…to see the king of the jungle.
But before I could do that I had some stressful days in Germany. Especially, since I decided to sell my RV before leaving to this trip. Alas, it is not sold yet but I have it at the same dealer I bought it from (and who sold my other one) and he is so kind as to sell it for me again. But that also meant that I had to get out all the stuff that was still in there, which felt like a move all-over again. Plus, I needed to do some repairs to get it in shape and clean it of course. Yes, yes, I would have had time all those months before. I know…but the decision to sell it was made quite hastily. In the end I thought I won’t need such a big RV anymore and it is more of a hindrance for me. Additionally, now should be one of the best times to sell it. RVs are sought-after due to the “pandemic”. We shall see 😀
And if that wasn’t enough, I decided to make 2 kilos of ice cream and 4 kilos of strawberry jam 
On the other side, it felt good to have some stress. What was not so good was the uncertainty regarding our trip. Just the week of our departure Uganda decided to go into a lockdown. Our original idea of backpacking with public transportation evaporated into thin air.
On short notice I arranged a rental car with driver (price-wise no difference due to a really good deal). However, he was a bit nervous of what is possible and what not. One could read the regulations this way that you need to have a fixed itinerary for the whole trip. I didn’t. And being here it turns out that for tourists it is quite easy. We can move around, do all the touristy stuff (without many tourists around), while the Ugandans cannot move from district to district. This seems unfair but I assume money is the driving force behind this.
What I have seen so far from Uganda feels different to other African countries I have visited. On one hand, it is much greener and so far quite cool (around 25 degrees Celsius). However, this is going to change once we go up north. On the other hand, it feels richer and more developed. I mean, there are bigger houses than elsewhere and the infrastructure seems in better condition. Let’s see if the first impression might proof wrong.
Nevertheless, it is not a totally free country in my opinion. After one or two days I realized that Facebook is censored. Apparently, the most promising opposition leader used social media a lot during the campaign towards the January elections so that the government decided to ban all of them. Only Facebook remains censored nowadays.
I cannot hide my disappointment when it comes to coffee. I was expecting a coffee culture similar to Ethiopia. However, while Ugandans grow coffee they hardly consume it. This reminds me of drug dealers 😉
So, how has our travel been so far? Ah, with “our” I mean myself and my travel companion. I am very happy and fortunate that my brother Peter wanted to do this trip with me. He’s my oldest brother and the one I feel the strongest bond with. One, I wouldn’t have made it through the hard times the last years.
We started our trip with a night in Entebbe. We both had no need for the busy Kampala life.
From there, our driver/guide picked us up…with a Toyota LandCruiser. This seems to be the standard vehicle when it comes to carrying tourists around. Actually, it would be my favorite for the next car but in Germany not really affordable.
Anyway, we drove to Lake Mburo NP and Lake Bunyonyi. It was mostly to break down the long drive to Bwindi. However, upon waking up in Mburo we had the opportunity to see a Hippo really close as it was strolling through our campsite. Those animals kill more humans than any lion (estimated to count for 500 humans killed in Africa per year). But still worth it for a good shot 😉
At lake Bunyonyi we got a really good lodge for our tents. They were so nice to show us a place for our tents even though they don’t have a campsite. It was so refreshing to jump into the lake. It’s one of the few in Uganda that is safe to swim (Bilharzia, Hippo and crocodile free). We also managed to do a small hike the next morning and the views of the lake are really amazing. It might be truly the most beautiful lake of Uganda.
I have to say, I was nervous before going to Bwindi Impenetrable NP. I mean, the Gorilla trekking was one item on my bucket list and it’s not a cheap one either. Even with the discount it’s still 400 USD for roughly one hour you will be with them.
I was disappointed. Let’s start with that. But let me tell you how it went in more detail. You meet at around 8am with the rangers. After a short briefing our group of around 20 got separated into 3 groups. Each group with their own Gorilla family. Our ranger (Benjamin) explained some more before we headed of to the starting point of the trek. The hiking is difficult as it has lots of ups and downs and there is no path, it is through vegetation. However, within 45 minutes we reached the gorillas already. I immediately got frustrated because the first sliverback, which was the old leader, was so behind bushes that I could not even see it. And all the other members of my group got in front of me. I’m not that kind of person and it pisses me then off that I am not like that (pushing myself into the foreground). But the worst, I let my experience influence this and thus until the end of the hour I had to deal with my head, frustration and anger. Now I can laugh about it. Anyway, the view to the gorillas was quite obscured and the landscape didn’t make it easy to see them. It was a good experience but not as great as I had imagined it. Seeing the pictures you won’t understand 🙂
Yesterday we arrived at the Queen Elizabeth NP and entered via the Ishasha gate. Our goal was to see tree climbing lions. Goals are fine but nature has a will of its own. No lions appeared. But also not much else. Maybe it is the closeness to DR of Congo and thus more poachers active or just something else.
This morning we started with a game drive in the northeastern part. And with morning I mean before sunrise (7am). Just after the entrance we were lucky to see a hyena. Not only seeing it but basically it coming towards us. Also for the rest of the ride we saw many more animals, like antilopes, hippos, water buffalos and of course birds. Unfortunately, we missed the leopard.
At the end we saw a crater lake where they produce salt by separating the water and let the sun do the rest. Even that the guy said it is also used for human consumption I wouldn’t want to eat it. The lake is used by animals to bath and shit. So, no thank you.
This afternoon we took a boat ride along the Kazinga channel, which connects Lake Edward with Lake George and apparently is only one of two natural channels worldwide. Anyway, we saw lots of hippos and also some elephants. It was gorgeous to see them. But all in all it is not a cheap experience (30 USD per person for not even 2 hours). Being tourists is not cheap here…or anywhere in Africa. That I know already.
Once I publish this post we will have came back from the afternoon game drive (actually it’s already the next day but I’m lazy enough not to rewrite the post again). Highlight for sure were the lions.
On a personal level, my mood swings from the first days of feeling totally blessed in my life, even that I don’t have everything I want but I have a lot, to the last 2 days feeling frustrated and angry. After all, when packing for a travel you also pack your mind. And sometimes it chatters away and unfortunately me following.
It seems that it is swinging back again to the other side…keeping me entertained 😀
Love,
Matthias
PS: I don’t know if I should apologize, which I don’t really want to. But I will warn you that this trip is going to have a lot of pictures, starting with this post.
Hi Matthias, yet another trip! I’m sorry you’re not as happy as you’d like. Everything happens for a reason. Not sure if that helps you at all. Wow, look at me being helpful as always
However, I love the pictures and I feel as if I was right there with you. Such a pretty animals in their natural habitat. I’m sure it’s even better seeing it for real. Although, still quite scary. I hope you’ll have a great rest of the trip and I’m waiting for more
P.S. I needed a minute before I get to reading actual post, after just seeing the title, which made me laugh for a little while. I like it.
I really don’t know what you are referring to regarding the title Marta Thank you for commenting on this post! Yes, we’ll see how the next days will go…internal and external. Sending you a big hug
This is absolutely stunning!!!! I’m amazed! Thank you so much for sharing this! From the pics it looks AWESOME! 😀 what a beauty! enjoy and we’ll be waiting for more 😀
More is for sure to come Natália! Just way more. There is lots to see and especially animals. Stay tuned
Love the blog & love the photos. Thanks for sharing your story. Can’t wait to read the next one.