Kabale And Fort Portal Uganda
KABALE
Lake Bunyonyi (canoeing and boat trip)
Lake Bunyonyi is the deepest lake in Uganda and is relatively stable throughout the year thanks to the few waves. Paddle your canoe to visit the twenty-nine (29) islands in this lake including floating islands and the punishment island where young girls who would get pregnant before marriage would be dumped and left to die as they tried to swim to the shore.
Each island has history attached to it and it’s a home to over 200 bird species.
FORT PORTAL
Amabereganyina mwiru
Nyakasura Water will usher you into this cultural site with a remarkable history. It’s located in Fort portal town the heart of Toro kingdom in western Uganda. It’s believed to be the birthplace of the founding King of the Bachwezi. A story is told that the scenic rocks in this location are breasts of the king’s daughter oozing milk.
Her breasts were cut off following the king’s order after she defied a custom of getting married to a spouse identified by her father.
Crater lakes hike.
The landscape south of Fort Portal is dotted with picturesque crater lakes, some over 400m deep. 30km out of Fort Portal town on your way to Kasese is where these crater lakes are found. An adventurous hike will lead you to a spot where you’ll be able to have a beautiful panoramic view of the crater lakes.
The hike leads you through several crater lakes, villages, tea plantations and waterfalls.
Sempaya Hot Springs Semliki National Park
You might have a scientific view of the formation of a hot spring but the natives there have other options.It’s believed by the Bamaga clan that the site of the steaming male hot spring is historical. While bamaga women had gone to fetch firewood, they sighted a hairy man dressed in bark cloth wielding a spear with his dog moving in a zig-zag formation around that location.
With the help of their husbands, they took him to their homes and subsequently got him a wife from the same village. Later known as Biteete, continued hunting but one time never returned home. A three days search for the man only yielded a spear at the male hot spring where it was assumed he disappeared.
They ran back to tell the wife (Nyansimbi) who also ran to the forest never to return. In the subsequent search, only her clothes were found at the present-day female hot springs.
Destinations for Hiking
Mt Elgon National Park
Named after an extinct shield volcanobordering Kenya and Uganda with its highest peak entirely in Uganda. It has an elevation of 4,321m above sea level.
Sipi falls (slopes of Mt Elgon Kapchorwa)
Sipi Falls, in the foothills of Mt Elgon is a stunner, debatably the most beautiful waterfall in all Uganda. The amazing 95m drop will leave you bewildered as the gashing water strikes the rocks causing a rainbow in the afternoon sunshine.
This hike pays off when you reach at the base of this 95m drop as the water squelches over your heads making your hair appear greyish. You’ll only glare at the third water fall from a distance as access to this waterfall is yet to be established.
Kapkwai Bamboo trail
It’s 7km long, taking on average at least 4 hrs. This mountain bamboo trail to Kapkwai Cave is beautiful as you will maneuver tropical and bamboo forest along the trail inhabited by many primate, bird and rare trees such as Elgon teak and Elgon olive.
The 5km walk to the Chebonet Falls and 3km walk to the Kapkwai caves follow the ridge view trail. There is also an 11km hike to the Tutum Cave, with the option of camping overnight beside the cave.
Mgahinga national park
Hiking around the foothills of the Virunga Volcanoes uncovers bird life like forest birds, the Rugezi Swamp, wild vegetation, bamboo forests and glorious views of the surrounding lakes and agricultural villages. The kind of telling in this area is tailored towards minimizing soil erosion. The terraces appear beautiful in the backdrop of hills.
Mt Sabinyo (Mgahinga N.P)
A hike through the forest to the deep Sabinyo Gorge is a beautiful way to get along the edge of Mount Sabinyo. This trail is prime for birding and a home for the Rwenzori Turaco. This walk takes four hours, and passes through the Rugezi Swamp which is fantastic for birders.
The walk to the Congo border transcends different vegetation zones. Hikers can sight the calderas on top of the Gisozi hill, look out for Kisoro and Bunagana towns and be captivated by Lake Mutanda.
The golden monkey track is a gentle steep but an interesting two-hour trek through former farmland to the bamboo forest. On a clear day, you may view the Virunga Volcano range and come across buffalo and duiker.
Mt Rwenzori National Park
Mt Rwenzori region is a stunning mountaineering destination. The hike will take between or equal to 9 and 12 days depending on your physical ability and determination to reach the summit of Margherita the highest peak (5,103m above sea level) though shorter, non-technical treks are possible to scale the surrounding peaks.
For those who prefer something a little less strenuous, neighbouringBakonzo villages offer nature walks, homestead visits, home cultural performances and accommodation, including home cooked local cuisine.
Wildlife reserves.
Thesearesmallerconservationareaswhichcouldbestoppoints as you proceed to major National parks and some of these include;
Pian-Upe game reserve, Bokora and Matheniko.
Pian-upe is a game reserve in the Karamoja sub region of Northeastern Uganda famous for Kidepo valley national Park and the second largest conservation area in Uganda. Although the area once supported healthy populations of lions, elephants, black rhinos and giraffes, these are now locally extinct.
The last giraffe was reportedly poached in 1995. In October 2019 15 giraffes from Murchison Falls National Park were reintroduced in the reserve by UWA. Populations of plains zebras and the common Eland are also threatened.
Matheniko game reserve
Is also within the Karamoja region, just north of Moroto and extends along the border with Kenya. The reserve is part of the Karamoja plateau. It is bounded on the east by the Great Rift escarpment which forms the Uganda/Kenya border in this area and is interrupted in the south by spurs and extensions of higher ground in the South.
Resident mammals include: lion Panthera leo, leopard Panthera pardus (V), cheetah Acinonyx jubalus (V), giraffe Giraffa camelopardalis, eland Taurolragus oryx, roan antelope Hippotragus equinui, and Bright’s gazelle Nanga notatus.
Bokora Wildlife reserve
Bokora on the other hand has a wide variety of antelopes (but not in high numbers) includes: eland Taurotragus oryx, Uganda kob Kobus kobthomasi, reedbuck Reduncaredunca, mountain reedbuck Reduncafulwrufula , topi Damaliscus lunatus, hartebeest Alcelaphusbuselaphusjacksoni, and oribi Ourebiaourebiaequatoria. Other mammals include: spotted hyena Crocuta crocuta, leopard Panthera pardus (T)
Bugungu Wildlife reserve.
Bugungu wildlife reserve is located Between Murchison Falls National Park and the north shore of ALake Albert.The area is well-known for chimpanzees Pan troglodytes, but the number in the reserve is unclear.
Mammals include lion Panthera leo, elephant Loxodonta africana, warthog Phacochoerus aethiopicus, buffalo Synceruscaffer, waterbuck Kobus ellipsiprymnus, Uganda kob Kobus koh, hartebeest Alcelaphusbuselaphus, and many small ungulates. The reserve includes part of Budongo Forest which has a relatively rich birdlife.
Ajai wildlife reserve
West bank of the Nile between Pakwach and Nimule, about 10km north of Inde and 32km east-south-east of Arua.This area of rivers and riverine swamp borders the river Nile and two tributaries, the Ala and Acha. The reserve includes a number of swamp islands including Ajai island formed by gradual deposition of soil from the hills by the Ala River.
The swamp is surrounded by savanna woodland. Most of the swamp is flooded during the rainy months (June to January), but dries out from February to May.
