What I saw on my visit to Uganda
What I saw on my visit to Uganda
I had always dreamt of becoming an explorer and during my early days in London, I visited different areas in the United Kingdom. However, I wanted something extra especially a safari that goes through the wild. I wanted to feel the true nature of the world and also have a real life experience in the jungle. My aim was to visit the most interesting country which can offer me the best experience that is worth my money. So I decided to Google and after a long while, I was convinced that going to Uganda was the best alternative if am to get what I exactly wanted. I booked with the different tour companies and after sometime of evaluation, I decided to go with Maranatha tours and travel. I asked them to advice me on the best option for a safari to this East African country and they suggested a 3 days to Bwindi for gorilla tracking. After sending them half of the fee they charged, I got a confirmation that the safari would take place and that all what was needed for the trip was set.
Sincerely I was so excited not only that I was going to have an adventurous experience, but also it was my first time to go to Africa. It was an interesting trip and I reached Entebbe International Airport in the night at around 10:00PM. The company’s driver and guide were there waiting for me and they warmly welcomed me before I was transferred to my hotel in Kampala. As I was shifted to Kampala, I was shocked by what came to my eyes. I didn’t expect this African country to have a spectacular view just like what I saw. I had always thought that Africa is undeveloped with poor infrastructure but I was surprised to find that a night view of the city is breathtaking. I had a wonderful night f at the hotel and all night I could hear sounds from the city. I was forced to wake up as early as possible to have a clearer view of the sunrise in the East of Kampala.
At around 8:00AM after my breakfast at the hotel, I was picked by the company’s driver and guide and we started our journey to Bwindi Impenetrable forest. It was a long journey which took about 9 hours. However we had some stopovers especially for lunch at the equator. I got a chance of standing at the equator a thing that I had been dreaming about.
We reached Bwindi in the evening and we checked in to the lodge which I suggested that the company books for me. I received a warm welcome at the lodge and I had a wonderful stay in the heart of the park enjoying nature and beautiful views.
Early the next day, I had breakfast before being briefed for a gorilla tracking activity. We started trekking the gorillas at around 8AM and as we walked through the thick forest of Bwindi, we encountered other mammals and also viewed different types of trees. It was after a short while that we encountered a gorilla family. This was a thrilling moment as I saw these human-like primates play and gaze at us as if they wanted to say something to me. We spent about an hour with gorillas after which we came back to the lodge for lunch. I just got a chance to find these primates as quick as possible but I was told that some treks take the whole day.
After my lunch, we went for a cultural walk in the forest of bwindi and we visited some cultural group called the Batwa people. These people are also called the pygmies due to their shortness. I had an hilarious experience as I go a chance of interacting with some of the elders of these people. I came to realize that the origin of a true African man was worth exploring and this made me to come up with a decision that next year I should go back to Uganda for a cultural adventure.
We returned to the lodge for dinner and overnight. In the morning, I was driven back to Kampala by Edgar, the company’s driver and spent the night in the hotel. I had to board a plane the next morning back to London but whole the way, I thought about this wonderful nature-given country. Next year, visiting this country will be first on the agenda and I will use the same tour company because I had an adventurous experience with them.