Thursday 22 March 2012
Friday 2 March 2012
An experience with Churchill Safaris
This is an account from one of our clients who took a safari with us in 2011. Exceptional reading and details about traveling through East Africa.
We arrived in Entebbe at 7pm on the 18th December. Obtaining a Visa was easy, no passport photos were required but there were queues at immigration so it took us about 40 minutes in total including exchanging some US$ to UGS. At immigration they photograph you with a webcam but the Visa is just a stamp in your passport with a maximum stay date written on it. The exchange rate at the Airport was about as good as we saw anywhere and it is so much easier whilst you are there. Emmy from Churchill Safaris was waiting outside and after an introduction we were on our way. I was surprised at how young he was, 29 years old – actually he had his 30th birthday whilst on our Safari. However he was a very capable and very friendly young man who did his best to ensure we had a good time. As we travelled around the many friendships and working relationships he had built up with people wherever we went worked in our favour many times. One huge plus to Emmy was that he told it like it was – no crap and nothing glossed up for a tourist; we got it just as it was and we both appreciated that immensely.
Our trip to Kampala took an astonishing 2 hours 20 minutes! The traffic was hell, virtually stopped the whole way. We were too late arriving at the Kampala Serena for dinner so had a room service snack which was fine. The next morning we visited the Kampala Museum and then drove to Jinja which was a good road & a good introduction to Uganda. As is typical in Africa people are walking along the side of the roads and there are Markets & just so much happening – so interesting. We found the source of the Nile a little underwhelming but still worth seeing.
The next morning and we were off on Safari. The drive North to Murchison Falls took all day stopping off to view the top of the falls en route. The road as far as Masindi was sealed and good but from there on to Paraa Lodge was unsealed and rough. We spent the next 2 days on game drives in the park and also did a cruise up river to the base of the falls. The cruise took about 3 hours, was on a new large catamaran owned by Paraa lodge and we saw a big number of Hippos and Nile Crocodiles from above which was good for photos. In the park during the game drives we saw a lot of Giraffe, Elephant and Buffalo but no Lions. The terrain reminded me of some parts of Tanzania. We liked the way at morning tea time Emmy produced a flask of boiling water and some coffee, so we could have refreshments sometimes whilst clients of other safari companies looked on. Very civilised!! Having said this there is not the volume of Safari traffic in Uganda there is in Tanzania orKenya. It is rare to be anywhere with more than 1 or 2 other vehicles – great!! Another plus to Churchill’s is that they supply you with as much water as you need – in Tanzania once we had run out of the initial supply we had to pay ourselves for more. Not so with Churchill’s. We were delighted on returning to our room at Paraa lodge one night that there was a Hippo just near the door to our room. We stood and watched her for ages; she didn’t seem to be aware of our presence.
The drive from Murchison Falls to Ndali lodge near the Kibale forest is a very long one on an extremely rough road. At the end of it you and your luggage are covered in dust. The Toyota Land Cruiser we were using was of the Station wagon variety that Churchill’s use for just 2 people; they use the Land Cruiser troop carriers for more than 2 people. Our one was 13 years old and had travelled 320,000 kms so the dust sealing was not as effective as it used to be and the A/C didn’t work. The vehicle was otherwise in sound mechanical condition though and gave no trouble at all, not even any punctures. I did notice that it had 5 brand new tyres and a new Battery. Also it had been fitted with heavy duty suspension. Some Safari companies use 4WD vans but these struggle to get along some of the roads especially the road from Buhoma to Ruhija which they can not travel along if it has been raining. Confirm with your safari company what they use, believe me you do not want to be travelling in a van - they are not up to the job of handling these poorly maintained and very rough roads. Churchill’s have another similar vehicle that is 1 year old, this would have been much better. We travel with back packs and next time we are going to take some pack rain covers to put over the packs whilst travelling along to keep the dust off them – much easier to just run the shower over a nylon cover than having to battle with trying to clean your pack.
Ndali Lodge is in a spectacular location on the rim of a Crater. One nicety we noted in Uganda was that there was somewhere to put your luggage when you arrived at a lodge even if it was just a locally made mat that they laid out on the ground. In some countries your luggage is removed from your vehicle and unceremoniously dumped in the dirt. On arrival at Ndali our luggage was so dusty they brushed it clean for us. The next day we did the walk through the Bigodi swamp in the morning and in the afternoon the Chimp trekking in the Kibale Forest. Here you have an 80% chance of seeing Chimps but after a moderate 4 hour treck we fell into the other 20% category. They offered for us to return first thing the next morning but we declined as we had another long drive ahead.
Most of the drive to the Queen Elizabeth NP was on tarmac and we arrived sans dust at Katara lodge which we loved. I will do a separate review of each place we stayed. The next day we did a morning game drive and saw a huge number of Elephants and in the afternoon did the boat trip on the Kazinga channel. This turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip. We have never seen such a concentration of Hippos or Buffalos on the shore and down in the water. There were even Elephants right down by the water. For bird lovers this place must be heaven – it would be impossible to count the number of birds, both large and small. If you get the same boat that we did when you get on everyone makes for the front downstairs but at the back on the left hand side there is one double seat that is raised up and provides a much better view. As we were leaving the area a Leopard walked across the road in front of the vehicle. We have never seen one so close up and you could see the incredible spots on him. This was amazing as it was not far from Myewa Safari lodge.
The next morning after we checked out of Katara we went for the chimp tracking in the Kyambura gorge. Here it is not as likely to see the Chimps but this was our day and after a short walk down into the spectacular gorge and a walk over a swing bridge with no sides there they were. A male even brushed up against me as he climbed down a tree. There were moments when I thought I may have lost my daypack & Camera as he went right up to it & touched it but he decided it wasn’t for him so we spent the next hour watching him and his family – amazing!! Part 2 tomorrow, thanks for reading.
After our successful visit to the Kyambura gorge we continued to our next stop at the Ishasha Wilderness Camp along a non sealed road but with a good surface. This was a nice camp situated in a very pretty area and we would like to have stayed here longer. After an overnight stop we began what was going to be a very long, dusty & rough drive to Ruhija in Bwindi. Not too far out of the southern section of the Q.E.National Park Emmy spotted a Lioness sitting in a tree. Wow, she was right there and we were just below her – I swear we were so close we could hear her breathing but for her she virtually ignored us. I can tell you the Camera’s were working overtime!!
I can’t impress enough just how rough the road from Buhoma to Ruhija is and how totally unsuitable it is for anything other than a purpose built 4WD such as a Land Cruiser or Land Rover. It is not suitable for one of these 4WD Toyota Hi Ace Vans no matter who tells you it is. You need a proper 4WD with a low range transmission and either locking front hubs or a diff lock. (Yes, I work in the motor industry) Even with all this it had been raining and we still got stuck in the middle of the road. After several back up attempts we made it through the worst section. I have done a lot of four wheel driving in the Australian outback and this section of the road to Ruhija is a worse track than the Oodnadatta track through central Australia. If Uganda wants to keep the momentum on the increasing Gorilla tourism market going the government needs to have a serious look at this road. We arrived at Ruhija totally exhausted.
This was the day we had been waiting for and we set off for our Uganda Gorilla tracking. Once we had been briefed it was only a short 40 minute walk along a ridge and then 20 minutes down into a shallow swamp and there they were. The Bitukura group has several Silverbacks and we observed them feeding before we climbed up (and slipped down again in my case) a grassy bank to observe the rest of the family. All too quickly it was over and we had to go. A word of caution here is that we had an easy and short walk there but at an altitude of 2700m the walk back uphill was really tough going and whilst in the swamp we were standing in muddy water half way up our shins at times. The temperature was not cold though. I had on cross trainers and they did not have the necessary grip needed and I slipped and fell 3 times. Usually I am very sure footed and one time I slipped right down the bank, couldn’t move and had to be helped up by 2 ladies. That was embarrassing! A young girl that came with us had tracked at Buhoma the previous day and had to walk up steep farmland for 2 hours before even coming to the forest. For me I just would not have been able to do that, I am reasonably fit but the altitude zapped me of my energy. At the end of our tracking we rested and ate our picnic lunches and the young girls’ driver started to hurry her up as it was going to rain and he was saying their van would not get through the road if it rained heavily!
The next morning we departed en route to Rwanda. The road beyond Ruhija is still very rough but not as bad thankfully as before it and there are some amazing views of the steep countryside and all the crops planted in seemingly impossible places. Once off the Ruhija road the sealed road is of an international standard as you head towards Kisoro and there are some amazing views down into Lake Bunyoni. After about 20 kms the road deteriorates and there are a lot of road works.
We were following a truck being driven erratically when suddenly they stopped virtually in the middle of the road at the bottom of a gorge. Emmy said he didn’t like the situation and decided to drive around the stationary truck on the RH side. We drove so close to a boulder on the RH side of the road I was waiting for the crash but fortunately it never came. We continued on to the top of the next hill and found a lot of angry guys had constructed a road block out of huge boulders, rocks and whatever else they could find. Emmy asked what was going on and they told us that some thieves in a truck had been stealing from the local villages along the road. These guys were absolutely furious and they quickly cleared away some stones so we could pass by. This is any area with virtually no police presence and if the guys had been able to stop the truck they may have beaten the thieves to death on the spot. Lower down the hill another road block, this time a huge tree across the road and many young guys appearing out of the bush and running frantically to the road block. We continued on again, and then about 5 kms later there was the truck right behind us! There are two thoughts on why they tried to stop us earlier, one was that a Safari vehicle will contain tourists probably with some foreign cash on board to add to their booty and the other thought is that they knew the locals would clear the road block to let us through and they could charge through after us. Whatever the reason we knew we needed to get away from them and after passing two cars and finally a bus they could not pass the bus and we were out of harms way. This was rather scary and if it hadn’t been for our capable driver it might have turned out differently to what it did. We relaxed after this ordeal with a nice lunch at the Travellers Rest Hotel at Kisoro and then headed to the Rwanda border. I have tried to keep this short but have wanted to provide as much information as I could to help anyone I can so yes –there is going to be a part 3 and also the part in Rwanda I will post in the Rwanda forums. I will upload our trip photos to my flickr site which is www.flickr.com/photos/kiwiexplorer which you are welcome to look at in a week or two,
Having left Rwanda we were now back in Uganda and heading for Lake Bunyonyi. Once through Kabale we turned off and after a short but typically rough ride on another very bad road we arrived at a jetty area where there was a very busy market taking place. From out of the hordes of people, Steven the manager of the Heritage Lodge appeared and we were off on a longboat to his Lodge. This is a pretty lake with arms of the Lake coming off in all directions. After 30 minutes we arrived at the Heritage Lodge on Habuharo Island. For the one night we were there we were the only guests, the next night there were no guests at all and 3 arriving the following day. Steven explained to us that he thinks the coming elections in Uganda are putting people off coming at the moment.
Early the next morning we left for an hour long boat ride to a swamp to observe the birdlife. We had been warned that it would be cold but it was absolutely freezing. It was expected to be 16 degrees but moving rapidly through the air as we were I doubt it would have been over 0 degrees. We just simply hadn’t brought clothes warm enough to Uganda for this. We held the life jackets up as windbreakers to try to help but we became so very cold our immunity was compromised and we both promptly got nasty throat infections which I still have now. Had we known how freezing this boat trip was going to be we wouldn’t have done it. Part of the trip was to visit the Batwa Pygmies which was interesting. Some local kids met us at the boat and struggled with each other for the right to hold our hands. Those that missed out held onto our sleeves and we walked up the Hill to the Batwa. Unfortunately the Batwa are a lazy bunch of no hopers and after a short dance and sing song they wanted the expected tip. We gave them 20,000 shillings as Steven had suggested and suddenly the performance stopped. Their leader held his hand up for another 20,000 but Steven said not to give it. They produced some poorly made and filthy dirty craft ware they had made and we picked 2 items & gave them what they wanted but by now things had soured and Steven said abruptly that we must go now, without seeing inside one of their houses as expected!! Apparently the more they get the more they want. We gave the same tip to the local kids whose company we enjoyed immensely and they were so appreciative & happy they jumped into the air and screamed and shouted thank you to us so many times. They were still thanking us as we disappeared down the hill to the boat.
As expected the very punctual Emmy was waiting for us at the jetty on our return and we sped off along a very good road in the direction of Mihingo Lodge near Lake Mburo where we were booked in for the next 2 nights (or so we thought). As we were driving Emmy received a phone call from Katy, the manager at Mihingo lodge asking what time we were expecting to arrive tomorrow??? When we had first received Ether’s suggested itinerary we modified the last 3 nights to suit our flight out ofEntebbe. This had been noted, a revised itinerary was forwarded to us along with a revised quoted price. Now, on our arrival in Entebbe Emmy had presented us with the original itinerary. We told him it was not correct and there would be no way we could drive from Mihingo lodge to Entebbe to catch a 7.15am flight. He had informed Ether but I had not been comfortable about this so had e-mailed her from Paraa Lodge with a detailed explanation of the problem and I even attached a copy of the revised itinerary to the e-mail. She replied to the e-mail saying there had been a problem with their reservations dept.
Unfortunately it didn’t sink in though and it was now apparent they were still working to the original itinerary which had never been accepted by me anyway. I was furious and even more so by the fact that we couldn’t contact Ether as she was 180kms out ofKampala where there was no cell phone reception. Fortunately for us Katy from Mihingo Lodge phoned around whilst we drove and secured a tent for us at the Kimbla Mantana tented camp. There are only 2 other accommodation providers nearby . Nobody had any money to pay for the night and they didn’t take Credit cards so I had to pay using my dwindling $US. This peeved me off so much as it was my Birthday and we had been looking forward to relaxing at Mihingo lodge. On our return to Kampala we were re-imbursed for the night we didn’t use at Mihingo and some other items and an apology was given but such a silly mistake was not on. If you use this Safari company and you have any doubts at all about anything I recommend you get on the telephone and sort it out verbally. Apart from this incident and a few differences about what had been included in the price which were easily sorted I do recommend Churchill safaris. It is a trustworthy family business who will not abscond with your money; you will get your Safari unlike some other companies that have popped up on trip advisor recently. So with my Birthday written off and us starting to feel under the weather we tried to enjoy the rest of the trip. Mihingo Lodge was awesome and we enjoyed Lake Mburo although didn’t see a lot of wildlife there except Zebra and Impala. We didn’t see any Eland.
Our final day and a long trip into Kampala over what started out as a very good road and then deteriorated with various road works into a dusty road but the surface remained reasonable. We stopped at the equator briefly but thought the equator stop near the Queen Elizabeth NP was prettier so decided not to take any photos this time. It was interesting to see the fish sellers holding their Tilapia up as you drove past in case you might be tempted to stop and purchase one! We drove to Churchill Safaris HQ to meet Ether. We enjoyed talking to her and were impressed at how she was prepared to refund us some monies without hesitation. I really feel that our itinerary problem was unusual – trust it to happen to us and on my Birthday!! Our final drive was to Entebbe to the excellent Boma guest house and this time the drive took barely 30 minutes.
All up we had a great trip and were looked after splendidly by Emmy. We found the people in Uganda exceptionally open and friendly. The food was surprisingly good and generally superior to what we have had in the past in Tanzania. This may be in part that the lodges in Uganda are smaller and it is easier to cater a higher standard of food in a smaller institution. Also, there is a huge abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables in Uganda as you can see everywhere for sale on the side of the roads. We had no stomach upsets of any sort in the entire trip, something to be said for staying at mainly top end properties. There isn’t the wildlife in Uganda that there is in Tanzania, Zimbabwe or other African countries that we have visited but when you do see it you are likely to be alone so can have a decent look at it. If you have never been to Africa before and it is going to be your only trip then I probably wouldn’t recommend Uganda or Rwanda but if you have visited Africa previously then it is well worth it to see somewhere that is different. Thank you to all that assisted me in the planning of our Safari and thank you for taking the time out to read my other 2 parts to this review and my review of the Rwanda part as well.
2012 marks an exciting time for Uganda. Ranked as the world's #1 Travel Destination of 2012 by Lonely Planet, Uganda's National Parks, culture, and wildlife are now becoming of serious interest to world travelers. Often overshadowed by it's East African neighbors Uganda has been the hidden gem of East Africa, with pristine National Parks that have yet to be affected by mass tourism. Uganda offers something unique and rare in an ever changing and developing world, in that visitors still have the opportunity to feel adventure, to go off the beaten path, and to discover what has remained hidden.
In order to help visitors better explore our verdant country we have some exciting new developments and trips planned in the near future. This includes:
-Special offers and deals: From now until May 1st, 2012 save 5%-10% on your safari or gorilla trekking tour.
-Volunteer Discounts: In order to support volunteerism Churchill Safaris offers discounted safaris to volunteers working in Uganda, we thank you for your work and would like to show our appreciation as such. We offer further discounts on large groups.
-More trips off the beaten path: As a locally owned safari company we understand Uganda better than anyone. We know the places to go to see the "real Africa" and how to do so in an unoffensive and responsible way. Such trips include volunteer based projects including school and hospital outreaches, as well as visits to traditional communities.
Thursday 1 March 2012
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)