier up at the summit so you'll be making your way with crampons and an ice pick if you head up...good luck!

​Our 3-day trek allowed us to explore the lower region of the mountains. We passed through small farming areas, a bamboo forest, and a heather forest. Our guides, Hannington and Remegio (yes, their real names), did a great job explaining all the biodiversity - from the sausage fruit to the various types of lobelia plants. 

While you don't go about 3,500m on this shorter trek, I did start to feel the altitude. It didn't help that we also had to wear rainboots most of the second day because of how muddy it could get in some areas. 

Remegio posing with the bamboo (our soon to be walking sticks)

Liz sinking through the heather forest

Our bodies just barely made it over the finish line

Each campsite has a cabin with bunk beds and mattresses, so you just need to bring a sleeping bag. Don't forget a water pump, steri pen, or water purification tablets as there's no potable water during the trek. The water the runs in the rivers on the mountain is super clean and the locals have no problems drinking it directly. Rwenzori bottled water is after all, the most reputable brand of bottled water in Uganda. 

Day 12 - Fort Portal

Fort Portal is known for its crater lakes and views of the Rwenzoris. It's a popular weekend getaway for those living in Kampala. We stayed at Yes Hostel which is super cheap - proceeds from your stay go to support an orphanage for HIV+ children in the community. The hallway is super creepy, but the staff is friendly, there's hot water, wifi and cheap food. 

Fort Portal also boasts some crazy, high-end lodges. We had dinner the night before at Kyaninga Lodge. They have a beautiful pool that overlooks a crater lake you can walk around. While we definitely couldn't afford to stay there (their helicopter landing pad may give you a sense of their clientele), we did decide to treat ourselves to a 70k UGX three-course meal. There was no one staying or eating when we showed up, so we had the place to ourselves which made for a weird, but tasty, dining experience. They must be doing pretty well though because they look to be undergoing an expansion project to build new rooms. 

​So, in an effort to continue to treat ourselves and not do too much physical activity, we drove to Ndali Lodge for lunch. In addition to having their own crater lake, they also produce vanilla and coffee on their land. They export all their coffee to Waitrose in the UK, but you can buy beans at the lodge. Dad, hope you're looking forward to some delicious coffee!

​Accompanied by one of the lodge's several rhodesian ridgebacks, we went for a nice walk around the lake before lunch. I believe rates at Ndali are $300+ a night. Isma, busy chatting it up with the staff, says that the owner is really proud and instead of decreasing prices, would just rather break even by filling the lodge for ~2 months a year. The lodge owner's wife is Ugandan so I think they already had the property which would cut down on costs. Isma said that Putin also stayed there once...not sure if I believe that but who knows...
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​We had dinner at The Dutchess since we read some great things about their pizza. They also sell these cute boda / bicycle figurines which make for an awesome Ugandan souvenir. 

Day 13 - Mbale Tea Factory

​Ugandans drink a lot of tea, most of which is produced in the western region. The folks at the Dutchess recommended setting up a visit with Mbale Tea Factory (0702462519 / 0701621453). We were told over the phone that the machines wouldn't be running because it was low season and have production lines up every day, but we got lucky! 

Mbale Tea Factory produces black tea, 93% of which is exported through Mombasa to the UK and Arab countries primarily. 

They contract third-party drivers to go pick up leaves from farmers. Drivers are paid for how many kg of leaves they bring in. Farmers then come directly to the factory to pick up their payment themselves as well. Prices are regulated, but our tour guide says sometimes different factories will offer tiny increases to drivers / farmers to try to get more leaves. 

While Mbale Tea Factory does package some of its tea leaves for direct-to-consumer sales, they're more focused on selling leaves in bulk and letting other companies package and brand the tea however they'd like. Our guide wasn't exactly sure who their big buyers are, but once it's out of their hands, companies can do whatever they want - like mix the finer grade leaves with courser leaves before putting it in individual bags, adding flavor, etc. 

Day 14 - Whitewater Rafting in Jinja

I'll let these photos speak for themselves...

Liz took a pretty bad thrashing after falling out at the aptly named, Bad Place. After lunch, my t-bar hit my forehead and lip pretty badly, but I have all my teeth so no complaints! 

That is us at the end very relieved to have survived the eight gnarly rapids on the While Nile. Thanks to our crew, including these safety kayakers, for keeping us safe! Nalubale, along with Nile River Explorers and Adrift, run the best rafting trips. However, Nalubale is the only company that still offers free photos...which were awesome!

Day 15 - Bye Liz :(

Liz's flight out was around 9pm, but we left Kampala around 3pm to beat the usual Kampala-Entebbe jam that was likely only to get worse given the proximity to the long Easter weekend. We had afternoon drinks and an early dinner at Protea Hotel, which is 5 minutes away from the airport. It has a bar right on Lake Victoria. If you eat, ask them to make the curry but with fish. You won't regret it. 

I'm so happy that Liz was able to make the trip out here. Not only was the trip incredibly unique and probably one I won't need to repeat again...ever...it was awesome to have someone from home see Uganda and East Africa. Now, I feel like when I go back (in a month, ahhh), it won't feel like this experience happened in a vacuum. There's someone else that will know what I'm talking about when I try to explain how bad the roads are, how red dust seems to get everywhere all the time, and of course, how beautiful it is here.