I had booked to climb the Rwenzori Mountains first which was a day trip. This trip was more intense than I expected. I will say to anyone doing this expecting to climb the hill casually it will not be the case. The organization was faultless and everything ran like clockwork.
I first dreamt of reaching the snowy peaks as a child, having seen the summits from Fort Portal and peering upwards through the car window winding around the northern flanks on route to Bundibugyo. In 1985 I had the chance to get as far as Mutinda rock shelter as part of a 5-day Trek ascending the Nyamwamba and descending the Nyamugasani river valleys. Having climbed Kilimanjaro and Elgon in recent years I had an idea that this would be more strenuous.
But I also knew it would be pretty spectacular. I expressed to my climbing buddy from the other trips that “this is the one!” and so it proved.
It is the most incredible mountain range I have been in. I am not a technical climber but there were some technical bits. These were perfectly and safely managed by the guides. Technical climbers could find some new routes and the rock is nice and grapy. It is not yet a rock climbers Mecca but it should be! The weather around Mutinda (3500m) seemed consistently drizzling but above 4000m it was dry and we summited Mount Baker and then Mount Stanley with clear skies. Acclimatization to the altitude is important and we were above 4000m for four days before climbing Mt Stanley. We were still breathless.
We did also visit the Murchison Falls. The main tour I had booked with him included 3 nights at Murchison River Lodge, 2 nights at 2 Friends in Jinja and 1 night at Eureka Place Hotel in Kampala. First, we visited the Rhino Sanctuary and we were really lucky to have seen lots of Rhinos. I highly recommend staying at least 1 if not 2 nights at the Sanctuary to fully experience everything it has to offer.
We did the Rhino trekking, bird watching and nature walks and we highly enjoyed all the experiences thanks to the expert help and knowledge of all our guides. We were able to see over 16 rhinos and innumerable other animals and birds and we highly enjoyed walking amongst them to take in all the sights and have the time to hear more about their habits and behaviors.
But our favorite moments were maybe the extra glimpse of nature that we got by staying at Ziwa for the night. On our first evening we saw many species of antelopes and monkeys getting close to the restaurant and lodge to sleep in the warmer part of the sanctuary. Similarly, on our last morning we woke up to find seven rhinos that had come to sleep just in front of the restaurant. These moments are absolutely unique.
Murchison River Lodge is really nice, but what you don’t know is that you actually stay in a posh tent style place but the connecting bathroom was one of the best I had all week. The food is all included and water too. However, the one downside with drinks is that the water is kept in the driver’s car, and unless you remember to take some bottles for the evening you end up having to buy extra water with your dinner.
The game safari is great and the driver Emma who was our driver all week knew lots about the animals and the spots that had less cars around too. The boat trip, and waterfalls were also great and Emma was able to drive us to the top of the waterfalls as my dad was unable to trek to the top from the boat. This was great as it meant we didn’t miss out on any parts of the trip. My favourite part was Budongo Forest looking for chimpanzees and I could have happily spent more time there.
The ride in Jinja was great. A wonderful personal tour to Jinja with gorilla safaris tours. Thank you for showing me Ssezibwa Falls and the beautiful area around it and taking me to Kingfisher Resort where we relaxed for a while on the cool shores of a Lake Victoria. We enjoyed a cruise to the Source of the Nile and we spied many different water birds plus an otter and a monkey in the vegetation at the edge of the lake.
Then a tasty lunch of local foods and a drive through Jinja town Centre. Emma is a knowledgeable and friendly guide and an excellent driver on those crazy roads. Would definitely recommend Gorilla Safaris Tours.
