With this blogpost I have more to say than to highlight our travels through Uganda, which was a very peaceful 4 weeks absorbing the beauty of a very diverse country. Until we came here, we had been accustomed to driving long distances between places in fairly huge countries. Uganda is undoubtedly smaller in size, and on the advice of someone in Kampala we didn’t travel the north-eastern side of the country… evidently there was nothing to see. On reflection, we wouldn’t have made this decision ourselves. Generally our instinct has been to try and see as most of each country we can… exploring the small nooks and crannies. But what ended up happening, was that we stuck to the roads most travelled. As a result we saw many tourists… more than we’ve seen in the entirety of the last 7 months! It also meant that there wasn’t so much driving, and more rest time. I think this was good for us… and certainly with Rwanda and Burundi next on the list of countries, this will probably be the pattern as long distances won’t be such a reality. 

So here’s a quick overview of our time in Uganda;

A few days before we left Kenya, we met a guy from the US who had had a few beers. We told him we were on our way to Uganda, and he said about 59 million times, ‘You gotta go to Jinja, you just gotta go.’ He wasn’t a particularly prominant figure in our travels, but the repetition of his sentence sort of stuck. So our first destination, for actually no reason other than the sound of this guys voice in our heads, was Jinja. 

After the dry desert areas of Ehtiopia and northern kenya, it was hard to believe that we were suddenly in the middle of thick forest again, where cloudy skies and cooler temperatures prevailed. We spent a couple of days here, just getting our bearings and figuring out how we were going to drive our way through Uganda. Logically, the next step was to head for Kampala. 

Kampala is an African city like any other… bustling, noisy, a huge mix of extreme wealth and extreme poverty. Here we had a wonderful time though; my parents met a man from Kampala when they were living in Muizenburg – he was doing theological training there. He had since moved back to Uganda and by the time we arrived there he was an ordained reverend, had been married for a couple of years and had a baby of his own.

He invited us to camp out in his garden whilst we stayed in Kampala, which we did. Here we were the recipients of amazing African hospitality… let me give you an example. Not only did they cook the most amazing Ugandan food for us, but their local community of people raised money to buy local delicacies for us to enjoy when they heard the Reverend had visitors. I mean, seriously??? We’ve got a lot to learn.

Ronald the Rev spent a day taking to places in the city that he thought was important for us to gain a bit of context. And it was brilliant. He took us to the Museum of the Martyrs. This was a brilliantly done exhibition, portraying the torturing and killing of Christians and Catholics by the chief Mwanga in the 1800s. He also took us to the Sanyu babies home… a home for abandoned children up to the age of 4 – many of whom are found on garbage heaps or drowning in pit latrines. We weren’t permitted to take photos, but this was a heart-wrenching visit. These beautiful kiddies were exceptionally affectionate, and actually full of joy. When Eugene asked one of the little boys what he would like us to pray for him, he asked for a family of his own. 

Following our time in Kampala which was busy and fairly intense, we headed for Masindi, near to a national park that we wanted to visit. We arrived at this average sized town, and headed for its only hotel which we had heard would accommodate campers. And it was so SO lovely. The hotel is 100 years old next year and has hosted the likes of Humphrey Bogart, Audrey Hepburn and Ernest Hemingway. It wasn’t fancy at all, but it just had a classic African (almost colonial)  feel to it. They had a huge garden behind the hotel in which we were welcome to camp, with beautifully clean ablutions and warm showers (believe me, it’s bliss). The previous few weeks had taken its toll on our bodies and emotions, but after we had stayed here in this beautiful garden for a few days listening to the sounds of African life going on around us – football matches, loud music, people laughing and selling goods – we felt completely restored. 

Following this respite, we continued onto the Murchisson Falls National Park. We spent a whole day exploring the park. There was an abundance of wildlife in the park (not lions or leopards though… typical 🙄), and the abundant palm tree scenery was absolutely beautiful.                    Reaching the heart of the park – Murchisson Falls, we did not expect the sight to be so breathtaking. This waterfall claims to be the most powerful in the world… the raging rapids of the Victoria Nile bottleneck through a gap only 6m wide, making the sight and sound of it overpowering and completely mesmerising. So much so, that we stood taking in its wonder for something close to a couple of hours. We tore ourselves away eventually, feeling so privileged to have been able to breathe it in.

Driving back slowly down, we headed to the shores of Lake Albert. This was probably one of the most special evenings we have had on our journey so far. Heading off the tar road, we made our way down a steep and bumpy dirt road, where eventually the lake came in to view. There was a perfect flat spot overlooking the lake where we set up camp. It was a bit exposed (not a good thing when it comes to wild camping), but the people who saw us there were extremely respectful and kind – they came to say hello, and told us to enjoy the view of the lake. Which we undoubtedly did. We made dinner, and settled ourselves in for the night overlooking the calm body of water below us. As the big bright ball of sun started to sink, we noticed numerous fishing boats moving in towards the centre of lake – they were coming from all directions and heading out into deeper water. To our absolute delight, as the light dimmed, the fishermen lit up their boats. One by one, the lights of the hundreds of boats lit up until the sun had sunk behind the distant mountain peaks of the DRC, and the surface of the lake looked as though it was directly reflecting the starlit night sky.

It was one of the most beautiful and surreal things we have ever seen. 

From here we explored roads right up into the Rwenzori mountains and the Kibale forest – enjoying the vast landscapes that flank the border between Uganda and the DRC. If i had to hike any mountain in Africa… i would come back to Rwenzori’s mighty and mystical beauty..

Next, we headed to the much acclaimed Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. And here, yet again we were flawed by the place’s natural beauty. This is one of the forests of central Africa that gorillas can be found in.

The forest itself can’t be driven through (hence the name), except for a road that hugs the forest on one side and goes through a tiny corner of it. Of course we drove this road, having heard stories that sometimes gorillas can be seen crossing the road. We weren’t fortunate enough to see any, but o my goodness, we seriously enjoyed the rainforest. It was just a magical experience and we would go there again just to take in it’s beauty. And why did we not organise to go and see the gorillas, i hear you ask… simply put, it’s super expensive! In Uganda, the price is $700 per person (in Rwanda it is $1500pp). We may still be lucky and get to see them in the DRC (if we’re allowed to cross the border), but for the moment we made peace with the fact that we didn’t get that experience.

The next day we headed out of Uganda for Rwanda.

Now to the nitty-gritty! My question is, is Uganda as a country really set apart from Africa in terms of it’s natural beauty – can it really be called the Pearl of the continent?

Uganda is undoubtedly beautiful. And I’m pretty sure it’s beauty lies in its diversity. From bushveld to rainforest, from waterfalls to caves and from gorillas to tree climbing lions and everything in between. But, as I have highlighted in other blogposts, in order to truly experience this beauty you invariably have to have money. If you were to experience this sort of pearly-ness, you would have to come prepared to spend a small fortune. Which is fine, fair enough. But in all honesty we have seen and experienced in each country we have visited, equal amounts of uniqueness and biodiversity.

One thing I have had a huge revelation about on this journey, is that with each country we have visited, the people and the experience come to life when you understand each one’s unique history. Getting to know the various histories has almost three-dimensionalised our experiences. 

And so, we have travelled through Uganda and taken it’s stunning scenery (outside the national parks 😂) all in. We have met it’s beautiful people and been at the receiving end of it’s warm African hospitality. And we have learnt it’s history:

A relatively short one, Uganda’s history is one of brutality and hardship. In brief, Buganda (as the kingdom was once known) was once ruled by kings. Once the West arrived in the late 1800’s, it brought with it major world religions against which there was some hostility. Soon however, the struggle for political influence by Muslims, Catholics and Christians created political problems. Chief Mwanga, the ruler at the time, was threatened by a rise in Christianity in the Ugandan population. In cold blood he brutally tortured and murdered a group of 45 Catholics and Christians… his own countrymen (hence the Museum of the Martyrs.)

Eventually, the Scramble for Africa divided land up and the area now known as Uganda came under British rule, and the chiefs were reduced to puppet rulers within the new political boundaries. Over the next 100 years or so, Ugandas economy flourished under British rule. Until independence was gained in 1962, when a president and prime minister were elected to govern the country. The elected PM Obote staged a military coup however and became a hardline dictator. He was then overthrown by the one of the 20th century’s biggest tyrants, Idi Amin. Known for his harsh regime and crimes against humanity, he tortured and murdered well over 300,000 people in his 8 year rule, and Uganda’s economy collapsed completely.

Eventually Amin and his army were defeated by Tanzanian troops. Amin fled to Saudi Arabia and died there. After many years, Uganda once again came under peaceful leadership, and it can now be seen that as a country, both economically and politically, it is flourishing. 

Under this relatively fresh tragic history, Ugandan’s have bounced back. They are resilient and kind. They have no fancy museum or memorial telling the world about the devastation that took place there, or of their courage. They have just picked themselves up, dusted themselves off and got on with it.

So yes, Uganda is a pearl of note. But I’m not sure it’s fame should lie in it’s tourist attractions. I am convinced that taking time to learn from the people of Uganda (and the rest of the countries in this incredible continent); their courage, their tenacity; their warmth and kindness, that we would soon understand where it’s treasure truly lies.