By Aggrey Nshekanabo
It is tough letting go. This probably maybe the last dispatch from Bunyaruguru. See, at the time, these articles were meant to be social commentaries from the Pearl of the Pearl that Bunyaruguru is to Uganda. Indeed, these dispatches were crafted from the hills and valleys of Bunyaruguru.
The social commentaries didn’t seat well with a section of our society. And these commentaries were my personal observations but they could not be separated from the brands I represent or work for. It will be until such a time when I have gained enough immunity that the dispatch will be revived. For now, though and in the many moons to come, we will focus on Uganda’s premier destinations.
In this issue, focus is on Kazinga Wilderness Safari Camp that is separated by a six-metre-wide road leading to Mweya Peninsula and Lodge from Katunguru Gate II. It is a sweet offering that is easy to find. Immediately after turning off at the Mweya Gate II at Katunguru, it appears just 500 metres on the left side of the road.
On some evenings, the grazers including hippos, gazelles and antelopes and even elephants will lazily lounge below the main restaurant. On one occasion of my several stays at the budget lodge, a hippo rested under the restaurant platform up to about 8am. It was awakened by the bright rising sun from the eastern side of the park. It sauntered off and went down the Kazinga channel a few metres behind the lodge.
As you enjoy breakfast after a game drive, some buffalos will be intensely looking at you just about 200 metres across the road and beside the ranger’s detach. Two months ago, a huge elephant was grazing behind my banda/cottage. I peeped out and it was so spectacular as it combed through the foliage that kissed my cottage. It indeed provided the actual derivative of the name; it is off Kazinga Channel and you get the actual feel of the wilderness while at this camp with animals all around you.
It is therefore, advisable to follow the rules of the camp attendants; only step out of your cottage if you have a guide because some wild cats could be lurking in the green lashes all around the cottage.
“We have found footprints of the lion or hyenas or leopards around the lodge. We have not had any unfortunate incident for the five years we have been operational. Instead, our guests have been treated to spectacular evenings including a day when they witnessed a lion chasing a Uganda cob and grabbed it by the neck just a few metres from the restaurant” Reveals Robert Byakutaga, the proprietor of the lodge.
“I am 99% much of the time on site and so, I have personally experienced these nocturnal happenings that are only on national geographic TV wild channels. Here, we experience these happenings live. It is a blessing choosing to stay with us;” He added.
Byakutaga and his team are on hand to provide you with all information to make your stay memorable. The budget lodge has 9 bandas and can comfortably accommodate up to 30 people. It also has a large enclosure for overland travellers while campers are provided with all night fire to keep you warm in your tent and or keep the wild animals away.
Campers pay a paltry 10$ to pitch your own camp while overland travelers are charged 50$ per track per night and accommodation ranges from 70$ to 130$ for either bed and breakfast or full board basis. Most of the rooms have warm water and with stone-designed open shower rooms. You bathe as the stars wink at you. That adds another wild feel when at Kazinga Wilderness Safari Camp.
Did I mention that while here, you are the centre of Queen Elizabeth National Park as the waters of Kazinga Channel pass by to pour into Lake Edward? I should have mentioned that this is one central place to be for game drives as it is literary inside the park while Mt. Rwenzori with its snow peaks beckons in the foreground of the lodge beyond the expansive savannah.
Having observed the rise of this lodge from day one and personally designed by Byakutaga, I can authoritatively say, it is stamping itself as a great option for budget travelers who are bent on getting a wild experience and staying inside a national park that is only a preserve of Masai Mara and the Tsavo. There are fewer lodges in Uganda that give you that kind of wild experience.
Aggrey is a travel writer and Team leader Kyambura Safaris & Naalya Motel
Email: anshekanabo@gmail.com Tel: +256 775 414 596
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