A trip to Uganda and Rwanda tends to involve ALOT of driving. The roads can be brutal in some areas, so travel time is slow. There are options for charter flights, just like any other place in Africa if you want to maximize your time in each location. I however, think the landscapes in both countries is so amazing, driving offers a deeper perspective into the land and the people.
To get from Kyambura in Uganda to the next destination, Volcanoes Virunga Lodge in Rwanda, the fastest driving route would take about 6 hours, however we wanted the chance to see the tree climbing lions (endemic to the region), found in Ashasha, part of Queen Elizabeth Park - by doing this, adds another 4 hours to the drive. The route also takes you through Bwindi (another area for gorilla trekking), which offers majestic scenery.
I'm glad we did this route - the only thing I would do differently is to break it up and spend a couple nights in Bwindi, then carry on. There's a few routes to combine the regions so it depends what you want.
Departing early in the morning we passed elephants, waterbuck, baboons, various species of monkeys...until we came up to an overloaded semi, tipped over - a few cars waiting on both sides (there isn't much traffic), and about 30 men watching, helping and chattering about how to fix it. We got up on the roof to watch and wait when a drunk Ugandan comes up stumbling around with a bunch of clothing up his shirt pretending he was pregnant, muttering gibberish and laughing up a storm...harmless amusement. The guys had chains and finally got the semi to all fours and we were on our way.
Driving through the park looking out for lions in the trees, I was starting to get doubtful...and then there they were! Four lions up in the tree! They look a bit silly, but beautiful, straddling the tree branches. The lions here climb the trees in the heat of the day, something adapted over the years.
The scenery starts to change from open plains to green, lush scenery. The region around Bwindi is truly amazing - rounding a corner we come across another wiped out semi, this time slid sideways off the road, blocking access both ways. All the men were pushing as the driver kept trying to get out, it took about 40 minutes of attempts before they listened to Sam who suggested sliding more off the road so we could get by, and pull them out. They were hesitant because they thought we'd just drive on through. But it worked and we saved the day again.
The rest of the drive is where it gets a bit long after being on the road for about 8 hours already, but as we neared the border crossing into Rwanda, we passed a refugee camp, which at times has housed as many as 50,000 refugees from neighboring Congo. The kids, through the fence, were still smiling and waving as we passed.
Reaching the border with Rwanda, volcanoes come into view. It was a bit of process crossing - in a strange way I enjoyed entering by land - on the Ugandan side there are two points you have to go through, one for the police, and the other, for your exit stamp. The same goes once you get to the other side, check in with police, then to the immigration building for entry. There's lots of people, and its getting dark. My American friends get a free visa on arrival, but Canadians have to apply online prior to coming. This was easy, you submit your passport and point of entry, a few days later you receive an email back with a PDF of your approval. I thought it was $60 USD, however he gave me $20 back, so have to check again and see what the difference was, or if its changed. Then I had to wait...it took about 30 minutes and finally had my visa and passport back.
We reached the Virunga lodge after 10 hours on the road - although it was dark we could see the silhouette of the hills and volcanoes around us. Virunga Lodge sits atop a hill overlooking the lake and islands to one side, and volcanoes to the other - I can honestly say, among the BEST view I've seen, pictures doesn't do it justice.
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