Advertisement
Bronze sunbird
Bunyonyi Overland CampYet another Fort Portal power cut on the morning of my departure for Lake Bunyonyi means a hot shower is not forthcoming plus I have to complete my packing in the light from my headtorch. We have been told to be at the bus office for 5:40AM, though the bus doesn't show until nearly an hour later and we don't depart Fort Portal until a further thirty minutes after that. The bus isn't completely full and in fact only one other passenger joins Sonja and I in the five seats at the very back. We learn that Ugandan speedbumps are extremely effective, even at low speeds.
The road is never in brilliant condition, and the rougher parts are something of a trial given the slick plastic covering on the seat and the complete lack of handholds. We stop at numerous villages to disgorge passengers or take on new ones. There are a few kids on the bus, who all stare wide-eyed at the
mzungu interlopers. There is also a disgruntled chicken but it completely ignores us. None of the stops are for long, and it is an increasingly uncomfortable five hours before there is a designated toilet break.
The
bus terminates at Kabale, from where there are several transport options to our final destination of Lake Bunyonyi. It's market day, so in theory there should be
matatus plying that route, but when a private hire taxi agrees to take us there for less than five bucks, it's more convenient to just agree to his offer. The road is in poor shape and we pass a large number of people - mainly women and children - quarrying on the hillsides, chipping away at rocks.
Lake Bunyonyi has been a backpacker hangout for some time and it certainly has a commercial aspect that I haven't seen since Murchison. We choose to stay at the Bunyonyi Overland Camp, mainly because I've heard they have satellite TV and I'm hoping to witness Middlesbrough pulling off the miracle they need to remain in the Premiership. There are not many other guests, giving the camp's landscaped grounds a pleasantly isolated air, however there are plenty of staff who are armed with smiles and enquiries as to my health. I choose a furnished tent that comes with its own deck, and take root for several days. I'm not surprised that power cuts feature regularly.
In the restaurant, we are assigned a waiter called Silver who attends to us at each meal. Unfortunately Silver's service is not quite Silver Service, due to the facts that his English isn't so hot plus he doesn't seem to fully understand the menu. However he's keen as well as apologetic, though it's difficult for us to understand why requesting cold sandwiches rather than the toasted ones described on the menu seems to cause so much concern.
The lake is another excellent relaxation spot. With green hillsides rising from its shores, dugout canoes being paddled slowly across its waters, and a selection of yellow birds keen to perch on my deck, I can have no complaints about the scenery. Walking outside of the camp, it's impossible to not acquire a selection of companions either offering unwanted services or expecting a tip merely for their presence, but there's nothing aggressive about these people.
One possible excursion from Lake Bunyonyi is to visit a tribe of Batwa, (aka pygmies), however I have heard and read nothing positive about this experience. Putting to one side one girl's disappointment that they were only marginally shorter than her, it would appear that the
lot of the Batwa is not a happy one. They have been marginalised in all the countries in which they live and have little say in government.
Sonja has a much tighter schedule than I do as she needs to be in Rwanda shortly, so she soon heads out to a different resort on the lake before making for Kigali. After seeing Middlesbrough finally put me out of my misery by being relegated, I also decide to try this resort - Byoona Amagara. It turns out to be even more serene than Overland.
The journey to Byoona Amagara is accomplished via dugout canoe. My skipper, a young chap with the appropriately nautical name of Noah, points out interesting features along the way. One is Punishment Island, a small one-tree dot of land where, in times gone by, unmarried pregnant girls would be left to die. A couple of otters are spotted in the water nearby. I also see kingfishers and crested cranes (Uganda's national symbol). On arrival at the island, I am greeted by George, who runs the reception with his partner in funk, Clinton.
Byoona Amagara is a much smaller camp than Overland, but it has
Bird
Bunyonyi Overland Camp three so-called "geodomes" that are accommodation highlights. These are dome-shaped bamboo constructions that are comfortably furnished, with an open front leading onto a wooden deck and, beyond, an appealing view of the lake. The one dawn that I see from my bed in the geodome is a beautiful experience, the darkness giving way to a faint and progressively more definite lakeland scene. Birds twitter on the deck and even come into the geodome. The showers also come with a view, though the default cold water is rather bracing.
The camp advertises that it undertakes various initiatives to promote sustainable living on the island, which it shares with a small local community. Unfortunately there is little information available to visitors to expand on this statement. One indication is the use of composting toilets, which produce a strong smell that it's best to stay upwind of. Slightly less aromatic (but only slightly) is Jimmy the dog, a friendly old hound who would like to eat your food but will settle for tummy rubs. I hope a bath is in his immediate future.
For me, the camp's status as an excellent place to hang out is sealed by its library, the
Leaves
Bunyonyi Overland Camp first decent one I've seen on this trip. I have few greater joys in life than the written word, and I realise how much I've been missing a regular diet of books when I blow through 3.5 in two days. There's an equally extensive DVD collection but it holds no interest for me.
I return to Overland after a couple of days, partly due to the geodomes being booked out and partly due to Byoona Amagara not having satellite TV for screening the Champions League final. I'm not pleased to see two large overland trucks in the carpark. I would never travel in that way myself, though I can understand how it might appeal to some people, but the noise emanating from a group is generally related exponentially to the number of members it has and, sure enough, the calm of Lake Bunyonyi is soon rent by the shouts and laughter of this bunch of truckers. It becomes imperative to reach the restaurant early for meals before the group order goes in that ties up the (already slow) kitchen for a couple of hours.
I'm not an enormous football fan, and in fact in recent years my main
interest in football has come more from exchanging barbs with a Manchester City-supporting friend (an e-mail-based battle that Middlesbrough's relegation would appear to have decided in his favour), but the sport is such great conversation fuel in Africa that it seems appropriate to watch the neutral's dream Champions' League final between Manchester United and Barcelona. Sadly it's a dismal game. I'm surprised at the number of Ugandans that seem to be supporting Barcelona but of course it turns out that they don't - they're actually Arsenal or Liverpool supporters who'll root for ANY team that's playing Manchester United.
In total I spend a week at Lake Bunyonyi accomplishing very little - bliss.
Dull but possibly useful info i. The Kalita bus from Fort Portal to Kabale left at 7:10AM, took 7 hours, and cost USh20,000.
ii. From Kabale to Lake Bunyonyi, we took a special hire (i.e. private) taxi for USh10,000. You can probably get it cheaper than this. A boda boda is about USh5,000 - the road is fairly rough but is only 9km long.
iii. At Lake Bunyonyi, I first stayed at Bunyonyi Overland Camp, paying USh30,000 for a furnished tent with shared bathroom. In general
all the meals I had were edible if not above average, bar a horrendous chicken vegetable rice in which all the pieces of "chicken" were skin, bone, or gristle. The pizzas taste fine but the "big" on the menu is more like a "medium" by any sensible definition. The service is slow but the view is good. Don't count on getting a usable cellphone signal here, and the Internet is so slow as to be essentially useless. Pay in Ugandan shillings as the $ prices are a good third or more higher.
iv. I then stayed at Byoona Amagara on one of the islands in the lake. Transport there in a dugout canoe is free - simply go to the Byoona Amagara "office" at their parking spot (maybe 10 minutes' walk from Overland) and they'll sort one out. Note that there is very limited accommodation at Byoona Amagara compared with Overland, in particular there are only three geodomes (the best option) - one deluxe (with en suite facilities) and two basic (with shared). You should definitely book a couple of days in advance to ensure getting a geodome. The cost for a basic geodome is USh19,000 per person - there's
Insect
Bunyonyi Overland Camp a single supplement of 50%, so I paid USh28,500 for mine. I think in high season you have to pay for at least two people regardless. My first night there was spent in a dark two bed dorm (actually a bunk) for which it's USh13,500 per person. The food was generally excellent though, due to the size of the kitchen, it can take a while for it to show up, especially if a bunch of people have ordered before you. Prices are lower than at Overland. Transport back to the mainland costs USh3,000 per person in a dugout canoe - you can also hire a motorised launch for (I think) USh15,000 all in. The Internet was surprisingly fast, despite the annoyance of the missing "i" key on the keyboard.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.111s; Tpl: 0.014s; cc: 10; qc: 37; dbt: 0.064s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
Donna and Neil
Donna and Neil
Toasted sandwiches instead of cold sandwiches...
well the explanation for that one is easy...it disguises that the bread is ever so slightly stale of course! We've enjoyed reading your Africa blogs, although the travelling sounds like very hard work...we know exactly what you mean about obnoxious groups grrr!