Uganda

Tuesday 18 July
We departed using Emirates from Manchester via Dubai, and were fortunately upgraded to business class, which we found to be an excellent service.

Wednesday 19 July
Arrived in Kampala at 14.45 (via Addis Ababba) and no mater how you travel, it is a tiring journey. Also, although Entebbe airport is on the shores of Lake Victoria, the capital, Kampala is located 40 km/50 mins away further inland. The traffic around Kampala is a nightmare and you instantly get the feeling you are in a third-world country. Kampala is built on seven hills and whilst the city and country have been coming on significantly in recent years, it still has a long way to go. Next year they host a Commonwealth Conference and hope to see the Queen, which would give the country a great boost.

We stay at the Hotel Africana Kampala, a basic 3* at best. There isn’t much to draw you to the city but it does have a reputation for good night life. It certainly feels safe enough, even taking into account the vast areas of slum/shanty town/townships there are. The locals are happy enough, and always seem to be smiling.

Thursday 20 July
We had a personal driver for the duration of our stay, which certainly makes for a much easier way of travelling, even if you feel this country is the world champion of pot holes, ramps and yet more ramps! Other visitors choose the option of driving themselves and whilst there are few signs around, the people do go out of their way to make you feel welcome and point you in the right direction.

It takes around 6-7 hours to get to the Queen Elizabeth National Park in the west of the country. Alternatively, you can fly on charter aircraft. We are staying at Mweya Safari Lodge, which is wonderfully positioned, offering stunning views of Lakes George and Edward, plus the Kazinga Channel, a haven for wildlife and connecting the two. Each room has a balcony overlooking the water, a private bathroom and electricity. Other facilities here including a swimming pool with a poolside bar, the Tembo Safari Bar and the Kazinga Restaurant, where the food served was good. There is also a souvenir shop on site for the essentials.

Friday 21 July
We go for a game drive in nearby Queen Elizabeth National Park, courtesy of our driver. The trip was interesting, if a little sparse, but very relaxing. In the afternoon we took a boat trip - they are regular - along the Kazinga Channel, which is a wide waterway. With lots of birdlife and plenty of hippos to see, this was very enjoyable and worth the trip.

Saturday 22 July
We transfer overland, around four hours to Bwindi, located beside the Impenetrable Forest National Park. Bwindi is one of the most biologically diverse areas on earth and is recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. We stop off en-route at a local Saturday market in Kabala, and found ourselves to be the only westerners there.

The Gorilla Forest Camp is where we stay and the place is excellent. Good service, little personal touches, such as the bath filled and candles lit when you return from trekking, and the restaurant is the best in the area. The rooms have en-suite facilities, including the bathtub overlooking the forest, and a private wooden deck overlooking the forest. There is a bar and dining cottage, with an outside platform for open-air dining.

Other options include the similarly rated Volcanoes Safaris Bwindi Lodge.

Sunday 23 July
This was the day the visit to Uganda was based around. We were lucky enough to get hold of two permits for Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable NP, costing US$360.00 each. The meeting point is only a two minute walk away and the guides are good. It is a rainforest and therefore rain is regular, and there is always plenty of thunder in the air. Three groups from the centre can accommodate a maximum 30 people per day and obviously the gorillas roam across the park.

There are only about 706 gorillas left in the world and about 320 of them are to be found in Bwindi. Three families are habituated, while some others are visited for research, and the rest are completely free from any human contact whatsoever. Our ‘family’ was no more than a 15 minute walk away and everyone said we had the best day’s viewing for the past year. It is incredible to see the family interaction and playful nature of these wonderful creatures. It was well worth the journey here, and one of life’s humbling experiences. At one point a giant silverback, who really is ‘daddy’, got up beat his chest and moved very forcefully in our direction. We were only a few metres away ~ I got it on videotape and now it’s a treasure of one of the best things I have ever experienced.

Monday 24 July
I woke up early and headed for the airstrip near Bwindi (about 30 mins away) and on the way, we found a tree down across the road that had been felled by some of the locals with machete! The airstrip in a reasonably flat field and by the time we got there it was raining so we had to wait around for a further 3 or 4 hrs until an aircraft could get in and away. We stayed at Palm Tree Guest House, which is owned by an ex-pat in the form of Surjit Bharj, who made us feel more than welcome.

Tuesday 25 July
We went to see the main sights of Jinja which included the Source of the Nile ~ the point where the river begins its journey from Lake Victoria northwards towards the Mediterranean Sea. One of those places to say you’ve been to and taken the picture but nothing really to write home about, although there was a nice little café down there. The Falls ~ This would be great to see if you were in a raft and heading down the Nile on one of the four current rafting companies operating there, which has made Jinja a rival to the better known Zambezi in Zimbabwe and Zambia. There is very good rafting available here and all seems very well organised. Could neither fit this trip in nor find any availability.

The best hotel in Jinja is the Jinja Nile Resort, which is having rooms added and upgraded following a fire last year. It’s in a great location overlooking the Nile, and also right beside the rafting and bungy sites. The guestrooms have a small sitting room with a desk, and a private balcony facing the Nile. The two restaurants offer local and international menus, and there are three bars and a poolside terrace. Other facilities include a sauna, swimming pool, badminton, pool tables, darts and tennis, and a disco is held at weekends.

From Uganda, Andrew travelled to Kenya. Follow his trip here