Day 101: Enjojo Lodge and Campsite – Rohija Community Campsite

The night was quiet, no elephants :-(. But since the campsite also has its own security guard, nothing could have happened to us anyway :-)

After complaining about the price yesterday and unfortunately not having electricity, we received a response today that we don't have to pay for the campsite. Well, a negative entry on iOverlander doesn't look good after all. By the way: At the moment we're dependent on "shore power"; the weather is too hazy for the solar panel.

Our destination today is Ruhija, the northern gate of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. At the community campsite, we want to meet Julia and Sepp, whom we know from the Kapishya Hot Springs in Zambia.

There's an election campaign going on in Uganda. Which means that trucks with loudspeakers drive around the area that would make any large-scale disco owner green with envy. And convoys of cars and motorbikes are forming. And the already busy streets are even more crowded. Perhaps the future president (Esther Mbulakubuza Mbayo) greeted us today.

The fact that people in Uganda drive quite crazy and at breakneck speed is a bit annoying, as are the speed bumps that jolt you violently, sometimes only 100 meters apart. Nevertheless, we're making good progress, even though the roads towards the park are getting worse.

What's completely crazy is that agriculture is practiced well above 2,000 meters in altitude, in neatly parceled areas, some of which are more like steep slopes than arable land. It looks very picturesque, but is certainly very arduous.

The closer we get to the park, the more stunning the landscape becomes. Jungle. We're increasingly reminded of Congo Brazzaville.

The community campsite is simple; we have a simple pasta dish cooked for us and chat with Julia and Sepp.

Unfortunately, the evening has a hitch. We unexpectedly receive a message that we can't pay for our tracking in cash, but must transfer money or pay via money transfer. This was not agreed upon. To cut a long story short: After what felt like a 1-meter-long WhatsApp conversation, involving other people whose roles we don't know, it finally seems possible that we can pay in cash, but, as it turns out, to a different tour operator than the one we're currently using.

So we have to take the detour via Kisoro if we want to complete the trek. Do we want to? We'll see tomorrow who wants to collect our $1,700.