Sunday 29 September 2013

Fort Patiko: A beauty born out of slave trade



It was the 1800s. The Arabs, in their search for trading venues stumbled upon Ocecu Hill in present-day Gulu District.
Patiko is a beauty – mountains and hills grace her extensive vegetation. And she advantageously sits near Nimule, South Sudan and on wards to eastern Egypt, where the Arabs sold their merchandise.
The Arabs could not have found a better slave harbor and trade link. They descended upon Ocecu Hill and built three square-shaped huts to serve as stores for ammunition, ivory and foodstuff as well as hides and skins.
Slaves were a key trading item for the Arabs too and were captured from northern Uganda, Gondokoro in Sudan and other areas. Ocecu Hill became a sorting ground for slaves. Healthy-looking ones were forced to trek from Patiko, through Sudan across the Red Sea and sold in Egypt.
The journey to the slave markets was not easy. “The slaves were forced to carry looted millet, simsim, ammunition and ivory,” explains Constance Oneka who was in 2011 the caretaker of the site. Slaves who were too weak as a result of beatings and long treks were killed by firing squad or beheaded in the designated ‘execution slab/prosecution chamber’ on the hill. Barter trade was the major form of exchange. Traditional chiefs in Patiko supplied ivory to the Arabs in exchange for sukas, beads, guns and gun powder.
The Arabs turned Ocecu Hill into a trading centre and business boomed. However, when village raids intensified, fear, hunger and disease befell Patiko. Something had to be done. The then chief of Patiko – Rwot Kikwiyakare – organised the relocation of children, elders and the sick to a nearby mountain so that his people are not wiped away by slave trade.
Baker and the birth of Fort Patiko
That mountain, located about 2kms from Ocecu Hill, became known as Got Ajulu (Julu is Acholi for ‘nurture’, Got means mountain/hill). According to the Chief of Patiko, Rwot Jeremiah Muttu Bonojane, Rwot Kikwiyakare said to his people: “Let’s nurture (julu) our people so that our clan is not wiped away.” As a result, the mountain has since then been called Got Ajulu.
As Britain spread its colonial wings across Africa, quashing slave trade was one of their missions. Explorer Sir Samuel Baker was commissioned by the Queen of England to oversee that mission. Although Britain would colonise Uganda in 1894, by 1863, Sir Samuel Baker and the chief of Patiko - Rwot Kikwiyakare met and discussed the slave trade menace in the area.
In 1872, Baker returned from Egypt with Nubian soldiers, passed through Bunyoro to quash the Kabalega resistance against the British and headed to Patiko. He over-run the slave harbor, expelled about 250 Arabs and fortified the place. Fort Patiko, also known as Baker’s Fort Patiko, was born.
Located about 32 kilometers north of Gulu Town, the fort is enclosed by a 16 feet wide and 15 feet deep trench dug by slaves on the orders of the Arabs to avoid the escape of captives. The tourism site, located in Patiko Sub-county in Gulu District covers about 9.4 hectares.
It is neighbored by six hills - Ajulu, Ladwong, Akara, Abaka and Labworomor to the north and Kiju hill to the south.
In 2011 when I first visited the Fort, an oval-shaped, roofless hut with half of its wall crumbled down, stood at the entrance with two doors on either side. Small rocks pieced together with mud and cement, formed the wall of the hut which served as a gate.
Two years later, the hut is no more. Inside Fort Patiko lies well-trimmed grass, with a rectangular-shaped structure sitting on the left of the vast compound.
This small house used to be a reception and a registration room. But the roofless structure is now a haven to grass, insects and animal waste, despite its well-trimmed surroundings. On the right side of the compound sits an oval-shaped structure, built only almost two feet up. “It used to be the visitors’ waiting room,” says John Too, who says he was the Fort caretaker from 1976 to early 2000.
Beyond the lush compound dotted with small, scattered, protruding rocks, sit three square-shaped and roofless huts that were used by Arabs to store their loot. Two years ago, one of the store walls had an inscription “Patiko, 1872-88, founded by Sir Samuel Baker, occupied by Gordon and Emin”.
Mr. Too says the name Patiko was misspelled by Baker, while writing the inscription. The metallic plate that bore the inscription is no more and according to Rwot Muttu, it was recently stolen. Next to the three huts stand a giant rock, about 150 high and is known as Baker’s leap/seat. It was on top of this rock, that the Arabs would sit to monitor any infiltration by their enemies to the area. Behind the three square-shaped huts is the execution slab and further left of the slab is a cave where slaves –destined for execution were ‘imprisoned’.
The ‘execution slab’ is dotted with dents which Mr. Too says were caused by axes used to behead slaves. Dark spots, believed to be blood stains of slaves, can also be seen on the rock. Fort Patiko might have witnessed terror from Arab slave trade dealers, but the natural beauty of the place, rose above its dark history.
Management, maintenance woes cloud Fort Patiko
Fort Patiko could have risen above its dark history, but what remains to be seen, is what the government, which gazettes the Fort as a government object in 1972, will do to milk its potential for area residents and the country.
Area residents think fencing off the area and placing its management with them, will ensure the protection and preservation of the Fort.
The chief of Patiko, Rwot Jeremiah Muttu Bonojane, who accuses the government of taking away management of the place from his people, says the area where Fort Patiko sits, was given to the Arabs by Rwot Kikwiyakare, his great grandfather. “I don’t know why I should be wrangling with government over this place. Government said they can’t give it to me because they have a plan for it,” he explains.
He adds: “But I told them the people of Patiko want to manage the place in partnership with development partners.”
Fort Patiko, according to Rwot Muttu is currently managed by the Sub-county but he thinks a lot needs to be made better.
“There are no urinals, no toilets in the place. If I have life, I’ll change that place for the better in just five years,” he says, adding that Fort Patiko has been moving from the ministry of Tourism, Trade and now they understand it’s under Heritage and iniquities.
In a letter dated October 13, 2009, the Department of Museums and Monuments in the Ministry of Tourism and Industry, expressed concern over the decline in maintenance of Fort Patiko. “There are signs of degradation of the walls of key historic monumental structures (the granary, ivory and ammunition stores). The compound is bushy and the trench system is rundown and invisible,” the letter, addressed to the Gulu Chief Administrative Officer, reads in part.
The business community in Gulu has in the past requested the Ministry to be allowed to manage the fort. However, the ministry said after basic conservation work is complete, there could be a private-public partnership. “The immediate need of the site is opening the borders to establish the boundaries of the site, clearance of vegetation and grass cutting in the defensive ditch surrounding the camp…” the 2009 letter reads further.
“Removal of all anthills within the periphery, reconstruction of an attendant’s office, construction of a pit latrine and erection of enamel signposts in Gulu and on the main route to Patiko,” the letter, signed by Mwanje Nkaale Rose Ag Commissioner, Museums and Monuments, adds.
Even as the management hiccups for Fort Patiko get sorted out, local and foreign visitors have continued to troop the area to revel in its beauty and history.

Uganda at (nearly) 51 celebrates the UNWTO World Tourism Day in style



Today will see the formal launch of the UN World Tourism Organization’s World Tourism Day in Uganda in the town of Fort Portal, located in the heart of a triangle of national parks at the foothills of the UNESCO World Heritage Site the Rwenzori Mountains, aka Mountains of the Moon. Within easy reach from Fort Portal are such natural wonders like the Semliki National Park, the Semliki Toro Game Reserve, the Kibale Forest National Park and only a little further off the Queen Elizabeth National Park, making the seat of the Toro Kingdom an ideal base to explore the West of Uganda.

Uganda at (nearly) 51 celebrates the UNWTO World Tourism Day in style It has been a tradition in Uganda to celebrate the World Tourism Day in different locations, every alternate year moving out of the capital Kampala and showcasing the Pearl of Africa’s tourism attractions to the locals and foreign visitors alike.

With the main celebration this year out of the city have tourism gurus nevertheless made sure that Kampalans get their fill too, as today will also see the launch of the Annual Tourism Expo in the extensive gardens of the Sheraton, with the main base at the hotel’s Lion Centre. The public will have three days to see what will await them as they try their hand in Tembea Uganda or exploring Uganda as the Kiswahili version translates to.
Also this weekend will the Kampala Serena Hotel host the Uganda Night on Saturday 28th, all part of this year’s World Tourism Day celebrations though in a wider sense also dedicated to Uganda’s upcoming 51st Independence Day celebrations. If you wish to discover more about Uganda, the Pearl of Africa where arguably the widest range of tourism attractions and service providers are featured.

Sunday 8 September 2013

Birding Paradise in Uganda.


In 1954 the Government of Uganda gifted 1978km of land to the world, a nature preserve to be used as a living laboratory for scientific research, eco-tourism and tropical forest management. The Queen Elizabeth National Park.
The Park stretches from the crater-dotted foothills of the Rwenzori range in the North, along the shores of Lake Edward to the remote Ishasha River in the South, incorporating a wide variety of habitats that range from Savannah and wetlands to gallery and lowland forest.
This remarkable diversity is reflected in its bird list of over 605 species, the largest of any protected area in Africa.
Birding

The main camp at Mweya is attractively positioned at a peninsula separating the Kazinga Channel from Lake Edward, with fine views of Rwenzori Mountains and spectacular sunsets over the lake.
White-shouldered Cliff Chat which is increasingly becoming a rare sight in Uganda is also resident here.
Other species include: Shoebill, Martial Eagle, Black-rumped Buttonquail, African Skimmer, Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl, Black Bee-eater, White-tailed Lark, White-winged Warbler, and Papyrus Canary.
Here birders get a decent chance of seeing males competing for female attention and while watching this rare scenario, you will simultaneously watch birds build their nests (which is often done in groups). This combination is a rare experience indeed.
In the vicinity of the airstrip and the camping site along the Kazinga Channel, you will see the resident African Mourning Dove, Grey-headed Kingfisher, Swamp Flycatcher (often far from water), Grey-capped Warbler, the beautiful Black-headed Gonolek, Red-chested Sunbird Slender-billed, Yellow-backed Nightjars are fairly common along the airstrip and may be flushed from their roosts under thickets.
The Raptors
These are well represented by Brown Snake Eagle, Bateleur, African Harrier-Hawk, Martial Eagle and Grey Kestel are all frequently seen. Lion day, Temminck’s Courser, Collared Pratincole and Red-capped Lark, prefer short grass towards the southern end of the airstrip, which is also a good vantage point from which to observe over flying raptors, large water birds such as pelicans, storks, and swifts and swallows.
At sunset thousands of swifts perform an acrobatic display of feeding before disappearing into the horizon a scene often captured by professional photographers on visit.
Kazinga Channel
The Kazinga Channel is a natural magnet for water birds in the vicinity of Mweya and acts as a migrant trap for birds moving along the Albertine Rift.
A launch departs twice daily providing an excellent way to see a wide variety of water-related species on the channel.
As you start the cruise, you are able to see water birds  such as: Great White and Pick-backed pelicans, Great and Long-tailed Carmorants, common Squacco Heron, African Open-billed Stork, White-faced whistling and knob-billed Ducks and  African Fish Eagle among others.
Additionally, a scenic crater area found north of Katwe road is a good place to search for widespread grass land species such as common Buttonquail, Croaking Cisticola, Broad-tailed Warbler and marsh Tcharaga.
Papyrus swamps
She says that the papyrus swamps provide nesting sites for Shoebill and they may be seen soaring overhead or feeding at the edge of the marsh in the early morning or late afternoon.
The Cultural twist
The Bakonzo, some of the indigenous people around Queen Elizabeth, first settled here many hundred years ago. And although western influences are evident, they haven’t overshadowed the traditional Bakonzo customs and folklore.
By building eco-lodges in their villages and guiding birding tours, many Bakonzo communities have found new ways of benefiting from their natural gifts. Bakonzo guides are incredibly in tune with nature. 
While guiding you through the forests you will be amazed at the way their innate sense of direction will lead you through the sometimes thick unmapped areas. And their stories and legends will keep you entertained along the way. 
Accommodation
Mweya Safari Lodge overlooks the Peninsular. However, having your breakfast at the balcony is good enough to expose the abundant birdlife found in Queen Elizabeth national Park.
The National Park Campsite overlooks the Kazinga Channel, has showers and pit latrines. Jacan safari Lodge under the Geo Lodges Chain in Uganda is within the Maramagambo Forest. Wilderness Tented Camp in Ishasha area. Bandas managed by Uganda Wild Life Authority.
William Byaruhanga, chairman Tourism Uganda, says: ‘Amongst the ornithologists, Uganda has long been the best kept secret in terms of its plethora of bird species with over 1,040 species on record’.
‘This ranks Uganda as one of the top global destinations for bird watchers and combined with Uganda’s other unique attributes, make it a definite must visit destination’. He concludes.
Meanwhile, the Uganda Wild Life Authority (UWA) recently launched eight new birding trails in Murchison Falls National Park effectively making birding a specialized tourism product.
Uganda’s bird species count per square kilometer is the highest in Africa and it accounts for 50% of the continental total.
While addressing birders and journalists participating in the annual birding day in Murchison Falls Park recently, UWA product development executive Patrick Tushabe said: ‘ We are packaging birding as a new tourism package as one way of diversifying our revenue-generating activities’’


Wednesday 4 September 2013

Uganda and its People.

Traditional  markets in karamonja Area near Kidepo Valley National Park.


MISS TOURISM UGANDA 2013 TO REPRESENT UGANDA IN MALAYSIA

 Miss Tourism Uganda Pageant is back on the Uganda Tourism calendar 20 years after it was last held. As part of the activities to celebrate this year’s World Tourism Day which falls on 27th September, the Tourism fraternity led by the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities (MTWA) has launched a Miss Tourism Uganda 2013 pageant, a website, logo and a theme song.
During the occasion to launch the pageants at Tamaria Hotel in Kampala on July 30,the minister Dr. Maria Mutagamba called on stake holders to “Journey with us and be part of the transformation of Uganda through Tourism Uganda Pageant 2013 which will support tourism growth and improved livelihoods”
Dr. Mutagamba says the pageants will promote Uganda tourism domestically and internationally, showcase Uganda’s diverse and rich tourism offering (flora, fauna, culture, history, food etc) and increase public-Private sector participation/funding in tourism.
The contest will be open to all single Ugandan women in all regions of the country aged 18-29 with a minimum A’ level education and with a height of 5 feet six inches.
The chairperson of the Tourism and trade in parliament Mrs Flavia Kabahenda Rwabuhoro  said during the launch that she was happy that a Ugandan woman will be used to market the face of Uganda. She pledged that the Parliament of Uganda will not only join the journey but lead it in rediscovering the country’s natural endowments. She challenged her colleagues in parliament to support tourism as a vehicle for social transformation through public awareness and engagement

She was also happy that the pageant will now be an annual event and that the winner will represent Uganda in the Miss World Tourism event in Malaysia this year. The climax will be in Fort Portal during the World Tourism Day celebrations

Golden Monkey Experiential Tourism

Monkey tracking has come fast on the heels of the more sought-after Mountain Gorilla Tracking. With a new adventure dubbed ‘Golden Monkey Experiential Tourism’, tourists can take a four-hour trek to see golden monkeys frolic, feed, and court, hop acrobatically in the trees and care for their young ones. 
The swift monkeys keep themselves busy by pulling faces, grooming each other and flying between tree branches. Currently, they are only found in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Virunga National Park in DR. Congo, and Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, Gishwati forest and Nyungwe forests. Unlike human beings, monkeys and gorillas freely move between the three countries without visas.
This golden monkey trek gives one a chance to see the apes in action, petting and having a siesta. According to researcher Sandra E. Gray, their groups are single male multi-family, meaning there is only one resident male and several adult females, plus young ones of varying ages.
However, for reinforcement, between three and 11 outside males are accepted to join the group temporarily during the breeding season.
For monkeys, communication is done fluently by vocal sounds, sign language and facial expressions. Grey says these have not yet been comprehensively studied and only the most obvious gestures are understood to any degree.
Monkeys eat 33 record plant species, including fruits and flowers. Their menu also comprises small invertebrates and bamboo leaves, which make up the bulk of the diet.
The habitat of golden monkeys is in the evergreen semi-deciduous and bamboo forests. Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) directorate of conservation has now completed the process of habituating a family of golden monkeys for experiential tourism.
This is as a strategy meant to diversify tourism activities. Tacking takes place strictly in the mornings and afternoons within a 23– 50 hectare area to maximise the experience. 
“The fee is $100, inclusive of the park entry fees. The maximum number per visiting group per day will be six,” Ingrid Nyonza Nyakabwa, the UWA marketing manager, says. “You will not have any regrets. It is money and time very well spent.” 
               
Getting there
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is located in south-western Uganda. It can be accessed by road and air. Kisoro town, at the foot of Mt.Muhabura, is about 540km from Kampala, which takes about eight hours drive via Kabale on an excellent paved road surface. Public transport by bus is available on a daily basis.
Mgahinga National Park head office is located 13km from Kisoro town and can be accessed by public transport. It is also accessible from Rwanda’s Chanika border post or Eastern DRC’s Bunagana border post. 
Accommodation is available in Kisoro town, a gateway to the park which is adequately served by upmarket and budget hotels. There is a private lodge at the edge of the park and a privately run campsite right outside the park.



Sunday 1 September 2013

Lake Mutanda comes of age



Lake Mutanda, and the nearby Lake Mulehe, have for long captured the imagination of locals and visitors alike, but have never quite made it to the top of the tourism rankings in Uganda tours, when one was considering where to go, for a long weekend or for a few days of a family trip exploring the country side. It was always Jinja, or Murchison or Queen Elizabeth or Lake Mburo, Mbale perhaps with the Sipi Falls but few would take the trouble to travel all the way into the border triangle of Uganda, Rwanda and Congo.

Lake Mutanda ‘Those roads, no thank you’ was a common reaction I received from friends who do regularly traverse Uganda in search of new places to discover when I mentioned to them where I was heading. But truth told the roads from Kampala via Masaka, Mbarara, Kabale and then on to Kisoro are in a much better state today than they have been in many years. While there is still work going on at sections between Mbarara and Kabale, the Kabale to Kisoro road is fully operational, perfect tarmac and scenic like few others in Uganda. That road in fact was truly a reason in the past to shun Kisoro, especially when after a few rainy seasons the surface resembled a washing board, but no longer.
Thankfully that is presently changing mainly due to the brand new 75 kilometer tarmac road but in part also because of hospitality investors finally promoting their lodges, resorts and related activities to a greater extend now that they are more easily accessible. Electricity poles and installations have already reached as far as Nkuringo, and the Lake Mutanda area too is foreseen to be put on mains supply in due course. The road from Kisoro to Lake Mutanda and beyond to Nkuringo and Nteko is due for upgrading under a government policy to open up areas of key tourism potential but that of course will also benefit the local farmers who at last can get their produce to the markets. Additionally is added interest in this part of Uganda triggered by the sharply grown focus on the area among foreign visitors, those coming by overland trucks, back packers who often spend a week or more and who actively post their pictures on Twitter and Face book and write about it in their blogs. That of course applies to mainstream tourists just as well, who often fly into Kisoro – Aero link now operates daily flights from Entebbe via Kihihi – or reach in the comfort of their 4×4’s. Many of those have written rave reviews on Trip Advisor about the lodges they stayed in, the hikes they did and the parks they visited, finally spurring interest among the local expatriate community too who, as mentioned before, are always looking for other places than the ‘regular’ adventure and adrenaline activities of Jinja. When coming to the Kisoro / Lake Mutanda / Nkuringo area they can be assured of a place where they can get active if they want to and laze about if that is what they prefer. Whether they hike, boat or have brought their mountain bikes with them to explore the area, they will not be disappointed, nor will they be from their sun beds at Chameleon Hill Lodge with that breathtaking 180 degrees vista.
The locals, friendly as all Ugandans are, have a lot of lore and tales to tell about the lakes while the wagenis are of course mainly interested in the scenic value of the locations to take pictures galore of one of Uganda’s better kept secrets and the lakes and the hills and volcanoes around Kisoro town..
Among the foreign travelers coming to Uganda has the Kisoro area steadily gained a reputation as a must see location, and many indeed combine their visit to the Mountain Gorillas of Mgahinga or Bwindi national parks or the tracking of the Golden Monkeys at Mgahinga with an added stay at one of the lakes.
Lake Mutanda is located just 17 kilometres outside Kisoro, the elevation of just under 1.800 metres making for warm days and cool nights, never too cold and never too hot, allowing for a range of activities, on the lake and around it. The lake can be reached easily by public transport, aka taxis or the equally common boda bodas, though the road is rough from the moment one turns off the tarmac in Kisoro town and heads out into the country side. Visitors coming with their own cars are therefore well advised to have a second spare tyre in the boot or bring repair kits for their mountain bikes, should they intend to ride those over the rocky roads leading up to the lakes.
The rewards for visitors are those magnificent vistas from higher elevations, marked by the islands of Lake Mutanda against the backdrop of the Virunga volcanoes Sabinyo, Muhavura and Mgahinga.
I was on this trip coming from Nkuringo after first hiking across Bwindi and exploring the forests and hills to and from Nteko and Lake Mutanda was the next key stop on my tour of South Western Uganda and another eye opener it was to become.
I will write separately about the new Chameleon Hill Lodge I found perched on a ridge high above the lake, coming suddenly into sight like a castle in the air, but for now let it suffice to say it is arguably Uganda’s most colourful, quirkiest and funkiest lodge I have seen yet and at a location where the proverbial million dollar view has surely turned into the billion dollar view.
From the lofty heights of Nkuringo, the road gradually made its way towards lower elevations as it hugged its way tightly to the mountain sides before reaching Kisoro down in the valley. Through small farms terraced into the steep hills, little villages and plenty of homesteads, this being one of Uganda’s most intensely farmed and populated areas, the road snaked from one steep corner to the next and drivers surely need to take care and not go too fast, though the road conditions will not really allow for that.
Especially in the morning hours, the valleys below are often ‘boiling’ with fog and mist, making for impressions which will last a lifetime when one comes from higher up only to witness such spectacles of nature in the early hour after sunrise.
Hikers with guides – absolutely recommended – or without guides – not so recommended – find it easy going downhill, probably steeled already by the experiences of previous days when they had to scale the escarpments and steep paths while hiking and the few boda bodas and pickup trucks, besides an occasional 4×4, pose no real problems when strutting along what on maps appears to be a major road but in reality remains an often deeply rutted challenge to drivers and cars.
A fork in the road, some kilometres from Nkuringo towards Kisoro, without any sign posts for that matter, gives one the choice to go on directly – using the left – or else hike via Lake Mutanda – using the ‘right’ branch – the latter direction leading through patches of forest, sambas and wetlands on the bottom of the often steep valleys, with not a single car passing until the lake came into sight. Birds aplenty can be seen while walking, something often lost when sitting in a car, and the fresh air carries an occasional whiff of wood smoke, a pointer to a nearby homestead where the main meal of the day is being prepared. When Lake Mutanda finally comes into sight, hikers will get their reward on sunny days, as behind the lake the distant volcanoes are visible, making for an awe inspiring sight. The lake itself is dotted with islands which are worth exploring and canoes are available at a reasonable cost, and recommended as long as they carry life vests for their passengers. Again, bird sightings are the main feature of course, especially along the main shores of the lake where reed grass provides a perfect nesting and foraging environment for our feathered friends.
Motor boat options are now available to traverse the lake but nothing beats the almost silent way how the canoes are floating across the waters, the only sound being the boatman’s paddle being used, or the calls of birds of prey above, seeking to take advantage of birds being startled by the canoe approaching and flying up from their hiding places in the reed grass to see what is going on.
Wherever one chooses to stay, at one of the resorts right on the lake, the eco tourism centre or as far as Kisoro itself, where plenty of options are now available, offering 1 to 3 star hotels and even non star rated accommodation which serves those travelling at the tightest shoe string budget, access to these trails and tours is now available to all visitors. These excursions and hikes, lasting from a few hours to a full day, are covering both Lake Mutanda and Lake Mulehe. Seasoned hikers however also have the options to discover the trails of the Virunga volcanoes on the Ugandan side, starting with Mgahinga where Nkuringo Walking Safaris offers tailor made trips or else make their way up to Muko and Lake Bunyonyi along yet more scenic winding roads as long as they have a few days to spare for such multi day trails. Kjong Safaris organizes such hikes as well as boat trips on Lake Bunyonyi, which opens up the amazing, and at times baffling history of that area.
The Eye, in its printed version has a range of accommodation options listed for visitors to the area, but information is now also available when simply googling Kisoro or Lake Mutanda and where links to Mgahinga National Park also give added information about the wider Kisoro area.
Those going to this part of the country should also know that not all phone networks have constant coverage and anyone bringing a USB modem to get connected through tablet or laptops, unless in Kisoro itself, can have a rude awakening. Some networks in fact jump to expensive roaming services of their sister networks in Rwanda or even Congo and getting wireless connectivity – as long as a signal actually can be captured which depends on location – is normally the better bet through smart phones compared to the use of USB modems. Those often at best get that notorious green light, indicating a slow Edge or GPRS connection but rarely get into the high speed range, if they can hook up at all.
And one final tip, do not leave Kisoro without buying some locally produced organic honey. A bee keepers’ cooperative is now marketing different types of honey, from the forests as well as the more open areas around Kisoro and in their shop even bee wax candles can be bought. Kisoro honey is arguably Uganda’s finest and any purchase will bring money directly to the rural folks allowing them to improve their lives.

After two recent trips to this part of Uganda I certainly once more fully appreciate that Uganda is indeed The Pearl of Africa.