Roadtrip Uganda Self-drive 35 days
Roadtrip Uganda Self-drive 35 days
8-11-2023 to 12-12-2023
Day 1 Wednesday 8th of November 2023
Amsterdam to Entebbe with KLM. 2 x 23 kg p.p. Spent night at Airport Link Guest House. Important: Get Uganda Ordinary Tourist Visa prior to arrival.
Day 2 Thursday 9th of November 2023
Our ride is delivered by Self Drive Uganda Ltd . A Landcruiser LX ’78 with rooftop tent, camping gear and fridge. After filling the double tanks, getting cash at the ATM, changing money, and shopping at Victoria Mall we drive to Leopard Rest Camp, 1 km of Nshaara entrance to Lake Mburo NP.
Day 3 Friday 10th of November 2023
Spend the day touring Lake Mburo National Park. Tracks sometimes hard to find and very slippery. Do not be surprised to find a motorbike behind you. No lions in this park but leopard if you’re lucky. Lots of giraffe. In some parts an incredible amount of Tsetse flies. Small park and lots of zebra and deer outside park boundaries much to the dismay of locals who rather see the grass eaten by their Ankole livestock. Rain.
Day 4 Saturday 11th of November 2023
After repacking all our stuff in the car a very scenic drive from Lake Mburo NP to Lake Bunyonyi. Spend the night camping at Bunyonyi Overland Resort. Rain.
Day 5 Sunday 12th of November 2023
Morning coffee at Arcadia Lodge with beautiful view of Lake Bunyonyi. 20 km scenic route along the lake to Muko. Slow but scenic route through Kanaba Gab to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Road from Kisoro to NP in pretty bad shape. Spend the night at Amajambere Iwacu Community Camp.
Day 6 Monday 13th of November 2023
Golden Monkey Tracking. We are the only visitors. 3 guards with the monkeys up ahead, 3 guards and 1 porter walk up with us. After 40 minutes with the monkeys all hell breaks loose and we walk all the way down in pouring rain. After a change of clothes we drive to Lake Mutanda. Coffee stop at Lake Mulehe Safari Lodge. Dinner and spend the night at Mutanda Lake Resort.
Day 7 Tuesday 14th November 2023
Drive to Bwindi National Park on on mountain roads of different quality. Spend the night at Rushaga Gorilla Camp/Lodge.
Day 8 Wednesday15th November 2023
Gorilla tracking at Rushaga. Important: Pre-book your tracking! We were lucky with the weather and had a fantastic gorilla experience. Last minute chance of plans and drive to Ruhija through Bwindi National Park instead of spending the night at lake Mulehe. This to make the driving distance to Ishasha tomorrow shorter. Heavy rain.
Day 9 Thursday 16th of November 2023
Ruhija to Ishasha Campsite, Queen Elizabeth National Park. Beautiful scenic mountain route until we reach tarmac. Roads in Ishasha park in bad shape, lots of water. We were assigned to Campsite 1 but note site 2 is more beautiful situated. We got 3 armed guards and 3 cleaners. Drove different roads in the park but no lions (in trees).
Day 10 Friday 17th of November 2023
Spend the day driving in (and outside) the park. No lions. No hyena. 1 leopard. Some elephants. 1 dead elephant. Lots of buffalo and deer. Another night at campsite 1. Car is too high for ladder from rooftop tent so the rental company gave us a wooden block. Ladder breaks.
Day 11 Saturday 18th of November 2023
Wake up with rain. Drive to Queen Elisabeth National Park. Lots of water on the road. Than the road is blocked by a huge truck. After we pay some locals the truck is pulled away and we can continue and do not have to drive back for a long d-tour. In QENP we find lions. We spend the night in the luxurious Aardvark Safari Lodge. The cottage is huge and super stylish. The outside shower amazing.
Day 12 Sunday 19th of November 2023
We take a drive into the park to find nothing special really. But amazing sight of a family of elephants against the backdrop of enormous mountains. We cross the street and do the Channal Drive. Coffee at the Mweye Lodge and because the sun is shining we book a boat tour from 14.00 to 16.00. Lots of elephants, buffalo, hippo, crocs and birds. Highly recommended. We than check out the campsites but find these very disappointing. 1 and 2 are overgrown, no viz on river and lots of mosquitoes. Site 3 looked pretty run down and is occupied by lots of deer, using the banda’s for shade. We end up renting a safari tent at the nice Queen Elisabeth Bush Lodge. The outside shower here is the best we had in the whole of Uganda.
Day 13 Monday 20th of November 2023
We lose a day because we get an unreliable substitute car that also needs to be fuelled. Our car is taken to the garage because the brakes were not functioning properly. Also the aircon stopped working (need it when surrounded by tsetse flies). A new rooftop tent ladder will be delivered one of these days by bus from Kampala. We drive to the park but the lions are all gone by the time we arrive. Must have been a ball because we see tire tracks all over. We drive to the Bunyampaka Crater Lake. We ignore the tourist stalls and go over to Kasenyi Safari Camp for coffee. Back to QE Bush Lodge where our car is returned. We head to QENP Head Office to book ourselves a lion tracking.
Day 14 Tuesday 21th of November 2023
Lion tracking with 2 cars. A van with local driver, 3 German tourist and the tracker go in front and we follow. The lions are not hard to find (most of them sleep on the road with 10 safari vehicles next to them) but the leopard is quite a drive. And the best of all, you drive off road!
We drive to the Queens Pavilion and ask about the conditions of the Explosion Craters Track. They say ‘good’ so we do the scenic 15 km drive. Magnificent views but road conditions turn out to be really, really bad. Totally slippery and we make it in 4×4 with crossed fingers. Later it turns out that no private driver even wanted to try it. We spend another night at QE Bush Lodge.
Day 15 Wednesday 22th of November 2023
Off we go, passed the Queens Pavilion, the Equator Crossing (under construction). Lots of rain. Coffee at Bella Vista. Checked out Kluges Guest Farm but everything is soaking wet and camping is no option. The garden looks beautiful but we decided to move on. Sun comes out but Top of the World Viewpoint is not doable because the road is to slippery. We drive to Kibale Forest and spent the night at Kibale Forest Camp by Nature Lodges. Not a nice experience. The garden is really nice but even though we specifically ask for a salt free dinner they just serve food loaded with salt. The safari tent is beautiful, but sleeping is not possible due to loud music from the nearby houses.
Day 16 Thursday 23th of November 2023
We drive to Kibale Forrest early to find a traffic jam of safari vehicles all bringing tourists to the chimpanzee tracking. Without prior booking joining is not an option. Because of the wet weather we decided to alter our plans, skip the Rwenzori Mountains (all in thick clouds) and make our way up towards Hoima. When planning the trip read that the road was bad (especially after rain) so when tracks4africa says turn left we have no suspicion. Turns out we find ourselves on back roads not more than bike paths. Finally we make it to the right road that turns out to be beautiful tarmac. In Hoima we head to the Cultural Lodge for camping. We can use the bathroom in a cottage. Big, green grounds and lots of marabou around. Chef Albert cooks us a perfect no salt meal. Because the TV is on, we now know that the grasshoppers (delicacy) have arrived.
Day 17 Friday 24th of November 2023
We drive to Ziva Rhino Sanctuary and pass grasshopper catch basins and flooded land. We stop at Kabalega Restaurant for coffee and dinner to go. In Ziva we’re assigned a guard who takes us on a walking safari to the rhino’s. We decide to spend the night at Ziva’s camping. I do a night walk with guard but the leopard outsmarts us. Rain.
Day 18 Saturday 25th of November2023
Birthday Cake at Kabalega Restaurant. Next Masindi. A whole new reception building is constructed. I go for Chimp Tracking at Kaniyo Pabidi Forest. I get a private guide and we leave strait away. Gerard goes for lunch at the Sambiya River Lodge. We drive to Murchison River Lodge for camping but the camping ground is flooded but they have a thatched safari tent available for 1 night.
Day 19 Sunday 26th of November 2023
We start in the rain but it quickly dries up when we enter the park. 2 Lionesses in a tree. Lots of giraffe and elephants. We have lunch at the luxurious Paraa Safari Lodge. Dinner at Red Chili Rest Camp where we also get a room because of the pitch dark skies.
Day 20 Monday 27th of November 2023
Even though the room is quite run down we book an extra night. Red Chili is close to the park entrance. Camping in the park is no longer necessary now the ferry is replaced by a huge bridge. We decide not to go camping in the Delta because of the likelihood of rain and the fact that you need to pick up a guard at the office and take him in your car all the way out to the campsite and bring him back to the office the next morning. For this service you pay 40 USD p.p. not including entry fees. After a morning cruising the park we spent the afternoon making a boat trip with Wild Frontiers to the base of the falls. After the fantastic Mweya boat trip game viewing is pretty poor.
Day 21 Tuesday 28th of November 2023
The original plan was to drive to Tangi Gate and spent the night in Pakwach but what is the fun in driving tarmac through a park? So we turn right an head to Wankwar Gate checking out a signposted but hard to find viewpoint. On route beautiful scenery and lots of game. We drive to Gulu. Shopping at Cynable Supermarket. Late lunch that turns into early dinner at Lookout Café because service is very slow. Spent the night in a banda at the quiet Palm Garden.
Day 22 Wednesday 29th of November 2023
Turns out our not too expensive stay also includes a full breakfast. The closer we get to Kidepo the further apart and smaller the villages become. Things look more poor here and people are not really pleased to see us it seems. The road is also becoming worse and worse. By the time we reach Kidepo entry Gerard is completely done driving. We opt for the closest campsite which is Kakine. An amazing place up on a hill with 360 degrees view.
Day 23 Thursday 30th of November 2023
Amazing sunrise at our private camping spot. We spent the day checking out the park. Not easy because we only have a small map in the Bradt Guide and Tracks4Africa does not show all roads. Lunch at the restaurant at Apoka. We meet the chef in person. Spent the night at the campsite at Nagusokopire. We see 3 giraffe in the distance.
Day 24 Friday 1st of December 2023
Cruise the park. Lunch at Apoka. 4 ostrich and a little turtle. Lots of flies everywhere. Spent the night at Kakine and get a visit from 2 jackals.
Day 25 Saturday 2nd of December 2023
We see a leopard at lion rock and find a male lion on the other side of the park. An amazing herd of Eland. We go to the chef at Apoka for lunch again. Spent another night at Kakine surrounded by thousands of buffalo.
Day 26 Sunday 3rd of December 2023
On the morning drive we see both mother leopard and her cub at lion rock, which is so close to our campsite! It is busy in the park today. Lots of safari cars, some in colony of 3 cars. The tourists are loud. Not respecting nature at all at a sighting. One of the drivers uses a laser pen to point out the leopard. Disgusting!! Most tourist are flown in to this remote place. We go to Katurum Lodge for a fantastic lunch with amazing view. Even though there are no other visitors it still takes 2 hours before lunch is served but we have plenty of time. When we return to our campsite we find 20 loud female tourists having a sundowner although there is no sun at all. By 18.00 they leave an things are quiet again at Kakine.
Day 27 Monday 4th of December 2023
First stop lion rock where we see mother leopard hiding her pray, a small deer. The cub is playing. Next croc pool with lots of buffalo and lots of birds in the sky. We find the lion again on a new location. Lunch at Katurum Lodge and we make a room reservation for tomorrow. Our last night camping we spent at Nagusokopire. We have a huge fire burning as a safari car pulls up. Turns out to be our personal guard. We should have been guarded every night while camping! We have a nice chat and learn that 5 years ago the park (and campsites) were full of lions. Well not any more. Lion populations have diminished. Lions (as well as other animals) do not understand were the park stops and local communities begin. Locals do not like lions so they kill (poison) them.
Day 28 Tuesday 5th of December 2023
After coffee with our guard Edward we head over to leopard mum. We have a hard time finding her but the 11 ground hornbill kind of point her out. Mum is gnawing on her pray. But when 3 safari cars with loud tourists arrive she stops. The little one shows up and gets a thorough wash. The driver/guide uses his laser pen again to point out the leopards. Grrr. We drive around a bit, now knowing every tree and every pothole. Secretary birds, the 4 ostrich, giraffe, buffalo. Amazing views. Lunch at Katurum Lodge. One more game drive and then back to the lodge. We have never seen any other guests at the lodge but now there are some, all watching socker in the bar. A generator is running and fumes are blown into the hotel. At 20.00 we are asked what we would like for dinner. She recommends pizza. Piece of cake one would think. But at 21.30 we’re given a bowl of peanuts and a cup cake. Sorry, it’s going to take a bit longer. At 22.00 still nothing. Pizza’s are not even made yet. OK, food was always slow, but this is too bad. We go to bed but are woken up 2 hours later when the neighbours enter their room. The rooms turn out to be a huge sound box where you hear your neighbours use the bathroom even turn the light switch.
Day 29 Wednesday 6th of December 2023.
Can’t wait to leave this place. What an awful experience. I refuse to pay for full board since we never got our dinner. We drive to Moroto, a long drive. Road and scenery of different quality. People are poor in these parts. We drive through a little village and something hits our window hard, a stone, leaving a big crack in the front window, just below the window wiper. This was no accident. People here are not friendly, not happy to see (rich) white people and everybody says: give me money. Moroto is also a shabby place and we’re happy to find Karamoja Safari Camp/Kara-Tunga. Camping at the parking lot, not an option, so we spent the night in one of their safari tents. Upside, we meet some nice other travellers.
Day 30 Thursday 7th of December 2023
No need for a alarm clock when you have a mosque. After breakfast we head for Sipi Falls. Good asphalt road until the road is gone altogether. We drive on a dusty red road through small villages where everything is covered in red dust. When we arrive at Sipi we stop at Fafiki Lodge for coffee, a fresh juice cocktail and a beautiful view. But the place does not look nice enough to spent the night so we decided to go to home of friends that was recommended by different people we met. It turns out to be another 25 minutes’ drive. But the garden is beautiful and the room looks good. We get a can of bug spray and try to kill all the critters that live in the car, in vain.
Day 31 Friday 8th of December 2023
We decided to stay an extra day and go for the waterfall walk. We meet Moses at the Heritage Lodge. It is a very nice walk through peoples backyards that brings us to the 3 falls. Moses is very informative and knows everybody. We go with him for a coffee tasting. When we leave him, a couple of kids are playing on the road. We slow down and one of the kids, about 6 years old, throws a ball of leaves in my face and screams: give me money! Time to go home. We meet Bianca and Ramon again at the Home of Friends and have a nice night in the garden.
Day 32 Saturday 9th of December 2023
After breakfast we pick up our bags with coffee beans and off we go to Jinja. In Mbale we get stuck in a traffic jam. Some graduation party is going on. We make it to the Nile Porch late afternoon. Tip from Bianca. We get a safari tent with amazing view. To finish of the day a sunset cruise on the lake and dinner in the Black Lantern Restaurant.
Day 33 Sunday 10th of December 2023
Woken up by rain and playful monkeys running on the roof. After a coffee stop at Java House we drive towards Entebbe. Ever seen the movie ‘Faces of Death?’ The almost accidents we see. (Tank) Trucks, coach cars, taxi vans, everybody is overtaking everybody with a minimum of spare space. Seems they all have a death wish here. Finaly we get to the Northern Bypass and the Express Toll Way and the road is all ours. Made a reservation at 2 Friends Beach Hotel but when we arrive our room is not yet ready. We do get the room with the best view and late checkout tomorrow! Drink and food at their beach bar because Java House at Victoria Mall is too busy. Book a shoebill trip for tomorrow.
Day 34 Monday 11th of December 2023
David picks us up and withing 15 minutes we’re at the harbour where we board a small boat that takes us to the Mabamba Swamp. Here we change boats again. The swamp is beautiful, full with waterlilies and birds. It takes a while but we do get to see the strange shoebill. Then all hell breaks loss again and we go back in pouring rain. To the hotel for some dry clothes, lunch at Java, a dip in the pool until it’s time to leave for the airport for our midnight flight back to Amsterdam.
Day 35 Tuesday 12th of December 2023
Arrival in Amsterdam.
RESUME
Beautiful country. Amazing scenery. Very divers. Fantastic fresh food. Lots of rain. Worst roads we have ever travelled. Queen Elisabeth National Park: lots of guards (but 3 weeks before we started the trip there was a deadly assault on tourists). Murchison Falls National Park: no more ferry but bridge, asphalt, trucks and a big construction site (oil field). National Park Kidepo beautiful but deprived of lions. Lots of fast driving vehicles also in dark/at night. Lots of (tsetse) flies. Landcruiser the must car, too bad of all the bugs living in it. Never seen so many gas stations both operational as being build (are we not supposed to stop with fossil fuel?) People not so friendly, especially in the northern parts. Get used to Mzungu, give me money! Every day up to 10+ times. Locals diving (big cars) have no respect for their fellow countrymen, animals or other drivers.