Before 2023 swallows me in a frenzy of work, I’m taking a moment to reflect on the 365 days in which I continued to piece my life back together as the world reopened for tourism. Just as we were getting up to speed post-pandemic (with summer bookings almost as busy as 2019) Uganda tourism was dealt a blow by the recurrence of Ebola. Would you believe it, we groaned collectively. Tour operators had only just resumed “real work” after two years of farming goats and washing cars; but anyway THANKFULLY the Ebola outbreak has officially been declared over, so let me say no more.
If 2020 was a write-off, and we “woke up” mid-2021, I’ll sum up 2022 as the year I said a resounding yes to everything. (And if 2021 was the year of the big resignation, surely 2022 must have been the year of the big burnout!) In 2022, I was so busy looking for new opportunities and answering travel queries that there was little time for creative writing on my beloved blog. Don’t worry dear reader – or listener? – in 2023, I promise to inspire you once more! This year’s project is a podcast, launching soon… but first…
One of 2022’s highlights was updating the Uganda and Rwanda chapters of Fodor’s Complete Guide to the African Safari. Fodor’s have been writing guidebooks for over 80 years.
If you’re researching a destination listed in this blog post, know that I have visited them personally in 2022. This means that you can read about them in the Fodor’s Guide or send me an enquiry. This post is a compilation of 2022’s social media updates. Stand-out moments – which made the long drives, Bwindi’s terrible roads, and the endless proof-reading of the guidebook worth it! – include:
What an amazing welcome we had from the Batwa community of Mgahinga. Interaction with this ancient forest tribe are always memorable. I asked to have my photo taken with Stephen, one of the elders. Cue: mass photo bombing by the whole village! What a giggle. I was in Mgahinga near Kisoro to write about Volcanoes Safaris’ Retreat “Albertine Rift Ecosystems and Great Apes conservation challenges 2022 to 2050.”
Prince Wasajja of Buganda Kingdom completed the 21km run at the Rwenzori Marathon in western Uganda. Kasese town was painted green and the streets were lined with curious bystanders who couldn’t believe their town had become the talk of the country for a weekend. For many Kampala friends, this was their first visit. That shows you the power of sporting events in putting a destination on the map. 2023 is set to be even bigger for Kasese!
I was curious to see the new tarmac road that bisects Murchison Falls National Park (still under construction in some areas). I hate that Uganda is drilling for oil in a Protected Area but the drive to the Top of the Falls is certainly easier than before. We all gasped when we were hit by spray from the river! (Thankfully the cameras and phones survived). We passed through Murchison on our way back from Arua in West Nile.
Stirring up magic at the Devil’s Cauldron is one of my favourite stories from Murchison.
The people of Arua loved my 10 little-known things to do in Arua written after an earlier visit.
Mungu and I spent an enthralling hour with Tutu, Director of the Madi Lugbara Community Museum in Arua, West Nile, northwestern Uganda. I loved the museum’s simplicity. Moreover, the items displayed aren’t dusty items that sit forgotten on a shelf. “Go to the villages in West Nile” says John “and you will see all these items in daily use.”
Protecting traditional culture starts by listening to our elders’ stories, learning the lessons captured by song, engaging with passionate people like Tutu. He brought everything in the museum to life with his insightful, frequently funny, stories. The Madi Lugbara Community Museum is in Arua town. It’s one of many community museums across Uganda. They are mostly run by volunteers and all need our support.
One of the great things about writing a blog is meeting all kinds of interesting people [do say hi!] While I was checking out hotels and restaurants in Kampala for Fodor’s Travel, tour guide Joan came to say hello. She’s a ‘Top Fan’ of my Facebook page so it was wonderful to meet in person. The staff at the 5- star Kampala Serena Hotel are always smart, courteous and friendly. It’s a real privilege to stay there.
On a half-day “boda boda tour” of 7 crater lakes, we stopped at a tea plantation on the edge of Kibale Forest. I was over the moon when one of the tea-pickers handed me the “jerrycan shears” and gave me a chance to pick my own tea! Tea + Ugandan jerrycan invention = pure joy for a Brit like me (a big tea drinker).
Cool way to spend the weekend alert! If you’re looking for a bit of an adventure without traveling far from Kampala, I recommend this half day tour: I jumped in a wooden boat at Ggaba for a 20km bike ride along the marram dirt roads of Mukono. I came back feeling super relaxed… (and dusty and sweaty!) If you have your own bike, you can join Sunday bike rides around Kampala at zero cost. Contact the Muzungu for more info.
Stand-out moments included:
In May 2022, I saw for myself how easy it is to enter Rwanda at the snazzy new Gatuna “one stop shop” border post.
After years of cross-border bus trips, it was interesting to cross the border in a tourist vehicle. First my guide Rashid had to buy COMESA insurance; at the border he had to ‘clear’ the vehicle with the Uganda Revenue Authority and Immigration. Here we were both issued with an Interstate Pass (part of the East Africa Tourist Visa which all EAC citizens and residents are eligible for). Lastly, our bags were scanned and searched – don’t accidentally carry a cavera (plastic bag) into Rwanda!
In Kigali, Rwanda, we caught up with Dr Andrew G. Seguya who heads the Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration (and was the longest serving ED at Uganda Wildlife Authority). GVTC is best known for protecting the mountain gorillas that range between Rwanda, Uganda and the DR Congo. Have you heard of the pledge to protect gorillas? Gorilla tracking tourists are encouraged to commit to protecting the gorillas from human diseases by signing the www.gorillafriendly.org pledge.
This chilled-out small town borders the DRC town of Goma and is great for a long weekend. The buffet breakfast at Lake Kivu Serena Hotel is to die for! Their new gym opened in time for CHOGM in 2022 and the hotel has added mountain bike hire and birdwatching to their list of activities.
Rwanda’s conservation and tourism visions are bold and inspiring. The new national park, created in 2016, is in fact two (severely degraded) forest fragments. An ambitious plan is in place to develop tourism activities (hiking, birdwatching, chimpanzee tracking and cultural experiences). A tree planting programme is visibly helping prevent soil erosion, protect rivers, improve biodiversity and – crucially – provide firewood for local communities. I’ve been following Gishwati-Mukura’s evolution closely since writing a blog for Albertine Rift Conservation Society in 2019.
Gaudence’s family knew pioneer gorilla conservationist Dian Fossey well and shared some interesting stories about Fossey’s stays there. Did you know you can stay in the very room where Fossey slept? (For a premium price). You can guess where the muzungu wanted to sleep! (Unfortunately I arrived when the room was being renovated).
Nairobi’s matatus are legendary! Each one is a work of art.
Thank you to everyone who voted for me in the Top 100 Women in Travel and Tourism in Africa. I felt honoured to be nominated and bowled over to come at no. 2 in the online vote!
Training assignments led me across East Africa: digital marketing training in Jinja, Kampala, Fort Portal and West Nile; a community-based tourism webinar from Sunbird Hill for the East Africa Tourism Platform. Other work highlights included being speaking live to readers of the U.K.’s Wanderlust Magazine; a digital marketing presentation at Uganda’s inaugural Adventure Tourism Expo; On Uganda podcast interview; judging Uganda’s annual Travel Writing Competition. The year ended on a high with an invitation to Nairobi to co-lead a day discussing responsible tourism (one of my favourite subjects) with Kenyan content creators, Ecotourism Kenya and Kenya Tourism Board. (Thank you Barbara!)
That time was enchanting in many ways and I remain grateful every day (as my #LockdownDiaries attest) but I took the isolation hard. I confess: 2022’s carbon footprint was off the scale and this year I am committed to offsetting my travels. I’m also committed to launching a podcast, a project inspired by being locked down with nature. More on that very soon!
After a few days visiting community tourism projects in Ishasha, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Julia and I drive north through the crater lakes of Fort Portal and to the edge of Kibale Forest. We swap notes about places we want to visit. We’re usually rushing to one destination, or rushing back to Kampala, but in an ideal world, we’d travel at a more leisurely pace.
Camera required! Admire the eight volcanic Virunga peaks reflected in the lake’s surface as you are paddled across the lake. Combine this with a trip to Kisoro, a hike with the Gorilla Highlands project and a stay at Chameleon Hill.
Strictly speaking, tea is an invasive species and the plantations were created at the expense of ancient woodlands, yet the bright green young tips of tea leaves remain alluring to this Brit (a committed tea-drinker!)
Mabira Forest Canopy Super Skyway is over 200 metres of canopy zip-lines through the tops of 40 metre high trees and across the River Musamya.
Go for the day or stay at Griffin Falls Eco Campsite, Mabira. Here you can see Red Tailed Monkeys and shy Grey Cheeked Mangabeys (if you’re lucky). You can also walk or hire mountain bikes to go on the trails through the Forest. Tell Hussein the muzungu sent you 🙂
Viewing Uganda’s solar eclipse in Pokwero / Pakwach took my breath away. It was spell-binding.
Imagine if you had experienced an eclipse without expecting it? The story of Uganda’s 15th century eclipse at Biharwe changed the boundaries of traditional kingdoms.
Stretch your legs on the long drive west: take twenty minutes to climb Biharwe Hill and admire the monument (sited directly opposite Igongo).
TIP: if you’re stopping for lunch, eat the buffet. If you order from the menu, you may have a very LONG wait … we did.
If you’re a coffee drinker like me, you’ll LOVE Gorilla Conservation Coffee and their brilliant cafe in Entebbe! Do visit the cafe if you’re driving to Entebbe Airport.
Pictured on my T-shirt is Kanyonyi (RIP), the legendary silverback gorilla from the Mubare family. The coffee blend is named after him. Keep his memory alive by visiting the Gorilla Conservation Cafe or buying coffee at numerous outlets across Uganda or online. Gorilla Conservation Coffee is a social enterprise that buys the coffee of farmers – who live adjacent to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest – at a premium price. Helping farmers protects the forests and thus the mountain gorillas. Profits from the sale of Gorilla Conservation Coffee support the ground-breaking work of Conservation Through Public Health.
*Gorilla Conservation Cafe has a new location* on Plot 13 Portal Road, Entebbe. Call +256 752 330139. Here you can order a fresh coffee or buy coffee beans to drink at home (a great gift too!)
The crater lakes of Fort Portal are gorgeous.
In this same region are Amabere Ga Nyina Mwiru Caves. (Caves always sound exciting to me!)
Amabere Ga Nyina Mwiru means “the breasts of Nyina Mwiru.” The ‘breasts’ are in fact stalactites made of calcium carbonate. The white-coloured water that drips off thus called “breast milk” by the local Toro people.
Local folklore has a rather gory interpretation of the cave’s name. Enough said on that point (or two points, should I say) …
Thanks to Bosco and Keseloni for making sure I saw my first Narina Trogon on my last stay at the splendid Ishasha Wilderness Camp. What a fabulous bird!
(Do you love birds like I do? Read some of my birding stories here).
You don’t need to track the Mountain Gorillas to love Bwindi’s forest and birdlife. The first time I saw Bwindi’s rainforest, I thought I was going to cry; the place is pure magic. Did you know… Bwindi was voted no. 1 in Travel African magazine’s list of top 10 birdwatching sites?
The plan: overnight at Buhoma Lodge – or the recently refurbished Bwindi Lodge for a real treat – then take the day-long hike across Bwindi Impenetrable Forest to Nkuringo to the south.
In 2013, Robert Brierley hosted us at Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge from where we walked the 17 km Ivy River trail. The lodge is set high on Nteko Ridge between the Virunga volcanoes and the breath-takingly beautiful Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
The Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary tour is entertaining and educational for the whole family. Relaxing, bird watching, crossing the Equator by boat and looking out for the 50,000 fruit bats that fly overhead every evening are other unforgettable Ngamba experiences. All trips must be booked in advance. A stay at Ngamba’s luxury tented camp is highly recommended too.
Unlike the day tour – in which you are separated from the chimpanzees by a high platform and an electric fence – you can have a far more intimate experience with the chimpanzees, if you sign up for the volunteering programme. This takes the Ngamba experience to a whole new level.
Whether it’s cleaning the cages where the chimps come to sleep at night, preparing food, collecting behavioural data, assisting in medical procedures, typing up ‘chimp diaries’, selling merchandise in the Ngamba Island shop or helping maintain the island’s facilities, volunteers on week (or longer programmes) are active members of Ngamba’s dedicated family. You have to meet the Ngamba Island team to appreciate how dedicated they are to each individual chimp…!
Fancy a night in the wild but without the travel to the National Parks? Stay in the bandas at UWEC, the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (once known as Entebbe Zoo). You will think you are in the bush – and may wake up to the sounds of chimpanzees, monkeys – or even a lion!
You can take part in some very cool, interactive experiences at UWEC, such as feeding the animals and walking with Hamukungu Charles, the young elephant (a lot bigger than he was in this photo of six years ago!) UWEC’s Behind-the-Scenes experiences need to be booked in advance. UWEC is open daily 8.30 am – 6.30 pm. Call +256 (0)414 320520 for more information.
Horseback safaris along the northern bank of the River Nile outside Jinja can be for a few hours or even a few days – it’s up to you. Nile Horseback Safaris’ professionally-run riding stables also offer riding classes. Horse riding – and a few refresher lessons! – are high on the muzungu’s travel bucket list this year!
The Throne Room is located in the Omukama – Traditional King’s – (very modern) Palace in Hoima. Here we were told about the “empire of traders, hunters and metalworkers, built and lost on ivory.” The cultural history was illuminating. The experience taught me that I have barely scratched the surface of the country’s history and culture. There’s so much more to touring Uganda than wildlife and adventure. I was honoured to be given the pet name Akiki at our audience with the Omukama, the traditional king of Bunyoro kingdom.
All credit to the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) guides who have plenty of interesting facts about these gorgeous creatures and their stunning bamboo habitat. Just like Uganda’s chimps and mountain gorillas, UWA rangers are constantly monitoring the golden monkeys, so you are (almost) guaranteed to see them.
I stayed at Mount Gahinga Lodge: a hidden gem in a divine part of the country, a few kilometres from the Rwandese border and just five minutes’ walk from the park. Did you know you can also track the gorillas in Mgahinga? Read my multi-page Ultimate Guide to Mountain Gorilla Trekking for everything gorilla!
I am fascinated by traditional beliefs and customs. The Nakayima – or ‘witch’ – Tree at Mubende is estimated to be 650 years old and is named after a princess who is believed to have cured smallpox. The tree has 18 “rooms” – these being spacious gaps between the tree’s buttress roots. Read about travel writer Edgar Batte’s visit to the Nakayima Tree.
Every year one million pilgrims congregate in Namugongo, east of Kampala to commemorate the several dozen Uganda Martyrs who were executed between 31 January 1885 and 27 January 1887. Pilgrims travel from across Uganda and East Africa for this event.
The Martyrs Walk across Kampala – launched in 2014 – retraces the last few hours and days of the Martyrs’ fateful journey as they were forced to walk towards their death. Embarking on the Martyrs’ Walk will give you a greater understanding of their contribution to history. The story of St Balikuddembe (namesake of Owino market) will stay in my mind forever. I revisited the Uganda Martyrs’ history when Pope Francis visited Uganda.
In Pakwach I drove past piles of bright yellow smoked Angara fish – without buying any – en route to the best viewing point of Uganda’s solar eclipse, a day I can never forget.
I loved West Nile. Read “10 little-known things to do in Arua, West Nile” to see a few of the new foodstuffs I found there.
This year, the Muzungu has been invited to climb Mount Wati (“what to the what?”)
According to some, Goli in West Nile is the location for the world’s smallest church – although my attempts to verify this have been hit and miss. I need to visit in person. It’s surely Uganda’s smallest church since it’s certainly standing room only. (What a great venue to book if you want to reduce the cost of your wedding!)
Read Solomon Oleny’s story about his visit to the church.
The award-winning Entanda Traditional Hunting and Cultural Experience is a community experience like no other. We jumped off the bus in the countryside near Mityana to be greeted by loud ululating, drumming and singing. We danced as one before being invited to eat the freshest fruits straight from the gardens. Oh my, we ATE! Next, the men in our group were invited to take in part traditional hunting as we ladies were taught how to prepare a luwombo lunch and invited ‘to the bush’ (and what happens in the Bush stays in the Bush!) Oh the stories! This is authentic community tourism at its best.
To visit the Entanda Traditional Hunting and Cultural Experience (AKA “Kojja and Senga’s retreat”) call +256(0) 772 340576 or visit the Entanda Facebook page. Entanda is near Mityana, 60 km along the Kampala to Fort Portal Road. Go visit!
Down at the shorefront restaurants of KLS, there are no frills, just fried whole Tilapia, Nile Perch and reasonably priced drinks beers, sodas and Uganda Waragi gin. KLS is a relaxing spot for watching the sun go down over Lake Victoria. You can also buy fresh fish – gutted and descaled – to cook at home.
It was from here, in the 1870s, that Kabaka Mutesa embarked on hippo hunting expeditions to Lake Bulingugwe and beyond. The hippos are gone, and so is the Kabaka’s fleet of canoes, but Mulungu is still known as the Royal Port.
Read my blog “Eating fish” – where to eat fish on Lake Victoria for the full lowdown on Kabaka’s Landing Site and other places you can eat fish by the lake.
Located along the new Fort Portal to Kamwenge Road, the Bee Hive Bar & Bistro opened mid-2017. The reasonably priced menu at this great little restaurant and bar has local favourites like goat stew and rolex. Beers are just 3,500 Uganda shillings (one US dollar). This is a great stopover after tracking the chimpanzees in Kibale Forest and is located directly opposite the KAFRED project at Bigodi Wetlands Sanctuary. The Bee Hive also has a pool table and satellite TV (although the muzungu is happiest on the top deck gazing across Bigodi Swamp looking for primates and birds!) Click on the link above to read more about this must-visit stopover. The Bee Hive is also on Facebook. (P.S. You’ll find clean toilets here!)
Kabalega is said to be ‘the last great king of one of the greatest kingdoms in the Great Lakes region.’ His kingdom stretched well beyond the modern day borders of Uganda. The Mparo Tombs monument outside Hoima marks the spot where in 1877 Kabalega granted an audience to Emin Pasha. Read my blog On my knees again: an audience with the King of Bunyoro.
TIP: visit the Mparo Tombs in May and you can stuff your pockets full of the sweet mangoes falling from the huge trees!
Last year I fell in love with the Rwenzoris. Read my #RwenzoriDiary series.
You don’t have to be mega fit and commit to climbing Margherita, Uganda’s highest peak – there are many peaks to choose from and many shorter routes in the foothills. It is here on the lower slopes that you find the most interesting vegetation, birds and animals. Did you know the three-horned chameleon can easily be seen in the Rwenzoris? This mountain range covers over 120 km² and has an amazing 50 lakes and several waterfalls. Keep reading for more stories from the Rwenzoris.
Sunbird Hill is a favourite destination of mine, named in honour of 18 of Uganda’s 38 sunbird species recorded here (so far). If you love nature and are looking for an authentic experience, in a relaxed homestay environment, this is it. Early mornings are filled with splendid forest birdsong. At night you often hear the PANT HOOTS of chimps from Kibale Forest. It’s magical!
If that’s not heaven enough for an amateur birder and conservationist like me, Sunbird Hill Research and Monitoring Site has an extensive reference library and a resident expert primatologist, Julia Lloyd. Read all about The Treehouse, Butterfly Cottage, the Birders’ Lounge and Sunbird Hill Saturday Morning Bird Club on my blog Love birds, butterflies and chimps? Then don’t miss Sunbird Hill, Kibale Forest.
Karamoja (in northeast Uganda) is now firmly on Uganda’s tourist map thanks in part to the great work done by the team at Discover Karamoja. (Crucially for tourists, the UK Government’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has finally cleared Karamoja as safe to travel to).
Theo Vos writes “Karamoja suffers from a negative image due to decades of isolation and insecurity. However, after peace has returned (2011), the perception of the region by fellow Ugandans and the international community hasn’t changed. The Discover Karamoja project aims to address this through positive imagery and gorgeous photography.”
Karamoja culture is like nowhere else in the #PearlofAfrica. Look at the colour! The landscapes! I’ll be visiting Karamoja very soon.
The region is also home to Kidepo Valley National Park, named one of Africa’s top 10 parks for its ‘spectacular landscapes and large herds of buffalo.’
I hope you’ve enjoyed some of our travel ideas.
The Muzungu writes: I first visited Arua in 2016. That trip to the far north west of Uganda would not have been possible without the guidance of Gerard Iga. He is the ‘go to’ guide for Arua and West Nile. In 2022, I revisited. The town has seen a number of changes, in particular: new roads and a huge new shopping centre in the middle of the town. I haven’t updated all the restaurant and hotel recommendations in this blog post yet but, as ever, if you have a question just send me a message.
Special thanks to my friend Harriet Fowler who gave me a return Eagle Air ticket to Arua!
The Victoria Nile flows down from Lake Victoria through Lake Kyoga via Karuma Falls and thundering down over the famous Murchison Falls. Heading north, the water becomes known as the Albert Nile, and flows from Lake Albert on through South Sudan, Sudan, Ethiopia and Egypt.
If you like aerial photos, check out the Air Photo Archive of Settlement and Agriculture, Rural Uganda 1963, created by Walter Deshler, University of Maryland.
The land below remains surprisingly green as we headed north. Superficially at least, not much seems to have changed west of Pakwach in 50 years!
I could see no brick constructions and no tarmac roads, just dirt roads as far as the eye could see and the very occasional tin roof. Not a vehicle in sight. I could make out the occasional person on a bicycle on the red dust roads.
Borassus Palms are one of the distinguishing trees of the north bank of the Nile, their seeds carried from Sudan in the stomachs of wandering elephants, and later expelled to transform the environment.
Eagle Air flight to Arua. Landing from @CharlieBeau Diary of a Muzungu on Vimeo.
We had a very easy landing at Arua Airstrip. Watch the short clip to the end – how delightful to see the schoolchildren watching the plane land! Pretty as a picture.
Arua: think ‘Fort Portal without the hills’. We’re talking calm, clean and organised, with a touch of retro, thanks to the colonial architecture.
I travelled with friends from Kampala and Nairobi. We were all impressed by Arua. Many friends had not visited for a decade or more and noticed huge changes in the town.
Arua is a cosmopolitan town, heavily influenced by its proximity to DRC and South Sudan. Apparently the Congolese of eastern DRC do more trade with Kampala than they do with Kinshasa, their own capital.
There are many forex shops in town. Arua also benefits from the many NGO offices, including Red Cross, Welt Hunger and others, here for humanitarian work in South Sudan.
Cars are few in Arua. You have to feel sorry for the abused vehicles: overloaded trucks carry 30 men at a time.
Gerard and Charlotte take a boda boda motorbike ride through Arua town, West Nile, Uganda from @CharlieBeau Diary of a Muzungu on Vimeo.
While the road tarmac is in good condition, you can see the poverty as you drive north, up to the South Sudan border. The road is lined with thatched huts. Mabati tin roofs are few and far between (showing how little money there is in the area).
Arua town has colonial buildings such as the Post Office style that is common to Kampala, Fort Portal and elsewhere. There is a Public Library too.
The small town has a population of 62,000, with 785,000 in the District. Apparently the late emeritus Bishop of West Nile developed many projects for the local community during his 30 years in office.
“And we should remember they produced a president!” My friend Daniel added, when we were trying to work out why Arua is such a thriving town.
West Nile has historically been isolated, both physically and politically, from the rest of Uganda. There is only one road bridge that crosses Nile (at Pakwach) to connect the region with the rest of the country although there are lesser used ferry crossings.
Former President Idi Amin was born in West Nile (his mother was from Arua and his father was from Koboko). During Amin’s reign, local people are said to have benefited but post-Amin, they were punished politically and economically.
To read more about the history of West Nile, read Dark past to glimmering future; the West Nile you never knew! One day, with an investment in facilities and itineraries, I can imagine tourists visiting the region just to learn more about this period of Uganda’s history.
Market Lane in Arua has a good number of restaurants serving goat’s meat, beef, chicken, smoked dried fish with g’nut [groundnut/peanut] sauce.
“What food will you take with it?” In Uganda, ‘food’ is specifically the starchy stuff like rice, kalo, matooke, sweet potato and chapatis. Side dishes [no jokes please] include tasty osubi, finely chopped greens, prepared with gnut sauce and rock salt.
The Still Baghdad Restaurant in Arua does a good beef pilau rice – with enough chunks of beef to satisfy a Kenyan!
The Congo is just a short drive from Arua, meaning the town is a great place to hear Congolose musicians perform. Club Matonge is a ‘free to enter’ outdoor bar. (The bar doesn’t serve spirits, just beer and wine from a box). We spent a couple of hours here. When the band realised we had Kenyans in our crowd, the singers launched into some classic Swahili songs. Our friends from Nairobi reminisced!
Vino is the place to hang out, particularly on Friday nights. It gets packed! Club entrance is free.
Everyone had told us we had to check this place out. It’s a late night / all night club, with several bars. Head for Galaxy, the VIP section, on the 2nd floor to get away from (some of) the crowds. These guys can DRINK! OMG. We’re talking neat spirits.
Open 11 to 11 every day, Café Cosmo is very affordable, has good service and a great menu of international, Indian and local African food. This popular restaurant is frequented by Indians, UGs, expats, everyone. [2022, the pandemic plus construction of the new mall have changed things].
Sham the chef’s ‘Cosmo Bites’ include the freshest beef samosas ever. Indian dishes include tandoori and a scrumptious chicken tikka. ‘Afro favourites’ include goat stew and chicken pilao. Fridays and Saturdays, Cosmo make pizzas including a tikka paneer one! I’ll try that on my next trip 🙂
The very friendly Martin recommends C.F.C. the ‘Cosmo Fried Chicken’ [geddit?] Café Cosmo is opposite the URA building on Pakwach Road.
Karaoke nights, quiz nights and pool competitions make this a popular hang-out. Oasis is a good bar for beer promotions and music videos.
Gerard Iga writes: “I have a personal attachment to this one since it was my very own uncle that named the falls after himself. He was the county chief of Maracha in colonial times. When he went to visit this place, he asked the locals what the falls were called and they said “Iyi Kuru” which literally means “rough flowing waters”. Since all over Lugbara land, such falls are called iyi kuru, he decided to name them after himself and that is the name by which the place is known everywhere else except the locality. There, people still call it iyi kuru.”
Miriadua Falls are a 20 minute journey outside Arua Town.
Imagine … a church that “can only accommodate three people, including the preacher.” What a great place to get married (and keep down the cost of your wedding!)
I’d heard rumours that this is “the smallest church in the world” but I can’t seem to verify it – it certainly is petite though, according to my travel writer friend Solomon Oleny. The muzungu failed to reach… the church on Biku Hill is near Nebbi, a good hour’s travel from Arua.
Currently, Eagle Air is the only operator to fly scheduled flights to Arua. They fly 3 times a week between Entebbe and Arua.
They are efficient in person e.g. at Kampala office in Portal Avenue. Tel +256 (0)414 344292 / +256 (0)772 777338/7 and +256 (0)752 793860.
The new airstrip should be a real boon for trade with the DRC. Will commercial flights open up West Nile to tourism too? I heard rumours of Kenya Airways and RwandAir… let’s see!
A number of bus companies supply Arua with daily services. Generally, the standard daytime bus costs 30k UGX and the executive (overnight) bus costs 50k. They all depart from Arua Park, downtown Kampala. Contacts in Arua recommend the executive Gaaga bus which runs overnight and has reclining seats. KKT are ‘more reliable than Gaaga’ according to another source. California bus company started up last year. Nile Coach is an old school provider that ‘overpacks vehicles.’ [2022 there are new bus providers].
If your bus (or car) stops at Kafu, en route to Arua, think twice before you eat the roasted ‘muchomo’ meat!
Bodas in Arua are cheap and everywhere. If you don’t have the right money, you won’t have to argue to get your change. Refreshing. (I am constantly overcharged in Kampala!)
Arua is a very pleasant town to walk around. Main roads have good wide pavements (and the boda drivers do not seem to drive on them either!)
In 2016, the 4km taxi journey from the airport cost me 10,000 ugx. By boda, it cost me just 2,000 UGX.
Arua is at an altitude of 1,200 metres meaning nights can be cooler than in most places in Uganda.
Generally expect:
April to June – lighter rains; August – cold, day and night; August to October – heavier rains;
December to Feb / March – cold mornings, very hot in the day, warm at night.
Mi efu ngoni – good morning [mifun-GO-ney]
Mi ngoni – how are you? [min-GO-ney]
Awadifo – thanks [awad-if-O]
I love exploring new parts of Uganda and learning a few words of local language. But in West Nile, as soon as I got the hang of greeting somebody in Lugbara, I was told that we were in a different district where a whole range of other languages and dialects are spoken!
I was drawn to the northern region of West Nile and Arua town by the lure of a tourism ‘familiarisation’ trip. I really had a great time.
Thanks to Kampala House Harriers (KH3) for finally getting me to Arua – an invitation I most definitely could not ignore! My Arua trip included three days of fun supplied by KH3. Read that story here “Nagawa – you cowardised!” A detour via the Congo.
A big thank you to Dolorence Were of USDC Uganda Society for Disabled Children for letting me transfer the Eagle Air ticket (that my friend won in the USDC fundraiser raffle) into my name.
There were two international highlights to our trip to West Nile. The silly Muzungu was to miss one of them!
On Saturday morning, we took the smooth tarmac road from Arua, heading north towards the border with South Sudan. We passed few vehicles on our two hour journey. We drove through Koboko, location of the Amin family home.
Although Hashers had been disappointed to learn we wouldn’t be able to cross into South Sudan, the reasons why were quite apparent once we got to the Oraba border. Queues of young Sudanese refugees, mostly women, young children and teenagers, stood in orderly lines waiting to register with humanitarian agencies. A gigantic World Food Programme tent sat one side of the road. In front were lines of buses and piles of bags and bedding. The whole scene seemed calm and orderly; apparently we arrived on a quiet day. Generally 1,500 refugees enter Uganda via this border every day.
Nagawa and Kampala Hash House Harriers meet Uganda’s friendliest policeman. At the Oraba border with South Sudan. Behind us is ‘no man’s land’ between the two countries
Uganda’s friendliest policeman explained that there is no trade with South Sudan. Even the petrol tankers that we saw driving across the border were actually destined to cross into the DRC a couple of kilometres ahead. He explained that on the other side of the border, things were quiet but the real trouble was further north.
There is no discernible difference to the buildings and huts on either side of the border. My few days stay in Arua gave me a better appreciation of the historically mixed communities and tribes in West Nile, South Sudan and the DRC.
Kampala Hash House Harriers walk down to no man’s land at the Oraba border with South Sudan
The policeman explained that the river is the natural boundary between Uganda and South Sudan. He pointed to where the Congolese border is, 4 or 5 km away. Although the official border is Oraba, it is of course “very porous” meaning you can’t police every field and bush. (So how many people are really coming into Uganda from South Sudan?)
I would say the people of Oraba were very surprised to see 20 or more Hashers in bright pink T-shirts tripping over goats in their backyards!
I love jerry cans! All lined up at the water pump. Oraba border, West Nile
I wasn’t running that day so every few minutes, the runners would stop, let me catch them up, then they would run off again for a few minutes. We repeated this several times… until…
We must have been running / Hashing / walking for an hour before it really started raining. I was carrying my phone and camera in a cotton bag which I stuffed up inside my T-shirt. I wrapped my arms around my stomach and put my head down to try and avoid the worst of the heavy rain. My glasses quickly misted up so I just focused on putting one foot in front of the other.
The rain became heavier and heavier. If someone had called out to me, I would never have heard them above the sound of the rain. In Kampala, I would have quickly looked for shelter (like a bar!) but I was in the middle of the bush. There were cracks of thunder overhead. Standing under a tree wasn’t really an option.
I saw no-one: no Hashers, no bright pink T-shirts, no villagers. There were no vehicles, no boda bodas, no bicycles. Just the goddam rain and bush.
I walked on for what seemed like ages. There were no signs of any chalk marks to show the Hash route. The rivers of rainwater running over the tops of my trainers told me that the chalk marks were long gone.
I just kept walking. What else could I do?
I was totally soaked, but the heavy rain wasn’t subsiding. How long could I go on like this?
Typical thatched hut in a village at Oraba border, West Nile
I realised that we had definitely walked more than 5 km since leaving Oraba – remembering the policeman’s words, I wondered: were those the 5 km that were going to lead me into the Congo? There’s a thought: where the hell am I? If I accidentally cross into the Congo, who will know? If the muzungu can’t make herself understood here in the village, how will I communicate with someone deeper in the bush? Will my phone network work if I accidentally cross the border?
I got a bit despondent at this point. Had the others forgotten me? Had they turned off halfway down the hill while I had marched up ahead in the wrong direction?
I approached a homestead of large square thatched huts. I didn’t know whether to go forward or back. Instead I stood under a small tree, contemplating what to do…
An old lady beckoned me over.
She waved her arm at me and invited me into her hut. She produced a blue plastic chair for me to sit in the middle of her large hut, bare but for a chicken scraping at the dirt floor. Five young children stood around staring at the Muzungu wringing out her sopping wet hair.
The rain eventually stopped.
I asked Jajja where Oraba was. She pointed right and then she pointed left. Hmmm… in two opposite directions!
I decided to turn left which put me back on the same path I had been on before. I called Hashmistress who said they had a problem seeing the turning as well. (That did not give me much confidence. I had walked with my head down – who knows how many turnings I had passed during that time?) She added that I just needed to “look out for a cassava field and an upturned pot.” Roughly translated this may equate to ‘branch at the pawpaw tree’ in Hash-speak, especially to a Muzungu who lives in Kampala and can’t tell her cassava from her yam! (Did I mention something about feeling despondent?)
I carried on walking. I looked left and right. I didn’t think I had passed any cassava, I certainly had not seen an upturned pot.
Then I hit what can only be described as a road. Surely Hashmistress would have told me if I was about to reach a T-junction intersection with a road?
And then I heard something. I couldn’t believe I was hearing it. I was so lost in my little world in the middle of nowhere, that it took me a few seconds to work out what the noise was.
It was a boda boda!
I almost ran towards him.
And then I broke my own rule. Normally I discriminate and only go with the mzee, the oldest boda boda driver. This time I jumped on the first boda boda I saw.
A young boy filled up the motorbike engine with some petrol from an old water bottle and we were on our way bumping down the marram roads, the wind blowing through the muzungu’s wet hair.
I knew that I would regret this decision. I knew that KH3 would be merciless with me for cheating!
“Oraba” I said. “Is it far?” I asked the boda guy.
“It’s a bit close,” came the answer.
If I’d taken a guess, I would have taken the right direction but the 15 minute boda boda journey would have been a lot more on that dodgy foot.
Luckily my camera had survived the downpour so I had a chance to film this! Look out for: the man carrying a bed on his head… the men leading a cow to market … the men thatching a hut! Look closely and you may catch a young boy waving at the muzungu…
Boda boda motorbike tour through the villages and countryside of West Nile, northern Uganda. The villagers walk to market from @CharlieBeau Diary of a Muzungu on Vimeo.
Back at the main road, I had expected to see everyone there waiting for me. I had been worried that I would be holding up the bus. I couldn’t believe it took them more than an hour to join us, while I shivered in my freezing wet T-shirt. I stood next to the slowly barbecuing goat and hugged the heat coming off it. It’s many a year since I’ve been that cold.
Petrol tanker waiting to cross Oraba border, West Nile, into South Sudan. Final destination DR Congo. In the distance is South Sudan
A regular hash is just one hour, these guys ran for 3 ½ hours. Where had they been?
To the DRC!
To South Sudan!
Everyone apart from me made it to the tripartite border, a point where Uganda converges with the DRC and South Sudan.
Without Nagawa! Eh banange! I was gutted.
… NOTE: During my West Nile adventures, I stayed in Arua. I love this town. Read my blog ’10 little-known things to do in Arua, West Nile.’
