Nziza Hospitality

Nziza delivered the trip of a lifetime: epic gorilla and chimp trekking in magical Uganda!

From the smiling face waiting to greet me in person on the apron when I touched down at Entebbe airport to the thoughtfully constructed itinerary that immersed me in the magic and beauty of Uganda, Nziza Hospitality blew me away. Nothing was ever too much trouble, and every single member of the Nziza team was responsive and generous with their knowledge, time and warmth. Bernard and his team on the ground went to great lengths to uncover my interests and priorities, and to tailor my trip so that every box was ticked. The result was a richly layered travel experience that surpassed all my expectations.

ISLAND IN THE NILE
I started with an indulgent and restful couple of days at Lemala Wildwaters Lodge close to Jinja. A favourite with Instagram ‘influenstars’, Wildwaters is a gorgeous boutique lodge situated on Kalagala Island in the Nile River.
I’ve previously rafted this section of the Nile and I was filled with residual adrenaline just watching the churning rapids that swirl around the lodge. Paradoxically, I also found the roar of the waters provided the most soothing white noise imaginable, and slept like a log every night. Admittedly, the luxury of my stand-alone timber suite may well have contributed to that too.
The food at Wildwaters is exceptional, and the open-walled dining area has views of the Nile in every direction. I loved choosing my view to match my mood – breakfast overlooking the serene upstream channels with local villagers heading out in their canoes to fish; lunch beside the pool with Hypoxia Rapid thundering past; and dinner with flashes of lightening reflecting off the white water.

THE ROAD WELL-TRAVELLED
From there it was back to Entebbe’s Boma Hotel before the early-morning departure for Murchison Falls National Park. Our driver and guide for our Nziza Uganda Meander was Mustafa “Steffi” Kiika. Even though it’s a long drive, the time isn’t wasted. Travelling by 4x4 gives you the best perspective of daily life for Ugandans. The route takes you through countless towns, farms and rural villages, and Steffi was not just excellent company, he was a font of knowledge who added enormous value to the trip. We were travelling in rainy season, and Steffi handled the challenging conditions on the dirt roads with supreme competence. (I’m an enthusiastic novice birder, and Steffi was great at pointing out new sightings along the road.)

MURCHISON FALLS
Our first destination was the extraordinarily luxurious Nile Safari Lodge, just minutes from the entrance gate to Murchison Falls National Park. The problem with staying here is you feel completely torn when it’s time to head out on a game-viewing drive in the park: surely you don’t have to leave this seductively tranquil eco-lodge perched over the banks of the Victoria Nile for even a minute?
Of course, a hyena with a bloody muzzle dashing in front of our vehicle within two minutes of us entering the park changed my mind pretty smartly, and set us up for a glorious morning of wildlife sightings. To give context, the classic movie ‘African Queen’ was filmed on location at Murchison Falls. Again Steffi’s keen eye can be credited for manoeuvring us into position to catch young lions on the hunt. The afternoon’s Nile River boat cruise to the base of the Murchison Falls also delivered incredible game and bird viewing, culminating in the whirlpool at the base of the Murchison Falls (also known as Kabalega Falls).

THE CHIMPS OF KIBALE FOREST
Next stop on our itinerary was Kyaninga Lodge, our base for chimp-tracking in Kibale Forest. Lovely Kyaninga Lodge is perched on the rim of a pristine crater lake (an afternoon swim here in geothermal warmed waters was a balm for my soul), and the Kyaninga Lodge team does exceptional work in the local community.
The biggest surprise was how breathtaking I found the chimpanzee-tracking experience in Kibale National Park. Steffi cleverly engineered that our group was assigned to Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) guide, Jen Muthahinga. I felt that we won the jackpot here, as Jen maximized every second of our time with the Efuzi chimp family. Her knowledge of the chimps was incredible, and she repeatedly got us into position so that our entire hour was totally interactive. (Tourist interaction with primates is subject to a one-hour time limit so as not to stress the animals.) While the guides are strict about ensuring we maintain the required distance from the primates, the chimps themselves don’t always obey the rules: Efuzi, the alpha chimp, even brushed my legs more than once as I stood frozen in awe.

GORILLA TREKKING IN BWINDI
After that it was time to head to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest to track the Mishaya group of critically endangered mountain gorillas. The forest itself is magnificent: you hike up steep slopes under the dense canopy of ancient trees thickly intertwined with vines. I chose to use a porter – the local communities depend on the largesse of travellers to provide work – and Deus Twinamakisto’s steady hand was an enormous help as we crossed rushing streams, areas of thick mud and treacherously deep layers of leaf litter that seemed to want to suck in your feet. We hiked for about an hour to find ‘our’ gorillas, who clearly had eaten their fill and were extraordinarily relaxed and sleepy.
My supremely comfy base was Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge. It’s hard to encapsulate just how lovely Clouds is, but know that when you go to bed and your toes touch a toasty hot-water bottle tucked between the crisp cotton sheets, you are somewhere that understands how to cosset their guests. I stayed in one of their eight private guest cottages. My cottage was surrounded by lush gardens, with floor-to-ceiling windows, comfy linen-covered armchairs in the living room, and a roaring fire in the double-sided fireplace that separates the bedroom and living room. I was coddled by a delightful private butler, who took care of every whim and whisked my muddied trekking gear and boots to be freshly laundered that night. It was a little chilly to savour a gin-and-tonic on the veranda of the central lodge area, so I settled into a deep armchair in front of one of the roaring fireplaces to put my feet up after the day’s trekking and soak up the magnificent views out towards the Virunga volcanoes. Again, the food was scrumptious. I particularly loved the salads using freshly picked produce from Clouds’ huge vegetable garden.

ONE LAST BUCKET-LIST SURPRISE
All too soon my 12-day Uganda adventure was up, and Steffi was putting us onto Bar Aviation’s small Cessna Caravan for the hop back to Entebbe. Again, Nziza’s delightful team met us off the plane to whisk us to Hotel No. 5 where we were to relax until it was time for the flight home. But there was no time to feel sad that the journey was over. Nziza Hospitality had one more delightful trick up their sleeve!
Somehow they’d overheard me say that I was sorry I hadn’t ever seen a shoebill, and immediately after lunch they surprised us with a boat trip to Mabamba Swamp, across Lake Victoria. In this Ramsar-listed bird area we quickly found a prehistoric-looking young shoebill – a fascinating and fulfilling end to a superb and utterly magical trip. Thank you, Nziza Hospitality!