Can you beat this… ?
A gentle early morning paddle across the still waters of Lake Bunyonyi in a dugout canoe… followed by an absorbing guided walk around Bushara Island debating the different names for plants and their place in local folklore, admiring the nesting Great Cormorants above our heads … And simply taking in the clear morning air.
Next stop: hot tea and some (surprisingly good quality) craft shopping … before paddling back to Bunyonyi Safaris Resort on the mainland for a local style breakfast of fresh fruit, omelette and bread – and a preview of some engaging new videos about the Batwa “Pygmies” being made for the brilliant Gorilla Highlands video map
I love the bright blue Ugandan sky theme of Edirisa, the creativity behind the Gorilla Highlands project. I love the attention to detail everywhere.
Chatting and paddling across Lake Bunyonyi, our host Miha Logar shared some of the history of the Kigezi, Kabale, Kisoro and Kanungu region. “Punishment Island” and the (long gone) leper colony of Bwama Island were some fascinating but dark moments in the area’s history.
This photo doesn’t do justice to Johnson’s fabulous, welcoming grin. Here he was demonstrating how these soft leaves are the perfect organic solution to answering nature’s (long) call. We all giggled (but took note!)
The sun sets over Lake Bunyonyi and the Heart of Edirisa‘s clever swimming platform, a ‘swimming pool’ that makes use of the Lake’s own waters to safely shelter children learning how to swim.
Our taster canoe trekking foray took 2 to 3 hours in all, a popular ‘taster’ trip on Lake Bunyonyi. I learned to canoe in a one-person orange plastic canoe in a cold Scottish loch (lake) when I was a Venture Scout, but canoeing as a group in a wooden dugout canoe was far more fun.
I’m quite fit, but I know my upper body could do with one of Edirisa Canoe Trekking – ecotourism adventures in southwestern Uganda longer trips!
Gorilla Highlands Trails is a system of guided trips throughout southwestern Uganda managed by Edirisa Canoe Trekking, Lake Bunyonyi, south western Uganda. Their itineraries combine canoeing with hiking in the hills and volcanoes around Lake Bunyonyi, Lake Mutanda, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Mgahinga and Echuya Forest. (You know I’m coming back Miha, don’t you? That’s the great thing about blogging, you get to relive your travel adventures over and over as the brain starts mulling over the next one!)
The ultimate Gorilla Highlands Trails offer is the 5-day Kabale-Buhoma trek, southwestern Uganda, Gorilla Highlands that connects Kabale, Kisoro and Buhoma with hiking ‘off the beaten track.’ Outside the towns, overnight stays are spent in spacious tents on family compounds, however, some travelers do go for accommodation upgrades. The shortest Gorilla Highlands Trail is the 2-hour Bushara Island canoeing trek.
To learn more about the Gorilla Highlands region, download the free Gorilla Highlands Pocket Guide.
Even better, download the Gorilla Highlands Interactive eBook travel guide to southwestern Uganda that offers practical information not available elsewhere. Its 391 pages of travel advice and tineraries, and articles on nature, culture and history combine world-class photography, graphic design, illustration and video. The audio phrasebook in two local languages is just one very useful feature of the award-winning Gorilla Highlands e-book.
Purchases of the ebook support Gorilla Highlands – southwestern Uganda: “an initiative for economic and cultural transformation of southwestern Uganda through branding and promotion, multimedia products and cultural tourism.”
Plus, it’s dead cool. Check it out!
Ah, so many options. I want to do all the trips…. How will I decide which one to do next? Until next time Diary readers ….
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Sounds wonderful. Love the early morning dugout. We did a similar thing in Gambia, where birdlife is good but, nothing compared to Uganda’s birdlife. Birding, birdwatching, Shoebill The early morning peace on a lake is magical.
You can’t beat the serenity of a lake…. ah…. feeling chilled, just reminiscing 🙂
I can only agree… I did a 3 day canoe trek with Edirisa in 2008, and I am sure I will come back some day. It was an amazing experience! And yes, Miha rocks 😉
Thanks Marcel. Miha is the best host ever, such passion. #Edirisatreks are continually creating new itineraries, everything they do is quite original.