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Published: November 15th 2010
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It's supposedly 4 hours to Queen Elizabeth National Park from Lake Bunyonyi, we have left 2 hours late and our driver doesn't really know the way, so we arrive at the Katunguru Gate at 5pm, so we know we've missed the last boat trip. The entrance road is dirt track and we drive slow to see animals on the way. We see some waterbuck and elephants and many birds. Hakuna Matata manager, Kennedy, is the one that made us late and made us lend the guide $400 so we expect some sucking up from here on. We have missed the itinerary item for the day and suddenly are driving to a different hotel to the one in the itinerary. Kennedy has surpassed even our expectations of bad customer service, he has told the guide to down grade us to a hostel for the night, we take a look at a room just in case but no chance are we staying there. We have paid for mid range hotels, this is a concrete room with bunk beds and bathrooms down the path with squat toilets! We immediately get Kennedy on the phone. The intended hotel is 50km away so with the dirt
roads will take a couple of hours to get to and the boat ride, which will now have to be done tomorrow, is where we are currently located. Lucky for us, the top end hotel is also there, so we demand to be upgraded to that. Gerald is only allowed to get us bed and breakfast but that is fine, the room is lovely. Instead of mosquito nets they come round at night and spray the room, then close a curtain each side of the room in case any bugs get through the windows, much nicer than a tiny, holey mossie net which many places offer. We eat at the hostel as it's the nearest place and we are shattered after travelling all day, early start tomorrow for the game drive...
We are supposed to have a 4WD for the duration of the tour, and have already had to put up with a car in Rwanda, which has now continued into Uganda. This is the point when it gets ridiculous, we fit 5 of us in the saloon car for a game drive!! Our guide has paid for another local guide to come with us, so he's in the front
with the driver and Gerald is squidged between us in the back. We have limited vision due to being low to the ground in a standard car and not being able to turn much while so limited in room, also car windows do not give 360 vision. Overall it is a terrible game drive. We do see a few elephants, hippos on land, warthogs and waterbuck and a few more birds but nothing of huge interest, At least the sun rise is good. We get back for breakfast at the lodge and there is everything to choose from, a proper 5* hotel breakfast. The veranda has great lake views but is mobbed by small yellow birds so my first plate of breakfast gets eaten before I've had a chance to sit down, I decide to opt for a new plate of food without bird germs... After breakfast, Kennedy tries to downgrade us again, amazing service! The boat trip that was planned has no other passengers at 11, so the only way to go it to pay for the minimum number which is $150. There is a small boat which is cheaper but it has no viewing platform and is generally
not as good so we insist on the large boat and go with just the two of us and a guide. This is the highlight of the park. We motor across the channel between Lakes George and Edward and on the opposite bank are herds of buffalo and hippos, living together in harmony. There are also hundreds of birds, 4 types of herons, 2 types of stork which are huge, many other water birds, pied and malachite kingfishers, it's a brilliant trip. We also see quite a few crocodiles and monitor lizards. When we get near the fishing village, there are lots of marabou storks prowling the banks waiting for leftovers from the nets and some crazy locals are swimming or bathing in the lake even though there are hippos, buffalo and crocodiles in visible distance!
After a pleasurable trip on the lakes we have to start the tour fiasco again. It seems the 4WD is almost here and our Rwandan driver does not want to go any further so insists we wait for him on the main road just outside the national park. The predicted 20minutes wait is of course an hour so we just potter about the dirt
track street waiting. Our new driver, Ema, is Ugandan but grew up in Rwanda. The car is 4WD and right hand drive so correct for Uganda where they drive on the left. We finally set off about 4pm, quick detour to the equator before a 6 hours drive to Kampala, we can't get to the itinerary stop of Jinja in the time frame... The equator is 2 simple stone circles a few kilometres up the road, we take a few photos but there is nothing else to do, not like the park in Ecuador where you can see the water going different ways down the plug hole and balance an egg on a pin. As we leave our driver forgets which country he is in and proceeds along the wrong side of the road. Even with all 3 of us screaming at him, he doesn't get what is wrong and takes a long time to correct it.
Later the road deteriorates and the driver is sleepy. I scream a couple of times to wake him up as we veer across the road. He claims he's not tired though as he has the window open! We finally arrive in Kampala at
around midnight, shattered!!
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