22nd January - Murchison Falls to Houma

Our trusty Landcruiser on the ferry
We had the luxury of a lie in this morning and didn’t have to be ready to leave until 8.45am.  We had a short drive done to the ferry which only goes every 2 hours starting at 7am so we needed to catch the 9am one to ensure we had left the park the other side of the river within the 72 hours of our permit.  The ferry looked a bit rough and ready but all the vehicles successfully lurched their way on and off it with just a few scraping the bottoms of their vehicles on its steep ramps.




The Chinese have certainly been busy with their road building the other side of the river - the road is being cut through pristine parkland with huge machinery gouging out the road leaving huge trees and dead vegetation piled up by the side of the road.  All this so that they can get their machinery to the oil fields within the national park and then presumably take the oil out.  I did some research about Chinese investment in Africa and particularly Uganda.  To our eyes, it seems a travesty destroying the pristine environment and the precious NP, but apparently, most Ugandans are very supportive as it’s bringing much needed infrastructure, jobs and a wide variety of cheap imports.  I guess the loss of precious habitat and the ecological disaster just isn’t important to them.
The magnificent Murchison Falls from the top

We turned off the new road to visit the top of Murchison Falls, and again, we were on a huge new road which got me thinking - why would they invest in 11km of a costly new road just for a tourist site?  I put 2 and 2 together and sadly, my worst fears were confirmed by Shindishi - yep, they’re going to build a huge dam at the falls and effectively wipe out a Ramser designated conservation site and cause an environmental catastrophe.

Crested eagle about to take flight
The top of the waterfalls is just incredible - the power, noise and the sheer volume of water pushed through a 7 metre gap is awe inspiring.  We could appreciate the waterfall much better from the top than from the boat the other day.  We were amazed as to how close you could get to the falls and of course, got a free shower and some rainbows for the privilege.  Shindishi told us that the sheer power of the waterfall is enough to drive it for the 90 days it takes for the water to exit in the Mediterranean.  It’s a marvellous sight to behold and I’m just so thankful I’ve seen it before it gets obliterated forever.

We then continued our journey south to the town of Hoima where we are staying tonight.  We followed the Chinese road a lot of the way and we reckoned the road must be about 300km long.  It’s still very much under construction but looking at the manpower, machines and Chinese engineers, who stand out in their straw hats, I would think it will be completed in a very short time.
The hotel is lovely - an eco resort with what looks a very nice garden which I am about to go off and explore.  We have an 8am start tomorrow and drive to the Kibale Forest which is where a 

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