I arrived back home in Canada safely late thursday night, the 19th of March. The flights were fairly smooth and uneventful, how any flight should be. I was able to catch up on a lot of movies on the personal screen on the back of the seat in front of me. These personal screens with plentiful choices of movies are a life saver for me on any flight. I usually can't sleep well on a plane and just watch movie after movie.
The weather is cold here at home but at least there is no snow. I've been trying to make my re entry as painless as possible, relaxing at home, cleaning around the house, watering plants and visiting friends. I will be back at work soon and start saving money and planning for this year's adventure.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Tanzania to Kenya
The day after our I got back from safari I spent in Arusha, taking care of some last minute souvenir shopping and just relaxing. I bought a ticket for the shuttle from Arusha to Nairobi for 8am, tuesday morning March 17. The shuttle left at 8.30 with me and only 5 other passengers so it was very comfortable with no stopping. I had expected the road connecting these 2 major cities to be in good shape but I was wrong. There was a main road but large sections of it were in a state of repair and we were forced to take the dusty and bumpy alternative route. It was a terrible road and super dusty. All I could taste and smell was dust, there was no escape. The border crossing was easy though busy. It was the most people I had seen at any border. I got a week long transit visa for $20 instead of the usual $50 visa. We arrived in Nairobi about 6 hours later. I was looking for a cheaper hotel than the one I stayed in 4 months ago. A taxi driver suggested Planet Safari which had a dorm bed for $6.50. That worked for me. Planet safari is a small place not listed in the guidebook but it mostly used before and after clients return from safari. It is located on the top ninth floor of a building with a nice outdoor patio. It was a basic place but I was the only one in the dorm and it had an attatched bath.
I don't like Nairobi at all. It's a very busy place but I must admit it is very cosmopolitan and has everything you need in variety. I have tuesday night here, a full day wednesday and then fly home early thursday morning. This will be my last post for the trip I write abroad. It has been another memorable and amazing trip with many highlights. I look forward to planning the next adventure once I get home.
I don't like Nairobi at all. It's a very busy place but I must admit it is very cosmopolitan and has everything you need in variety. I have tuesday night here, a full day wednesday and then fly home early thursday morning. This will be my last post for the trip I write abroad. It has been another memorable and amazing trip with many highlights. I look forward to planning the next adventure once I get home.
Ngorongoro Crater
Today was our last day but it was still a full safari day. We got up at 6.30am to pack up everything. We ate breakfast and left at 8. It was only a short drive to the descent road. There is only one road to descend into the crater and only one road out of the crater. Ngorongoro is one of the world's largest unbroken calderas. It measures 20km across its widest point and was lush and green on the floor. Due to abundant grass and a steady supply of water, many animals live permanently in the crater. There can be up to a million hoofed animals and these in turn feed a healthy predator population. There are many buffaloes and zebras as we first start driving in the crater. The crater is mostly flat and treeless with a large salt lake in its center but with other smaller freshwater lakes feed by underground springs. We come across a family of foxes close to the road. There are really small and cute and new for me. We see many other animals but nothing unusual until Isaac stops the Landcruiser a few hours later. He checks a large grey spot in the distance and confirms his suspicions. It is a black rhino. Actually it is 2 black rhinos and one young. They are lying down but later get up and walk around. Though they are far I can clearly see them. There is another big animal crossed off my 'wishlist'. There are about only 23 black rhinos living in the crater. Africa has the black rhino and the white rhino, both have been poached to near extinction for their horns. The white rhino was reduced to a single population in Umfolozi national park in South Africa. This population has been used to relocate animals to areas where they used to graze, including Lake Nakuru national park in Kenya where I saw them on the beginning of my trip. I saw many white rhinos in Kruger national park in South Africa but black rhinos are very rare there. I have been wanting to see one since my first safari. There are many differences between black and white rhinos but most of these are small. Some of the major differences are the type of eating they do. The black rhinos are grazers, eating leaves of small shrubs and grass. White rhinos are browsers with a low hung head for eating grass and will congregate in groups more than the mainly solitary black rhinos. Black rhinos are also known to be more aggressive and will readily charge just about anything. So, in a way it was good that this rare family of black rhinos was in the distance.
We drove around many corners of the crater before going for lunch at noon. We had lunch among a collection of skulls and bones of mostly buffalo. There were many birds around and Isaac told us to watch our food. I threw one piece of rice for a single bird and in a second I had 20 birds right beside. I could reach out and touch them. They flew off suddenly and I got a birdwing in the face by a large, predatory black Kite that was after my food and the birds. It was the first time I've actually been hit by a bird, I couldn't believe it! We finished lunch and would have a short game drive before leaving the crater.
Only minutes from leaving the lunch spot we stopped. There were 2 cheetahs here, walking and lying around. I was blown away, more cheetahs! I was so happy. There were also a few huge bull elephants in the distance. Only solitary old males descend into the crater, family herd of elephants aren't found here. The area around the ascent road is concentrate densely with zebras and wildebeests. They were everywhere, walking all over the road. We had to constantly slow down to allow them to move off or drive around them. A very dark rainfilled sky loomed ahead of us. We drove into torrential rain. The windows fogged up but Isaac still had to be careful as there were still many zebra on the road. We climbed out of the crater and it stopped raining. We had a long, uneventful drive back to Arusha. Even though it rained a lot on our safari, the area close to Arusha was still dry and dusty.
I really enjoyed the crater and it was a highlight of my trip, as was the Serengeti. This northern park safari circuit was my last activity before heading home in a few days.
We drove around many corners of the crater before going for lunch at noon. We had lunch among a collection of skulls and bones of mostly buffalo. There were many birds around and Isaac told us to watch our food. I threw one piece of rice for a single bird and in a second I had 20 birds right beside. I could reach out and touch them. They flew off suddenly and I got a birdwing in the face by a large, predatory black Kite that was after my food and the birds. It was the first time I've actually been hit by a bird, I couldn't believe it! We finished lunch and would have a short game drive before leaving the crater.
Only minutes from leaving the lunch spot we stopped. There were 2 cheetahs here, walking and lying around. I was blown away, more cheetahs! I was so happy. There were also a few huge bull elephants in the distance. Only solitary old males descend into the crater, family herd of elephants aren't found here. The area around the ascent road is concentrate densely with zebras and wildebeests. They were everywhere, walking all over the road. We had to constantly slow down to allow them to move off or drive around them. A very dark rainfilled sky loomed ahead of us. We drove into torrential rain. The windows fogged up but Isaac still had to be careful as there were still many zebra on the road. We climbed out of the crater and it stopped raining. We had a long, uneventful drive back to Arusha. Even though it rained a lot on our safari, the area close to Arusha was still dry and dusty.
I really enjoyed the crater and it was a highlight of my trip, as was the Serengeti. This northern park safari circuit was my last activity before heading home in a few days.
Ngorongoro Conservation Area
Shortly after we left the Serengeti, we entered the NCA. It began to rain heavily. We could hardly see out the windows. It didn't last long and soon after we entered came to a very dry area. It had not rained here for a while. We began seeing more Maasai and their goats and cows. Wildlife roams freely around the whole NCA area and we saw a few giraffes very close to the road. Isaac noticed up on a hill in the distance was an eland. The eland is the largest of the antelopes, weighing up to 1500kgs. I have been wanting to see an eland for a while. Isaac said there are many in the crater but they are shy. This might be the only time I see one, so I ask him to stop so I can take a photo of it. We reach our campsite on the rim of the crater around 5.30. It's raining lightly but very sunny and there is a huge rainbow. I set up my tent under a huge tree on a grassy area with a bunch of other tents. This 4 day northern park safari circuit is a popular one and I am recognizing people that were camping near us in the Serengeti.
This campsite is called basic but it's anything but. It had covered eating areas, electricity and to my amazement, hot showers! I shower and then join the Norwiegans already eating our pre dinner popcorn. After dinner, Isaac explains our program for tomorrow and then excuses himself. I never hang around long after I've finished eating. The Norweigans can all speak fluent English but they don't. They only speak English when they are talking directly to me. With the exception of Chris, the other 3 only speak to me when they want to know what animals we saw that day. They're not mean about it, they just don't speak to me. Most people I spend time with who don't speak English as a first language but can speak it very well, are considerate enough and make the effort to speak English, even when talking amongst themselves, but not the Norwiegans. They spoke English on safari and at the dining table, effectively leaving me out of any conversation, so there was no point to hang around and listen to them speak. I would hang out in my tent and read or look at the days photos.
I woke up in the middle of the night to relieve myself and could hear loud chewing. I stepped out of my tent, but not far. I could see 3 buffalos in close by and when I shined my light on them they did nothing, I took care of my business and went back to bed. Last night at our Serengeti campsite, Isaac told us to bring our shoes inside the tent for safe keeping. Hyaenas sometimes take away left out shoes but I didn't think there was that much of a threat on the crater rim campsite, so I left my sandals outside but close to my tent. I was woken up by the ruffling of my ground tarp. I shook my tent to scare away whatever it was and brought my sandals inside. A few minutes later, I heard the same ruffling followed by the snorting and sniffing of a warthog's snout. I guess he was checking me out but I had nothing he wanted. I wasn't woken up again.
This campsite is called basic but it's anything but. It had covered eating areas, electricity and to my amazement, hot showers! I shower and then join the Norwiegans already eating our pre dinner popcorn. After dinner, Isaac explains our program for tomorrow and then excuses himself. I never hang around long after I've finished eating. The Norweigans can all speak fluent English but they don't. They only speak English when they are talking directly to me. With the exception of Chris, the other 3 only speak to me when they want to know what animals we saw that day. They're not mean about it, they just don't speak to me. Most people I spend time with who don't speak English as a first language but can speak it very well, are considerate enough and make the effort to speak English, even when talking amongst themselves, but not the Norwiegans. They spoke English on safari and at the dining table, effectively leaving me out of any conversation, so there was no point to hang around and listen to them speak. I would hang out in my tent and read or look at the days photos.
I woke up in the middle of the night to relieve myself and could hear loud chewing. I stepped out of my tent, but not far. I could see 3 buffalos in close by and when I shined my light on them they did nothing, I took care of my business and went back to bed. Last night at our Serengeti campsite, Isaac told us to bring our shoes inside the tent for safe keeping. Hyaenas sometimes take away left out shoes but I didn't think there was that much of a threat on the crater rim campsite, so I left my sandals outside but close to my tent. I was woken up by the ruffling of my ground tarp. I shook my tent to scare away whatever it was and brought my sandals inside. A few minutes later, I heard the same ruffling followed by the snorting and sniffing of a warthog's snout. I guess he was checking me out but I had nothing he wanted. I wasn't woken up again.
Serengeti National Park
We left the small village near Lake Manyara around 8am. We had a long drive to Serengeti. We climbed the rift valley road up to the crater highlands. The road climbed steeply more through some forest to the rim of the crater. We stopped at a viewpoint of Ngorongoro crater. Tomorrow we would be exploring the crater.
We continued on from there through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA), a vast area of 8000sq km. Local Masai people have been grazing their cattle here for hundreds of years. That's why this area is a conservation area instead of a national park. There in no cattle grazing allowed in a national park. The landscape was very flat and featureless.
We took a side detour to Olduvai Gorge, 5km from the main road. Since we entered the NCA, we left the smooth tarmac for a bumpy, dusty road. The Olduvai gorge is one of the cradles of humanity. It was here a few decades ago that the Leakey's discovered some of the oldest and most important human bones, linking our evolutionary past. There was a very informative museum and a viewpoint over the dry and inhospitable gorge. There were many other visitors here, large groups of package tourists.
After we left the gorge, we continued towards Serengeti. We stopped at the main gate which was on a forested hill. It was the only hill around. Serengeti means ' endless plains' and from a viewpoint on top of the hill, it was a very appropriate name. The landscape was flat and treeless as far as I could see. It was hard to imagine that this seemingly barren landscape supported one of the largest populations of wildlife in the world.
As we entered the proper park, the weather turned cooler and it started to rain. We had the roof of the Landcruiser opened but had to close it for the rain. The rain would let up and we would open it again. It kept on like this for the rest of the afternoon, opening and closing the roof. The further on we got into the park the more the landscape slowly changed. Trees started to appear and shrubs. There were zebras, giraffes, wildebeest, thomson's gazelle, grants, gazelle, hartebeest and topi.
Isaac got information of a leopard around with some baboons. We went to the area and saw the baboons, but no leopard. We did see a herd of elephants that were black from the mud. The earth here is all black sand which is very slippery in the rains. Most of the roads have had coarser sand with pebbles added to them for traction but sometimes we would come to a black sand stretch. Once the Landcruiser began sliding sideways, it felt like we were sliding in the snow. Isaac was an experienced driver and would let off the brake and ride it out.
It was raining hard when we saw the first of many lions. The rain makes most animals hide and is not a great time for safari driving. We watched the lions for a few minutes but they were hard to see through the fogged windows. The rain came in if the windows were open too much. We reluctantly headed to our campsite for the night in the heart of Serenget in a place called Seronera. The rain stopped when we got there and we set up our tents. I brought my own tent and saved $20 on the safari price for using my own equipment. It was called a basic camp but had running water and showers and covered eating areas.
After dinner we could hear different groups of lions calling out to each other a few km from camp. There are no fences here and it was a little unnerving knowing that there were huge predators not far from us. Isaac said sometimes they wander through camp at night, along with elephants and hyaenas. I heard hyaenas and lions calling throughout the night but still managed to sleep well. I was happy to be back in my tent.
The next morning we were all up at 6am for a small breakfast of coffee and cookies. We left on our game drive at 6.30. Giraffes and buffaloes were only a few minutes away from camp. We drove for a while seeing nothing unusual, mostly impala, warthogs, hartebeest, grant's and thomson's gazelle and a few topi. After a while we came across some lions. They were a bit in the distance but easy to see. Then Isaac got some information about something special and we left. I thought it must be something special in order to leave lions! We drove determinedly to the spot. We could see a few vehicles there but we had to take the road, which was a long way around. In contrast to the Maasai Mara in Kenya, drivers in Serengeti don't go offroad. They require a special permit in order to leave the established tracks. This is good for the park to reduce erosion but not good for close up photos. You have to hope something is fairly close to the road.
We got to the spot and at first glance I thought they lions but they turned out to cheetahs! A family of 5, 4 cubs and the mother, though the cubs were almost the same size as mama. They lied around a lot but also walked around and the cubs play fought with each other. They also chased each other using a bit of their speed that can propel them up to 110km/h for short bursts and which will be essential for catching their prey. Cheetahs are fast declining in many parts of Africa. This is partly due to poaching and farmers killing them because they thought they killed their cattle but also due to the natural selection of the cheetah. Cheetahs are large cats but very slender and built for speed. They are not tough and must eat anything they catch quickly because they are often chased away from their kills by lions and hyaenas. Also take in to account that only a small percentage of their chases result in successful kills. It takes a lot of energy to reach their high speeds and an unsuccessful hunt is a substantial loss. There are only about 9000 cheetahs left in Africa with the largest populations in Namibia.
I have never seen cheetahs before and they were high on the top of my 'wishlist' of animals, along with wild dog and black rhino. I was hoping to see a cheetah either here in Serengeti or in Ngorongoro crater but I never expected to see 5 of them. This is better than I could have hoped. We watched them for a while and after they moved away we followed another track that let us get closer to them again. Isaac was never in a rush and we were allowed to watch any animals as long as we wanted. I really liked this. I hate to be rushed on safari.
It was getting late in the morning now and I was starving. We started driving towards camp and then saw a male and female lion together. Males and females only get together for about a week during mating. They were really close to the road, though they were fairly inactive, just lounging about. We left them after a while, only to stop 2 minutes later when we noticed the rest of the family, a female and some cubs on top of a rocky outcrop. We only stopped here for a few minutes because they soon disappeared out of view. Isaac said we would be back at camp around 10.30, we arrived at 11.30. Brunch was waiting for us, pancakes, sausage, fruit and more. We packed up camp and left at 1pm. We had to be out of the park when our 24 hour entry permit expired at 3pm but still leave enough time to stop for anything on the way.
Isaac received more information on something special and we the opposite way of the gate. They were a few vehicles parked on the road but it wasn't apparent what they were looking at. There were only a few big trees around and nothing noticeable on the ground. We stopped and Isaac said there was a leopard in the tree. It was on the first large branch of the tree, lying in a weird position. I could see it with my binoculars and with the digital zoom of my camera. The leopard is the most elusive of the big 5 ( lion, leopard, rhino, elephant,buffalo) to see, so we were very lucky to see one. I had not expected to see a leopard, but of course hoped we would. The Serengeti was proving to be an amazing place, lions, leopard and cheetahs all in the same day. After the leopard we drove towards the gate and made it out of the park with 20 minutes to spare.
We continued on from there through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA), a vast area of 8000sq km. Local Masai people have been grazing their cattle here for hundreds of years. That's why this area is a conservation area instead of a national park. There in no cattle grazing allowed in a national park. The landscape was very flat and featureless.
We took a side detour to Olduvai Gorge, 5km from the main road. Since we entered the NCA, we left the smooth tarmac for a bumpy, dusty road. The Olduvai gorge is one of the cradles of humanity. It was here a few decades ago that the Leakey's discovered some of the oldest and most important human bones, linking our evolutionary past. There was a very informative museum and a viewpoint over the dry and inhospitable gorge. There were many other visitors here, large groups of package tourists.
After we left the gorge, we continued towards Serengeti. We stopped at the main gate which was on a forested hill. It was the only hill around. Serengeti means ' endless plains' and from a viewpoint on top of the hill, it was a very appropriate name. The landscape was flat and treeless as far as I could see. It was hard to imagine that this seemingly barren landscape supported one of the largest populations of wildlife in the world.
As we entered the proper park, the weather turned cooler and it started to rain. We had the roof of the Landcruiser opened but had to close it for the rain. The rain would let up and we would open it again. It kept on like this for the rest of the afternoon, opening and closing the roof. The further on we got into the park the more the landscape slowly changed. Trees started to appear and shrubs. There were zebras, giraffes, wildebeest, thomson's gazelle, grants, gazelle, hartebeest and topi.
Isaac got information of a leopard around with some baboons. We went to the area and saw the baboons, but no leopard. We did see a herd of elephants that were black from the mud. The earth here is all black sand which is very slippery in the rains. Most of the roads have had coarser sand with pebbles added to them for traction but sometimes we would come to a black sand stretch. Once the Landcruiser began sliding sideways, it felt like we were sliding in the snow. Isaac was an experienced driver and would let off the brake and ride it out.
It was raining hard when we saw the first of many lions. The rain makes most animals hide and is not a great time for safari driving. We watched the lions for a few minutes but they were hard to see through the fogged windows. The rain came in if the windows were open too much. We reluctantly headed to our campsite for the night in the heart of Serenget in a place called Seronera. The rain stopped when we got there and we set up our tents. I brought my own tent and saved $20 on the safari price for using my own equipment. It was called a basic camp but had running water and showers and covered eating areas.
After dinner we could hear different groups of lions calling out to each other a few km from camp. There are no fences here and it was a little unnerving knowing that there were huge predators not far from us. Isaac said sometimes they wander through camp at night, along with elephants and hyaenas. I heard hyaenas and lions calling throughout the night but still managed to sleep well. I was happy to be back in my tent.
The next morning we were all up at 6am for a small breakfast of coffee and cookies. We left on our game drive at 6.30. Giraffes and buffaloes were only a few minutes away from camp. We drove for a while seeing nothing unusual, mostly impala, warthogs, hartebeest, grant's and thomson's gazelle and a few topi. After a while we came across some lions. They were a bit in the distance but easy to see. Then Isaac got some information about something special and we left. I thought it must be something special in order to leave lions! We drove determinedly to the spot. We could see a few vehicles there but we had to take the road, which was a long way around. In contrast to the Maasai Mara in Kenya, drivers in Serengeti don't go offroad. They require a special permit in order to leave the established tracks. This is good for the park to reduce erosion but not good for close up photos. You have to hope something is fairly close to the road.
We got to the spot and at first glance I thought they lions but they turned out to cheetahs! A family of 5, 4 cubs and the mother, though the cubs were almost the same size as mama. They lied around a lot but also walked around and the cubs play fought with each other. They also chased each other using a bit of their speed that can propel them up to 110km/h for short bursts and which will be essential for catching their prey. Cheetahs are fast declining in many parts of Africa. This is partly due to poaching and farmers killing them because they thought they killed their cattle but also due to the natural selection of the cheetah. Cheetahs are large cats but very slender and built for speed. They are not tough and must eat anything they catch quickly because they are often chased away from their kills by lions and hyaenas. Also take in to account that only a small percentage of their chases result in successful kills. It takes a lot of energy to reach their high speeds and an unsuccessful hunt is a substantial loss. There are only about 9000 cheetahs left in Africa with the largest populations in Namibia.
I have never seen cheetahs before and they were high on the top of my 'wishlist' of animals, along with wild dog and black rhino. I was hoping to see a cheetah either here in Serengeti or in Ngorongoro crater but I never expected to see 5 of them. This is better than I could have hoped. We watched them for a while and after they moved away we followed another track that let us get closer to them again. Isaac was never in a rush and we were allowed to watch any animals as long as we wanted. I really liked this. I hate to be rushed on safari.
It was getting late in the morning now and I was starving. We started driving towards camp and then saw a male and female lion together. Males and females only get together for about a week during mating. They were really close to the road, though they were fairly inactive, just lounging about. We left them after a while, only to stop 2 minutes later when we noticed the rest of the family, a female and some cubs on top of a rocky outcrop. We only stopped here for a few minutes because they soon disappeared out of view. Isaac said we would be back at camp around 10.30, we arrived at 11.30. Brunch was waiting for us, pancakes, sausage, fruit and more. We packed up camp and left at 1pm. We had to be out of the park when our 24 hour entry permit expired at 3pm but still leave enough time to stop for anything on the way.
Isaac received more information on something special and we the opposite way of the gate. They were a few vehicles parked on the road but it wasn't apparent what they were looking at. There were only a few big trees around and nothing noticeable on the ground. We stopped and Isaac said there was a leopard in the tree. It was on the first large branch of the tree, lying in a weird position. I could see it with my binoculars and with the digital zoom of my camera. The leopard is the most elusive of the big 5 ( lion, leopard, rhino, elephant,buffalo) to see, so we were very lucky to see one. I had not expected to see a leopard, but of course hoped we would. The Serengeti was proving to be an amazing place, lions, leopard and cheetahs all in the same day. After the leopard we drove towards the gate and made it out of the park with 20 minutes to spare.
Lake Manyara National Park
Safari planners was there to pick me up on time at 9 am. We drove to their office to get the rest of the clients. I would be joining a group of 4 Norweigans, 2 couples just a little younger than me. When I walked into the common room there was some obvious tension and anger among the Norweigans. I went into the office alone to pay my balance and asked what was happening. Apparently the Norweigans weren't happy about another person joining them but it was ok now. I sat outside to let things cool down. I met one of the guys and introduced myself as ' The guy you didn't want coming.' He said it was ok now but I think he still didn't like the idea of another joining their group. I met all 4 of them but really only talked to Chris.
After running some last minute errands we finally left Arusha at 10.30. We passed the junction I came from a few days ago and then joined a road to the northern park circuit. This road was only 2 years old and in immaculate shape, not a pothole in it. Along the way we saw some giraffes. We arrived at a small village near the gate of the park. We settled in a Fig Resort for lunch and for our room for the night. It was a nice self contained room with fan. After lunch we left for the park.
It was only a 10 minute drive to the gate of the park. Tanzania's national parks use a credit card like system for payment instead of cash. Isaac was having a problem with his card and the system and this delayed us for almost an hour. While we waited a large, fearless baboon entered our Landcruiser in search of food ( while we weren't in it) but found nothing.
We finally entered the park at 3.30. I didn't care if I visited Lake Manyara or not and wanted to spend most of my time and money in Serengeti and Ngorongoro but since Lake Manyara is on the way to these parks, it's always included on the itinerary. Lake Manyara is small at 330sq km and 230 of this is taken up by the salty lake. The park lies at the foothills of the cliffs of the rift valley and has some lerai forest and open grasslands. We saw plenty of baboons along with a few blue monkeys and vervet monkeys in the forest. In the grasslands were zebras, giraffes, thomson's gazelle and buffalo but these were all in the distance. Upon entering the forest again we came close to a herd of a dozen elephants. There were elephants of all ages and they were feeding on both sides of the road. One of them came very close to us, they were not aggressive at all. On the way out of the park, we came across more elephants and had more close encounters. Lake Manyara was proving to be better than I expected and I was glad we came here.
We left the park around 6.45pm and headed back to Fig Resort. Since we were delayed when we wanted to enter the park, Isaac gave us the option of coming back to the park the following morning at 6am for a 2 hour game drive before breakfast. I could go either way on the matter so I let the Norwiegans decide. They choose not to come back to the park, which was fine for me. It meant I could sleep in till 7.30.
After running some last minute errands we finally left Arusha at 10.30. We passed the junction I came from a few days ago and then joined a road to the northern park circuit. This road was only 2 years old and in immaculate shape, not a pothole in it. Along the way we saw some giraffes. We arrived at a small village near the gate of the park. We settled in a Fig Resort for lunch and for our room for the night. It was a nice self contained room with fan. After lunch we left for the park.
It was only a 10 minute drive to the gate of the park. Tanzania's national parks use a credit card like system for payment instead of cash. Isaac was having a problem with his card and the system and this delayed us for almost an hour. While we waited a large, fearless baboon entered our Landcruiser in search of food ( while we weren't in it) but found nothing.
We finally entered the park at 3.30. I didn't care if I visited Lake Manyara or not and wanted to spend most of my time and money in Serengeti and Ngorongoro but since Lake Manyara is on the way to these parks, it's always included on the itinerary. Lake Manyara is small at 330sq km and 230 of this is taken up by the salty lake. The park lies at the foothills of the cliffs of the rift valley and has some lerai forest and open grasslands. We saw plenty of baboons along with a few blue monkeys and vervet monkeys in the forest. In the grasslands were zebras, giraffes, thomson's gazelle and buffalo but these were all in the distance. Upon entering the forest again we came close to a herd of a dozen elephants. There were elephants of all ages and they were feeding on both sides of the road. One of them came very close to us, they were not aggressive at all. On the way out of the park, we came across more elephants and had more close encounters. Lake Manyara was proving to be better than I expected and I was glad we came here.
We left the park around 6.45pm and headed back to Fig Resort. Since we were delayed when we wanted to enter the park, Isaac gave us the option of coming back to the park the following morning at 6am for a 2 hour game drive before breakfast. I could go either way on the matter so I let the Norwiegans decide. They choose not to come back to the park, which was fine for me. It meant I could sleep in till 7.30.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Tanzania
I got up at 5.30am monday morning in Kigali to get the bus to the Tanzanian border. I have a lot of travelling to do in the next 2 days to get to Arusha, so I wanted to get started early. I litterally got the last seat on the bus. It was a small foldout chair in the asile right near the door. My large pack was on the floor in front of the door which was really annoying because anytime someone got on or off the bus, I would have to pick up my pack, which isn't that light. Thankfully we didn't stop that much. The road was good all the way there and in 3 hours we were at the border. It was 9.30am Rwandan time but as I crossed the border, it was 10.30am Tanzanian time. I had no problem crossing the border and after eating 4 chapatis for breakfast, I was in a minivan heading for Kahama.
The road to Kahama was pretty good, better than I expected. The landscape was mostly scrubland and some trees but became drier the further I got from Rwanda. I arrived in Kahama at 4pm and wanted to keep travelling so I would have less distance to cover tomorrow but there was no bus leaving to Singida now, it was too late in the afternoon. I would have to overnight in Kahama. Kahama is a small, dusty town that doesn't even get a mention in my guidebook. The bus passed a few hotels on the way to the station and I checked into a very nice room. It was self contained, hot water and TV. I ate at the hotel and had my first Kilimanjaro beer. I went to bed early because I had another long day ahead of me.
I got up again at 5.30am and by 6 was in a minivan heading for Tende. I was on my way to Arusha but had to switch to a large bus at the Tende junction. We reached the junction before 8 but had to wait till 8.15 for the bus coming from Mwanza. I met a local guy, Titus, and sat beside him. He helped me get the real price for my ticket and not the Mzungu price and saved me $4. The bus was ok, it wasn't crowded but it was a piece of shit. We had to stop to fix a flat tire and then numerous other times for small repairs of what, I'm not sure. We reached Singida at noon and stopped here for lunch. After that we left the tarmac for a horrible dusty and bumpy road. The landscape was very dry and clouds of dust would enter the bus anytime traffice passed us in the opposite direction. There wasn't much of anything along the way. A few small towns and that's it. Like yesterday, we just passed a lot of uninhabitated open space. Tanzania is vast and spread out, such a contrast to Rwanda where every piece of land is cultivated.
Night fell and I still wasn't in Arusha. We finally arrived at 9pm. It had been 15 hours since I started travelling, my longest travel day on this trip by far. I was so glad to arrive. I took a taxi to a hotel. There were no bodas here. I didn't think the room price was fair so I looked at a few other places and found a room at Minje's for $6.50, without bathroom but it was clean and quiet. I ate at the African Queen, chips and chicken washed down with a tasty and light Kilimanjaro, a 500ml bottle costs $1.20.
Safari shopping
I was out of my hotel by 7.45am. I only had limited time and wanted to get on safari as soon as I could. Dominic, a local guy/tout who I met last night, was outside waiting for me. Without asking he took me around to a bunch of tour operators. It is low season now and difficult to find a group to join. I had 4 to 5 days to do a safari and my ideal safari was 2 nights in Ngorongoro crater and 2 nights in Serengeti but it looked like this wasn't going to happen. There are standard safari circuits and since I'm only one person, I would have to join group doing one of these. Once I found out the price of a 5 day safari, it was clear I would only have enough to do a 4 day safari. The typical 4 day safari was the first day in Lake Manyara national park, sleep in a room in a small village near the park, second day drive to Serengeti, passing through the crater, camp in Serengeti. The third day was game drive Serengeti in morning and then drive to Ngorongoro crater, camp on rim of the crater and the last day was a game drive in the crater before returning to Arusha in the evening. I talked to numerous operators and they all had the same itenirary. It was just a matter of finding one who was going soon.
While looking around, I met Darco, a Serb, who was also looking for a tour, but only 2 days. He was having trouble and joined Dominic and I. I was exhausted by walking around and looking so much, so I left Dominic and Darco and took a siesta. Dominic would keep an ear out for my safari while he looked with Dominic. He came back in the afternoon and had a promising tour. I went with him to Annex hotel whose in house safari company, Safari Planners, had a group of 4 people leaving the next day for a 4 day tour. I could join them and the price was the average price. I was still sceptical, so I only paid for half the tour and would pay for the rest tomorrow morning. Safari Planners would be picking me up from my hotel at 9am. I went out for breakfast at the African Queen and was ready and waiting.
The road to Kahama was pretty good, better than I expected. The landscape was mostly scrubland and some trees but became drier the further I got from Rwanda. I arrived in Kahama at 4pm and wanted to keep travelling so I would have less distance to cover tomorrow but there was no bus leaving to Singida now, it was too late in the afternoon. I would have to overnight in Kahama. Kahama is a small, dusty town that doesn't even get a mention in my guidebook. The bus passed a few hotels on the way to the station and I checked into a very nice room. It was self contained, hot water and TV. I ate at the hotel and had my first Kilimanjaro beer. I went to bed early because I had another long day ahead of me.
I got up again at 5.30am and by 6 was in a minivan heading for Tende. I was on my way to Arusha but had to switch to a large bus at the Tende junction. We reached the junction before 8 but had to wait till 8.15 for the bus coming from Mwanza. I met a local guy, Titus, and sat beside him. He helped me get the real price for my ticket and not the Mzungu price and saved me $4. The bus was ok, it wasn't crowded but it was a piece of shit. We had to stop to fix a flat tire and then numerous other times for small repairs of what, I'm not sure. We reached Singida at noon and stopped here for lunch. After that we left the tarmac for a horrible dusty and bumpy road. The landscape was very dry and clouds of dust would enter the bus anytime traffice passed us in the opposite direction. There wasn't much of anything along the way. A few small towns and that's it. Like yesterday, we just passed a lot of uninhabitated open space. Tanzania is vast and spread out, such a contrast to Rwanda where every piece of land is cultivated.
Night fell and I still wasn't in Arusha. We finally arrived at 9pm. It had been 15 hours since I started travelling, my longest travel day on this trip by far. I was so glad to arrive. I took a taxi to a hotel. There were no bodas here. I didn't think the room price was fair so I looked at a few other places and found a room at Minje's for $6.50, without bathroom but it was clean and quiet. I ate at the African Queen, chips and chicken washed down with a tasty and light Kilimanjaro, a 500ml bottle costs $1.20.
Safari shopping
I was out of my hotel by 7.45am. I only had limited time and wanted to get on safari as soon as I could. Dominic, a local guy/tout who I met last night, was outside waiting for me. Without asking he took me around to a bunch of tour operators. It is low season now and difficult to find a group to join. I had 4 to 5 days to do a safari and my ideal safari was 2 nights in Ngorongoro crater and 2 nights in Serengeti but it looked like this wasn't going to happen. There are standard safari circuits and since I'm only one person, I would have to join group doing one of these. Once I found out the price of a 5 day safari, it was clear I would only have enough to do a 4 day safari. The typical 4 day safari was the first day in Lake Manyara national park, sleep in a room in a small village near the park, second day drive to Serengeti, passing through the crater, camp in Serengeti. The third day was game drive Serengeti in morning and then drive to Ngorongoro crater, camp on rim of the crater and the last day was a game drive in the crater before returning to Arusha in the evening. I talked to numerous operators and they all had the same itenirary. It was just a matter of finding one who was going soon.
While looking around, I met Darco, a Serb, who was also looking for a tour, but only 2 days. He was having trouble and joined Dominic and I. I was exhausted by walking around and looking so much, so I left Dominic and Darco and took a siesta. Dominic would keep an ear out for my safari while he looked with Dominic. He came back in the afternoon and had a promising tour. I went with him to Annex hotel whose in house safari company, Safari Planners, had a group of 4 people leaving the next day for a 4 day tour. I could join them and the price was the average price. I was still sceptical, so I only paid for half the tour and would pay for the rest tomorrow morning. Safari Planners would be picking me up from my hotel at 9am. I went out for breakfast at the African Queen and was ready and waiting.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Kigali - Rwanda
After lunch, I checked out of the Auberge do Gisenyi and went to catch my 1.30pm bus. I went with Virunga Ponctel, a company that is a bit more expensive but their medium sized buses are very comfortable and they don't stop much. I had 2 seats to myself for a while and my large backpack on was the floor under a neat near me so I could keep an eye on it. I was on my way to Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda and my last stop before going to Tanzania. The road to Kigali backtracked to Ruhengeri and rained most of the way. In Ruhengeri we picked up more passengers and they bus was now full but not cramped. 2 hours from Ruhengeri and we reached Kigali. As side from a few potholes, the road was in great condition and there were never ending views of clouds and culitvated hills.
There was a bit of traffic as we entered Kigali but it tapered off as I got further away from the bus station. I took a motor taxi to the Gloria hotel, even though it wasn't far, I didn't feel like walking the hilly streets with all my stuff. Before going getting a room at Gloria I checked out 2 local dives for a really cheap room. They both offered tiny, dank, windowless cells with smelly shared facilities for about $8. I thought I would check out the better Gloria after seeing what was on offer for cheapest of the cheap. The room at Gloria was slightly larger, on the second floor with 2 big windows and an attatched bath. The guy was asking too much for them but I asked for a discount and got the room for just over $10. It wasn't even worth that but I wasn't going to find anything else decent for this price. The place had been neglected for a while, there was no longer running water and the light in the bathroom didn't work, but it would do for 2 nights and was in the center of the city.
I took a cold bucket shower and headed out to find food. I treated myself to channa masala, rice and a large Mutzig beer at the Ice and Spice restuarant. It was a tasty meal, though expensive. I was supposedly in the center of town but was surprised at how calm it was. Hardly any traffic and people walking the streets. Maybe it's just because it was the evening, I thought.
I just relaxed in my room for the evening.
Sunday morning I woke up at 8.30am and had to search while for a place to find breakfast. After breakfast I went to check the city's best bookshop and then some places for souvenirs. The bookshop was open and I didn't buy anything but wrote down a few titles to look for later. This being sunday, all the souvenir shops were closed as was mostly everything else. I walked up and down the streets of the center. Kigali is the least busiest of any capital city I've ever seen. I liked it. No traffic, no pollution, no crowds and hardly any litter on the streets. I went by the famous Hotel Des Milles Collines, the real Hotel Rwanda, though most of the movie was filmed in South Africa.
In the afternoon I went to the Kigali Memorial Center, dedicated to the Rwandan genocide and genocide around the world. It was a sad but informative place. It started with all about the Rwandan genocide and then genocides around the world and ended with life size photos of massacred children and their favourite food and toys. Very depressing stuff but everyone should see it so nothing like this happens again. Anyone unfamiliar with the genocide should at least watch Hotel Rwanda and Shake Hands With The Devil to get an idea of the madness that unfolded there for 100 days in 1994.
I didn't do much the rest of the afternoon since nothing was open. I liked just walking around the city. Tomorrow I have to begin the long journey to Arusha, Tanzania. From there I'm going to arrange a safari. After that I go back to Nairobi and come home in 10 days.
There was a bit of traffic as we entered Kigali but it tapered off as I got further away from the bus station. I took a motor taxi to the Gloria hotel, even though it wasn't far, I didn't feel like walking the hilly streets with all my stuff. Before going getting a room at Gloria I checked out 2 local dives for a really cheap room. They both offered tiny, dank, windowless cells with smelly shared facilities for about $8. I thought I would check out the better Gloria after seeing what was on offer for cheapest of the cheap. The room at Gloria was slightly larger, on the second floor with 2 big windows and an attatched bath. The guy was asking too much for them but I asked for a discount and got the room for just over $10. It wasn't even worth that but I wasn't going to find anything else decent for this price. The place had been neglected for a while, there was no longer running water and the light in the bathroom didn't work, but it would do for 2 nights and was in the center of the city.
I took a cold bucket shower and headed out to find food. I treated myself to channa masala, rice and a large Mutzig beer at the Ice and Spice restuarant. It was a tasty meal, though expensive. I was supposedly in the center of town but was surprised at how calm it was. Hardly any traffic and people walking the streets. Maybe it's just because it was the evening, I thought.
I just relaxed in my room for the evening.
Sunday morning I woke up at 8.30am and had to search while for a place to find breakfast. After breakfast I went to check the city's best bookshop and then some places for souvenirs. The bookshop was open and I didn't buy anything but wrote down a few titles to look for later. This being sunday, all the souvenir shops were closed as was mostly everything else. I walked up and down the streets of the center. Kigali is the least busiest of any capital city I've ever seen. I liked it. No traffic, no pollution, no crowds and hardly any litter on the streets. I went by the famous Hotel Des Milles Collines, the real Hotel Rwanda, though most of the movie was filmed in South Africa.
In the afternoon I went to the Kigali Memorial Center, dedicated to the Rwandan genocide and genocide around the world. It was a sad but informative place. It started with all about the Rwandan genocide and then genocides around the world and ended with life size photos of massacred children and their favourite food and toys. Very depressing stuff but everyone should see it so nothing like this happens again. Anyone unfamiliar with the genocide should at least watch Hotel Rwanda and Shake Hands With The Devil to get an idea of the madness that unfolded there for 100 days in 1994.
I didn't do much the rest of the afternoon since nothing was open. I liked just walking around the city. Tomorrow I have to begin the long journey to Arusha, Tanzania. From there I'm going to arrange a safari. After that I go back to Nairobi and come home in 10 days.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Goma Day 2 - DR Congo
I got up at 8am just as everyone was leaving for work. Even though no one knew me here and were just going by Koenraad's word, they let me stay in their house no problem. There was a security guard, a cleaning woman and the caretaker also there. Marie said I could ask Poppa for breakfast. He made me a delicious cup of brewed Kenyan coffee and a bowl of fruit salad. I hung around the balcony for a while and read. At 10am I decided it was time to go into the city and check out Goma.
I took a motorcycle taxi into town. The traffic and people on the road was a bit crazy. I got dropped off past the city centre but then walked back to it. Everywhere there was signs of the volcanic eruption in 2002. Grey dust, volcanic rocks of all sizes and buildings and walls made out of the stones. Add this to the bewildering array of aid agencies and the bustling local population and it made for a very interesting city. I wanted just to check out Goma but was also looking for a souvenir stand, where I could buy something Congolese. Masks and carvings from the Congo are found all over Africa but I was having trouble finding them here in the Congo. I guess they don't get many tourists here and their stuff sells better outside the country. I finally found a stall near the huge main purply pink painted roundabout in the centre of town. There were many masks and carvings. I asked the price of one small mask and it was $45US! Woah, that's a lot. I left the stall to look for others but found nothing and ended up coming back to this place.
Walking around Goma had a wierd feeling, like I wasn't supposed to be there unless I was trying to help. I only saw one other woman walking around and later saw 3 whites who looked like backpackers and not aid workers. I met them later in Rwanda and they were there just for the day to check the place out. I also got a different feeling when people stared at me. In other African countries I felt like people were staring at me just because there is another white person, let's stare at him. But here I felt like people looked at me and thought ' Holy shit, there IS a white person, let's watch him' I was definetely more of a novelty here. Goma pulsed with a raw energy that was untainted by toursim but scarred by decades of war and unstability. As I drank a slightly acoholic passionfruit/ginger bevarage on the patio of a restaurant, I watched the world of Goma pass by. Almost every vehicle was UN, or police, or military or an aid organization. I had never seen anything like it. I enjoyed my drink with Joseph, a local from the town of Bukavu on the other side of lake Kivu. He spoke Kiswahili, English and French and thought he would have a better chance of getting a job here than in Bukavu but had no luck so far. I met Joseph at the souvenir stalll. He helped me a bit with interpretting from buyer to seller.
I eyed a mask I really liked at the stall. It was again $45US like the other smaller mask I looked at earlier. The owners of the stall said that they were antiques. I asked if they had anything that wasn't an antique.....no , they said. I was only prepared to spend $10US on the mask because I knew I would see more Congolese stuff in Kenya before I left for possibly a better price. The guy asked me my price and I said $10. He lowered his price a little and then asked me my final price. I said I already told him. I wasn't budging. There was no bargaining on my part, I had my price and that was it. He eventually came down to my price and I got the mask for $10. I had other sellers approach me other things. One had a 3 set carving out of lava rock of the ' see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil mantra' with gorillas in the appropriate gestures. He wanted $50. I said $15 and again, wasn't budging. He eventually came to my price. This was the easy bargaining I've ever done. I met Joseph here and after I was done buying invited him to join me at the restuarant for a soda. We hung out here for a while. After I was happy with my experience of Goma city centre, I took a motorcycle taxi back to the house.
I relaxed here and waited for someone to come home. They worked late and went out for a drink but had no way to contact me to let me know. They came home at 11.30pm and went right to bed and so did I.
I was happy with my 2 days in Goma and my introduction to the DR Congo. It is definetely a country I want to come back to and explore properly in the future but for now I had to get going back to Rwanda. After breakfast I took a moto back to the border. It was again an easy crossing and before I knew it I was back at Auberge de Gisenyi in my old #3 room.
I didn't tell anyone back home I would be coming to DR Congo because I didn't want to worry anyone and wasn't sure if I was going to visit it or not. I did hint at it though when I showed my parents the Bradt guidebook to Congo and DR Congo, which just came out in November and was the first guidebook to the region. Even if I didn't go, I still enjoy reading about Congo. I urge anyone who is interested in Congo to read the books - Blood River, Facing the Congo and East Along the Equator, all interesting books with lots of recent and historical facts about Congo.
I took a motorcycle taxi into town. The traffic and people on the road was a bit crazy. I got dropped off past the city centre but then walked back to it. Everywhere there was signs of the volcanic eruption in 2002. Grey dust, volcanic rocks of all sizes and buildings and walls made out of the stones. Add this to the bewildering array of aid agencies and the bustling local population and it made for a very interesting city. I wanted just to check out Goma but was also looking for a souvenir stand, where I could buy something Congolese. Masks and carvings from the Congo are found all over Africa but I was having trouble finding them here in the Congo. I guess they don't get many tourists here and their stuff sells better outside the country. I finally found a stall near the huge main purply pink painted roundabout in the centre of town. There were many masks and carvings. I asked the price of one small mask and it was $45US! Woah, that's a lot. I left the stall to look for others but found nothing and ended up coming back to this place.
Walking around Goma had a wierd feeling, like I wasn't supposed to be there unless I was trying to help. I only saw one other woman walking around and later saw 3 whites who looked like backpackers and not aid workers. I met them later in Rwanda and they were there just for the day to check the place out. I also got a different feeling when people stared at me. In other African countries I felt like people were staring at me just because there is another white person, let's stare at him. But here I felt like people looked at me and thought ' Holy shit, there IS a white person, let's watch him' I was definetely more of a novelty here. Goma pulsed with a raw energy that was untainted by toursim but scarred by decades of war and unstability. As I drank a slightly acoholic passionfruit/ginger bevarage on the patio of a restaurant, I watched the world of Goma pass by. Almost every vehicle was UN, or police, or military or an aid organization. I had never seen anything like it. I enjoyed my drink with Joseph, a local from the town of Bukavu on the other side of lake Kivu. He spoke Kiswahili, English and French and thought he would have a better chance of getting a job here than in Bukavu but had no luck so far. I met Joseph at the souvenir stalll. He helped me a bit with interpretting from buyer to seller.
I eyed a mask I really liked at the stall. It was again $45US like the other smaller mask I looked at earlier. The owners of the stall said that they were antiques. I asked if they had anything that wasn't an antique.....no , they said. I was only prepared to spend $10US on the mask because I knew I would see more Congolese stuff in Kenya before I left for possibly a better price. The guy asked me my price and I said $10. He lowered his price a little and then asked me my final price. I said I already told him. I wasn't budging. There was no bargaining on my part, I had my price and that was it. He eventually came down to my price and I got the mask for $10. I had other sellers approach me other things. One had a 3 set carving out of lava rock of the ' see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil mantra' with gorillas in the appropriate gestures. He wanted $50. I said $15 and again, wasn't budging. He eventually came to my price. This was the easy bargaining I've ever done. I met Joseph here and after I was done buying invited him to join me at the restuarant for a soda. We hung out here for a while. After I was happy with my experience of Goma city centre, I took a motorcycle taxi back to the house.
I relaxed here and waited for someone to come home. They worked late and went out for a drink but had no way to contact me to let me know. They came home at 11.30pm and went right to bed and so did I.
I was happy with my 2 days in Goma and my introduction to the DR Congo. It is definetely a country I want to come back to and explore properly in the future but for now I had to get going back to Rwanda. After breakfast I took a moto back to the border. It was again an easy crossing and before I knew it I was back at Auberge de Gisenyi in my old #3 room.
I didn't tell anyone back home I would be coming to DR Congo because I didn't want to worry anyone and wasn't sure if I was going to visit it or not. I did hint at it though when I showed my parents the Bradt guidebook to Congo and DR Congo, which just came out in November and was the first guidebook to the region. Even if I didn't go, I still enjoy reading about Congo. I urge anyone who is interested in Congo to read the books - Blood River, Facing the Congo and East Along the Equator, all interesting books with lots of recent and historical facts about Congo.
Goma - Democratic Republic of Congo
I arrived at the border which was very low key and again without hassle. It wasn't busy at all. I waited in line behind a few others but was waved inside the office by an official. I handed him my passport. I asked if he spoke English ( in French), he said no but did end up speaking a few words here and there. He only asked me a few questions like if I would be working and how long I would be staying. I stressed that I was only a tourist and since the visa on offer at borders is only valid for 8 days, I wouldn't being staying longer than that. Visas of longer duration are available at DR Congo embassies but since I was nearing the end of my trip and was unsure how safe the rest of DR Congo was, the 8 day visa was enough for me.
I have wanted to visit the Congo for a long time and there were many things I wanted to do such as visit gorillas, climb volcanoes and explore remote parks home to endemic animals like the okapi and bonobo but for now I would have to settle for a few days in Goma. Niyragongo volcano loomed over Goma and is one of 2 active volcanoes in the Virunga range. The volcano blew its top most recently in 2002 and slowing covered Goma in lava. There were few casaulties because the lava moved slow enough for the town to be evacuated. This left the city centre looking like a moonscape and a modern day Pompeii ( to quote the guidebook) and this is what I wanted to see.
After crossing the border I walked to the Ihusi hotel, a fancy and expensive hotel popular with UN and aid workers. Koenraad told me to come here to call Enrique, his contact in Goma. His other friend Marie, was away on a mission. I called Enrique and he said he was busy for a while and could come in the evening. I told him I didn't have a room here and would just be waiting for him. He said he would come pick me up soon. I had the most expensive bottle of coke while I waited for him. He came in a half an hour. Enrique was a little older than me and was from Italy. He had only been in Goma for 2 weeks but had worked for the UN in Burundi before. He didn't know Koenraad personally but his fellow coworker and roommate Marie did but like I said she was away on a mission which left today. Enrique didn't know me either but was kind enough to take time out and pick me up and bring me to their house. We drove through the centre of Goma and a few minutes later were at his rented house. Their house was on a beautful stretch of lakefront land along with lots of other very nice houses rented out mostly by foreign aid agencies. He rented the house with 5 others and they just moved in 2 weeks ago. He had to go back to work and dropped me at the house, showed me around and then left. He or someone else would be back in the evening.
I was supposed to be staying in Marie's room but while I relaxed on the second story balcony, she called the caretake, Poppa and he in turn handed the phone to me. Marie was from Belgium and spoke excellent English. She said her mission was cancelled due to an unforeseen security threat and she would be coming home this evening and would really like to sleep in her own bed. This was no problem for me. I'll sleep anywhere. She said she would bring home a mattress and make me comfortable in the living room. This was totally fine for me. I was just glad that she was letting me stay at her house.
I walked down the street and ate a hamburger and fries at La Chalet restaurant. It was a fancy place and a little out of my price range but the only place close by. I also went to check out the supermarket nearby, the Goshop. The US dollar is king in Congo and all the prices were in this. This was much more than a supermarket though. It also sold generators, electronics, camping equipment, booze, health care products and more. It was expensive and I didn't buy anything. I went back to the house to relax and wait for someone to come home. Marie and Jerome came home around 8.30pm. We ate some of their canned food that was for their cancelled mission and then some cooked food of rice and beef. It was all good. Marie explained that their mission was cancelled because the area was more dangerous than they thought and they needed to establish a base there instead of just visiting the place. She was a human rights officer and had a very interesting job and met a lot of dangerous people. After a beer and chatting for a while we all went to bed. My bed was a comfortable foam mattress on the floor of the quiet living room.
I have wanted to visit the Congo for a long time and there were many things I wanted to do such as visit gorillas, climb volcanoes and explore remote parks home to endemic animals like the okapi and bonobo but for now I would have to settle for a few days in Goma. Niyragongo volcano loomed over Goma and is one of 2 active volcanoes in the Virunga range. The volcano blew its top most recently in 2002 and slowing covered Goma in lava. There were few casaulties because the lava moved slow enough for the town to be evacuated. This left the city centre looking like a moonscape and a modern day Pompeii ( to quote the guidebook) and this is what I wanted to see.
After crossing the border I walked to the Ihusi hotel, a fancy and expensive hotel popular with UN and aid workers. Koenraad told me to come here to call Enrique, his contact in Goma. His other friend Marie, was away on a mission. I called Enrique and he said he was busy for a while and could come in the evening. I told him I didn't have a room here and would just be waiting for him. He said he would come pick me up soon. I had the most expensive bottle of coke while I waited for him. He came in a half an hour. Enrique was a little older than me and was from Italy. He had only been in Goma for 2 weeks but had worked for the UN in Burundi before. He didn't know Koenraad personally but his fellow coworker and roommate Marie did but like I said she was away on a mission which left today. Enrique didn't know me either but was kind enough to take time out and pick me up and bring me to their house. We drove through the centre of Goma and a few minutes later were at his rented house. Their house was on a beautful stretch of lakefront land along with lots of other very nice houses rented out mostly by foreign aid agencies. He rented the house with 5 others and they just moved in 2 weeks ago. He had to go back to work and dropped me at the house, showed me around and then left. He or someone else would be back in the evening.
I was supposed to be staying in Marie's room but while I relaxed on the second story balcony, she called the caretake, Poppa and he in turn handed the phone to me. Marie was from Belgium and spoke excellent English. She said her mission was cancelled due to an unforeseen security threat and she would be coming home this evening and would really like to sleep in her own bed. This was no problem for me. I'll sleep anywhere. She said she would bring home a mattress and make me comfortable in the living room. This was totally fine for me. I was just glad that she was letting me stay at her house.
I walked down the street and ate a hamburger and fries at La Chalet restaurant. It was a fancy place and a little out of my price range but the only place close by. I also went to check out the supermarket nearby, the Goshop. The US dollar is king in Congo and all the prices were in this. This was much more than a supermarket though. It also sold generators, electronics, camping equipment, booze, health care products and more. It was expensive and I didn't buy anything. I went back to the house to relax and wait for someone to come home. Marie and Jerome came home around 8.30pm. We ate some of their canned food that was for their cancelled mission and then some cooked food of rice and beef. It was all good. Marie explained that their mission was cancelled because the area was more dangerous than they thought and they needed to establish a base there instead of just visiting the place. She was a human rights officer and had a very interesting job and met a lot of dangerous people. After a beer and chatting for a while we all went to bed. My bed was a comfortable foam mattress on the floor of the quiet living room.
Rwanda - Ruhengeri and Gisenyi
I left the Ian Point Motel around 1pm. I wanted to leave earlier and do a few more things in town while everything was open, but it was raining till almost noon. I took a boda boda to the border, 10km away. Public transport was infrequent and I didn't feel like waiting around. The road to the border was untarred and it terrible condition in some parts. It took almost 30 minutes to reach. Along the way kids waved at me and I tried to wave back without falling off the bike. I had to keep one hand on the bike to hold myself on while wearing my large pack.
The border was very low key and hassle free. A few money changers approached me and I changed what little I had left of Ugandan shillings into Rwandan francs. I had bought a large quantity of francs that Tom and Rich had leftover. I entered the immigration building of Uganda. It was a small office with 2 desks and a guy sitting at each desk, with country music playing softly. It the first time I had country music in Uganda and although I don't like country music, it was refreshing to hear and very listenable. I commented on it to the officers and then said the singers wore a hat like mine. No, I don't wear a cowboy hat but I can see the resemblence my tilley bears to it. I had stayed in Uganda for 89 days, but my visa said 60 days. I handed the guy my passport and in a few minutes he handed it back without question and said I was free to go. Sweet! I walked around a gate blocking the non existent traffic and headed to Rwandan immigration. I filled out the entry card and within minuted had my passport stamped with no problems or questions. Since I wasn't staying long in Rwanda, I didn't care how much time my visa allowed.
Ruhengeri
I took a minivan for 45 minutes to the town of Ruhengeri, now called Musanze but still commonly referred to by its original name. Ruhengeri is the base town for visiting Volcanoes national park which contained 2 virunga volcanoes I wanted to climb, Bisoke and Karisimbi. I went to the ORTPN office which is in control of the national parks. It would cost $75US for a day climb of Bisoke and $150US for a 2 day climb of Karisimbi. Although this was more expensive than the climbing in Uganda, I thought I would splurge to do anyway but I was only prepared to pay so much. I got a shock when I asked about how to get to the park. From town it was about 10km and then from there another 10km or so to the trailhead. It would be difficult to hire a motorcycle taxi to do this and and carry my guide and I. I could hitch with fellow hikers but I didn't know anyone or when anyone would be going. I didn't have a lot of time to hang around to wait for a ride that might not come. My only other option was to hire a vehicle for the day which would cost $80US! I thought this was way too much and as much as I wanted to climb the volcanoes, I couldn't justify this extra expensive. It would cost $155US for a day climb of Bisoke and this wasn't including my food or accomodation. I was pissed that there was no budget option of getting to the park. I was saving the rest of my 'big' money for a safari in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro crater in Tanzania and didn't want to spend a lot of cash on a volcano day hike.
There was nothing else I wanted to do around Ruhengeri, so I left the next day for Gisenyi. I was angry I couldn't climb the volcanoes but I guess this gives me a reason to come back some day now that I know the costs. This disappointment didn't give me a good impression of Rwanda which I already thought was not good value for food and accomodation.
Gisenyi
Gisenyi is Rwanda's resort beach town for rich locals and expats. It sits on the shore of Lake Kivu on which DR Congo sits on the other side. It was only 2 hours from Ruhengeri and the road was in excellent condition. The landscape along the way was very hilly. All the hills had been cultivated extensively and the only trees I saw were the non native eucalyptus. Most of the natural forest left in Rwanda lies in its 3 national parks. I took a room at the Auberge de Gisenyi for 6000 Rfrs ( $11US). It was a nice enough self contained room but the same in most parts of Uganda would cost much less. The Auberge also had a restuarant with a popular buffet. I had also seen this in Ruhengeri and led me to believe buffets are quite popular in Rwanda. But they are not the stuff-yourself-till-you-can't-eat-anymore affairs they are back home. These buffets have strict rules. You are only allowed one plate, which I saw some people so high, I thought they would charge a fee if you wanted to climb their mountain of food. Vegetarian buffets are the cheapest option but if you wanted to add meat or fish the price went up accordingly. In the end though I came to realize the buffets weren't so bad value afterall. For instance, I would load up my plate with chips, veggies and salad and add a piece of fish and a beer and it would cost about $5US. The popular beer here is the locally brewed Primus beer. I thought the 500ml bottles of Nile beer in Uganda were big but here Primus comes in a thrist quenching 750ml bottle! I have seen it on some menus for just over a dollar US, which makes the beer very cheap.
I had come to Gisenyi with the hope of going to Goma, DR Congo, just a few minutes away over the border. Koenraad, a Belgian I met while on safari months ago in Murchison Falls, has been working in DR Congo for 8 years and told me to contact him if I wanted to go to Goma. He knows people everywhere. The time had come and I decided to take him up on his offer. I emailed him when I arrived and waited for his reply.
My first evening in Gisenyi I thought I would go to the Palm Beach hotel for a beer and a meal on the beach. I started to walk there but got a little disoriented with the roads. I stopped a moto driver and asked him about Palm Beach. He said it was open. Ok, that sounds good, but what he really meant was that it was closed. Besides local language, French and English are the main languages here. Most younger people can speak both with most older people only know French. This moto driver was still confusing the languages but he realized his mistake and told me correctly that the hotel was closed. He suggested I eat at the Auberge where I was staying! I walked back to the Augerge and had the buffet. So much for trying to eat somewhere else.
Gisenyi is at a slightly lower altitude and I didn't have to wear a longsleeve in the evenings. A warm breeze blew, which I really appreciated after being in slightly chilly places for the last few weeks.
After my breakfast my second day in Gisenyi, I went to the internet cafe hoping for a message from Koenraad. I had only one unopened email and it was from him. He said that he had arranged accomodation for me in Goma and that a friend of his was waiting for my call. This was the news I was waiting and hoping for. I went back to my hotel and checked out but left my large pack behind. I had only planned to stay a few days in Goma and wouldn't need to haul my large backpack. I got on a motorcycle taxi and headed towards the border, 5km away.
The border was very low key and hassle free. A few money changers approached me and I changed what little I had left of Ugandan shillings into Rwandan francs. I had bought a large quantity of francs that Tom and Rich had leftover. I entered the immigration building of Uganda. It was a small office with 2 desks and a guy sitting at each desk, with country music playing softly. It the first time I had country music in Uganda and although I don't like country music, it was refreshing to hear and very listenable. I commented on it to the officers and then said the singers wore a hat like mine. No, I don't wear a cowboy hat but I can see the resemblence my tilley bears to it. I had stayed in Uganda for 89 days, but my visa said 60 days. I handed the guy my passport and in a few minutes he handed it back without question and said I was free to go. Sweet! I walked around a gate blocking the non existent traffic and headed to Rwandan immigration. I filled out the entry card and within minuted had my passport stamped with no problems or questions. Since I wasn't staying long in Rwanda, I didn't care how much time my visa allowed.
Ruhengeri
I took a minivan for 45 minutes to the town of Ruhengeri, now called Musanze but still commonly referred to by its original name. Ruhengeri is the base town for visiting Volcanoes national park which contained 2 virunga volcanoes I wanted to climb, Bisoke and Karisimbi. I went to the ORTPN office which is in control of the national parks. It would cost $75US for a day climb of Bisoke and $150US for a 2 day climb of Karisimbi. Although this was more expensive than the climbing in Uganda, I thought I would splurge to do anyway but I was only prepared to pay so much. I got a shock when I asked about how to get to the park. From town it was about 10km and then from there another 10km or so to the trailhead. It would be difficult to hire a motorcycle taxi to do this and and carry my guide and I. I could hitch with fellow hikers but I didn't know anyone or when anyone would be going. I didn't have a lot of time to hang around to wait for a ride that might not come. My only other option was to hire a vehicle for the day which would cost $80US! I thought this was way too much and as much as I wanted to climb the volcanoes, I couldn't justify this extra expensive. It would cost $155US for a day climb of Bisoke and this wasn't including my food or accomodation. I was pissed that there was no budget option of getting to the park. I was saving the rest of my 'big' money for a safari in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro crater in Tanzania and didn't want to spend a lot of cash on a volcano day hike.
There was nothing else I wanted to do around Ruhengeri, so I left the next day for Gisenyi. I was angry I couldn't climb the volcanoes but I guess this gives me a reason to come back some day now that I know the costs. This disappointment didn't give me a good impression of Rwanda which I already thought was not good value for food and accomodation.
Gisenyi
Gisenyi is Rwanda's resort beach town for rich locals and expats. It sits on the shore of Lake Kivu on which DR Congo sits on the other side. It was only 2 hours from Ruhengeri and the road was in excellent condition. The landscape along the way was very hilly. All the hills had been cultivated extensively and the only trees I saw were the non native eucalyptus. Most of the natural forest left in Rwanda lies in its 3 national parks. I took a room at the Auberge de Gisenyi for 6000 Rfrs ( $11US). It was a nice enough self contained room but the same in most parts of Uganda would cost much less. The Auberge also had a restuarant with a popular buffet. I had also seen this in Ruhengeri and led me to believe buffets are quite popular in Rwanda. But they are not the stuff-yourself-till-you-can't-eat-anymore affairs they are back home. These buffets have strict rules. You are only allowed one plate, which I saw some people so high, I thought they would charge a fee if you wanted to climb their mountain of food. Vegetarian buffets are the cheapest option but if you wanted to add meat or fish the price went up accordingly. In the end though I came to realize the buffets weren't so bad value afterall. For instance, I would load up my plate with chips, veggies and salad and add a piece of fish and a beer and it would cost about $5US. The popular beer here is the locally brewed Primus beer. I thought the 500ml bottles of Nile beer in Uganda were big but here Primus comes in a thrist quenching 750ml bottle! I have seen it on some menus for just over a dollar US, which makes the beer very cheap.
I had come to Gisenyi with the hope of going to Goma, DR Congo, just a few minutes away over the border. Koenraad, a Belgian I met while on safari months ago in Murchison Falls, has been working in DR Congo for 8 years and told me to contact him if I wanted to go to Goma. He knows people everywhere. The time had come and I decided to take him up on his offer. I emailed him when I arrived and waited for his reply.
My first evening in Gisenyi I thought I would go to the Palm Beach hotel for a beer and a meal on the beach. I started to walk there but got a little disoriented with the roads. I stopped a moto driver and asked him about Palm Beach. He said it was open. Ok, that sounds good, but what he really meant was that it was closed. Besides local language, French and English are the main languages here. Most younger people can speak both with most older people only know French. This moto driver was still confusing the languages but he realized his mistake and told me correctly that the hotel was closed. He suggested I eat at the Auberge where I was staying! I walked back to the Augerge and had the buffet. So much for trying to eat somewhere else.
Gisenyi is at a slightly lower altitude and I didn't have to wear a longsleeve in the evenings. A warm breeze blew, which I really appreciated after being in slightly chilly places for the last few weeks.
After my breakfast my second day in Gisenyi, I went to the internet cafe hoping for a message from Koenraad. I had only one unopened email and it was from him. He said that he had arranged accomodation for me in Goma and that a friend of his was waiting for my call. This was the news I was waiting and hoping for. I went back to my hotel and checked out but left my large pack behind. I had only planned to stay a few days in Goma and wouldn't need to haul my large backpack. I got on a motorcycle taxi and headed towards the border, 5km away.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Kisoro - Last stop in Uganda
The taxi ride from the park to Kisoro was interesting and more comfortable than the boda boda I took to get there. The road, which is so rocky in sections most people wouldn't even want to drive a 4 wheel drive on it and here our driver was taking his Toyota Corona on it. More than a few times I could hear rocks scraping the bottom of his car. There was even a thick muddy bit that he made it through, really exceptional driving.
Once in Kisoro, the driver dropped us at Tom and Rich's hotel, the Virunga hotel. I didn' t like the prices for a non self contained single room, so I left my large pack here and wandered around town looking for a decent room. I was prepared to treat myself to a self contained room with perhaps a TV. I checked a lot of places and they were all not good value for the money. Kabale, from where I came before this, is only 2 hours away, yet has plenty of cheap lodging. Most places offered me a discount when I asked but even with a discount, they still weren't great value. I ended up settling at the Ian Point Motel for a bit more than the most expensive room I have taken so far which was at the Hot Ram hotel in Masaka where I recovered from malaria. I took this room mostly because it was self contained but more importantly, had a TV which the hotel guy said could put it on any channel I wanted in the evening.
I went to get money out of an ATM before I met Rich and Tom for dinner. While I was waiting, a scrap broke out in the cheap hotel next to the bank. A woman was being forcefully pulled into the hotel. I heard a lot of screaming and bodies being slapped. The woman tried to get out and was naked from the waist up, but they wouldn't let her go. She was pulled back in and slapped a few times before she disappeared from my site into the hotel lobby. A small crowd had gathered to watch the women fight. I had never seen anything like this but it fits in with the African mob justice and mentality I had read and heard about. A suspected criminal is often violently beaten by a mob before police arrive, that's how locals serve justice here. I had heard stories of minivan drivers who had hit someone in a small village but dared not to stop for fear of being beaten by an angry mob. They went back later when things cooled down to see the status of their accidental victim.
I met Tom and Rich for dinner. We waited an hour and a half for a less than stellar meal. They were leaving tomorrow for Kampala and I went back to my room. I watched movies till 1.30am.
The next day was a get-things-done-in-the-city day but this was harder than I expected. I was able to dry my tent and clothes and charge batteries but I really wanted to spend a few hours at an internet cafe but this was sunday and almost everything was closed. I spend most of the early part of the day watching movies. I went out but there wasn't much to do. I ate dinnner at my motel and waited for a football game to end so I could watch movies of my choice. I stayed up late again watching movies. I'm glad I treated myself to a room with a TV though the bathroom left a little to be desired. The shower water came out of a small hole beside the shower head. This loosened while I was showering which caused the water to come out the actual showerhead but a lot of water was lost out of the hole where the tube had been. I thought I'd try to plug it up but this was a bad idea. When I touched the showerhead I got an electric shock! Ouch! There were loose wires chaotically placed behind the showerhead. This wasn't the first time I had gotten a shock trying to adjust a shower nor was it the first time I've seen wires like this. These showers are dangerous and I must admit, I'm slightly afraid of them, I never know when I'm going to get a shock. It even happens just trying to turn off the shower with the metal handle, but since I was only staying one night in the motel, my shower adventures were finished for now.
When I entered Uganda I asked for a 60 day visa, which I was issued without hassle. After being in Uganda for a while I realized that 60 days wasn't going to be enough. I had met some Americans who said they overstayed 60 days and at the border it was no problem. It's when you stay more than 90 days that they will demand you buy another visa at the border. So this gave me 3 months in Uganda. I had done almost everything I wanted to do in Uganda and my 3 month limit was fast approaching. It was time to leave Uganda and enter Rwanda.
Once in Kisoro, the driver dropped us at Tom and Rich's hotel, the Virunga hotel. I didn' t like the prices for a non self contained single room, so I left my large pack here and wandered around town looking for a decent room. I was prepared to treat myself to a self contained room with perhaps a TV. I checked a lot of places and they were all not good value for the money. Kabale, from where I came before this, is only 2 hours away, yet has plenty of cheap lodging. Most places offered me a discount when I asked but even with a discount, they still weren't great value. I ended up settling at the Ian Point Motel for a bit more than the most expensive room I have taken so far which was at the Hot Ram hotel in Masaka where I recovered from malaria. I took this room mostly because it was self contained but more importantly, had a TV which the hotel guy said could put it on any channel I wanted in the evening.
I went to get money out of an ATM before I met Rich and Tom for dinner. While I was waiting, a scrap broke out in the cheap hotel next to the bank. A woman was being forcefully pulled into the hotel. I heard a lot of screaming and bodies being slapped. The woman tried to get out and was naked from the waist up, but they wouldn't let her go. She was pulled back in and slapped a few times before she disappeared from my site into the hotel lobby. A small crowd had gathered to watch the women fight. I had never seen anything like this but it fits in with the African mob justice and mentality I had read and heard about. A suspected criminal is often violently beaten by a mob before police arrive, that's how locals serve justice here. I had heard stories of minivan drivers who had hit someone in a small village but dared not to stop for fear of being beaten by an angry mob. They went back later when things cooled down to see the status of their accidental victim.
I met Tom and Rich for dinner. We waited an hour and a half for a less than stellar meal. They were leaving tomorrow for Kampala and I went back to my room. I watched movies till 1.30am.
The next day was a get-things-done-in-the-city day but this was harder than I expected. I was able to dry my tent and clothes and charge batteries but I really wanted to spend a few hours at an internet cafe but this was sunday and almost everything was closed. I spend most of the early part of the day watching movies. I went out but there wasn't much to do. I ate dinnner at my motel and waited for a football game to end so I could watch movies of my choice. I stayed up late again watching movies. I'm glad I treated myself to a room with a TV though the bathroom left a little to be desired. The shower water came out of a small hole beside the shower head. This loosened while I was showering which caused the water to come out the actual showerhead but a lot of water was lost out of the hole where the tube had been. I thought I'd try to plug it up but this was a bad idea. When I touched the showerhead I got an electric shock! Ouch! There were loose wires chaotically placed behind the showerhead. This wasn't the first time I had gotten a shock trying to adjust a shower nor was it the first time I've seen wires like this. These showers are dangerous and I must admit, I'm slightly afraid of them, I never know when I'm going to get a shock. It even happens just trying to turn off the shower with the metal handle, but since I was only staying one night in the motel, my shower adventures were finished for now.
When I entered Uganda I asked for a 60 day visa, which I was issued without hassle. After being in Uganda for a while I realized that 60 days wasn't going to be enough. I had met some Americans who said they overstayed 60 days and at the border it was no problem. It's when you stay more than 90 days that they will demand you buy another visa at the border. So this gave me 3 months in Uganda. I had done almost everything I wanted to do in Uganda and my 3 month limit was fast approaching. It was time to leave Uganda and enter Rwanda.
Mgahinga Gorilla N. P. - Golden Monkeys
Tom and Rich were also interested in tracking golden monkeys and after breakfast on saturday morning, we went to the visitor's centre together. The sky looked dark and ominous but then again, it had looked that way most mornings. Like the mountain gorillas, the golden monkeys are located by trackers early in the morning and then visitors are lead to them with through radio contact. The trackers had set out that morning but had not yet found the monkeys when we left the visitors centre at 9am. We were on the same trail that lead to the summit of Mt. Gahinga. Shortly after leaving we got confirmation that the trackers had found the monkeys. If by some chance they don't find the monkeys, than the park refunds $10 US and treats the hike as a nature walk, which would be the same price. I really like this policy and wished other parks would adopt it, for chimp tracking, where I paid $50 US to track them and saw nothing. They only said, ' Oh well, it's up to luck'. Here I was only paying $20US ( on top of the $30US entrance fee) to track golden monkeys, yet they still offered a refund. Climbing the volcanoes was also good value at $50US each, including entrance fee.
Half an hour after setting out, while we were still hiking through the mostly open farmland, it began to rain. First lightly and then torrential. A blinding flash of lightening and a deafening crash of thunder erupted right in front of us. It scared the shit out of all of us. I knew there was the first rest hut were we could take shelter but that was still a way off in the bamboo forest. We finally got there a half hour later, totally drenched. My upper body and t shirt were dry thanks to my North Face raincoat but Tom and Rich were thoroughly soaked through, not wearing real raincoats. It was cold too. We waited in the hut for the rain to let up, which it did. Our guide, Kenneth, then suggested we meet up with the trackers who will show us a shortcut off the main trail to where the golden monkeys were. After leaving the main trail, the shortcut became very steep and tight through dense bamboo forests. 3o minutes later we reached the other trackers who had been watching the monkeys.
Unfortunately for us, the monkeys hide when it rains. There was a troupe of about 40 strong that had been habituated but most of them were invisible to us. We finally got a clear view of one feeding on top of the bamboo and I could see the golden fur on his back for which they are named. Golden monkeys are actually a rare subspecies of the blue monkey which I had seen at other national parks. They are only found on the slopes of the Virunga volcanoes in Mgahinga national park and at Volcanoes national park in Rwanda. They number about 500, making them even rarer than the mountain gorilla.
While we tried to get better views of the monkeys, the rain started again. It was cold and hard to look up or take a photo without rain in your eyes. They limit the golden monkey viewing to one hour like the gorillas but our guide was willing to extend this but even before our hour was up, Tom, Rich and I were ready to leave. We had seen the golden monkey and although it wasn't the best sighting, I was still satisfied with it due to the weather. No one could have predicted the rain and the guides and trackers were all apologetic. There was no hard feelings or anger, we left happily and quickly to get back to the resthut. I was really cold and wet now. I fought hard to keep my hands warm and my teeth from chattering. We rested at the hut until the rain stopped. After it did we took the trail back which now was a small stream and it was impossible not to have wet feet ( the toes of my boots are still a little bit wet on the inside as I write this, 6 days later). As we got closer to the visitors centre I began to warm up. We got back to camp and laid out our wet clothes. We ate lunch while we waited for a car to pick us up. Tom and Rich had taken a taxi here and they called him to come pick us up.
After 6 days I was finally leaving Mgahinga national park and going back to civilization. There was no electricity or running water at the community camp. I was still able to have hot showers though. They would heat up a bit of water, mix it with cold water and put it in a vinyl bag that was hung up. I would stand underneath and control the flow of my own hot shower. It was great.
Half an hour after setting out, while we were still hiking through the mostly open farmland, it began to rain. First lightly and then torrential. A blinding flash of lightening and a deafening crash of thunder erupted right in front of us. It scared the shit out of all of us. I knew there was the first rest hut were we could take shelter but that was still a way off in the bamboo forest. We finally got there a half hour later, totally drenched. My upper body and t shirt were dry thanks to my North Face raincoat but Tom and Rich were thoroughly soaked through, not wearing real raincoats. It was cold too. We waited in the hut for the rain to let up, which it did. Our guide, Kenneth, then suggested we meet up with the trackers who will show us a shortcut off the main trail to where the golden monkeys were. After leaving the main trail, the shortcut became very steep and tight through dense bamboo forests. 3o minutes later we reached the other trackers who had been watching the monkeys.
Unfortunately for us, the monkeys hide when it rains. There was a troupe of about 40 strong that had been habituated but most of them were invisible to us. We finally got a clear view of one feeding on top of the bamboo and I could see the golden fur on his back for which they are named. Golden monkeys are actually a rare subspecies of the blue monkey which I had seen at other national parks. They are only found on the slopes of the Virunga volcanoes in Mgahinga national park and at Volcanoes national park in Rwanda. They number about 500, making them even rarer than the mountain gorilla.
While we tried to get better views of the monkeys, the rain started again. It was cold and hard to look up or take a photo without rain in your eyes. They limit the golden monkey viewing to one hour like the gorillas but our guide was willing to extend this but even before our hour was up, Tom, Rich and I were ready to leave. We had seen the golden monkey and although it wasn't the best sighting, I was still satisfied with it due to the weather. No one could have predicted the rain and the guides and trackers were all apologetic. There was no hard feelings or anger, we left happily and quickly to get back to the resthut. I was really cold and wet now. I fought hard to keep my hands warm and my teeth from chattering. We rested at the hut until the rain stopped. After it did we took the trail back which now was a small stream and it was impossible not to have wet feet ( the toes of my boots are still a little bit wet on the inside as I write this, 6 days later). As we got closer to the visitors centre I began to warm up. We got back to camp and laid out our wet clothes. We ate lunch while we waited for a car to pick us up. Tom and Rich had taken a taxi here and they called him to come pick us up.
After 6 days I was finally leaving Mgahinga national park and going back to civilization. There was no electricity or running water at the community camp. I was still able to have hot showers though. They would heat up a bit of water, mix it with cold water and put it in a vinyl bag that was hung up. I would stand underneath and control the flow of my own hot shower. It was great.
Mgahinga Gorilla N. P. - Mt. Sabinyo - 3669M
Mt. Sabinyo was my last volcano to climb in Uganda but it had a reputation for being the most difficult, according to some guides and the comments left in the visitors book. This was because it had 3 peaks and getting to the last peak required some careful maneauvering over treacherous wood ladders.
Tom, Rich and I all arranged breakfast for 7am. I was up on time and almost finished my breakfast by the time they arrived at 7.20. They had forgot to set their alarm. I was ready to go at 7.30 and went to visitors. I didn't want Tom and Rich to hold me up or vice versa. We had already discussed this and it was a problem it if I started and took my own guide. It costs the same and this was we could each go at our own pace. I began the climb at 8am with my guide Benjamin and our armed guard. The trail began like all the rest through regenerating farmland but didn't gain much altitude, even after one hour hiking. After the first hour the trail climbed steeply through forest to the first rest hut. The trail then climbed very steeply all the way to the first peak with little or no switchbacks. We were climbing a skinny forested ridge that dropped dramatically into the Sabinyo gorge to my right.
After 3 hours I reached the open grass of peak one. Tom and Rich caught up to me here. There were some views to be had here but our goal, peak 3, was deep in fog. We rested on peak one and then followed the trail down and then up again to peak 2. From peak 2 the trail became very skinny with fatal drops into the gorge of Sabinyo on one side and into the abyss of Rwanda on the other side. The fog cleared and Benjamin pointed out peak 3. It was almost straight up over our heads. Holy shit! We're going up there!?
The forest was again the high altitude afromontane type with many senecios and lobelias though these weren't the huge size they had attained on Mount Elgon. This is were the trail got hairy. Wood ladders climbed up the vertical cliffs towards the summit. At one point we were actually climbing on an angle of more than 90 degrees, going upside down backwards, kind of, if you can picture that. It wasn't for the faint hearted, that's for sure! Many ladders later we reached the peak of Sabinyo at 3669M and were standing in Uganda, Rwanda and DR Congo simaultaneously. That's what's so special about this mountain, being in all 3 countries, no visa required! The views eluded us though. The clouds hung around for the entire 3o minutes we stayed on the top. The wind started to pick up and it was a good time to leave. Going down the ladders was even more hairy than coming up them. I must admit and I'm not trying to brag but it takes a lot to scare me and I was a little scared going down the upside down ladder part. One wrong move and you're toast! I went down all the ladders backwards just because it was easier, faster and safer.
I went ahead of Tom and Rich and rested on peak one while they caught up. We all descended together. After the dodgy path to the peaks, going down through the forest on a nice path was a breeze. The trail was only muddy a bit near the peaks so my feet were dry and comfortable.I stopped to take pictures of a few flowers, some rare orchids I had never seen and Rich stopped to take a photo of a giant earthworm. I had seen one of these while climbing Gahinga. When I say giant, I mean giant! These worms were as thick as my thumb and easily over 30cm long. They were about the size of the biggest snake I had ever seen in Canada. We didn't stop anymore on the way down. Once we got back to the farmland, we looked back at the mountain. Its summit was totally free of clouds now. It was amazing and mindboggling to think we were just up there when it looked so high and forboding.
Tom, Rich and I ate a big dinner together and chilled around the fire. The night sky was crystal clear with stars as it had been for the last 2 nights. I was so glad and thankful that I have had clear and rainless weather for climbing. The weather had been so unsettled before I arrived. I guess I came at the right time.
I had done what I planned and in the time I planned. I climbed all 3 volcanoes and must say was very happy. I had not met anyone who had done this. I was 3 down and had 5 left to complete the total ascent of the Virunga volcanoes. I was only really tired and sore after the first, Gahinga. I guess my body just needed to be shocked back into shape because I wasn't sore or tired after Muhavura or Sabinyo.
There was one last thing I wanted to do in the park and that was to track the rare golden monkey. I wanted to go back to Kisoro tomorrow but could do the tracking in the morning and still make it to town.
Tom, Rich and I all arranged breakfast for 7am. I was up on time and almost finished my breakfast by the time they arrived at 7.20. They had forgot to set their alarm. I was ready to go at 7.30 and went to visitors. I didn't want Tom and Rich to hold me up or vice versa. We had already discussed this and it was a problem it if I started and took my own guide. It costs the same and this was we could each go at our own pace. I began the climb at 8am with my guide Benjamin and our armed guard. The trail began like all the rest through regenerating farmland but didn't gain much altitude, even after one hour hiking. After the first hour the trail climbed steeply through forest to the first rest hut. The trail then climbed very steeply all the way to the first peak with little or no switchbacks. We were climbing a skinny forested ridge that dropped dramatically into the Sabinyo gorge to my right.
After 3 hours I reached the open grass of peak one. Tom and Rich caught up to me here. There were some views to be had here but our goal, peak 3, was deep in fog. We rested on peak one and then followed the trail down and then up again to peak 2. From peak 2 the trail became very skinny with fatal drops into the gorge of Sabinyo on one side and into the abyss of Rwanda on the other side. The fog cleared and Benjamin pointed out peak 3. It was almost straight up over our heads. Holy shit! We're going up there!?
The forest was again the high altitude afromontane type with many senecios and lobelias though these weren't the huge size they had attained on Mount Elgon. This is were the trail got hairy. Wood ladders climbed up the vertical cliffs towards the summit. At one point we were actually climbing on an angle of more than 90 degrees, going upside down backwards, kind of, if you can picture that. It wasn't for the faint hearted, that's for sure! Many ladders later we reached the peak of Sabinyo at 3669M and were standing in Uganda, Rwanda and DR Congo simaultaneously. That's what's so special about this mountain, being in all 3 countries, no visa required! The views eluded us though. The clouds hung around for the entire 3o minutes we stayed on the top. The wind started to pick up and it was a good time to leave. Going down the ladders was even more hairy than coming up them. I must admit and I'm not trying to brag but it takes a lot to scare me and I was a little scared going down the upside down ladder part. One wrong move and you're toast! I went down all the ladders backwards just because it was easier, faster and safer.
I went ahead of Tom and Rich and rested on peak one while they caught up. We all descended together. After the dodgy path to the peaks, going down through the forest on a nice path was a breeze. The trail was only muddy a bit near the peaks so my feet were dry and comfortable.I stopped to take pictures of a few flowers, some rare orchids I had never seen and Rich stopped to take a photo of a giant earthworm. I had seen one of these while climbing Gahinga. When I say giant, I mean giant! These worms were as thick as my thumb and easily over 30cm long. They were about the size of the biggest snake I had ever seen in Canada. We didn't stop anymore on the way down. Once we got back to the farmland, we looked back at the mountain. Its summit was totally free of clouds now. It was amazing and mindboggling to think we were just up there when it looked so high and forboding.
Tom, Rich and I ate a big dinner together and chilled around the fire. The night sky was crystal clear with stars as it had been for the last 2 nights. I was so glad and thankful that I have had clear and rainless weather for climbing. The weather had been so unsettled before I arrived. I guess I came at the right time.
I had done what I planned and in the time I planned. I climbed all 3 volcanoes and must say was very happy. I had not met anyone who had done this. I was 3 down and had 5 left to complete the total ascent of the Virunga volcanoes. I was only really tired and sore after the first, Gahinga. I guess my body just needed to be shocked back into shape because I wasn't sore or tired after Muhavura or Sabinyo.
There was one last thing I wanted to do in the park and that was to track the rare golden monkey. I wanted to go back to Kisoro tomorrow but could do the tracking in the morning and still make it to town.
Mgahinga Gorilla N. P. - Mt. Muhavura - 4127M
I got up at 6.30am to have breakfast. I would be climbing Mt. Muhauvura and since it's the highest mountain in the park, it takes longer to climb, the average being 8 hours. But that's 8 hours from the base camp near the mountain. I still had to walk there, 5km away. I went to the park gate at 7am sharp to get my guide who was suppose to be waiting. He wasn't there and the guard at the gate knew nothing about it. He summoned another guy who wanted to bring me to the visitor's centre for climbing Mt. Sabinyo. I told him I was climbing Mt. Muhavura, not Sabinyo. He then told the guard at the gate to start walking me to the base camp. Although I didn't waste much time waiting, it was annoying because I arranged the guide to meet me at 7am with 2 different rangers in the park. They even wanted me to be there at 6am but I didn't want to start hiking in the dark. They told me 7am sharp then. We walked for 1.5 hours through cultivated farmland, which was sometimes hilly and very rocky with sharp volcanic stones. Along the way, my guide, Sampson, joined us. We reached the base camp and after paying I was ready to go. I was minimalist like I was on all the hikes, carrying only food, water, raincoat and camera. I was wearing a long pants and a long sleeve shirt with a short sleeve shirt over top and of course, my sunglasses and tilley hat.
We began the hike at 9am. There was me , Sampson and our armed guard who really looked like the main black actor from Blood Diamond and Gladiator, but he didn't speak English. The trail climbed steeply through former farmland for an hour. We reached the first resthut after 1.5 hours. After the hut we enter the virgin forest of Hagenia trees. Wild gorillas live here but are seldom seen. The trail is fairly easy with a lot of switchbacks and lots of shade. Once the forest ends we enter heath/erica shrub forest. There is no shade now. The clouds consume us and a light rain falls and the wind howls. It gets cold and I put my longsleeve back on but after a few minutes of wearing it under my raincoat, I get too warm. I do most of the hike in my t shirt, sometimes with my raincoat on. The trail gets steep and rocky. I notice Sampson is avoiding most of the switchbacks for the straight up the mountain route. I don't mind this, I feel strong and this will save time. The vegetation is all small shrubs which means great views when it's clear. I can see how high we are climbing and how far we have to go back down!
I reach the second resthut at 12.15pm. It's at an altitude of 3841M and is in a terrible location. It's in the open on an exposed ridge with strong winds ripping through it. The hut is made of small slivers of bamboo which doesn't stop any wind. Some rest hut! At the resthut are 2 other groups of climbers that started the hike 1.25 hours before I did but only reached the hut 8 minutes before I did. It felt good that I was able to catch up to them. One group was an Italian couple a little older than me. The climb and the windy rainy weather was too much for them and they went back down. I think they underestimated the mountain. The other group was a Canadian family, mom, dad and 3 teenage daughters, the youngest 12 years old. They were shivering trying to eat some food before continuing, as I was. I had to put back on my longsleeve and I was still cold. The views from the second hut were amazing though and just a taste of what was to come if it was clear on the summit. 2 levels spaces had been cleared near the hut for camping. Who the hell would want to camp here, I thought? It does have a great view but the wind and the rain not that condusive to enjoyable camping.
After the second hut, senecios and lobelias dominated the landscape. The trail became steep and there were wood ladders to cross. I kept looking back at the view and then up at the mountain, which had some vertical cliff walls the trail cleverly wound inbetween. I had to take very short breaks constantly to catch my breath. Though 4000M isn't super high when compared to the Himalayas, my lungs and muscles ached for more oxygen. The Canadian family and I left the second rest hut at the same time but I had left them far behind me on the trail. 40 minutes later I reached the summit, 4127M above sea level. The summit had a small, shallow, clear crater lake which was surrounded by spongy grass that felt like I was walking on a springy mattress. The shape of Muhavura from the base looks like a perfect cone terminating in a small summit but I was surprised at how small the summit actually was. I could walk around the whole crater lake in a few minutes. The clouds had mostly cleared and there views 360 degrees. The cultivated fields and old volcanic plugs of the Kisoro region in Uganda, 2 lakes and more cultivated land in Rwanda and then more volcanoes of the Virunga range extending into DR Congo. I took photos from all sides. It was breathtaking.
The Virunga volcanoes range contain 8 volcanoes, 2 of them still active. 3 of these volcanoes lie entirely within DR Congo, 2 of them Rwanda/DR Congo, 2 of them Uganda/Rwanda and one, the summit of Mt. Sabinyo is in Rwanda,Uganda and DR Congo. From the summit, when it was clear, I could see 6 volcanoes- Muhavura (4127M), Gahinga (3474M), Sabinyo (3669M), Karisimbi (4507M), Bisoke (3711M) and Mikeno (4437M).
I had been midly obsessed with seeing and climbing these since I had read about mountain gorillas and a book called Year of the Gorilla by George Schaller. He was the first person to study mountain gorillas in DR Congo in 1960. Half the population of the world's mountain gorillas, about 350, live on the slopes of the dormant volcanoes. The other half live in Bwindi Impenetrable national park in Uganda, where I tracked them. They used to be a continuous area but have been separated by agriculture for 500 years. George Schaller was the second person to have climbed all 8 Virunga peaks. He inspired me, that's something I would like to do. Though not all on this trip, but I could get a good start. George Schaller, along with some other wildlife biologists ( Alan Rabinowitz, J. Micheal Fay, Dian Fossey, Jane Goodall, to name a few) is a hero of mine. He was the first person to study the gorillas but also pandas in China and tigers in India. He is often quoted as the godfather of field biology by more recent researchers. I had read 4 books by Alan Rabinowitz and he kept mentioning George Schaller as him mentor and I knew I had to read more about him.
Now back to the mountain. I stayed on the summit for half an hour. It was surprisingly calm and not cold. I had taken some good photos but the clouds had rolled in. I tried to wait for them to clear again but it was getting late. Sampson was reminding me that we should get going because we still have a long hike ahead of us. He was right but this was a once in a lifetime thing for me ( well, ok, maybe not, I could come back ) and I thought another few minutes wouldn't hurt but the clouds refused to part and I reluctantly began the trek down at 1.45pm. I kept stopping to photo the amazing views. I passed the Canadian family just below the summit. I gave them words of encouragement as they were just minutes from the top. I took a short rest at the second hut and kept on. Going down was fast and easy, no struggling for air. The trail was muddy near the top but not as wet as Gahinga and my feet stayed mostly dry. We keep a good pace descending and I hardly break to rest. Sampson says I'm strong. We reach the base camp at 5pm, exactly 8 hours after leaving. I still feel good and my legs aren't too sore but I still have another hour and a half to walk. I don't rest long at the base camp. I just want to get back to the community camp before dark. I arrive there at 6.30. I walked 10km there and back to the basecamp and then another 12km up and down the mountain. The weather on the descent was fabulous, blue sky and lots of sun.
My only regret for the hike was that I didn't bring enough food. I was starving by the time I got back to camp. I asked Charles to whip up whatever he could in a short time. In 30 minutes I was eating delicious mashed potatoes covered in peanut sauce. I took a cold shower and wrote in my journal by the fire. 2 down, 1 to go.
Rest Day
I sleep in till 9.30. I ate toast and hardboiled eggs with coffee for breakfast. I hardly ever eat hardboiled eggs but I've been eating a ton of them here. They pack and keep well for lunch on the mountains and are a great source of compact protein. Plus they are cheaper and healthier than the salt and oil saturated omelettes on offer. For the price of a 2 egg omelette, I can get 6 hardboiled eggs. I relax for the day. It's another nice and sunny day. Around 5pm, 2 Brits arrive. Tom and Rich, 23 years old. They are on a whirlwind 2 week trip. That was all they could get off from work. They came to climb Mt. Sabinyo, which I had planned to climb also the next day. It was nice to finally have some company around the campsite.
We began the hike at 9am. There was me , Sampson and our armed guard who really looked like the main black actor from Blood Diamond and Gladiator, but he didn't speak English. The trail climbed steeply through former farmland for an hour. We reached the first resthut after 1.5 hours. After the hut we enter the virgin forest of Hagenia trees. Wild gorillas live here but are seldom seen. The trail is fairly easy with a lot of switchbacks and lots of shade. Once the forest ends we enter heath/erica shrub forest. There is no shade now. The clouds consume us and a light rain falls and the wind howls. It gets cold and I put my longsleeve back on but after a few minutes of wearing it under my raincoat, I get too warm. I do most of the hike in my t shirt, sometimes with my raincoat on. The trail gets steep and rocky. I notice Sampson is avoiding most of the switchbacks for the straight up the mountain route. I don't mind this, I feel strong and this will save time. The vegetation is all small shrubs which means great views when it's clear. I can see how high we are climbing and how far we have to go back down!
I reach the second resthut at 12.15pm. It's at an altitude of 3841M and is in a terrible location. It's in the open on an exposed ridge with strong winds ripping through it. The hut is made of small slivers of bamboo which doesn't stop any wind. Some rest hut! At the resthut are 2 other groups of climbers that started the hike 1.25 hours before I did but only reached the hut 8 minutes before I did. It felt good that I was able to catch up to them. One group was an Italian couple a little older than me. The climb and the windy rainy weather was too much for them and they went back down. I think they underestimated the mountain. The other group was a Canadian family, mom, dad and 3 teenage daughters, the youngest 12 years old. They were shivering trying to eat some food before continuing, as I was. I had to put back on my longsleeve and I was still cold. The views from the second hut were amazing though and just a taste of what was to come if it was clear on the summit. 2 levels spaces had been cleared near the hut for camping. Who the hell would want to camp here, I thought? It does have a great view but the wind and the rain not that condusive to enjoyable camping.
After the second hut, senecios and lobelias dominated the landscape. The trail became steep and there were wood ladders to cross. I kept looking back at the view and then up at the mountain, which had some vertical cliff walls the trail cleverly wound inbetween. I had to take very short breaks constantly to catch my breath. Though 4000M isn't super high when compared to the Himalayas, my lungs and muscles ached for more oxygen. The Canadian family and I left the second rest hut at the same time but I had left them far behind me on the trail. 40 minutes later I reached the summit, 4127M above sea level. The summit had a small, shallow, clear crater lake which was surrounded by spongy grass that felt like I was walking on a springy mattress. The shape of Muhavura from the base looks like a perfect cone terminating in a small summit but I was surprised at how small the summit actually was. I could walk around the whole crater lake in a few minutes. The clouds had mostly cleared and there views 360 degrees. The cultivated fields and old volcanic plugs of the Kisoro region in Uganda, 2 lakes and more cultivated land in Rwanda and then more volcanoes of the Virunga range extending into DR Congo. I took photos from all sides. It was breathtaking.
The Virunga volcanoes range contain 8 volcanoes, 2 of them still active. 3 of these volcanoes lie entirely within DR Congo, 2 of them Rwanda/DR Congo, 2 of them Uganda/Rwanda and one, the summit of Mt. Sabinyo is in Rwanda,Uganda and DR Congo. From the summit, when it was clear, I could see 6 volcanoes- Muhavura (4127M), Gahinga (3474M), Sabinyo (3669M), Karisimbi (4507M), Bisoke (3711M) and Mikeno (4437M).
I had been midly obsessed with seeing and climbing these since I had read about mountain gorillas and a book called Year of the Gorilla by George Schaller. He was the first person to study mountain gorillas in DR Congo in 1960. Half the population of the world's mountain gorillas, about 350, live on the slopes of the dormant volcanoes. The other half live in Bwindi Impenetrable national park in Uganda, where I tracked them. They used to be a continuous area but have been separated by agriculture for 500 years. George Schaller was the second person to have climbed all 8 Virunga peaks. He inspired me, that's something I would like to do. Though not all on this trip, but I could get a good start. George Schaller, along with some other wildlife biologists ( Alan Rabinowitz, J. Micheal Fay, Dian Fossey, Jane Goodall, to name a few) is a hero of mine. He was the first person to study the gorillas but also pandas in China and tigers in India. He is often quoted as the godfather of field biology by more recent researchers. I had read 4 books by Alan Rabinowitz and he kept mentioning George Schaller as him mentor and I knew I had to read more about him.
Now back to the mountain. I stayed on the summit for half an hour. It was surprisingly calm and not cold. I had taken some good photos but the clouds had rolled in. I tried to wait for them to clear again but it was getting late. Sampson was reminding me that we should get going because we still have a long hike ahead of us. He was right but this was a once in a lifetime thing for me ( well, ok, maybe not, I could come back ) and I thought another few minutes wouldn't hurt but the clouds refused to part and I reluctantly began the trek down at 1.45pm. I kept stopping to photo the amazing views. I passed the Canadian family just below the summit. I gave them words of encouragement as they were just minutes from the top. I took a short rest at the second hut and kept on. Going down was fast and easy, no struggling for air. The trail was muddy near the top but not as wet as Gahinga and my feet stayed mostly dry. We keep a good pace descending and I hardly break to rest. Sampson says I'm strong. We reach the base camp at 5pm, exactly 8 hours after leaving. I still feel good and my legs aren't too sore but I still have another hour and a half to walk. I don't rest long at the base camp. I just want to get back to the community camp before dark. I arrive there at 6.30. I walked 10km there and back to the basecamp and then another 12km up and down the mountain. The weather on the descent was fabulous, blue sky and lots of sun.
My only regret for the hike was that I didn't bring enough food. I was starving by the time I got back to camp. I asked Charles to whip up whatever he could in a short time. In 30 minutes I was eating delicious mashed potatoes covered in peanut sauce. I took a cold shower and wrote in my journal by the fire. 2 down, 1 to go.
Rest Day
I sleep in till 9.30. I ate toast and hardboiled eggs with coffee for breakfast. I hardly ever eat hardboiled eggs but I've been eating a ton of them here. They pack and keep well for lunch on the mountains and are a great source of compact protein. Plus they are cheaper and healthier than the salt and oil saturated omelettes on offer. For the price of a 2 egg omelette, I can get 6 hardboiled eggs. I relax for the day. It's another nice and sunny day. Around 5pm, 2 Brits arrive. Tom and Rich, 23 years old. They are on a whirlwind 2 week trip. That was all they could get off from work. They came to climb Mt. Sabinyo, which I had planned to climb also the next day. It was nice to finally have some company around the campsite.
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park - Mt. Gahinga -3473M
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is in southwestern Uganda. It is only 33sq km but has the most spectacular setting of any national park. The park sits on the edge of the Virunga volcanoes and borders Rwanda and DR Congo. 3 volcanoes make up the backdrop for the park and that's why I came here, to climb them all. Although the name of the park suggests that there is gorillas there, there isn't. They have gone to the Rwandan side of the park last November and nobody knows when they will, if ever, return. The park also offers golden monkey tracking, cave exploration, a border walk and a gorge walk. However, since the gorillas left, Philip, the manager at the campsite, said that visitor numbers have really slumped. Even without the gorillas, I thought people would still come because of the volcanoes and golden monkeys, but I guess their are not as big a draw.
I ate breakfast at 7 and with a packed lunch, was at the gate of the park by 7.30. I went to the visitors centre where I paid my fees and got my guide, Jones. He briefs me on the park and why our armed guard is with us and not to be alarmed by his AK 47. He's there to protect us from dangerous animals, mostly buffaloes and elephants and possibly poachers from DR Congo, though they don't mention that. We leave at 8am. The trail begins through regenerating farmland. In 1991, the local people were encroaching too much on the volcano and the government kicked them out, I mean relocated them. Some with force. Now the land is trying to get back to its original state. After a few minutes on the trail, we came face to face with a huge buffalo, just ahead of us. This is why we have the gun. We stop right away. The buffalo looks at us, he's not moving or bothered by us and actually starts moving towards us. The guard goes in front and starts banging his weapon loudly with his hand. This has no effect. Jones radioes the park and asks for permission to fire one warning shot in the air. We are denied and told to change direction. So much for the gun protecting us! We go back and take another route that eventually leads back to the main trail. We saw a bushbuck in the distance. After hiking through the farmland and bamboo for an hour, we enter virgin forest of bamboo. We come to the first rest hut. We take a break here.
The trail has some steep sections and some very muddy sections. After another hour we reach the second rest hut. From here, Jones says it is one and a half to 2 hours to reach the summit. The trail gets steeper and muddier with ladders that need a lot of balance to negotiate. The ladders aren't what you think when you hear ladders. These are made out of strong pieces of wood about the thickness of my arm and are still their original shape. With my arms out, I'm able to climb them but it's slow going. When climbing or hiking, my usual routine is to hike for at least an hour before taking a break, but after 30 minutes, I'm out of breath due to the elevation and find the trail getting more difficult, steep and muddy. Then Jones announces that we will be at the summit in 4 minutes! This gives me energy and I don't take the break I wanted. He was right, we arrived on top of Mount Gahinga at 10.40, exactly 2 hours and 40 minutes after starting. It can take 3 to 4 hours to usually reach the summit but Jones said I was strong and didn't break often.
The summit of Mt. Gahinga stands at 3474M and has a swampy crater lake. The name Gahinga means 'pile of stones'. Since the area around the park is volcanic, the soil is underneath rocks and anytime cultivation is done, the rocks must be broken up and they are usually put into a pile near the cultivated plot, hence 'pile of stones' Mt. Gahinga is also the lowest of the 3 volcanoes in the park. My original plan was to start with the highest to lowest to make it easier for myself but I thought I should start with the lowest just to make sure I could climb all 3 volcanoes in 6 days.
The vegetation is afromontane, giant lobelias and senecios similar to what I saw on top of Mount Elgon. There is a dense and enveloping fog blocking any views other than into the crater. I was hoping to get views of the other volcanoes and plains below but Jones told me this was normal for Gahinga. He said he has even been at the top where the fog was so thick, they couldn't even see the crater lake. Now that would really suck to hike up here and not even see that. I ate my packed lunch of passionfruit, hardboiled eggs and chapati. The sun tried to come out but the fog wasn't having any of it. After 30 minutes, it began to get cold and I decided it was time to go down. Going down was just as slow as coming up due to the wood ladders. Sometimes I needed to lean back on them with my hands for balance. My feet were soaked through my this time but I was just glad it didn't rain. It has been raining a lot here and I was ready to be drenched. Jones told me other times, it began to rain when they reached the summit and didn't stop until they reached the visitors centre hours later. That's rough. The further down we got, the easier it got. The ladders were finished. Back in the farmland we saw another bushbuck.
We got to the detour we took this morning and Jones suggested we take it again but the buffalo was anticipating this. As soon as we got onto the trail, we saw the buffalo ahead of us on the trail. We just turned around and went back to the original trail. We made it back to the visitors centre with no more problems. The whole climb took me 5 hours and 40 minutes. 6 hours is the normal time.
It starts to rain as I get back to camp. I wanted to move my tent but will have to wait. I eat lunch and the rain stops. I move my tent to higher ground. I relax the rest of the day. The campsite has a nice common area with a wood burning stove and I eat dinner here and write by the warmth of the flame.
Rest Day
I had planned to climb all 3 volcanoes in the park but no consecutively, I'm not that crazy! So the day after I returned from Gahinga was a rest day. I just hung around camp, washed clothes and relaxed. My legs are a little sore. Before this I had not done much activity but was confident I could handle another climb tomorrow. It rained lightly today. I went to the park just to check out a viewing tower near the visitors centre but had to be accompanied by a guard in case of buffalo but we didn't see any. I arranged a guide to meet me tomorrow morning at 7am for my ascent of Mt. Muhavura, at 4127M, the highest volcano in the park.
I ate breakfast at 7 and with a packed lunch, was at the gate of the park by 7.30. I went to the visitors centre where I paid my fees and got my guide, Jones. He briefs me on the park and why our armed guard is with us and not to be alarmed by his AK 47. He's there to protect us from dangerous animals, mostly buffaloes and elephants and possibly poachers from DR Congo, though they don't mention that. We leave at 8am. The trail begins through regenerating farmland. In 1991, the local people were encroaching too much on the volcano and the government kicked them out, I mean relocated them. Some with force. Now the land is trying to get back to its original state. After a few minutes on the trail, we came face to face with a huge buffalo, just ahead of us. This is why we have the gun. We stop right away. The buffalo looks at us, he's not moving or bothered by us and actually starts moving towards us. The guard goes in front and starts banging his weapon loudly with his hand. This has no effect. Jones radioes the park and asks for permission to fire one warning shot in the air. We are denied and told to change direction. So much for the gun protecting us! We go back and take another route that eventually leads back to the main trail. We saw a bushbuck in the distance. After hiking through the farmland and bamboo for an hour, we enter virgin forest of bamboo. We come to the first rest hut. We take a break here.
The trail has some steep sections and some very muddy sections. After another hour we reach the second rest hut. From here, Jones says it is one and a half to 2 hours to reach the summit. The trail gets steeper and muddier with ladders that need a lot of balance to negotiate. The ladders aren't what you think when you hear ladders. These are made out of strong pieces of wood about the thickness of my arm and are still their original shape. With my arms out, I'm able to climb them but it's slow going. When climbing or hiking, my usual routine is to hike for at least an hour before taking a break, but after 30 minutes, I'm out of breath due to the elevation and find the trail getting more difficult, steep and muddy. Then Jones announces that we will be at the summit in 4 minutes! This gives me energy and I don't take the break I wanted. He was right, we arrived on top of Mount Gahinga at 10.40, exactly 2 hours and 40 minutes after starting. It can take 3 to 4 hours to usually reach the summit but Jones said I was strong and didn't break often.
The summit of Mt. Gahinga stands at 3474M and has a swampy crater lake. The name Gahinga means 'pile of stones'. Since the area around the park is volcanic, the soil is underneath rocks and anytime cultivation is done, the rocks must be broken up and they are usually put into a pile near the cultivated plot, hence 'pile of stones' Mt. Gahinga is also the lowest of the 3 volcanoes in the park. My original plan was to start with the highest to lowest to make it easier for myself but I thought I should start with the lowest just to make sure I could climb all 3 volcanoes in 6 days.
The vegetation is afromontane, giant lobelias and senecios similar to what I saw on top of Mount Elgon. There is a dense and enveloping fog blocking any views other than into the crater. I was hoping to get views of the other volcanoes and plains below but Jones told me this was normal for Gahinga. He said he has even been at the top where the fog was so thick, they couldn't even see the crater lake. Now that would really suck to hike up here and not even see that. I ate my packed lunch of passionfruit, hardboiled eggs and chapati. The sun tried to come out but the fog wasn't having any of it. After 30 minutes, it began to get cold and I decided it was time to go down. Going down was just as slow as coming up due to the wood ladders. Sometimes I needed to lean back on them with my hands for balance. My feet were soaked through my this time but I was just glad it didn't rain. It has been raining a lot here and I was ready to be drenched. Jones told me other times, it began to rain when they reached the summit and didn't stop until they reached the visitors centre hours later. That's rough. The further down we got, the easier it got. The ladders were finished. Back in the farmland we saw another bushbuck.
We got to the detour we took this morning and Jones suggested we take it again but the buffalo was anticipating this. As soon as we got onto the trail, we saw the buffalo ahead of us on the trail. We just turned around and went back to the original trail. We made it back to the visitors centre with no more problems. The whole climb took me 5 hours and 40 minutes. 6 hours is the normal time.
It starts to rain as I get back to camp. I wanted to move my tent but will have to wait. I eat lunch and the rain stops. I move my tent to higher ground. I relax the rest of the day. The campsite has a nice common area with a wood burning stove and I eat dinner here and write by the warmth of the flame.
Rest Day
I had planned to climb all 3 volcanoes in the park but no consecutively, I'm not that crazy! So the day after I returned from Gahinga was a rest day. I just hung around camp, washed clothes and relaxed. My legs are a little sore. Before this I had not done much activity but was confident I could handle another climb tomorrow. It rained lightly today. I went to the park just to check out a viewing tower near the visitors centre but had to be accompanied by a guard in case of buffalo but we didn't see any. I arranged a guide to meet me tomorrow morning at 7am for my ascent of Mt. Muhavura, at 4127M, the highest volcano in the park.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Lake Bunyoni
While waiting for the rain to stop I was able to catch up on my blog and emailing for free at Edirisa. The rain stopped around 2 and I went back to my hotel. Even though it was way past checkout time, Bruno was kind enough to let me go with no penalties. I took a boda boda the 8km to Lake Bunyoni. The road was pretty rough but the first views of the lake from high up were amazing. I went to the Amagara parking lot were I waited for my free canoe to Itambara island were Byoona Amagara is located. I didn't wait long for my canoe and in no time, Jackson and I are off. Before I can even begin to feel guilty for him paddling me, he hands me a spare paddle. It's a 50 minute paddle to Amagara and I paddle the whole way, stopping only to take some photos. I can see perfect cone of Mt. Muhavura (4127M) looming over the hills in the distance. I will be on top of there soon, I thought to myself.
I choose a nice and hopefully dry spot for my tent, near the waters edge but divided from the other campsites by a tasteful bamboo wall. Amagara bills itself as a backpacker's paradise and I think I agree. Its very calm and peaceful and has a beautiful location and lots of western food at decent prices that I haven't seen anywhere else. I planned to spend 4 nights here. I would have maybe stayed longer but with less than a month left in my trip, I didn't want to be rushing around or miss anything but I could spend at least 4 nights here. There wasn't many people here but I hung out with 3 English guys my first night, Adam, Charlie and Brent. Adam was doing volunteer work at Amagara and I wouldn't see him around much but I did hangout with Charile and Brent a lot.
Amagara is eco friendly and only has solar power. With all the rain and clouds they haven't had much power to spare and I never got to watch a movie in their solar powered DVD room. I played a lot of cards, read and just relaxed.
The second day on Lake Bunyoni it rained for about 4 hours but I checked my tent and there were no puddles underneath it. I would be safe and dry for my time here. Chapatis are fairly popular and cheap in Uganda and in Amagara they make a delicious potatoe chapati! Everything on their menu sounds so good and it's hard to choose what to eat. I take fish and chips for dinner and it's the best I've had in a long time. I also treat myself to some dessert. I order 4 chocolate rum balls. I share them with Brent and Charlie. They didn't skimp on the rum and have a really strong rum taste and are really chocolatey and rolled in grated cocount. So good!
Brent,36, arrived the same day as me. He's travelling around East Africa until his money runs out. His girlfriend is working in Tanzania and he will be going back there to see and travel with her. Charlie, 48, quit his job as an engineer searching for oil 12 years ago and has been basically cycling around the world since. He arrived at Amagara 4 days before me. This trip started from England for him and he cycled through some of the middle East before coming down through Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya and then Uganda. I really admire his endurance and am jealous of the freedom he has though I don't envy the riding so much. If you have the time, its the best way to travel. I don't really like taking public transport but it saves a lot of time and hassle with only limited time to travel.
My second morning at the lake I have one of the best breakfasts ever, 2 crepes with fruit inside ( banana, pineapple, passionfruit) and sprinkled cinammon on top. It rains again but after it clears up Charlie and I go to the playing field and through a frisbee around. Charlie throughs it up in the air and a strong wind blows it down a hill into a very reedy area along the lakeshore. Frisbee's over for today. It rains again before the sun goes down and I just shower in the rain. There is no roof on the outdoor shower. I stick with the fish and chips again for dinner and I'm not disappointed. Brent saw it last night and tonight he's having it too.
The weather starts out nice on my third day but since it probably will rain, I move into the dorm for my last night. This way I can dry out my tent today so I don't have to pack it wet tomorrow morning. The day turns into the nicest one yet at Bunyoni. I wash clothes and even swim in the lake. More people arrive, all volunteers or working. Brent, Charlie and I are the only backpackers here. John, 60, an American I hungout with at Edirisa a few times arrives with a bunch of younger people. I take advantage of the clear skies to walk around the island to take some photos.
Lake Bunyoni has 29 islands and is an irregular shape, suggesting that it was multiple volcanoes that collapsed in on themselves a long time ago. It lies at an altitude of 2000m and the water is quite cold.Its the most picturesque lake in the country surrounded by intensely cultivated hills. They are growing Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes, millet and sourghom. There is no defined growing season here. Due to abundant rainfall, people are able to grow crops all year round. The hills are intensely cultivated into terraces but not like the spectacular terraces of the Philippines or Indonesia. The terraces are divided from each other clearly but are not levelled flat. They are still on the same angle as the land on which they are planted. Most terraces I've seen before are levelled flat before they plant the crops, but I guess that's too much work here that people don't want to do.
For my last dinner I order crayfish with coconut curry sauce. The crayfish are from the lake and are more like shrimp. There has been attempts to stock the lake with Nile Perch ( Tilapia) but these have mostly failed due to the deepness of the lake, fishing is difficult. After Lake Tanganyika ( Tanzania, DRCongo), Lake Bunyoni is thought to be the second deepest lake in Africa. Now back to dinner. It was really delicious and altough the sauce wasn't spicy it was flavourful and I soaked up every last drop with a chapati. Brent has the chili. I taste it and it tastes like real chili I've eaten back home. I am going to really miss the food here. I've been purposefully avoiding anything resembling local food.
My last morning at the lake I have an omelette wrapped in a potatoe chapati. I pack up my stuff and at 11am leave Amagara. I have a lot of ground to cover today and since there are 4 of us leaving, we decide to share the cost and hire the motorboat to take us back to the mainland and civilization. We all share a taxi back to Kabale. Brent and Leo, an American volunteer, are staying in Kabale and they go to the Flockline hotel after my glowing recommendation. I have lunch with them there while I wait for my share taxi to get more passengers. I put a deposit down on the front seat with the promise of them coming to get me when the car is full. This they did and I was finally off to Kisoro, only 30km as the crow flies but with Lake Bunyoni in the way, the road takes 80km to reach Kisoro. I shared the front seat with one other and the driver. I always take the window seat. I don't want the stickshift in my crotch. The middle guy sits on a considerately placed cushion and moves around the stickshift. No one seems to mind. The driver takes the road towards the lake but takes a right turn instead of a left toward Amagara. This back road is in terrible shape and after about an hour we emerge onto the main road. It must have been a shortcut because it only took us 2 hours to reach Kisoro when I thought it would take 3.
Kisoro wasn't my final destination. Mgaginga Gorilla National Park, 14km away, was. A boda boda quickly approached me and quoted me a price which was slightly less than I had expected to pay. I didn't try to bargain, I just got on and held on. The road to the park was the worst I've seen in Uganda. Some sections were smooth but others were terribly rocky and rough. Lots of kids waved as I passed but I was too busy holding on to wave back. The driver has my small pack in front of him on the handle bars and gastank but I'm wearing my large pack. I have to hold on in front of me to make sure it doesn't pull me off backwards. A few times, I just got off and walked up extremely rocky uphill sections. The drivers bike was really working hard and just before we arrived at the park it was smoking and others gathered to see what was wrong. I didn't hang around. I walked the last few minutes to the community campground, right in front of the gate to the national park. I set up my tent and ordered irish with gnut sauce for dinner. It's back to local food now. It rained heavily while I ate. It calmed down later and I went to check on my tent. I had put it in a questionable area but I liked the privacy it offered. It turns out I was right, it was a bad spot though. There was a low depression on one side and the water had puddled there and I had to bail out 2 small puddles with the lid of my soap container. My sleeping area was dry, so I was fine for tonight. Tomorrow I will move my tent to higher ground.
I choose a nice and hopefully dry spot for my tent, near the waters edge but divided from the other campsites by a tasteful bamboo wall. Amagara bills itself as a backpacker's paradise and I think I agree. Its very calm and peaceful and has a beautiful location and lots of western food at decent prices that I haven't seen anywhere else. I planned to spend 4 nights here. I would have maybe stayed longer but with less than a month left in my trip, I didn't want to be rushing around or miss anything but I could spend at least 4 nights here. There wasn't many people here but I hung out with 3 English guys my first night, Adam, Charlie and Brent. Adam was doing volunteer work at Amagara and I wouldn't see him around much but I did hangout with Charile and Brent a lot.
Amagara is eco friendly and only has solar power. With all the rain and clouds they haven't had much power to spare and I never got to watch a movie in their solar powered DVD room. I played a lot of cards, read and just relaxed.
The second day on Lake Bunyoni it rained for about 4 hours but I checked my tent and there were no puddles underneath it. I would be safe and dry for my time here. Chapatis are fairly popular and cheap in Uganda and in Amagara they make a delicious potatoe chapati! Everything on their menu sounds so good and it's hard to choose what to eat. I take fish and chips for dinner and it's the best I've had in a long time. I also treat myself to some dessert. I order 4 chocolate rum balls. I share them with Brent and Charlie. They didn't skimp on the rum and have a really strong rum taste and are really chocolatey and rolled in grated cocount. So good!
Brent,36, arrived the same day as me. He's travelling around East Africa until his money runs out. His girlfriend is working in Tanzania and he will be going back there to see and travel with her. Charlie, 48, quit his job as an engineer searching for oil 12 years ago and has been basically cycling around the world since. He arrived at Amagara 4 days before me. This trip started from England for him and he cycled through some of the middle East before coming down through Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya and then Uganda. I really admire his endurance and am jealous of the freedom he has though I don't envy the riding so much. If you have the time, its the best way to travel. I don't really like taking public transport but it saves a lot of time and hassle with only limited time to travel.
My second morning at the lake I have one of the best breakfasts ever, 2 crepes with fruit inside ( banana, pineapple, passionfruit) and sprinkled cinammon on top. It rains again but after it clears up Charlie and I go to the playing field and through a frisbee around. Charlie throughs it up in the air and a strong wind blows it down a hill into a very reedy area along the lakeshore. Frisbee's over for today. It rains again before the sun goes down and I just shower in the rain. There is no roof on the outdoor shower. I stick with the fish and chips again for dinner and I'm not disappointed. Brent saw it last night and tonight he's having it too.
The weather starts out nice on my third day but since it probably will rain, I move into the dorm for my last night. This way I can dry out my tent today so I don't have to pack it wet tomorrow morning. The day turns into the nicest one yet at Bunyoni. I wash clothes and even swim in the lake. More people arrive, all volunteers or working. Brent, Charlie and I are the only backpackers here. John, 60, an American I hungout with at Edirisa a few times arrives with a bunch of younger people. I take advantage of the clear skies to walk around the island to take some photos.
Lake Bunyoni has 29 islands and is an irregular shape, suggesting that it was multiple volcanoes that collapsed in on themselves a long time ago. It lies at an altitude of 2000m and the water is quite cold.Its the most picturesque lake in the country surrounded by intensely cultivated hills. They are growing Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes, millet and sourghom. There is no defined growing season here. Due to abundant rainfall, people are able to grow crops all year round. The hills are intensely cultivated into terraces but not like the spectacular terraces of the Philippines or Indonesia. The terraces are divided from each other clearly but are not levelled flat. They are still on the same angle as the land on which they are planted. Most terraces I've seen before are levelled flat before they plant the crops, but I guess that's too much work here that people don't want to do.
For my last dinner I order crayfish with coconut curry sauce. The crayfish are from the lake and are more like shrimp. There has been attempts to stock the lake with Nile Perch ( Tilapia) but these have mostly failed due to the deepness of the lake, fishing is difficult. After Lake Tanganyika ( Tanzania, DRCongo), Lake Bunyoni is thought to be the second deepest lake in Africa. Now back to dinner. It was really delicious and altough the sauce wasn't spicy it was flavourful and I soaked up every last drop with a chapati. Brent has the chili. I taste it and it tastes like real chili I've eaten back home. I am going to really miss the food here. I've been purposefully avoiding anything resembling local food.
My last morning at the lake I have an omelette wrapped in a potatoe chapati. I pack up my stuff and at 11am leave Amagara. I have a lot of ground to cover today and since there are 4 of us leaving, we decide to share the cost and hire the motorboat to take us back to the mainland and civilization. We all share a taxi back to Kabale. Brent and Leo, an American volunteer, are staying in Kabale and they go to the Flockline hotel after my glowing recommendation. I have lunch with them there while I wait for my share taxi to get more passengers. I put a deposit down on the front seat with the promise of them coming to get me when the car is full. This they did and I was finally off to Kisoro, only 30km as the crow flies but with Lake Bunyoni in the way, the road takes 80km to reach Kisoro. I shared the front seat with one other and the driver. I always take the window seat. I don't want the stickshift in my crotch. The middle guy sits on a considerately placed cushion and moves around the stickshift. No one seems to mind. The driver takes the road towards the lake but takes a right turn instead of a left toward Amagara. This back road is in terrible shape and after about an hour we emerge onto the main road. It must have been a shortcut because it only took us 2 hours to reach Kisoro when I thought it would take 3.
Kisoro wasn't my final destination. Mgaginga Gorilla National Park, 14km away, was. A boda boda quickly approached me and quoted me a price which was slightly less than I had expected to pay. I didn't try to bargain, I just got on and held on. The road to the park was the worst I've seen in Uganda. Some sections were smooth but others were terribly rocky and rough. Lots of kids waved as I passed but I was too busy holding on to wave back. The driver has my small pack in front of him on the handle bars and gastank but I'm wearing my large pack. I have to hold on in front of me to make sure it doesn't pull me off backwards. A few times, I just got off and walked up extremely rocky uphill sections. The drivers bike was really working hard and just before we arrived at the park it was smoking and others gathered to see what was wrong. I didn't hang around. I walked the last few minutes to the community campground, right in front of the gate to the national park. I set up my tent and ordered irish with gnut sauce for dinner. It's back to local food now. It rained heavily while I ate. It calmed down later and I went to check on my tent. I had put it in a questionable area but I liked the privacy it offered. It turns out I was right, it was a bad spot though. There was a low depression on one side and the water had puddled there and I had to bail out 2 small puddles with the lid of my soap container. My sleeping area was dry, so I was fine for tonight. Tomorrow I will move my tent to higher ground.
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