Pakwach

We reached Pakwach in the emptiest minibus in history. At the end of the ride, we had been the only two passengers on the complete rear bench seat, and I wondered if this could be an indication of the upcoming apocalypse. But the world decided to exist a little longer, and we got the opportunity […]

Gulu

We had planned to visit Gulu 2012 but back then, it had been a matter of time to decide either to visit Gulu or to climb Mount Elgon in the east. We have had some setbacks when it came to visiting Uganda’s unique nature reserves. Often, it was only possible to reach a national park […]

ZIWA Rhino Sanctuary

The southern white rhino is highly endangered, but the northern white rhino is already extinct in wilderness. In general, there is not even one of those impressive animals left in its original habitat in Uganda. Astonishingly, they haven´t given up the fight. The northern white rhino shall be replaced by southern white rhinos. The female […]

Semliki National Park

Hidden in a remote corner of Uganda, Semliki National Park down in the valley of Semliki river protects 220 km2 of the Bwamba forest. There is now a paved road with spectacular views from Fort Portal along the northern end of the Rwenzori mountains down to Semliki valley on the western side of the Rwenzoris. […]

Toro Botanical Gardens, Fort Portal

On the outskirts of Fort Portal, Toro Botanical Gardens occupies 50 ha as demonstration gardens where various plants are conserved, like medicinal plants, spices, fruits, herbs, shrubs and trees, among them also hardwood species. Main goal of this project founded in 2001 is to raise awareness for the vegetation of the Albertine Rift Valley. In […]

Fort Portal

Fort Portal the second. We´ve been in Fort Portal five years ago, and we´ve really liked it. Back then, it had its nickname “Fort Pothole” for a good reason but besides that, it was a nice, well-developed town amidst a montane region with a lot of coffee and tea plantations. Neighbouring Rwenzori mountains are the […]

The chimpanzees of Kalinzu forest – Die Schimpansen vom Kalinzu-Wald

At the eastern border of Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kalinzu Forest Reserve is linked to the famous park. Protected Kalinzu forest is an extension of Maramagambo forest inside Queen Elizabeth National Park, and both are home to a vast variety of animals and plants, among them more than 400 tree species, 378 bird species, 262 […]

Lake Bunyonyi – Der Bunyonyi-See

Lake Bunyonyi is located only 7 kilometres from Kabale at 1.900 m altitude, while the surrounding mountains reach heights of 2.500 m. The lake was formed around 8.000 years ago when lava blocked Ndego river, and that led to the flooding of the valley. Today, Lake Bunyonyi is 25 km long, 5 km at its […]

Nyabushabi Primary School, Kabale

When we visited Kabale, the gate to the Virunga volcanoes as well as to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, in 2012, we were lucky to get invited to Nyabushabi Primary School just outside the town on behalf of a Swiss student of teaching. It was a Friday, and the younger pupils were having a football tournament […]

Buggala Island

We took a minibus from Kalinzu Forest to Mbarara where we had to change transport, and then we took a big bus eastward on to Masaka near the shore of Lake Victoria. After the delicious Friday night BBQ buffet at the Frikadellen, a Danish-run eatery linked to the NGO Childcare Denmark, and a night at […]