Blogs from Fort Portal, Western Region, Uganda, Africa

We were programmed to meet Norah to visit the Amabeere Caves this morning but rain made the world stop as boda drivers refused to come drive to town and very few people move in the rain. Florence used to call me a stupid girl when I tried because I was asking to get sick. Eventually the sky cleared and we were off to the caves. The caves are not very large, they are the only ones in Uganda with stalagmites, stalactites and aspheres. The other great feature is a waterfall you can walk behind. Today it was roaring due to the recent rainfall. Our guide Robert was very educated on the area: the cave history, the people who lived in them and the crater lakes. These lakes were formed by volcanic eruptions. The build up of ... read more

The morning started with an eventful bus departure. We were late for the bus but it hadn’t departed and as Shelby ran to the bathroom, I found seats. I asked the person next to me where he was heading. He said Kampala (Fort Portal and Kampala are not close). The bus started pulling out, Shelby wasn’t on the bus out, I was trying to get of to ask about the trek, and a worker was pounding on the bus trying to get it to wait for Shelby. As Shelby was jumping on I was trying to get off. I asked the worker if it was going to Fort Portal, he said there is no bus from Masindi to Fort Portal, you go to Kampala first than transfer. We got on the bus mentally preparing for the ... read more

Geo: 0.664314, 30.2796July 8th, 2014Today was a travel day from Fort Portal to the Queen Elizabeth Bush Lodge in near Queen Elizabeth National Park. This will be our home for the next 4 days.We took the Link bus from Fort Portal to Kasese, which is less than 2 hours with several stops along the way. In Kasese, we hired a car to drive us to the Lodge. When tourists get off a bus, we are a spectacle because it is not super common, and we are hounded by offers for boda-bodas (motorcycles); matatus (van taxis) and, to a lesser degree, hired private cars. As I mentioned before, people are not super aggressive but they are vying for your business so there is lots of activity and assurances that theirs is the best way. We finally hired ... read more

Geo: 0.664314, 30.2796Today we visited the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary. This is a small sanctuary which protects the Magombe Swamp. It is a great example of conservation and tourism and it also directly benefits the local community. All the money raised from the trail is used in community projects in Bigodi. It has already funded a library and a secondary school in the village. The extremely well-informed guides make the walk all the more enjoyable. Our guide, Alex, could spot birds we might have otherwise missed as well as small creatures like frogs, snails and centipedes and a good sized lizard with a yellow body and brilliant blue head and tail. We saw a lot of birds, for which this area is most famous. We saw Great Blue Turacos, Greenbuls, Weavers that look a bit like Grosbeaks ... read more

Geo: 0.664314, 30.2796Up early again and headed to catch the bus to Kampala and then on to Fort Portal. We had debated taking the bus on hard surfaced roads versus a shorter trip, in kilometers, via matatus but after yesterday on bumpy, dusty roads, we opted for the bus. After about 10 hours we are now in Fort Portal relaxing at the Rwenzori View Guest House –a lovely, quiet, respite from the noise and pollution of the day. Ugandan's love loud music so the bus ride is anything but relaxing. We plan to use this as our base camp for the next 4- 6 days as we explore Kibale National Forest and environs.Dinner at the Guest House was very good and enjoyable. The place is full with travelers from around the world. We chatted with a ... read more