Uganda



Travis said:
Going to Lake Bunoynyi in a few weeks to film a promo for the first dance music festival to be held in East Africa with proceeds going to the Pygmy tribe that live on edge of the lake......erm any recommendations? :eek:
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Love Uganda and although I haven’t been to Bunyonyi my friend went recently and it looked amazing. Best place I went was Murchison falls but it’s up in the north so doubt you’ll get there. I wouldn’t bother with Kampala either just loads of traffic, though just next to it is Munyonyo on lake Victoria which is better can get delicious fish straight out of the lake. They have this thing called a Rolex too which is like a chappati/omelette thing you get everywhere really cheap. You might have been warned about the bikes (boda bodas) but I took my chances and great way to get about for pretty much pence. Or the little buses are a laugh, usually decked out in some premier league team colours...you automatically get charged twice as much as everyone else but it’s a fair tax considering. If you hear the word “muzungu” someone is talking to you or about you...means “white person” (well, assuming you’re white). But the people are mega friendly and love football especially premier league so always up for some chat. I always felt safe there, the authorities realise how valuable tourists are so have serious consequences for any trouble so there isn’t really any. Bunyonyi is gorilla trekking country so that is the big tourist thing to do in that region but it’s expensive. Oh yeh and apparently you’re not meant to say Pygmy its Batwa. What’s the festival called?
 
zanjero said:
Love Uganda and although I haven’t been to Bunyonyi my friend went recently and it looked amazing. Best place I went was Murchison falls but it’s up in the north so doubt you’ll get there. I wouldn’t bother with Kampala either just loads of traffic, though just next to it is Munyonyo on lake Victoria which is better can get delicious fish straight out of the lake. They have this thing called a Rolex too which is like a chappati/omelette thing you get everywhere really cheap. You might have been warned about the bikes (boda bodas) but I took my chances and great way to get about for pretty much pence. Or the little buses are a laugh, usually decked out in some premier league team colours...you automatically get charged twice as much as everyone else but it’s a fair tax considering. If you hear the word “muzungu” someone is talking to you or about you...means “white person” (well, assuming you’re white). But the people are mega friendly and love football especially premier league so always up for some chat. I always felt safe there, the authorities realise how valuable tourists are so have serious consequences for any trouble so there isn’t really any. Bunyonyi is gorilla trekking country so that is the big tourist thing to do in that region but it’s expensive. Oh yeh and apparently you’re not meant to say Pygmy its Batwa. What’s the festival called?
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Really not gonna be having time to do much whilst there except work unfortunately but work is capturing the beauty of the area and working with a drone pilot to get some good aerial shots. Have production meeting tomoro so will learn a lot more then. The Abode Project is the charity. Not sure what the festival will be called but all comes under Abode.

Sounds like you have experienced the region and I hope to go back again next year to cover the festival itself. Only going to have 3 full days this time round
 
My colleague worked there for three years and says the country is fantastic. Enjoy, mate.
 
b1gals said:
@Monty Pigeon lives out there I think
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I was there for three months, left a couple of weeks ago.

Main advice: avoid Kampala. The traffic is horrendous, and opportunistic crime is on the rise (someone I know had her mobile phone snatched out of her hands by a motorcyclist while she was a passenger in moving traffic in Kampala).

Take anti-malaria tablets. There's plenty of cerebral malaria about, which can be deadly.

For a short time it's a brilliant place. After three months I was pretty much done with it. The daily hassles, the daily power cuts, getting mango fly maggots in my back, getting the vehicle clamped by an extortionist when doing the weekly shop, having to take nightly precautions against an armed gang at large in the local area, all got a bit much by the end.
 
Travis said:
Aye! Yellow fever and malaria apparently
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Yellow Fever, Malaria, Hepatitis, Japanese Encephalitis, Tetanus, possibly Rabies.

===============

I'm genuinely envious of the OP to be honest as I'd looked at Uganda for seeing gorillas a good few years back. However, personal matters got in the way.

If the OP can get a day to himself to see gorillas, do it.

Monty Pigeon said:
I was there for three months, left a couple of weeks ago.

Main advice: avoid Kampala. The traffic is horrendous, and opportunistic crime is on the rise (someone I know had her mobile phone snatched out of her hands by a motorcyclist while she was a passenger in moving traffic in Kampala).

Take anti-malaria tablets. There's plenty of cerebral malaria about, which can be deadly.

For a short time it's a brilliant place. After three months I was pretty much done with it. The daily hassles, the daily power cuts, getting mango fly maggots in my back, getting the vehicle clamped by an extortionist when doing the weekly shop, having to take nightly precautions against an armed gang at large in the local area, all got a bit much by the end.
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Stuck in Kampala? From the little I know, you have my sympathies.
 
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yyy said:
If the OP can get a day to himself to see gorillas, do it.


Stuck in Kampala? From the little I know, you have my sympathies.
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I was in Jinja. It was a canny place when I was last there 12 years ago, but has gone sharply downhill since. Very sad to see.

The gorillas are well worth it, though the permits are getting more expensive by the year. Currently $600.
 

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