Hi,
we travelled the last 3 weeks through Uganda and Tanzania and I would like to give you a few informations about our Trip (Transport, Accommodation and Safari).
First we had a really great time in Uganda - a really nice place with really friendly and helpfull people!
Our Trip:
Entebbe - Kampala - Kabale - Bwindi NP - Lake Bunyonyi - Queens Elesiabeth NP - Fort Portal - Jinja - Sipi Falls - Arusha - Moshi - Nairobi
Public Transport: Very Easy - we did all things by public transport (Bus, Matatu etc.)
We arrvived in Entebbe at night und went directly to Red Chili in Kampala - they offered us a airport pick up for 80.000 USH (Uganda Schillings=USH) (at night) - everything was good, really helpfull staff especially Emanuel, he also picked up our gorilla permits at the wildlife office for us. A lot of othere travellers - so you can get really good informations about uganda!
From Kampala to Kabale we went by post bus - 25.000 USH - good bus company, but you can also use othere bus companies - there are plenty of them - there is not really a big different, the price is more or less the same and our driver was also driving as fast as possible ....
Kabale to Bwindi - we visisted the nshongi group, so we went by special hire (kind of privat taxi) to the nshongi camp (http://nshongicamp.altervista.org/) - good place and nice people, especially the cook, the price is ok - not cheap, but also not really expensive. For the special hire we paid 350.000 USH - we did a mistake and took the first driver, who spoke to us. In the end he was an idiot and I would recommend to talk to more than one people/drivers - it is quite easy to find s.o. - there are plenty of them everywhere! the price compared to everythink else is a scandal! And if you are the only tourist there - you should try to get a driver under 250.000. USH. The gorilla trekking was really cool - we were just 4 people in our group and searched only 45 min for the mountain gorillas - really good experience!
It took almost 9 hours to get from Kampala to Nshongi Camp!
Bwindi - Kabale - Lake Bunyonyi
After two nights at nshongi Camp we went directly to Lake Bunyoni (taxi from Kabale to Lake Bunyonyi 20.000 USH) and stayed there at Byoona Amagara (http://lakebunyonyi.net/index2.php?page=1) - good place to relax for a few days - especially the geodorm are worth it! But don´t forget, if you go by canoe to the island, it will take nearly 45 min and you have to paddle as well ;-) Plenty of birds everywhere ;-)
Lake Bunyonyi - Queen Elisabeth NP
We went to QENP by matatu (from Kabale to Mbarara - 13.000 USH - and from Mbarara to Katunguru Gate - 15.000 USH). At the gate we took a taxi for 30.000 USH to get in the park. We stayed at the Mweya Hostel, I don´t recommend the hostel - not really a nice play to stay, if you have the possibility to camp, it would be the better option!. We stayed there for one night to do the kazinga channel boat trip. If the Wildlife Office in Mweya don´t have a boat trip, go to the Mweya lodge they also offer boattrips and you only have to be four people - the wildlife office need 10 people! So we did the Boattrip with the lodge (24 US Dollar) it was incredible! Elefants, Hippos, Birds, Buffalos, Eagles, Pelicans .....
QENP - Fort Portal
We got a lift from a british couple to Kasese and went from kasese to fort portal by matatu (plenty of them passing kasese during the day, they all come from Mbarara - 7.000 USH)
Fort Portal
We stayed at ruwenzori view guest house (http://www.ruwenzoriview.com/). They have two rooms with shared bathroom (you will share the bathroom with a dutch lady (owner)) for 66.000 USH incl. best breakfast in Uganda! They also offer dinner for 27.000 USH p.p - one of our best dinner we had in uganda! The other rooms have there own bathroom and cost 99.000 USH per Room. It would be a good idea to call them before you get there - we travelled during low season and this Accomodation was nearly fully booked! So I think it could be hard to get a room during high season! We did two day trips - one to the "top of the world" and around the four/five crater lakes - nice place you will pass a lot villages but if you have been to lake bunyonyi, the landscape around the crater lakes isn´t anythink special! We didn´t have the time to hike the ruwenzori mountains. The other day trip we went to a lodge in the north of fort portal - kyaninga lodge.
Fort Portal to Jinja
We used the Link Bus to get to Kampala (18.000 USH) same like post bus! To get to Jinja we used a kind of bus-matatu. Just go to the taxi park in kampala and ask for jinja (6.000 USH). We stayed at BridgeWay Guesthous - 60.000 USH per night - nothing speical but I won´t use these guesthouse again. Jinja is a nice place to do nothing (or maybe rafting, which we didn´t do). You will get a really good coffee at main street (source cafe and there is also another one, but I forgot the name - sorry)
Jinja to Sipi Falls
We went by matatu to Mbale and also from mbale to Sipi Falls - we stayed at moeses campsite (Bandas)- nothing special but ok - really friendly people and the hike to the 3 sipi falls is really good! We also did our own coffee! The view from the campsite is incredible!
Sipi Falls - Jinja - Arusha
After Sipi Falls we went back to Jinja and them by afternoon/night bus - Akamba Bus - to Arusha (Tansania). There are to bus companies going from Uganda to Jinja to Arusha (we didn´t find more bus companies in Jinja). You can book the Akamba Bus at the tourist Info next to the post office and for the kampala bus you have to go the bus stop of akamba and kampala at a turn around - close to the city centre (maybe 1 km).
Border
Nothing special - you have to get off the bus, go the border office from uganda for "ckeck out", then go to the border office from Kenia to buy your visa (50 US Dollar for 3 Month or 20 US Dollar for Transit Visa for 22 hours) and get on the bus again - the bus waits for you in Kenia. At the border between Kenia and Tansania nearly the same. We changed the bus in Nairobi. The bus was just a 4-Seater.
Arusha
We stayed at Arusha Backpacker - really good and cheap place! We arrived an Sunday and it was really easy to find a safari company for a three day safari starting on monday! We did a camping safari to serengeti and Ngorogoro Crater and it was incredible ;-) three days are enough! We paid 150 US Dollars per Day per person. It was funny to see, that different companies offered us the same trip - they all said "there is a polnish couple on a 4 day safari and you could join them for there last 3 days". We talked to our driver and cook and they were all freelancer - the companies have to rent a driver, a cook, tents and also the car! Our Company "Ostrich Safari Company" - was ok, but afterwards we heart a lot of crazy things about the Company owner - but we had a great time with our group and we saw leopard, lions, zebras, elefant,wilderbeest hyena ..... we only mist the rhino - but there is only one at the crater! The Food (the name of our cook was Moshi) was Excellent! You can also buy beer closed to the campsites - just ask your driver ;-)
Arusha - Moshi
We went by the Riverside Shuttle (10.000 TSH) to Moshi - where we spent one night before I went back to nairobi int. airport (Riverside Shuttle offeres an airport drop off)! My girlfriend ist still there and is climbing Kili!
Uganda was a really good place to spent our holiday - nice and friendly pleople, good public transport and everythink you need to enjoy your holidays!
cheers Kirsche
