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| Me enjoying the swimming pool at the Haven, with the Nile River behind |
A few days ago, after living in Kampala for five months, Bruno and I left Uganda. We had moved out of our comfortable home five days earlier, and had a few days before visas ran out, so we decided to make the journey to the Kenyan border slowly and enjoyably. It suited me well to get to explore a bit of Uganda, since I’d been too busy working since August to see much of the country.
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| Our lovely campsite at the Haven (again, Nile River behind) |
Our first stop was Jinja, about 100km east of Kampala and along the Nile River (yep, the same one that passes through Sudan and Egypt before throwing itself into the Mediterranean!). Actually, the Nile gets its water source from two different major tributaries – the Blue Nile, in Ethiopia, and the Victoria Nile, from the mighty Lake Victoria, just outside Jinja.
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| red-tailed monkey – notice the heart-shaped white patch on nose |
Jinja itself is a regular bustling African town without much of particular interest. But north of town, along the Nile, are a plethora of lodges and campsites. It’s the place where Kampala residents get a breath of fresh air, and where overland tourists participate in various water-based adrenaline activities. After checking out quite a few sub-par campsites, and spending our first night at an average one, we opted to treat ourselves to three nights at “The Haven”. At $15 a night per person, this is “expensive” camping, but MAN was it worth it! Our site offered a gorgeous view of the rapids below, which were surrounded by colorful and bright equatorial foliage filled with birds and red-tailed monkeys. The bathrooms were so beautiful and clean I could have slept in them (something that a camper in East Africa can NEVER take for granted!), running water, a private riverside beach, a swimming pool offering views of the Nile, a few well-placed hammocks, and a beautiful restaurant with good food, free wifi, and great views.
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| two African fish eagles looking at the same morning Nile view |
This, people, is a recipe for a great start to our honeymoon trip and a wonderful Christmas!
But, it also sets the bar very, very high.
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| and a view from the restaurant at the Haven – have you booked your trip yet? |
When we headed to Sipi Falls, further east, we were sorely disappointed. In my mind, Sipi Falls was a quaint, peaceful town on the ledge of a mountain boasting views of a beautiful waterfall. And it probably was at one point. But now, this character-less town was filled with men offering to be our guides to the falls. A church with no roof or walls but enough loudspeakers to alleviate the poverty of the entire town accosted us for hours with their speeches and horrible singing, totally killing the mood that ought to accompany a view of the falls. And the accommodation – oh, woe is me! Each toilet was more pitiful than the last, making me wish we could turn around, back to the Haven and curl up on the floor of their bathroom! So, despite the fact that our chosen campsite had a nice view of the falls, we were uninspired here, and so opted to head for the border of Kenya the next day rather than visit the falls.
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| picking up some fresh produce on the road to Sipi Falls |
We were finally ready to leave Uganda behind.
But, my goodness, it wasn’t easy! The 100km to the border took us through high hills around Mt. Elgon, one of the highest in the region. The road was so bumpy that we average only 15km/hr. One particularly muddy section was the last remnant of the rainy season, and it was nerve-wracking enough that I was thankful we hadn’t tried to drive here a month earlier!
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| a view of Sipi Falls from our otherwise crummy campsite |
We passed village after populated village (one, even trying to block us with large boulders in order to charge us a made-up road levy – when Bruno tried to side-sweep the road block, it felt like my insides had been put in a blender) and I found it difficult to find a good place to stop for a road-side pee! When we stopped for lunch and were instantly surrounded by curious children, I really felt the dense population that Uganda is becoming renowned for. The children didn’t speak to us, but they stared so intensely that we felt like zoo animals!
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| the muddy patch on the road from Sipi to Suam border (it doesn’t look very impressive, but it was!) |
Six hours after leaving Sipi Falls, we arrived at the Suam River border post, the smallest and least busy border I’ve ever crossed. Bruno prefers these small borders, and I could see why! The officials were friendly and easy-going, and within a half hour, two new stamps were in our passports and we were on our way! I’m truly happy to be back in Kenya. After dealing with the inflexible customs officials and greedy policemen of Uganda, Kenya’s welcoming attitude toward tourists is a relief. Karibu (welcome)!
