Holidays

We’ve returned from our 2 week holiday in southwest Uganda (with a brief stop in DR Congo and northern Rwanda) nearly 2 weeks ago now, so we are finally getting round to posting about it.

Watching the Tour de Rwanda, many locals quite bemused at people on bikes being faster than the bus!

It was a chance for me (Matt) to re-visit the area I did my medical elective in 2009, and in particular Lake Bunyoni, one of my favourite places I’ve ever been.



Lake Bunyoni

After a stop off in Kigali (and having seen the Tour de Rwanda on the way!) with our friends Edie and Dieudonne, we travelled to Kabale and from there walked to Lake Bunyoni. We treated ourselves to 4 very lazy days at Byoona Amagara, a hotel on Itambira island in the middle of the lake. We loved the place for its relaxation, bird life, chance to swim and its wonderful food.

 



Lunch!



The view from our room





A sunbird stops by.

Transport on Lake Bunyoni - dugout canoe

 





Lunch, before the truck filled up 

After the relaxation of Lake Bunyoni, we travelled first by saloon car (with 9 people in it!) to Kisoro and then via truck (this time with 50+ people and all their newly purchased market goods in or hanging onto the truck!) to Rushaga, on the edge of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park.

'Top deck' travelling

 

'Bottom deck'

Whilst the area is most famous for the endangered mountain gorilla, we came here to do some hiking and exploring in the forest as well as trying to see some the endemic bird species. Our most unexpected site in Bwindi was Ron, a South African who is currently on a 2.5yr trip attempting to cycle through every African state and then to London via Istanbul. Needless to say I was very excited to chat all about bike gear and contemplate some challenges for Marie and I! Check out his blog fatkidonabike.com

 

Local women on the way home from market

Looking from Bwindi to Mgahinga - Muhuvura volcano 4209m

Ugandan hills rolling into Congolese mountain

  

Our daily breakfast - chapattis, bananas and honey 

Marie and the guides



'FatKidOnABike'

                                               

Chameleon - which is not having its tail squeezed!

Having had 3 great days in Rushaga we decided to journey back to Kisoro via different means. We initially set off on foot, walking through beautiful countryside (chased by two young boys with a chameleon on a stick for us to see!), until we reached Lake Mutanda. We came across Doris, the German/South African who kindly gave us free tea and showed us her amazing Chameleon Hotel with its unbelievable views.

Lake Mutanda from the Chameleon Hotel

 

Matt and the lads

From here we walked on until we met some young lads with a canoe who we managed to commission a canoe journey across Lake Mutanda from. Whilst there was very limited language shared between the 4 of us, our common ground was Christmas carols, and being December 1^st, we naturally sang our way across the lake. From the other end of the lake it was a short moto (passenger motorbike) ride into Kisoro and a well earned rest.

 

Bizarre flora on the peak

The gradient to the peak

 
The following day we set off on foot again for Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, another place where you can see mountain gorillas, but also home to the endangered golden monkey and 3 extinct volcanoes. Having missed a turning we were surprised to find ourselves near the Rwandan border, but having been put back on the right track eventually found our way to the park. Here we climbed Mt Sabinyo (3669m), the name meaning ‘old man’s teeth’ in the local language – its multiple jagged peaks supposedly looking like a toothy old-man’s smile. The unique thing about this mountain is that it’s 3^rd and highest peak is a border point and shared between Uganda, Rwanda and the DR Congo. Therefore, standing in the right place you are in 3 countries simultaneously! The climb up Sabinyo was beautiful but fairly demanding, with the ascent to the third and final at times near vertical. An incredible set of ladder staircases made the climb possible but we certainly were clinging on tightly. We strolled briefly into DR Congo, looking out over the Virunga massif continuing onwards into the clouds before descending back down the impossibly steep slopes.

Stood in 3 countries at once with our guide Eddie and armed escort

Loitering in the DRC

Marie in DRC, the Virunga massif behind

 

 

Marie stepping into an elephant's footprint

Sabinyo, 3669m

 

 

The next day’s excursion was far less demanding but equally as exciting as we tracked a group of golden monkeys (a rare subspecies of the rare Blue monkey) that have been habituated in the bamboo forests of the lower slopes of the park. Whilst these monkeys are not as rare as the famed mountain gorilla, they are far less studied and the total global population is estimated at 2-3000. The group of approximately 20 individuals that we encountered were a joy to watch as they fed on bamboo shoots and chased each other around the bamboo canopy – very literally monkeying around. Despite being habituated to humans in their habitat, these remain truly wild animals and it was a privilege to be able to watch them in their freedom.

The next day we journeyed back to Rwanda, arriving in Gisenyi, Rwanda’s ‘seaside’ town. Despite its very much landlocked nature, 200km of Rwanda’s western frontier is along the shores of Lake Kivu. The lake is certainly large enough to give the feeling of being beside the ocean and the town has that feel to it. We spent 2 relaxed days here, and spent an afternoon failing to try and find a boat to take us home but did encounter the local mango port, where cargo ships loads of mangoes were unloaded and then bartered over, with the same feel of a fish market like those at Newlyn or Mevagissey back in Cornwall.

Mango mayhem

Our journey home from Gisenyi to Kibogora was long and uncomfortable, but ultimately enjoyable. Having ignored the sage advice that the coast road south was bad, thinking ‘how bad can it be?’ we spent 6 hours travelling just 91km in an over-packed minibus, arriving in Kibuye to find that there were no buses heading our way. Thankfully, we found 2 guys willing to make the 3 hour journey on motorbike to Kibogora and had the chance to enjoy the stunning scenery in the way that only 2 wheeled transport allows.

Whilst we thoroughly enjoyed the activities that we did, I think we will most remember our trip for the journeying – the motos, the canoes, the trucks, walking the endless winding mountain roads and forest paths. We couldn’t recommend Southwest Uganda more and hope we might get another chance to head back there before we return home in April.