Au Revoir Uganda

Au Revoir Uganda

Uganda surpassed all our expectations.  From the lush mountainous forests of the southwest to the dry plains of the north, Uganda has much to offer the Overlander. We spent eight weeks in county and circumnavigated nearly all of it.

From our entry near Makasa, we journeyed to the southwest to visit the famous mountain gorillas that reside in the volcanic mountains of the region. The visit was a memorable experience, but the road journey there was equally so.  We stopped for five days at Bunyoni Lake and enjoyed the hiking and boat tours offered.

From Mgahinga we headed north driving on the public road through the hills of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and then tea plantations before reaching the plains and Queen Elizabeth National Park.  There we spent some time on the Ugandan side of the border with the DRC, next to a river full of hippos.  

Unfortunately, our journey through the Rwenzori mountains was mired in mist and so we did not get to admire their huge elevations (with snow apparently).

The Murchison Falls National Park was our next stop and we saw the Falls in full flow.  Very impressive.

Moving on to Gulu, we stayed with Dominic, Katharina and their son, Henry, Overlanders taking a sabbatical in Uganda. We were very grateful to use their washing machine and enjoyed a wonderful Valentines meal out with them.

Kidepo National Park in the far north was our next stop.  Very much off the beaten track, we enjoyed our time in the vast plains before heading south towards Mt Elgin.  We found this part of Uganda to be very different and more akin to what we imagined Kenya to be like.

From Mt Elgin we headed via Jinja to Kampala for a shopping run.  Kampala traffic is unbelievably busy and the traffic jams are notorious. But on the plus side, you can finish a day’s work in Kampala and buy all of your groceries, etc from the street sellers in the jam on the way home! In Entebbe we met fellow Overlanders Robert, Beate and Chiara, and we spent a very nice couple of weeks together.

After saying our goodbyes, we headed for the Kenyan border via a clinic for our Covid 19 tests.

Thank you Uganda; we had a terrific visit!