Uganda Staff Experience
First Impressions
I arrived into Entebbe airport on my first day to be greeted by Fred who was to be my Ugandan driver for the four days of my time in Uganda. He drove me through morning traffic in Entebbe and then into the capital Kampala to the offices of our supplier we use. All I can say about Kampala is that it is an 'African' city. It has very little European influence and I suppose I would compare it with a South African township combined with elements of today's Johannesburg. Just like in South Africa the people rely on taxis to get around and these are less crazy but just as numerous. There are no road signs which is comical especially when you are winding your way through five lanes of traffic with motorbikes and bicycles (carrying passengers on the back for a fee), as well as pedestrians who are weaving in and out of your path. I wouldn't drive in Kampala for all the money in the world! But it was a fun introduction to the 'real' Africa.
I was hosted in Uganda by a man called Bonifence. He was a seminarian who decided not to join the priesthood and instead started a Tour Operating Business which is doing very well. He is an extremely generous and wonderful person and we had many laughs in our four days together. I met him that morning in Kampala and both of us, together with Fred and the manager of his Bwindi Campsite, Pious, started our journey towards Bwindi Impenetrable National Park on the border with Rwanda.
I would quite easily call it 'impenetrable' because the drive was 11 hours!!! Normally we would break up clients' journeys but to make the best of my time, we didn't stop and went straight to Bwindi. Luckily most of the journey was on tarred roads but the last two hours when we were near our destination, we drove in the dark on some extremely bumpy roads. As you would expect, there is a lot of poverty lining the streets, with townships everywhere. Makeshift houses and shops are all on top of each other and the children are in scraps of clothes. But everywhere you pass in Uganda the children jump up and wave just for the joy of having you wave back. Their smiles light up their dismal surroundings. On arrival at around 10pm I fell into my bed which was in a lovely luxury tent in the middle of this exquisite area. You will see from the photos that my view was unrivalled and it was hardly 'roughing it' with a flush toilet and a bath attached to my tent.
Gorilla Tracking Day
I woke up early on this day knowing that this was what I had been waiting on. Those tracking for the day were assembled and given a briefing. 24 permits are issued a day and 3 groups of 8 track the 3 different families of gorillas in Bwindi Forest. Then we set off with our guides and our porters. The journey for us was an hour and a half but it can be as long as seven, depending on where the gorillas are. There are scouts who are sent ahead and radio the guides to help to direct us in the right direction. You didn't have to be particularly fit but there were parts which were steep and I needed my porter's hand to help me up and down. I was also glad it wasn't wet that day as I would have been slipping everywhere. But the walk itself (without gorillas) would have been enough. The view everywhere were spectacular – green hills filled with dense forest intermixed with plantations of tea and coffee.
When we finally reached the gorillas I couldn't believe how close we were. We had tracked a family of six – one silverback, two females and three toddlers. The toddlers were in the trees at first and they were like Tarzan sliding down the monkey ropes. We spent an hour watching them. The youngsters were the most fascinating. They played exactly like children – or more like WWF wrestlers! They were throwing each other around and having a ball of a time. The females and the silverback just sat around scratching, eating and sleeping. They didn't seem at all worried about us there. We had been well instructed by the guide about what to do if the silverback charged. But this was the most habituated group in Bwindi so they were well used to people and the youngsters were just as inquisitive about us as we were about them. But the best moment for me personally was when one of the little ones came right up to me and started to pull on my top to come and play with them. The guide was pulling me in the opposite direction and I was slightly nervous of the silverback reacting but he wasn't bothered. I am not sure if it was the colour I was wearing or my small size but she seemed fixated on me. I later found out her name was Maliaka which means Angel. Have a look that the photos of her smelling my shirt. I couldn't believe I was so close to them. It was the most moving experience and I had tears running down my face. We spent an hour in their company.
On repeating this experience to Alison in my office she said that that shouldn't have been allowed by the guides. Unfortunately they let the gorillas get too close and the gorillas are threatened by the spread of human diseases. But at the time all you want to do is touch them. I didn't touch her and kept very very still. I can understand though that this shouldn't be encouraged when the gorillas are so endangered. It was the best 30th birthday present I could have asked for. I would have done 10 eleven hour drives just to see them again. I am so lucky to have seen them when they are only about 320 left in the world and so few people get to experience what I have.
That evening I enjoyed another night at Bonifence's own campsite Lake Kitandara. The staff were so wonderfully friendly and I was so well looked after. Another highlight was the afternoon rain storm after which followed the mists which rose through the forest. I have taken some photos. This was exactly how I imagined this central part of Africa to be – so green and forested and with the mist rising I can understand why the movie is called 'Gorillas in the Mist'.
Queen Elizabeth National Park
Unfortunately I couldn't spend more time in the region but I had to keep moving to see as much of Uganda as I could in four days. Bonifence and Fred then took me to the Queen Elizabeth National Park. It was quite strange moving from this area of banana plantations and greenery to your typical African savannah. It was literally an hour and a half away but it was entirely different. This is why Uganda is an ideal African destination because you can combine a primate safari (Uganda is also THE place to see chimps) but you can also do a traditional safari in a park which has four of the big five (no rhino).
In the heart of the park is the Kazinga Channel which is between Lakes Edward and George. The afternoon of my arrival I was able to go on a boat cruise down the channel. This was very similar to the boat you would go on in St Lucia, South Africa, although the wildlife experience far surpassed SA. In addition to loads of hippos, we saw three crocodiles, a number of buffalo and numerous birds. I am ashamed to say that my bird knowledge is not what is should be – especially after I had to learn them all for my tourist guide course. I will have to get myself a guide book for my next visit to Africa because birds are an essential component of your African wildlife experience. The sun was shining beautifully on the lake and the local fishermen were out. Overall I fell even more in love with Uganda than I could have ever expected. This feeling was heightened when on the drive back to camp that evening, I was privileged to watch about 20 elephants, babies included, walking from the shore of the lake and cross the road right in front of me! This was all at sunset so the lighting just added to the experience.
While at Queen Elizabeth National Park I stayed in a new camp that Bonifence is building. The only place to stay in the park is a place called Mweya Lodge which is lovely and you will see the photos. But with Uganda's popularity growing, Bonifence won't have a problem filling his tents and chalets which he is building. So when I stayed there it was with two other tents in the middle of an unfenced game reserve where hippos and elephants are known for coming up in the night. It was very exciting and lovely to sit by the fire with Bonifence under the African stars and feel miles and miles away from the stresses of our western world. There were no other electric lights expect irritatingly a light from an MTN mobile tour!! It was also great to experience my first bucket shower in the bush – I would definitely recommend it!
On the morning I left Hippo Hill (the camp), Bonifence asked me to plant a tree so that I could see it when I come back to Uganda – which I will make every conceivable effort to do.
Last Day Uganda
The last day in Uganda was largely spent in the car driving back to Kampala. I was amazed that we could leave the park and views of the Rift Valley and literally within 2 minutes be confronted with scenery of your typical Uganda. I took many photos just to give you an idea of what a wonderful part of the world it is. One of the highlights of my whole trip was that evening when Bonifence had taken me to the edge of Kampala to show me a site of the next camp he proposes to build. Instead of having to put people in a hotel in Kampala (which really isn't the nicest place) he though to build a camp site on the outskirts overlooking Lake Victoria. But it is also beside a relatively rural village where the people are essentially living in make shift shacks with no running water or electricity. What I love about Bonifence and why we like to support him is that he is very much into community tourism. I would bank money on him being the next Minister for Tourism in Uganda. He employs Ugandans in all his camps and in the building of them. The money tourists pay him stays in Uganda and he isn't a money grabbing man – he is a simple man who loves his country and its people. When we were at the site he asked me if I minded stopping by the local village so he could have a beer with the chief and the locals to cement his relationship with them. I was glad to join him. Only he and another lady there could speak English and most of the villagers were very intrigued by my presence as there aren't too many white people who stop by their local shebeen for a beer! It was difficult communicating at first but then I found a unique tool – my digital camera! I was showing the children my gorilla shots and then took photos of them. This was a bit hit as you can imagine. They were the most welcoming of people and kept saying how honoured they were to have me there and I could only say that the honour was really all mine.
I felt so saddened to leave this incredible place – a place of extreme poverty and a people still so impacted by the civil war. However these simple folk find happiness in being close to the land and in new faces passing them by in fast vehicles. It was a place which was essentially African and I found myself irritated by any evidence of western imperialism – especially that you can't go into any village without some building painted bright yellow for MTN (South African mobile phone network). Most building which takes place in Uganda is the building of churches. I think the money is coming from American evangelists. There is a lot of worry over 'end times' preaching which can prevent people from planning for the future or protecting themselves from HIV. The large towns and cities are congested and smoky but once you are out of them you are continually awestruck by the scenery. I kept thinking that while we westerns may appear 'luckier' in many ways, I felt that these rural people had so much of what we lack – a sense of community, a closeness to the land and a warm and welcoming way of interacting with others. Unlike South Africa, where there are deep divisions and feelings of mistrust in some places, I didn't feel that my white skin would be negatively received – on the contrary. I would go back to Uganda again and again and highly recommend it to anyone who truly wishes to escape all of the stresses of western life and learn some lessons about what is important and what is not.