Returning Home – no, not that home

Lake Bunyonyi

I have just spent a week in Uganda and I must admit after a few days I was homesick for Rwanda!!! I enjoyed my trip and had many exciting experiences but it was quite comforting to realise that I felt I was missing my home n Gitarama.

I lived by the lake in the treetops for three days, in the African bush at risk of lions strolling by (none did) and with the wonderful community of people in the beautiful Rwenzori Mountains.

Living in the treetops

Inside the tent in the treetops

Lake Bunyonyi was a peaceful and pleasant retreat after a fairly demanding three months. You will see the tent in the treetops in which I slept most comfortably, waking to the sound of the birds, which allowed me to share their home for a few days. Along the lakeside the weaver birds were busy courting and building their nests. A highlight was kayaking in a dugout canoe across to the island for lunch.  

The inevitable puncture

From the lake we moved onto a safari drive, travelling over extremely bumpy roads and difficult terrain. Needless to say we got a puncture in the tyre – no trip on African roads is complete without one! 

Queen Elizabeth National Park

We stayed that night in Queen Elizabeth Park and were reminded that lions could stroll by at any time. Believe me this is not a comforting thought when you need to go to the toilet in the middle of the night!!

Surprised by hippos!

Those jaws are enormous!!

 The most exciting moment for me was walking along a river bank and hearing  very loud unidentifiable sounds from a very large animal.


 It was scary! 




We continued stealthily under cover of bushes with the snorting noises getting louder and louder.


As we came to the edge of the bushes, we saw them – a big family of hippos soaking up the water in the heat of the day. 


We watched in awe until eventually our guide said he thought we should leave because they were getting agitated. Not wanting to upset them further we made a silent retreat back into the bushes!

 I kept thinking it couldn’t get any better but it did! 

The Rwenzori Mountains

My favourite part of the trip was our visit to Rwenzori Mountains. 

This is a most beautiful part of Uganda and Mt Stanley is the third highest peak in Africa, after Mt Kilimanjaro and Mt Kenya. I would highly recommend this area for anyone who loves trekking - anything from a day's hike to a nine day trek is available.

Watching the sun set

We stayed in Kilembe at Rwenzori Backpackers – the write up in the Lonely Planet Guide doesn’t do it justice. In a later blog I will try to rectify that!! 

We had a guided hike up into the mountains, camped overnight and returned the next day.

Watching the sun rise

The money that we paid for this went towards funding community projects in the area. Kilembe has a copper mine which was closed down, removing the employment in the area. You can imagine the effects of this situation. Our guide was very entertaining and a great local character. 

Early morning breakfast

I‘m back home now and tomorrow I go to the airport to meet my friend from the UK who is coming to stay for two weeks. Can’t wait!  

Hope you enjoy the photos. 

Love to everyone Txxx