Wow what a week! I can't believe that I have only been away from Bubaare for seven days and still managed to do so much!
On 12 December we left ..:namespace Kampala (and the comfort of Backpackers!) to get to Mibale, where the Mount Elgon park office is located. We decided (since we were travelling on the most dangerous road in Uganda) to go for the safer transport option – the post bus. Unfortunately this stops in every town with a post office so the usual 4 hour journey took an amazing 7 hours! We reached Mbale and located the information centre fairly easily, despite being told that the 2 km journey was "at least 4 km away" and paying the taxi accordingly! Damn Muzingu pricing! The guy in the office was really helpful in explaining all the routes to us (there are three) in the end we agreed on a steep 2 day ascent followed by a day reaching the summit and returning to camp, and then a two-day descent. Bravely the boys decided to carry their own bags while us girls went for the more leisurely (and only £10 more) option of hiring porters! We had a mad dash around Mbale for vital food supplies (hot chocolate, rice, pasta, nuts and an obscene amount of biscuits) and two saucepans, before heading off to the base lodge and arranging hire of a tent and two sleeping bags.
The base lodge, which is under "budget accommodation" in the Lonely Planet guide, was amazing! (Well, by Ugandan standards at any rate!). After some serious bargaining by Zoe (the most naturally argumentative out of the five of us – she can be quite scary! We managed to get dinner, bed and breakfast for 14,000 shillings (just under £5). This is quite a lot by Ugandan standards but the food was very good and plentiful! We had an African feast for dinner – including the best Irish potatoes I have ever eaten – and a delicious pancake breakfast – I must have eaten at least five! We set off the next morning feeling very satisfied!
The guys found the first day pretty tough. We had only to walk 5 km but this did include scaling the rather exaggeratedly named "Wall of Death" which was especially challenging for Neil as he was lifting a 25 kg bag! Ouch. I found the journey fairly easy with my basic rucksack! We followed the walking pattern -which was to become usual – of waking up early and reaching camp at about 1-ish, and therefore guaranteeing that the guides got a hot (and typical) African meal. By the end of five days this was fairly in opposition to the teenage attitude of getting up as late as possible and walking steadily for the rest of the day with only a small lunch break! This situation came to a head on the last day when the guide asked what time we wanted to leave – we said 9.30 – he looked thoroughly disappointed and suggested 7.30! In the end we went for the former but he got his revenge by making us virtually run the last 16 km, leaving us feeling more like chased cattle rather than tourists enjoying a leisurely last walk, after accomplishing a mountain climb! (The 16 km took us 4 hours).
The second day was again a fairly short walk, we reached the camp where we were to spend the next two nights by about 1 pm and spent the rest of the day looking around the camp ground and sheltering in the porters' hut. All cooking is done inside the huts on log fires. You sit on stones or on the floor and have to move every now and again to avoid the smoke! (My jacket smells a lot after fire smoke sessions!). The porters were pretty friendly and let us dump all our stuff in their huts, including drying boots which were hung on a beam above the fire! (Warm boots when you wake up at 4.30 am in the dark is sooo good!).
On the third day we "did" the summit, unfortunately the weather was bad so there was nothing much to see or photo other that the five of us freezing and crowding around the 4321m summit sign, surrounded by mist! The stunning views of the Kenyan savannah would have to wait for another day! We also finished the hike very early and I felt that for a different mountain, the walk was turning out disappointingly easy!
Fortunately the bad weather and easy trek was made up for by the 4.30 am rise the next day and a 37 km trek, Ugandan's obviously don't believe in logical spacing! When we woke up we were freezing! The one thing we have learnt from Mount Elgon for Mount Kenya is that mountains were friggin cold and you need at least 3 fleeces and a mammoth sleeping bag to stay warm! When we got out of the tent the stars were amazing, and we knew we were in for a clear day. The sun was shining by 8 am and we donned the sun tan lotion. The trek was long and pretty sleep in places but by the end we felt we could actually boast about having climbed a mountain with "girtu" as Neil would say. The walk was also worthwhile just for the amazing camp on the last night. It was inside a huge cave which at the mouth was probably 3 meters wide and at least 20 metres tall (the cave reportedly goes all the way to Kenya!). For anyone who has seen the Matrix Three it reminded me of the massive underground party. The guide was very nervous about showing us the passages because after you have left the mouth of the cave and entered the tunnels it immediately splits into a myriad of identical looking paths which appear black as soon as the torch is turned off. I think the noise of squealing bats might have put him off, too!
The most impressive thing about the cave is the waterfall which pours across the opening. It is particularly impressive as the sun sets and the red light passes through the water droplets onto one of the walls of the cave. The massive arch is then framed by trees, shrubs and tumbling vines which surround the stream which leads away.
For the second time during the trip Tom used his scout knowledge to everyone's advantage and built a fire which we cooked on and warmed ourselves. It was great to spend the night chatting after the long day – it almost felt like a scout camp!! The guides were pretty surprised that a muzingu could build a fire (as only poor people here use fires). We don't think he was convinced that Tom does it at home! All this was done inside the cave behind the waterfall – it really was huge! I would say that the cave is probably one of the most impressive natural places I have ever seen.
Now some descriptions for the gardeners amongst you…..
The cave was situated in the tropical forest, the third "level" of vegetation. The first was "sonecio Elgoneresis" which consisted mainly of mature plantations and apparently contains some plants only found on Elgon. The second layer we walked through can best be described as an English meadow. There were ferns, just like the ones we have at home, small flowers with many green leaves, and many different types of grass. Nowhere else in Uganda have I seen plants that would look so normal in an English hedge-row.
The fourth level of vegetation is called "heath forest". Here the trees are more sparse and look similar to trees you might find in the Mediterranean. Also found here is the "everlasting flower" which can remain in bud for 3 months after it has been picked.
At the top of the mountain it is very sparse, I guess mainly because of the wind. As on the day we reached the summit, we could only see 5 metres in front of us, so there is little else I can describe of the top!
My favourite area is definitely the tropical forest. Vines tumble and twist from every tree, you can just imagine that at any minute the sake from the Jungle Book will slither down and start singing "Trust in me, trust in me, close your eyes and trust in me"! In some areas thick fences of bamboo grow, and on Saturdays and Wednesdays, locals are allowed to enter the park and cut down the dry trunks which they use when building houses. The air feels warm and damp, the forest floor is covered in plans with very thin stems and large green leaves which rise above two feet off the floor. Every so often you turn a corner and see a bright purple or blue flower that is abut the size of your hand but is in the shape of a cone opening outwards. It felt different to any other forest I have ever seen before.
After the running finish on the last day we were so relieved to see the village where we would be spending the night. When we actually saw the accommodation we were well chuffed! It is a place called the "crows nest" and is situated on the top of a cliff that is the last "layer" of Mount Elgon. Opposite the cabin we stayed in was a spectacular view of Sipi Falls, the largest waterfall in Uganda. To the left was a stunning view of the flat Ugandan plain. Not only this but we got hot showers and the comfiest bed we had had for a long time! Ooh, what it is to be clean! That night we found a typical Ugandan café and had a feast! Chapatti, egg, cabbage, rice and beans. We each ordered one by one and after we ordered our food was made – this also involved the chef first going to the market and buying the food and this meant that we got each meal ten minutes apart. There was also a chicken sat under another table. You couldn't get more typically African, it was exactly what we needed after a five-day walk!
Today we walked to the base of the falls, it was well worth the walk. The falls must be about 50 metres high. When you are stood right at the bottom it is like being stood by the sea in a rain storm, you can't even keep your eyes open because of the water splashes. I got soaked completely. It was exhilarating, though.
We travelling to Mbale during the day and found a really good cheap guest house with amazing views of the mountain. We're hoping to collapse her for tonight before an early start to Jinja tomorrow to go white water rafting. Its going to be amazing! This holiday is so different to life in the villages. I'm loving the travel!