Hello, oldspud...Ireland’s surprisinglinks to UgandaTRAVEL P6

THE IRISHNEWS SATURDAY-SUNDAY May 4-5 2019

WEEKEND

FOOD: RECIPES, EATING OUT & NUTRITION • DRINK: WINE & BEER • TRAVEL • TV

RECIPESWhy Thai foodmeans hometo Kay Plunkett-Hogge P8

JAKE O’KANEDid my snoringupset the poorAvengers fans?P3

Take on natureWelcome returnof swallows andbutterflies P4

Saturday May 4 20196WEEKEND

WALKING in rural Ugandais unlike a safari ofthe traditional kind.No bumpy jeep ridesshared with strangers’camera lenses as long as

your arm, shutters clicking like automaticweapons. Your feet are on the ground, eyesscanning for wildlife, or you’re walking tosee a village community or pausing to takein the greenest landscapes anywhere in eastAfrica. The equator is never far away.Uganda may be a country you know little

about but Uganda knows about Ireland,welcoming you without charging $50 for avisa (as is the case with visitors from mostother European countries).Most Ugandans work in agriculture and

potatoes, grown for domestic consumption,are always referred to as Irish potatoes. Yousee them stacked in little pyramids by theside of the road, on sale alongside bundlesof charcoal. Plantains and green bananas aregrown as cash crops and bulging bundlesof them being transported by hand are acommon sight, strapped to bicycles thatleave no room for riders.The Rwenzori Mountains in the west of

the country are slowly being discovered aspristine, crowd-free trekking territory forpeople of all ages and ability. It’s a gruellingslog, a full-on week of walking and campingbut with no mountaineering experiencenecessary – just pure stamina – to reachthe highest, snow-capped peak on MountStanley (5,109m) but you can walk as manyof the route’s sections as you wish andmuch shorter trips, including porters, mealsand accommodation, are reasonably priced.Rwenzori Trekking Services, who handle

these treks, also offer a Community Walk ledby a member of the local Bakonjo peoplewho farm the slopes of the Rwenzoris. Youpass their farm gardens bursting with exoticfruits and vegetables – avocado, mango,jackfruit, guava – growing alongside coffeeplants and sugar cane.Missionary work has converted most

Bakonjo to Christianity – over 40 per centof Ugandans are Catholics – and you pass asmall prayer house on the community walkbut some older members of the communityretain a belief in a mountain-dwelling god.After two to three hours of walking, apicnic spot is reached in a small forest by awaterfall where your guide will look for theRwenzori three-horned chameleon.The fireplaces in the four cottages that

make up Equator Snow Lodge are noaffectation: situated at 1,600m, you’ll need ajumper at night even though the equator isonly 25 miles away. The Lodge is convenientfor Rwenzori walks and a blackboard at

reception outlines a variety of treks, somelocal and others ascending into higheraltitudes. At night the murmuring of theMubuku River flowing past sends you gentlyto sleep.A steep, narrow and forested valley lies

less than 50 miles to the south of Equator

Snow Lodge. Called the Kyambura Gorge,it stretches for seven miles and at itswidest spans less than 450 yards. It is theonly place in the Queen Elizabeth NationalPark (QENP) inhabited by a group ofchimpanzees – our closest living relatives– that are habituated, making it possible toget within steps of them without causingalarm.Tracking chimpanzees is a leisurely affair

until your ears are assaulted by high-decibel screams that would terrify anyonein an urban environment. But then comesa series of raucous hoots which are oddlyreassuring, sounding ludicrous in what untilthen has been a silent forest of ironwoodtrees. The screams and hoots convey asense of mayhem, a sure sign that a familyof chimpanzees are close by.QENP is Uganda’s most biodiverse

national park, borne out by a popular boattrip along a channel that connects LakeGeorge and Lake Albert: hippos, elephants,buffalo and waterbuck are guaranteed to beseen close while crocodiles and oversizedmonitor lizards lie close to the banks.

Seeing lions in Queen Elizabeth NationalPark is one experience best done from thesafety of a vehicle and not on foot. There arearound 80 in the park and a predator Projectmonitors their activities with the help ofradio collars attached to some of them. Thisvirtually guarantees the sighting of a prideat close quarters.Located high on an escarpment, Elephant

Plains Lodge is close to Kyambura Gorgeand only a mile from the equator. The Lodgecommands a spectacular view of savannahand lake from the spacious balconies of itseight thatched cottages and dinner in semi-darkness by the pool is pleasantly romantic.The walking experience that catches the

limelight in Uganda is a trek to get withinmetres of mountain gorillas. The country’slast census indicated a population of 400and although there are twice as manyin neighbouring Rwanda the cost of apermit there is considerably higher: $1,500compared to Uganda’s $600.Unless you have lots of money to spare or

are willing to venture into the DemocraticRepublic of Congo (with 200 gorillas),

Feet on the ground, headin the clouds in Uganda

In western Uganda Sean Sheehan finds gorillas, chimpanzees and a mountain rangethat provides pristine, crowd-free trekking territory for people of all ages and abilities

n Footpaths through bogland in the Rwenzori Mountains National Park, Uganda

TRAVEL

It’s a gruelling slog, afull-on week of walkingand camping but withno mountaineeringexperience necessary– just pure stamina –to reach the highest,snow-capped peak onMount Stanley (5,109m)

Saturday May 4 2019 WEEKEND 7

western Uganda is the best place to seegorillas in the wild.Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

is famous for its gorillas and walkingactivities are available. At Gorilla SafariLodge, conveniently close to the Park,you can go on a community walk to alocal Batwa community. The Batwa were asemi-nomadic, forest-dwelling people wholived by hunting and gathering until theywere compelled to move into permanentsettlements in the early 1990s. Forcedto give up their centuries-old way of life,

without compensation, most remainofficially landless.Amid its verdant, tropical landscapes,

Uganda offers cultural encounters and once-in-a-lifetime wildlife experiences without thepackage tourist industry bearing down onyou. You’ll see other travellers but rarely inlarge groups and Ugandans are easy-goingpeople to mix with. Tourism is importantto the country but the vast majority ofUgandans get on with their lives regardlessand this is part of the pleasure of beingthere.

n Irish potatoes in foreground; plantains growing high; pumpkins in the centre

n Gorilla Safari Lodge n Traffic jam, Queen Elizabeth National Park

n Gorilla in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest n Getting up close to a lion

Travel News

n Gorillas:Although a sighting of gorillas in Ugandais not guaranteed, you’re virtually sure tosee these primates because trackers workahead of the group you’re in – restricted toeight people – and they notify your guideonce they find the gorilla family you’ve beenallocated to follow.What is less certain is how long you walkbefore encountering them – from one hour tofour – and then there’s the walk back downthe forested mountain. The 60 minutesyou’re allowed to spend in their companymakes it all feel worthwhile, especially ifyou can stop angling for that elusive perfectphotograph and just observe their behaviour.Like the chimps in Kyambura, they are usedto other primates and will mostly ignore yourpresence; which is just as well given thatmuscle-bound males reach 6 feet in heightand weigh up to 220kg.

n Getting there:Ethiopian Airlines (ethiopianairlines.com)flies to Entebbe via Addis Ababa.

n Tours:Rainbow Tours (rainbowtours.co.uk) offertailor-made trips that include RwenzoriMountains, Queen Elizabeth National Parkand Bwindi Impenetrable Forest NationalPark. Packages from £4,835 include flights,transportation on the ground, a driver-guide, gorilla and chimpanzee permits,accommodation and all meals.

A Community Walk with Rwenzori TrekkingServices (rwenzoritrekking.com) is £6; one-day Forest Walk £30; two-day/one-night trek,ascending to 2,585m, £150; a week-longascent to the higher peaks from £800.

n Guidebooks:The eighth edition of the Bradt Guide toUganda is packed with practical informationfor travellers with various budgets.

FACT FILE

j.lee@irishnews.com

Dine for free atDisney WorldWhether you want to experience Toy StoryLand or get up close to wildlife at Disney’sAnimal Kingdom, there has never beena better time to book you 2020 breakto Walt Disney World Resort. AmericanHolidays packages include free DisneyDining when staying at selected Disneymoderate, deluxe, or deluxe villa resorts,or free breakfast when you stay at aselected Disney Value Resort, for bookingsmade January 1-October 3 2020. Familypackages including park entry, memorymaker, returns flights from Dublin, checkedbag and transfers start at €1,207pp.This is based on two adults and twochildren sharing, departing February 2020.Americanholidays.com

Algarve walkingand cyclingA 450km network of walking and cyclingtrails has opened to give greater accessto the best-preserved coastline of thePortuguese Algarve. The new routes willbring the Rota Vicentina’s pedestrian trailsto 740km in total, including the Fisherman’strail, the Historical Way, and 24 additionalcircular routes.The Algarve Tourism Bureau has introduceda dedicated website for walking andcycling in the area; you can access it atCyclingwalkingalgarve.pt/en.

Take a breakin mid-UlsterOverlooking the Ballinderry River and set innine acres of mature grounds, the three-starGlenavon House Hotel is situated on theoutskirts of Cookstown. The hotel’s locationmakes it an ideal base to explore thearea’s attractions, including Lissan House,Wellbrook Beetling Mill and Drum ManorForest Park. A weekend break includingovernight accommodation with a four-coursedinner from the hotel’s Table d’hote menuwith breakfast the next morning costs from£80 per person sharing. To book call 0288676 4949. Offer available untilDecember 31, valid on Fridays, Saturdaysand Sundays only.

Two new BelfastdestinationsTUI & First Choice have announced theaddition two new destinations, Kos andDalaman, to their Summer 2020 schedulefrom Belfast International. Kos is the thirdlargest Greek Dodecanese Island with watersports and archaeological treasures aplentyto discover. Known as the Turquoise Coast,Turkey’s Dalaman shoreline, meanwhile, isa chain of coves, bays and long stretchesof sand all lapped by turquoise waters. Thefull programme for summer 2020 is now onsale. To avail of offers, including free childplaces, log onto Tui.co.uk or Firstchoice.co.ukn Prices correct at time of issue