Discovering Uganda....and its Gorillas
Although I was only in Uganda for a few days, each was packed with a visual feast. At arrival I was whisked off to spend an enchanting night at the Airport Guest House Entebbe. After settling in and a brief walk to get some local currency, I joined the manager and guests for dinner in the courtyard. What a relaxing start of the trip.A few shots of the guest house and area.
the friendly guest house dog....
enchanting by night....
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The next morning we headed by vehicle to the Gorilla Valley Lodge. The road trip itself was a delight for photo bugs like myself, and it included a stop at the equator (probably the sixth or seventh time I've done this somewhere in the world) and also a stop for lunch.
my driver and guide, a cheerful fellow.
market day....
selling newspapers to drivers....
stop at the equator....
venders serving buses and other travelers at the roadside...
charcoal for sale....
Our road skirted the edge of a game preserve and we saw some zebras from afar.....
lunch stop...
We arrived in the Lake Bunyonyi area in south western Uganda between Kisoro and Kabale, close to the border with Rwanda.
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Gorilla Valley Lodge
Arriving at the Gorilla Valley Lodge and looking out over the nearby forest does remind one of the film "Gorillas in the Mist." We were only here one night but wish it could have been longer. They said that in the past four or so years since it was built that gorillas have actually "dropped by" to see what was going on.
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Gorilla Trekking
The $600 government-issued permit allows one an hour in the presence of the gorilla family you're assigned to trek, if you find them, and the number of permits per day is limited. All the trekers met at a central place on the edge of the park, then dispersed with their guides, rangers and transportation to travel to the closest site on the park' edge to begin a trek. I was assigned to the "good family," as it was called, one of the habituated families safe to visit. Those of us middle aged and older paid porters to carry our bags (cameras, water, etc.), and, some of the climbing in the impenetrable forest was steep so we needed the walking sticks...but the views enroute and on the return were also beautiful.
our group....the "good family."
my porter...
At the edge of the park, this long earth worm was discovered.
And, if your group's successful in finding their gorilla family, you receive the certification...
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The gorilla trekking over, my driver and I started another road trip to Traveller's Rest Hotel, where the author of "Gorillas in the Mist," Dian Fossey, spent much of her time going over her notes during her 18 year study of the mountain gorillas.
The road to the hotel crosses some interesting mountainous country, but Kisoro, the town in which it's located is only a few miles from the border with Rwanda.
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Batwa Trail
The hotel was a departure point for a trip up the Batwa Trail, led by a ranger and the displaced Batwa pygmies who do it to earn money and share their heritage and traditions. Since 1992, the Batwa have been unable to live in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, their ancestors’ home, but accompanied by a ranger, they are allowed to take visitors on 4 or 6 hour treks, demonstrating their skills on the way. I did the four-hour trek and was glad I hadn't taken the six-hour trip since I was so tired at the end. Much of the walking is up hill. The trek goes into the forest, much of it bamboo forest. There's a short drive to the Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, with lovely mountains and a charming greeting center.
The ranger/guide and four Batwa tribe members who guided the tour.
This was the most exciting part of the trek, and I was lucky to experience it. One of the fellows spotted a bee go off into a bush. He followed and started digging, and a few feet down he found the hive of a bee that doesn't sting humans but which produces delicious honey. We drank the liquid honey. Here are a few photos of our "sticky" but delicious experience.
one of their surviving structures in the bamboo forest.
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The Batwa Trail experience concluded, the next day we drove back to the Airport Guest House, passing by Lake Victoria and some back roads that went through red clay country. More photo shots to end my trip to Uganda.
This is a camp which the United Nations has used to house refugees from Ruanda.
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....very trusting....getting pretty close to those horns...
Everything that's not moving is covered with red dust from the road and it went on for miles.
Lake Victoria.
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