Roadtrip Uganda - Part 7
Kibale Forest This day we go for a Chimpanzee tracking. After a short briefing, we walk into the forest. In relation to the Gorila trek, this is a nice walk. There are trails and the landscape is gently rolling. It soon turns out that the group,160 Chimpanzee, we are looking for is hard to find. Unfortunately, the group has split into small groups. First we find some chimpanzees high up in the trees and these chimpanzees have no intention of showing themselves. After another short walk, we find several other Chimpanzees a short distance away and finally two Chimpanzees lounging on the ground. They are like humans enjoying each other and resting very relaxed. The young monkeys play tug-of-war and swing from tree to tree. The smallest crawl away in the mother's protective arms. The monkeys radiate tranquillity and visibly enjoy the vegetation, the fleas, the playing little ones and each other. All the monkeys around us is fantastic and makes a deep impression on us. After a brisk walk, we are back at the starting point. We are tired and hungry and after a delicious lunch, we enjoy the rest of the day at the campsite.
Masindi Today we go to Hoima and, if things go well, we will drive on to Masindi. But the day already starts "well". We follow Maps.me instead of our wits and end up on a "very touristy" route. We need all our steering skills to drive us up and down a mountain. The paths are narrow, wet, slippery and deep ruts everywhere. At one point, we drove the wrong way but with lots of asking and with the help of locals, we got back on the right path. It is a tough and tiring trip. Around noon, after five hours of driving, we have covered half of the 190 km.
Fortunately, the last few kilometres to Hoima have an asphalt road and the journey proceeds smoothly. In Hoima, we visit the Mparo Tombs. The Mparo Tombs is a cultural historical site where King Omakama Kabalega Chwa II is buried. Omakama was king of the kingdom of Bunyoro Kitara once the most powerful kingdom in the country.
After this interesting break, we decide to drive to Masindi. Another drive of about 65 km. However, the last stretch of road is again bad and we do need a bit more time than first thought. Around five o'clock we arrive at the Country Inn Hotel. It was another exciting day.
Murchison Falls National Park Today we will drive to Murchison Falls National Park but before we leave we will first replenish our supplies to provide for Murchison Falls National Park. However, a quick shopping is out of the question. We walked all Masindi and visited about seven shops and the market to stock up on the right supplies. But perseverance wins and the supplies are replenished, the cooler and the tank are full again.
On to Murchison Falls. From Masindi, the road is immediately unpaved but the road is fine and we can drive very well. After several hours of driving, we arrive in the town of Karuma.
This was precisely not the intention and apparently we missed a turn-off somewhere. We drove all the way to the east of the park. Trying to get back on the right road using Maps.me makes us end up in the bush. The gods are not kind to us today. After repeatedly asking, we get back on the right road but have to make the conclusion we still have to drive over 150 km to get to Murchison Falls. After all the kilometres this day, this is too far and we decide to drive to the nearest campsite about 70 km away. The road is good and the journey is quick. The last 10 km the road is unpaved. At 3pm we arrive at the beautiful Murchison Safari Camp campsite. We are the only guests and are warmly welcomed by Carin and her son Emanuel. Murchison Safari Camp is an oasis of tranquillity with beautiful views.
After a hearty breakfast, pancakes with treacle, we leave for Murchison Falls, Tangi Gate. Murchison Falls National Park is a national park in northwestern Uganda, stretching inland from the shores of Lake Albert. The White Nile flows through the park from east to west and has wild waterfalls and rapids. The area of the park is 3860 km2.
From Tangi Gate, we drive to the ferry which will take us across the Nile. The scenery is fantastic and we immediately see lots of wildlife. After 45 minutes we arrive at the ferry. We get the last seat on the boat. Lucky us. It is a 15-minute crossing.
On the other side, we immediately decide to book a Nile cruise to Murchison Falls. A fun trip with lots of hippos, crocodiles and numerous birds. Unfortunately, we stay a long way from the Murchison Falls, which is a minor setback. We get back around 5.30pm and plan to camp at the top of Murchison Falls. But this requires us to drive another 28 km on a dirt road at dusk. So that will be a long drive to be able to pitch our tent before dark. Unfortunately, the campsite is a disappointment. No grass and everything is very wet. Despite it having become dark by now, we decide to drive back and spend the night at Red Chilli Safari Camp. A nice campsite with good facilities.
After an excellent breakfast of a cheese-bacon omelette and fresh coffee, we drive to Murchison Falls. This waterfall is truly impressive, you keep looking at it. The Nile, with its millions of litres of water, thunders through a six-metre-wide gorge. The splashing water causes a beautiful rainbow. And this completing the picture.
After this impressive spectacle, we ride the Honeymoon Track. However, after a few kilometres we turn back. The vegetation is too high and dense and there is nothing to see. We decide to go to the other side of the Nile River. There it is more of a Savannah landscape. We drive the Buligi track and the Victoria track. We see lots of giraffe, boar, hundreds of deer, buffalo and to top it all off, a lion hunting. Truly amazing!!!!! Back at the Ferry at six and back to the Red Chilly Rest Camp.
After dinner, we grab the map and make plans for the next day, occasionally ducking away as the bats fly around our ears tonight. A hippo also passes by while grazing and growling contentedly.
The plan is to drive some tracks in Murchison Falls National Park and then continue to Gulu via Karuma Falls. Before setting off we decide to have our rear tyre checked as it seems to be getting flatter and flatter. Fortunately, a few hundred metres away is a garage. The car is not neatly pulled over but left where we stopped and placed on the jack. A compressor is not available but this is solved by tapping the pressure from a truck. Creative guys those Africans.
The tyre is then rolled to the other side of the site to splash the tyre wet from a large water tank in order to find the hole. Incredible but true, it works. Once again, there turns out to be a nail in the tyre. For 20,000 shillings, the tyre is fixed. On to the ferry but unfortunately it is broken and we have to wait a few hours for it to be repaired.
Because of the delay, we adjust our plans and decide to drive a few tracks and spend another night at Red Chilly Rest Camp tonight. We drive the Queen's, Shoebill, Albert and Pakuba tracks. Very beautiful and again saw lots of wildlife. Very special were two giraffes courting each other. The two giraffes paraded across the plain together, touching each other tenderly, their long necks intertwined. So beautiful, so graceful! At six o'clock, we are back at the boat. However, at the gate we have to renew our permits. Extending no problem but paying off with Visa a "feast". After trying for over a hour, we finally manage to pay.
