Chimps to Kampala
Tuesday 12 April 2016 – As dawn broke we bumped our way round muddy mountain roads towards Kabale, the valleys below us wreathed in mist. From Kabale we caught a minibus to Mbarara and then a second one to Kyambura, a village on the edge of Queen Elizabeth National Park. At Kyambura we walked to a place we had marked on our phone called Kingfisher Lodge. Unfortunately the cheapest room was $230 and with no other affordable accommodation nearby we had to carry on to the next village, Katunguru where we found a little guesthouse we felt comfortable leaving our bags at while we went to see the chimpanzees the following day. That evening we dined on rice and beans while thousands of tiny flies from the nearby lake swarmed around the neon lights.
Wednesday 13th April 2016 – The previous evening we had made bookings to go chimpanzee trekking in Kalinzu, a small village about two hours bus ride from Katunguru. There are at least four places to see chimpanzees in Uganda but Kalinzu offers the cheapest permits. As we travelled along a particularly badly potholed piece of road we saw elephants and a large herd of buffalo grazing in the distance. We later learned that the terrible state of the road was due to the buffalo tearing up the tarmac with their horns. At Kalinzu we were met by Deborah, a jovial young woman who would be our guide. We journeyed into the forest, past biting safari ants and through dense undergrowth and as we walked many varieties of butterfly fluttered amongst the foliage, some so small and fragile they just seemed to float along, while others, large and colourful fluttered by, never pausing to rest for more than an instant. From time to time Deborah would point out an interesting plant or insect. One was a small scarlet flower growing on the forest floor which, if touched caused the skin to blister and was highly carcinogenic. As we continued we were lucky enough to encounter some other primates of the forest; a blue monkey and a troupe of L’Hoests monkeys. After about an hour and a half we found the chimpanzees high up in a fig tree deep in the forest and for the next hour we were entertained as they scratched themselves, groomed each other and feasted on figs. After a detour to an ATM in a nearby town we made our way back to Katunguru. That evening as we made plans to reach Kampala the next day we realised our African adventure was drawing to an end….
Thursday 14th April 2016 – Our last long journey in Africa would have been an anticlimax if it had gone entirely smoothly. At Mbarara we were transferred to another minibus and were informed it was going to Kampala. It was only after we had driven round town for half an hour picking up passengers that we realised the bus was going to Kabale and not Kampala. We were deposited at a petrol station where we hired two motorcycle taxis to take us back to the bus station. On the way the heavens opened soaking us from head to toe. We found a bus that was actually going to Kampala and settled, dripping into our seats for the journey. Kampala was exactly the bustling African metropolis we had expected – traffic and people everywhere. It was pretty overwhelming and we happily handed over a large taxi fare to be whisked safely to our hostel – picked by Alysa on the basis that it had a cat. The place was ideal; we took a double room and flopped onto the bed. This would be our home for the next four nights.
Friday 15th April 2016 – We had arrived in Kamapla with time to spare. Our flight didn’t leave for four days and we could relax. We pottered around the hostel, surfed the internet and ate good food. Bliss.
