Decadence & Forest Walks

After our final morning game drive in The Park, our guide brought us to the super stylish Kyambura Gorge Lodge for a tasty lunch and a few hours of just relaxing and enjoying the view. At every turn of inspecting the property I thought to myself, 'this would be Kate's Uganda...' – the place was just magnificent. 

The following day we drove up the Mbuku river valley into the Rwenzori Mountains. Peaks in the area can reach over 16,000 ft, and making it to the snow covered summits requires several days and high alpine gear and skills. We signed up for a 'nature walk' at the base of the park which ended up being a grueling 10 mile schlog up 5,000 ft, to the first of many huts in the park. My knees were barking at me so I dropped off a short distance from the hut and spent a bit of time listening to the roar of the Mbuku River and watching the clouds pass. By sunset we pulled into Kyaninga Lodge, a log-cabin inspired, thatched-roof, tree-fort compound that absolutely blew Kyambura Gorge Lodge out of the water for sheer decadence. Kristin and I are unsure if we've ever stayed anywhere more stunning before. We had planned on heading out early this morning for some more primate trekking (this time, chimps), but were drawn in by the serenity and views at Kyaninga and bagged the trek to spend our final full day in Uganda relaxing, swimming and staring out at the families of Corbis Monkeys that jumped from tree to tree just meters from our deck in the canopy. From here we have a seven hour drive to jump a plane in Kampala for our 14 hour, overnight travel to The Maldives via Doha – the travel will likely be another 30 hr+ door-to-door haul. 

Main porch of the stylie Kyambura Lodge

Poolside with views down and across Queen Elizabeth

Dining area

Open hangout room 

Outdoor hangout area

Some fun & recycled wall art

The evening before our Rwenzori hike we had a massive electrical storm

Kristin with our guide, Johnson heading up the valley

Steep stairs on the flat portion of the hike

Highlight of the hike were the various chameleons

Johnson here with the Johnson Chamelion

Low water on the Mbuku River – I imagine this thing absolutely rips in the rainy season

Kristin with a three horned friend

Johnson Chamelion here again, but happily in the branches

Kristin playing where's waldo

Stunning vista at Kyaninga Lodge – our villa the furthest down the line

We arrived just in time to enjoy a drink at sunset

Beautiful architecture on the inside of the main lodge with this massive fireplace 

Kristin with the porter hauling our gear to the end of the line

Breakfast in the AM on our back deck, amid the trees

With our Corbis Monkey friends

Our humble abode – which was very hard to leave

Reflections from the dock on lake Kyaniniga

Kristin and I take a quick dip in fear of lake monsters

The clouds start to move in for a severe shower at lunch