Iconic Pearl of Africa

Charles Ajunwa shares his experience from the Explore Uganda trip organised by the Uganda Tourism Board

Like all humans, I was initially afraid of embarking on the 2023 Explore Uganda familiarisation trip organised by the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) after signing the indemnity form, which among others, clearly stated that “certain risks and dangers may exist, including but not limited to hazards of travelling, accidents or illness in remote places without medical facilities, the forces of nature and travel by air, automobile or other means. The risks for this fam trip are risks associated with the adventurous nature of the itinerary.”

But having secured three months’ tourist visa in addition to research carried out on Uganda showing that the country has one of the best security systems, happiest people in East Africa and friendliest in the world, I shook off the initial fears and opted to embark on the fam trip to expand my worldview and satisfy my curiosity as a journalist.

Further research showed that what sets Uganda apart from other African destinations are the stunning scenery, rich culture, and tourism products it offers such as wildlife safaris, cultural experiences and adventure activities.

The seven-day Explore Uganda trip also had no financial implication on all the selected participants from Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya and Ethiopia, as the UTB whose mandate was to promote Uganda as a premier tourist destination in Africa, provided all necessary logistical arrangements, including transportation, accommodation and meals.

After arranging my clothes, all necessary documents, other items and observing our family prayers on Saturday night, I left my house early on Sunday, December 3 straight to the new terminal at Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos. This was to enable me complete all the immigration processes before my flight at 11a.m. with the Uganda Airlines to Entebbe, Uganda. To my amazement, all facilities at the new terminal building adjacent to the old terminal presently undergoing renovation, were top-notch. With tight security in and around, the presence of touts has drastically reduced. I heaved a sigh of relief!

Nigeria and Uganda in October this year, signed a direct flight Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA), which is aimed at improving air travel and businesses between both countries. Although the airplane from Entebbe arrived Lagos an hour before the scheduled flight, for some unexplained reasons the flight was delayed for another hour. Uganda is two hours ahead of Nigeria. Originally, the flight from Lagos was to take off at 11a.m. Nigerian time (which is 1p.m. Ugandan time). One of the airlines’ staff came and apologised to passengers for the delay. Later, buses were provided to convey all passengers to the base of the airplane. After all the passengers boarded, the pilot apologised for the delay. We took off at 12 noon, Nigerian time which is 2p.m. Ugandan time.

The airplane, which is one of the newest Airbus has four well-furnished compartments for – First Class, Business and Economy. The seat arrangement and interior decor were mind-blowing. The logo of Uganda Airlines which is a crane, and motto: ‘Fly the crane to the Pearl of Africa’ clearly were embossed on the seats and other materials served inside the aircraft.

All passengers on board the airplane were lavishly treated with food and drinks. For passengers’ comfort and relaxation, different entertainment films were made available through a small screen in front of the passenger’s seat. The pilot any time there was turbulence will ask all passengers to be on their safety belts. Well-dressed stewards attended to passengers politely with smiles on their faces.

Arrives Uganda On Wings of the Crane

As the airplane approached the Ugandan airspace, the beautiful landscape of the Pearl of Africa started emerging like a damsel yet to be deflowered by natural elements. The lush green vegetation, hills and mountains of different sizes and lakes were breath-taking! No wonder, the famous Winston Churchill coined the nickname “The Pearl of Africa” in 1908, to convey the beauty, variety, and natural wealth of the land. Since then, Uganda has grown into one of Africa’s most coveted travel sojourns.

As I disembarked from the airplane, I went straight to the immigration hall to complete our passport documentation. The immigration officer that attended to me was very polite. He asked for my flight ticket and approval letter for visa from the Uganda Embassy, including my mission to Uganda. After checking my documents, he finally asked me to take my fingerprints, and later stamped my visa on arrival on my passport. From there, I moved to the luggage hall to pick up my box. With all clearance completed, we proceeded outside the hall to meet our driver – Andrew who had waited patiently for us. After welcoming us and taking our luggage to where he packed, he entered the vehicle and brought out a Ugandan flag, face cap, a mug and a handy publication describing the country’s heritage, which he later presented to each person before taking us to Sheraton Hotels in Kampala, the capital of Uganda. We took pictures before leaving Entebbe Airport.

Construction work to expand the airport was still ongoing. The driver took us to where he bought a ticket to enable him to cross the tollgate. As the driver hit the road to our hotel in the night, the beauty of the country began to emerge, sprawling beautiful lakes, houses on hills, bridges, cars, motorcycles appeared as we meandered the roads. The traffic lights worked perfectly well. It took us almost an hour to arrive at the Sheraton Hotel in Kampala. A little distance from the hotel, we saw Christmas lights of different shapes lit up the whole place. That reminded us that the Christmas season is around the corner. Mr. Donald, a representative of Uganda Tourism Board was on ground to receive the Nigerian team. After completing the security check at the entrance of the hotel, we checked-in at the front desk and went straight for dinner before dispersing to our rooms. Donald reminded us that we will be meeting the next day to strategise with the entire Explore Uganda team.

On Monday morning, we had breakfast at the restaurant where Donald briefed us about the Explore Uganda fam trip while Mr. Anthony Ochieng, who is the chief consultant, kept communicating with us through our team platform. As the Explore Uganda team checked-out from Sheraton Hotel in Kampala, we were taken to a bureau de exchange at Plot 8, Nita Building, Colville Street, for those who want to exchange foreign currencies for Ugandan Shillings.

Uganda has 10 national parks namely: Rwenzori Mountains National Park (The mystical challenge), Mt. Elgon National Park (World’s largest caldera), Mgahinga Gorilla National Park (Where Gold meets silver), Murchison Falls National Park (The world’s most powerful waterfall), Lake Mburo National Park (Whispers of the wild), Semuliki National Park (The true bitders’ haven), Kibale National Park (The primate capital of the world), Queen Elizabeth National Park (Medley of wonders), and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (The ultimate gorilla experience). As part of our itinerary, the last four national parks were selected for us to visit during the Explore Uganda fam trip.

Thrilling Trip to Kibale National Park

The Explore Uganda team left for Kibale National Park in Western Uganda, which is 358kms from Kampala, approximately a 6 hours journey. As we hit the road to Kibale, there were several stopovers along the roads for people to refresh. Apart from chains of hills with different amazing shapes and forms, the banana, plantain, tea, callisters plantations were everywhere, and callisters occupied every available space. The locals built houses along the major roads making it easier for travellers to stop, interact and buy items from them. This ensured that the roads are safer for travellers with little or no police presence. With the narrow roads and sharp curves on hills, drivers plying the roads maintain controllable speed limits in order to avoid unnecessary accidents. A few kilometres to Kibale National Park, a hoard of baboons started coming to roads from the thick rainforests. They refuse to leave the road as vehicles approach them. Some put out their hands begging for bananas. Though many of these baboons have met their untimely deaths by speeding vehicles, drivers on their part apply caution by avoiding hitting the primates.

As the weather was getting darker with flashy rains, we passed through the entrance of the Kibale National Park along the road. The two drivers- Andrew and Rooney took us straight to Chimpundu Lodge, where we were warmly received by the staff who first gave us hot towels to clean our hands and faces after a six-hour journey. The icing on the cake was the cold watermelon drink they served us. I gushed mine with every strength I could muster. The lodge is built right inside the rainforest with each cottage separated by strong wooden platforms. Each of the over 20 cottages were named after chimpanzee species for easy identification. My room is Rukara 02. From my room, I hear sounds of wildlife and rustling trees. The birds in the forest released melodious songs which keep echoing into my ears. The cuisines for lunch and dinner for two nights we stayed at the lodge were delicious, spiced with fresh local vegetables. I enjoyed eating Matooke, Uganda’s staple food. The dish is made by boiling and mashing green plantain bananas. The lodge also has a swimming pool for relaxation and spa which offers steaming and massages to keep tourists fit.

As part of the itinerary on Tuesday, which is day three, after having our breakfast, the team left for Kibale National Park to get a permit for the chimpanzee Tracking in the afternoon.

A Trip to Forte Portal

Immediately the permit was secured by Donald, the entire team proceeded to Forte Portal City still in Western Uganda, which is about an hour drive. The tour guide, Ignatius Amooti, was on ground to receive the team. After giving instructions about the tour, he ensured that everybody had a walking stick and wore rubber booths into the forest. He took us through the thick forest, explaining some of the plant species before exiting to the warm embrace of Amabere Caves (breast caves), which is right in front of the Nyakasura Water Falls. The water from the rocks has little salt taste.

From there, we moved to the home of Crater Lakes in Uganda. The tour guide, Ignatius, took us to Kyeganyewa Hill, which is 1,697 feet above sea level. From the base of the hill, two crater lakes stood out. Some of us who managed to climb to the top of the hill saw three crater lakes. We hoisted the Ugandan flag and danced around in excitement. But descending the hill was another tough task as many of us gasped for breath. This is where the walking stick helped most of us to make it to the ground.

Breathtaking Chimpanzee Tracking

The Explore Uganda team headed back to Kibale National Park for the chimpanzee Tracking. On arrival, we waited at the entrance to the national park for a proper security check to be conducted before final clearance. We were ushered into a small hall by the tour guide who spoke fluent English. We were told to keep a distance of 10 metres when any animal is sighted, no feeding of animals and no noise in order not to scare them away. The team was divided into two for easy tracking. Rangers and porters were also attached to the two groups.

Kibale National Park is in western Uganda, protecting moist evergreen rainforest. It is 766 square kilometres (296 sq mi) in size and ranges between 1,100 metres (3,600 ft) and 1,600 metres (5,200 ft) in elevation. Despite encompassing primarily moist evergreen forest, it contains a diverse array of landscapes. Kibale is one of the last remaining portions to contain both lowland and montane forests. In eastern Africa, it sustains the last significant expanse of pre-montane forest. The park was gazetted in 1932 and formally established in 1993 to protect a large area of forest previously managed as a logged forest reserve. The park forms a continuous forest with Queen Elizabeth National Park. This adjoining of the parks creates a 180 kilometres (110mi) wildlife corridor. It is an important ecotourism and safari destination, well-known for its population of habituated chimpanzees and 12 other species of primates. It is also the location of the Makerere University Biological Field Station.

We had a clement weather as we alighted from the vehicles and entered the thick rainforest for the chimpanzee tracking. The tracking most times takes six to eight before the chimpanzees could be sighted. Most times they cannot be sighted at all. But as mother nature will have, in less than 20 minutes the tracking commenced, the forest rangers sighted two chimpanzees on the floor of the trees. Shortlyafter they spotted the chimpanzees, rain came down heavily forcing the chimps to look for shelter under the trees. We quickly put on our raincoats. After spending about an hour with the primates on tree tops and on ground, the entire team headed back to the road to catch up with the drivers. We also saw a fig tree that is over 100 years old in the Kibale rain forest. The slippery nature of the thick forest coupled with the heavy rains some people stumbled on the ground like babies learning to walk. On arrival at the park, everyone in the Explore Uganda team was presented with a Chimpanzee Tracking Certificate signed by the Executive Director and Conservation Area Manager in the Uganda Wildlife Authority.

After collection of certificates, we headed back to Chimpundu Lodge, which was about 10 minutes drive from Kibale National Park. On arrival, the waiters told us to remove our shoes for washing at no cost, and we were given hot towels to clean our hands and faces. We went straight to our rooms to refresh and take some nap after a tedious day. Others later went to the pool side to relax while others opted for massage.

After dinner, some opted to have fun by drinking, making jokes and playing different types of games. After all, we are humans. The games lasted deep into the night. Oblivious of our journey next day being Wednesday, some sneaked out to arrange their things.

Amazing 3-Hour Journey to Queen Elizabeth National Park

Due to a tight itinerary on the fourth day, our breakfast was put in packs for takeaway. We checked out very early in the morning and drove straight to Queen Elizabeth National Park, which is about a three hours drive from Kibale. We saw the Uganda ranges occupying thousands of kilometres along the road. Donald pointed to us at his home, where he came from as we continued our journey to Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Queen Elizabeth National Park is located in the Western Region of Uganda, spanning the districts of Kasese, Kamwenge, Rubirizi, and Rukungiri. The park is approximately 400 kilometres (250 mi) by road south-west of Kampala, Uganda’s capital and largest city. The city of Kasese lies to the northeast of the park, while the town of Rubirizi is to the southeast. The park adjoins Kyambura Game Reserve to the east, which itself adjoins the Kigezi Game Reserve (including the Maramagambo Forest) and thus the Kibale National Park to the northeast. The Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo lies across the border to the west. Together, these protected places completely encircle Lake Edward. The Rwenzori Mountains National Park in Uganda lies not far to the northwest.

The national park occupies an estimated 1,978 square kilometres (764 sq mi). The park is known for its abundant wildlife, including African elephant, African kob, hippopotamus, topi, waterbuck, warthog, giant forest crocodile, leopard, spotted hyena, chimpanzee and lion. Overall, the 95 mammal species and over 600 bird species. The area around Ishasha in Rukungiri District is famous for its tree-climbing lions, whose males often sport black manes. In 2020, Uganda Wildlife Authority executive director Samuel John Mwandha stated that the wildlife in the park has been increasing in the last five years.

Boat Cruise

On arrival at the entrance to Queen Elizabeth National Park, a security check was thoroughly carried out before we were allowed into the massive park. We got to the jetty at 9:37a.m. Ugandan time and had an hour boat cruise in the Kazinga Channels lying between Lake George and Lake Edward. The tour guide, Godfrey, took time to explain the rules to us. Everybody on the boat cruise had a live jacket put on for safety. Shortly after the boat cruise started, we first spotted buffalos, hippos, crocodiles, elephants and birds. As we disembarked to continue our journey to the Gorilla Heights in Bwindi, we saw hoards of elephants, warthogs and antelopes along the road. At the gate of the national park another routine security check was conducted before we exited.

8-Hour Journey On Hills to Bwindi

Shortly after we hit the Kyambura Road to Bwindi, we crossed a bridge where George Edward Lake passed through and just a few metres ahead we pulled over to refresh. From there, I saw Kazinga (a fishing village) and a large expanse of land in the Queen Elizabeth National Park. Some locals, mostly children, came to our vehicles to greet the team. The children later received food packs and danced around in excitement. Nine-hour journey to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park had just started and was mostly on hills with an approximate distance of 371 kms. After driving for over four hours, we stopped at Kaahwa Kanuzire Restaurant to have our lunch.

One of the takeaways about the day-long journey is that it helped us to observe the normal daily life of the locals and communities we came across. The locals who are mostly farmers farmed on the hills and terraces showing skills that have passed from one generation to another. The locals also were seen rearing their cows and goats along major roads and markets. Their architectural dexterity was manifest from one community to another as they built houses on top of very high hills and even in the deep valleys. Many of the houses have solar panels on top of the roofs. They also have sprawling vegetations where different kinds of trees were planted making the landscape a beauty of some sorts. The journey on the hills gave us goose pimples any time we tried to look down the deep valleys hoping that nothing untoward happened. Instead of sleeping, my eyes were opened throughout the journey.

The journey which entered into the night later became bumpy as we navigated the road to Bwindi. But the fear of the high hills and valleys refused to go out. Late into the night we got to a point of no return. The drivers stopped at a T-junction to ask questions on the road that leads to Bwindi. As they were making enquiries, a vehicle carrying rangers heading to Bwindi surfaced. We followed them until we arrived at the Gorilla Heights Lodge, where we will be staying for two nights. As we drove into the lodge, Celestine, the manager and others were on ground to welcome us. They gave us hot towels to clean our hands and faces after a long journey. The keys to the cottages on a hill about 2,000 feet above sea level were tagged according to names of gorillas in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The key to my cottage bears Bwindi. After having dinner, we all retired to our rooms to rest. My cottage was built on the edge of the hill, showing the mountains and thick forests. The view was simply amazing.

The Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is in southwestern Uganda. The park is part of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and is situated along the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) border next to the Virunga National Park and on the edge of the Albertine Rift. Composed of 321 square kilometres (124 sq mi) of both montane and lowland forest, it is accessible only on foot. The national park is a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation-designated World Heritage Site. Species diversity is a feature of the park. It provides habitat for 120 species of mammals, 348 species of birds, 220 species of butterflies, 27 species of frogs, chameleons, geckos, and many endangered species. Floristically, the park is among the most diverse forests in East Africa, with more than 1,000 flowering plant species, including 163 species of trees and 104 species of ferns. The northern (low elevation) sector has many species of Guineo – Congolian flora, including two endangered species, the brown mahogany and Brazilian Longipedicellata. In particular, the area shares in the high levels of endemisms of the Albertine Rift. The park is a sanctuary for colobus monkeys, chimpanzees, and many birds such as hornbills and turacos. It is most notable for the 400 Bwindi gorillas, half of the world’s population of the endangered mountain gorillas. 14 habituated mountain gorilla groups are open to tourism in four different sectors of Buhoma, Ruhijja, Rushaga and the Nkuringo in the Districts of Kanungu, Kabale and Kisoro respectively all under the management of Uganda Wildlife Authority.

Gorilla Tracking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

After breakfast on the fifth day, we were given lunch packs to take along to the forest. We proceeded to the protocol office at the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. While documentation was going on, a dance group known as Nkuringo Women Artisans Group entertained the Explore Uganda group. They solicited for financial assistance from people who made donations to support them. The team was later ushered into a small hall, where the tour guide, Levi, reeled out the rules of the game. He also divided the team into two with rangers and porters attached. The drivers took us to a particular place where we alighted and went straight to the mountains to track the Gorillas. The tracking will take at least four hours or more. We descended into the thick rainforest in search of the gorillas. The height of the mountain from where we descended from is over 2,000 feet above sea level.

As the rangers cleared the bushes, we spotted the paths and dungs of the gorillas. The gorillas were nowhere to be found. We followed their paths until we found the gorillas eating grasses. We spotted the massive silverback gorilla in the Bushaho family group and maintained a distance of 10 metres. Other family members followed the silverback eating grasses. For some reason as I was taking a photograph of the silverback, it angrily charged at us and we all scampered for safety. It took the intervention of one of the rangers who stopped the silverback from coming after us. It started raining heavily as we tracked the gorillas. After successfully tracking the gorillas, we decided to call it quits and ascended the mountain to enable us to eat our lunch. From our exit point, it took us an hour to locate our vehicle where it was parked in the morning. We returned to the protocol office where we were given certificates as having successfully completed the gorilla tracking in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. We planted a tree called Podocarpus, which serves as a memorial. One of the drivers conveyed us back to Gorilla Heights Lodge. After dropping our items in our rooms, we all dashed straight to the spa to relax in the steam and sauna for some minutes before retiring to our rooms. During dinner, Celestine, the lodge manager served free red wine and other drinks to his guests. He never wanted us to go back to Kampala. The team also made suggestions to the manager that will improve the quality of services at the lodge, which he gladly noted. Some stayed behind to have fun, while others quickly rushed to their rooms to prepare for Friday’s long journey to Kampala, estimated to take 12 hours.

Day Long Journey to Kampala

The Explore Uganda team left Gorilla Heights Lodge exactly at 8a.m. Ochieng, who monitored all activities, reminded us that it will be a long journey to Kampala. He was anxiously waiting at the Sheraton Hotel to receive us and he even posted on the team’s platform the dinner’s table he prepared for us. The drivers this time took another route to exit Bwindi, which has lesser bumps. The journey on the hills was breathtaking with the beautiful landscape. Everywhere was green all through, an evidence that Ugandans cherish their natural habit a lot. After about a five hours drive, we stopped at the Tourist Garden to take lunch. As the journey continued, Donald asked the drivers to stop us at the Equator – where the North and South poles meet. Apart from taking group photographs at the Equator, some received certificates showing that they were there live. They paid little for the Equator certificate. Other travellers stopped there to watch the demonstrations and take photographs too.

The team arrived in Kampala at night. As the drivers managed to get out of the heavy traffic, they took us to Sheraton Hotel where we were received by Ochieng who had waited all day for us. He quickly took us to dinner and asked a few questions about our trip. He promised to meet the team on Saturday morning. The South African participants left for the Entebbe Airport very early on Saturday morning. They later in the day communicated with the remaining team on their safe arrival to their country.

For the remaining participants from Nigeria, Kenya, and Ethiopia, we had an engaging session with Ochieng during breakfast. Each participant shared his or her experiences during the Explore Uganda familiarisation trip. Ochieng also asked questions on how to improve tourism in Uganda, and the strong marketing points. He concluded the discussion session in the afternoon after which the Kenyan and Ethiopian participants left for the airport. The Nigerian participants, including Donald, were dropped off at Jikoni Restaurant on Clement Hill Road, Kampala, to have lunch. Donald later took us to the Craft Village for people to buy souvenirs. From there, we went back to Sheraton. Ochieng ensured that we had a lot to eat and drink during dinner. As early as 4a.m. Ugandan time, the Nigerian team left for Entebbe Airport to catch our 7a.m. flight to Nigeria. After documentation with immigration, the flight was delayed for an hour because of passengers from India who were on a connecting flight to Nigeria. I took a window seat inside the airplane- Uganda Airlines A330-800NEO, to enable me to see the beautiful landscape in Uganda again. The airplane arrived in Lagos at exactly 11a.m. Nigerian time. The Explore Uganda familiarisation trip for me was a life-changing experience.