It's a Jugle Out There

“Travel only with thy equals or thy betters; if there are none, travel alone.” The Dhammapada

I made my way to Kampala for the first time since entering Uganda in order to meet Jigs. I had been in Uganda for 5 weeks already prior to her arrival but spent the entire time on the Nile River and it was good to get away from the familiar surroundings of Jinga, even if it was just down the road to Kampala. It was great to see her after all these months. We spent one night in the bustling bright lights of Kampala before heading back to Jinga so that she could tackle the mighty Nile, something she was understandably apprehensive about and her first sighting of the expansive river got the nerves flowing.

We wasted no time getting her set up with a rented kayak and gear and got on the water the very next morning to warm up with a relatively easy stretch of river usually kayaked by the beginner kayakers as part of their kayak school. This was a bit tame for her so when we got to the end she promptly suggested that we rather go and tackle something a little more adventurous. By the end of the day she had conquered Bujagali Falls, a rather tricky grade 5 rapid respected by all that have ever braved it! The next day we had a full day of Kayaking. We managed two runs down some of the biggest rapids on the river including the notorious “Silverback Rapid”. A rather sizable grade 5, regarded by many as the biggest commercially rafted rapid in the world. It was great fun to be on the river with Jigs and listen to her screams as she hit the big waves and sticky stoppers. When jigs is screaming you know she is still having fun, it’s when she goes quiet that you know she is really scared!

The following day we packed up and I said goodbye to Jinga for good. It had been a great break from being on the road and so good to spend so much time kayaking some of the best water in the world. They are currently constructing a dam wall on the river so the top section will not be raftable or kayakable any time from December. We made our way back toward Kampala and through the mayhem of the capital city traffic towards Masaka, on the western side of Lake Victoria. En route to Masaka we crossed the equator and stopped for some obligatory photos and water swirling displays. Masaka is a relatively unexciting town that would serve only as an overnight stop for us as we headed almost across the entire country to the Bwindi Forrest. Many buildings in Masaka were destroyed by bombs during the civil war and little effort has been made to clean up the derelict structures so the town appears to be in an everlasting state of disrepair. We found a nice little backpackers just out of town and set up camp overlooking the rolling green hills of Uganda and a pretty sunset. The next morning we continued to head west, Jigs on the bus and me on the bike. We travelled at more or less the same speed and met up again in a town called Natunga.

From Natunga we rode “two up” all the way to Buhoma, a small town situated on the edge of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. The ride was nothing short of spectacular! We followed a tiny gravel track down steep gorges, across rivers and through tiny villages for no shorter than 95kms. 95k’s might not sound far but the road was by no means a highway and posed a serious challenge to my riding ability as well as the capabilities of my poor little motorbike. We were riding through Uganda as I had imagined it (or seen in the movies) with dense green vegetation lining the road, terraced slopes as far as the eye could see covered in banana plantations and other local crops. Our speed averaged somewhere between 20 and 30km/h so the long and winding track took us close on 4 hours to get through. There were definitely times when I wished the end would come sooner and was reminded why to never ask locals for distance estimates when they told us we would be there 35km sooner than we were. We arrived in Buhoma just as the afternoon rain was settling in and after asking around a bit we managed to find the cheapest accommodation option and promptly got out of the rain and put our feet up in an effort to give our bruised bottoms a rest.

The Bwindi Impenetrable Forrest is not known as the impenetrable forrest for nothing. The view from our lodge was across a valley blanketed in thick jungle. Bwindi is famous for its gorilla population and attracts many tourists who pay an arm and a leg to do “Gorilla Treks” into the forest to see the gentle giants. Our tight pockets caused us to veer away from the $600 gorilla trek but we decided to pay the park entrance plus the $10 fee for a guide in order to take a walk through the prehistoric jungle to some impressive waterfalls and hopefully encounter some other monkeys as the forest has one of the highest densities of primates in Africa. Luck happened to be on our side that day and just after we entered the park gates we “just happened” to come across a troop of gorillas crossing the road including a couple silverbacks and some really playful babies hoping from tree to tree. The park officials did their best to try and stop us from seeing the gorillas (as we had not payed the ridiculous fee to do so) by ushering us around the other side of the reception but we could not avoid them as they were right there in front of us. It was absolutely amazing to encounter these hugely endangered animals and the experience was made even more enjoyable by the fact that we did not have to pay a small fortune to do so.

It was an exciting start to our hike through the jungle and the rest of the walk was also fairly impressive. We were accompanied by a tour guide named Florence as well as two AK47 wielding park rangers who were apparently there for our protection. We wound our way through the dense moist jungle gradually climbing up a creek via two smaller waterfalls to a large and impressive waterfall that would also serve as the half way stop and turn around point. After a little snack and a dip in the sparkling water it was time to head off again. We came across a few Duiker and some red-tailed monkeys on our way back to Buhoma but it was not the wildlife that impressed us as much as the shear density of the jungle. Everything appeared to be filtered through a green lense and the glare almost blinded us once we eventually emerged from the thinck canopy. It was worth the mission half way across the country to get there and the gorillas had made it that much more memorable.

The next day we got packed up fairly early as we knew we had another challenging ride ahead of us. Although it was only about 110km to Lake Bunyoni, our next destination, the guide books had warned us that the road from Buhoma to Lake Bunyoni was slow and bumpy and that you could expect it to take longer than the normal 4 hours if it had been raining. The ominous clouds were not encouraging, other than to get us moving before they fell from the sky. We managed the first 45km in relatively dry conditions and then the rain started. At first we stopped riding when the rain came, finding refuge under a shelter next to the road but soon realized that it was no use as the rain came and went throughout the day. We made slow progress for the rest of the day but no complaints were heard as the infinite views kept the spirits high. The road wound its way up and over mountain after mountain until eventually we crested a mountain to be greeted by the beautiful view of Lake Bunyoni.

Lake Bunyoni has, in recent years, become a very popular stop on the backpackers and overland truck’s circuits. This is understandable as it is a brilliant spot to chill out and appreciate nature’s beauty. There are many accommodation options on the mainland as well as on the various nearby islands. The guidebooks describe this place as something out of “The Hobbit” and after visiting it I can now see how they came to think this. The perfectly placid waters are surrounded by steep terraced slopes all around. The bird life is abundant and the soundtrack here is provided by nature with frogs, toads and crickets singing the night away. We have been staying at a brilliant little campsite on the water’s edge called Kalebas Camp where relaxation and good food come standard! Tomorrow we will be back on the bike as we head south for Rwanda. Another country, new cultures, different languages and the constant novelties of African travel await.