Thursday 18th: After driving back very slowly along the rough track out of Bwindi Forest, we re-joined the main tarmacked road from Kabale and continued driving west to Kisoro. I think it must be one of the most spectacular roads in the world as it makes it way through such dramatic, steep hills between about 2000m and 2500m above sea level. And it’s not just one climb up to the highest point! The road keeps going down and then up again, never far from the Rwanda border.

 

We stopped in Kisoro for refuelling (us and the minibus) before going south towards Mgahinga, one of the extinct volcanoes. We were booked into Amajambere Community guest house next to the entrance to Mgahinga National Park. Although it was never a very steep climb, the road was terrible. We feared for Robert’s minibus as we kept crashing down onto rocks on the track so decided we would go back to Kisoro. However, half way back, we found another track which wasn’t quite so bad and took us up to Amajambere. Being on the edge of the forest, there were lots of little birds around.  Unlike anywhere else we travelled, children (and even one woman) asked us for money.

Friday 19th: A guide at the Park entrance kindly let us through the gate enabling us to walk through the edge of the forest and go into the excellent Visitor Centre. We were thrilled and very surprised to see several Rock Hyraxes.

Mgahinga Park is renowned for its rare Golden Monkeys but it was too expensive to go tracking for them. Patrick and Kerstin took a guided forest walk while I photographed more birds around where we had stayed, including more Sunbirds and Flycatchers.

 

We packed up and returned to Kisoro where a tyre needed repairing. We enjoyed delicious rollexes again (Spanish omelette or fried vegetables rolled up inside chapattis). Inna also managed to find cheese – in a little “supermarket”, so we three ‘bazungu’ indulged ourselves!

We had decided to stay somewhere else for the night – and chose Mutanda Eco Community Centre right by the lake. Some of their profits go to sponsoring local children at school. We all agreed it was the nicest place we had yet stayed in. It was beautifully laid out with long walks through the gardens and trees beside the edge of Lake Mutanda which is fringed by papyrus in places. It was idyllic – we didn’t want to leave the next day!

 

Yellow-backed Weavers, which chatter loudly all the time, were busy repairing and making new nests in the reeds. There were also some lovely songbirds – but no sunbirds! Pied Kingfishers are noisy birds but great to watch as they fish. The Swamp Flycatcher was a confiding little bird which sat beside us on the decking, occasionally swooping off its perch to catch another insect.