KASUBI TOMBS

In 1882, Kabaka Mutesa relocated his palace to Nabulagala Hill, briefly the capital of his father Suuna II some 30 years earlier, and renamed it Kasubi Hill after his birth place some 50 km further east. Mutesa constructed a large hilltop palace called Muziba Azala Mpanga (roughly meaning 'a king is born of a king'), where he died in 1884 following a prolonged illness. As was the custom, Kasubi Hill was abandoned after the king's death-his successor Mwanga established a new capital at Mengo Hill- but rather less conventionally Mutesa was the first kabaka to be buried with his jawbone intact, in a casket built by the Anglican missionary Alexander Mackay. In a further break with tradition, Kasubi rather than Mengo was chosen as the burial palce of Kabaka Mwanga in 1910, seven years after his death in exile. It also houses the tombs of his successor Daudi Chwa II, who ruled from 1897 to 1939, and of Edward Mutesa II, whose body was returned to Uganda in 1971, two years his death in exile.

The tombs are housed within the original palace built by Mutesa, a fantastic domed structure of poles, reeds and thatch, which- aside from the addition of a concrete base and sliding glass doors in 1938- has changed little in appearance over the intervening 130 years. The former palace contains a fascinating collection of royal artifacts, ranging from traditional musical instruments, weapons, shields and fetishes to exotic gifts donated by Queen Victoria- as well as a stuffed leopard once kept as a pet by Mutesa I. The giant rings in the roof of the hut each represent one of the 52 clans of Buganda. The four royal tombs, obscured behind a red barkcloth veil, are off-limits to the public, and visitors must remove their shoes before entering the palace.

The tombs are maintained by the wives of the various kings- or more accurately by female descendants of their long-deceased wives- some of whom live on the property, while others do a one-month shift there twice every year. Many of the kings' wives, sisters and other female relations are also buried at Kasubi, not in the main palace but in  the series of smaller buildings that flank the driveway. The complex is entered via a large traditional reception hut known as a bujjabukula. This is tended by the chief gateman, known as mulamba (a hereditary title), who customarily dresses in a brilliant yello barkcloth robe, as do his assistants.

***Unfortunately on March, 16th 2010, the Kasubi Tombs were set ablaze by unknown persons or sources but UNESCO and the Ugandan government are working hard to restore the cultural site.

GORILLA TRACKING

Tracking the mountain gorillas in the Virungas or Bwindi ranks among the absolute highlights of African travel. These are enormous animals, up to three times as bulky as the average man. Despite their fearsome appearance, gorillas are remarkably placeable creatures-tracking them would be a considerably more dangerous pursuit were they possesed of aggressive temperament.
More impressive ever than the gorilla's size and bearing is the unfathomable attitude to people. Often, one of the gentle gaints will break off from the business of chomping on bamboo to study a human visitor, soft brown eyes staring deeply into theirs as if seeking connection.

Gorilla tracking should not present a serious physical challenge to any reasonably fit adult whatever their age, but the hike can be tough going. Another variable is how recently it has rained, which affects conditions under foot.
The effects of altitude should not be underestimated. Tracking in Bwindi takes place at around 1,500m above sea level and in Virungas almost 3,000m-sufficient enough to knock the breath out of anybody who just flew in from low altitude. Once on the trail, don't be afraid to ask a stop for a few minutes whenever you feel tired and drink plenty of water. The good news is that 99% of cases, whatever exhaustion you might feel on the way up will vanish with the adrenaline charge that follows the first sighting of a silverback gorilla.
Put on your sturdiest walking shoes for the trek, and wear thick trousers and long sleeves as protection against vicious nettles. Whether you wear bright or muted colours, gorillas are used to people.

As for photography, my advice, unless you are a professional or serious amateur, is to run off a few quick snapshots, then put the camera away, enjoy the moments, and buy a postcard later.
Above all, do bear in mind that gorillas are still wild animals, despite the gentle giant reputation that has superseded the old King Kong image. An adult is much stronger than a person and will act in accordance with its own social codes when provoked or surprised. The point obviously is to listen to your guide at all times regarding the correct protocol in the presence of gorillas.

**The experience offered at the three reserves is broadly similar, so the biggest factor is determining which you visit will probably be permit availability. The 32 daily permits available for Bwindi game park are often boked up months ahead. On the Virunga volcanoes, up to 40 permits are available daily in Rwanda and 30 in DRC.

NGAMBA ISLAND CHIMPANZEE SANCTUARY

The 50ha Island is situated southeast of Entebbe, part of a group of 15 islands and islets on Lake Victoria. Ngamba was established as a Chimpanzee sanctuary in 1998, when 19 orphaned chimps were relocated there from the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC) in Entebbe.
The Island is divided into two unequal parts, separated by an electric fence. On one side of the fence, the visitors and staff centre extends over an area of about 1ha and the rest of the island is reserved more-or-less exclusively for the chimps.
Ngamba was chosen as a sanctuary since it was formerly uninhabited and its rain forest is almost identical to that of wild chimpanzees, with more than 50 plant species. There is plenty of room for the chimps to roam, though its area covers foods roughly to the natural range of one chimpanzee-so the chimps are fed a porridge-like mixture for breakfast, and then fruits and vegetables twice during the day. They are fed from a viewing platform, which provides an opportunity for visitors to observe and photograph the chimps.

Since 1998, UWEC has received influx of orphaned chimpanzees, most of which were captured illegally in the forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo and smuggled across Uganda for trade. Workers on the island are constantly involved in helping the newly arrived orphans to integrate into the original community.
Ngamba island is the flagship project of the Chimpanzee sanctuary and Wildlife Conservation Trust, jointly established in 1997 by the Born Free Foundation, then International Fund for Animal Welfare, the Jane Goodall Institute, UWEC and the Zoological Board of New South(Australia). Proceeds from the tourist visits go directly back in the maintenance of the sanctuary and the organization's other chimpanzee-related projects.
Day trips to the island are timed to coincide with the pre-arranged supplementary feeding times, offering an excellent opportunity to observe and photograph one of our closet animal relatives.

**Visits to Ngamba can be arranged and anybody thinking of booking on the Chimpanzee walk with infant chimps through their forest habitat, should make advance contact.

BWINDI IMPENETRABLE FOREST NATIONAL PARK

llasThe Bwindi Impenetrable forest, in western Uganda is regarded to be one of the most biologically diverse forests in Africa, largely due to its antiquity and an altitude range between 1,160m and 2,067m above sea level. Bwindi is a true rainforest with an average rainfall of almost 1,500mm.

Tourism to Bwindi focuses on gorilla tracking at two locations, Buhoma and Nkuringo. Slightly more than half the world's mountain gorilla population resides in Bwindi. It harbors at least 120 mammal species, more than any national park except Queen Elizabeth, such as rodents and bats, red-tailed and blue monkeys, olive baboon, as well as black-and-white colobus and elephants. A total of 350 bird species have been recorded at Bwindi, among them African green broad bill, white-tailed blue fly catcher, brown-necked parrot, Frazer's eagle owl.

**where to stay and eat places in Bwindi available on request.

UGANDA

aUganda lies on the elevated basin which rises between the eastern and western branches of the Great Rift Valley. Bordered by Rwanda and Tanzania to the south, Kenya to the east, Sudan to the north and Democratic Republic of Congo in the west. The area of Uganda is similar to that of Great Britain or the state of Oregon, abou 91,041 square miles. Most of the country is over 1,000m altitude and topography is generally quite flat. The most mountainous part of Uganda is the Kigezi region in the southwest.

With the exception of the semi-desert in extreme northeast, most of Uganda is well watered and fertile. Almost 25% of the country's surface area is covered by water. Lake Victoria, the largest lake in Africa and second-largest freshwater body in the world, is shared by Uganda with Tanzania and Kenya and it is also regarded as the official source of the Nile, the world's longest river.

Uganda's equatorial climate is tempered by its elevated altitude with a daily maximum between 20 and 27 Celsius degrees and the minimum between 12 and 18 Celsius degrees. Except in the dry north, where in some areas the average rainfall is as low as 100mm, most parts of Uganda receive an annual rainfall between 1,000mm and 2,000mm. As rough guide, however, the wet seasons are from mid September to November and from March and May.

UGANDA, THE PEARL OF AFRICA AND GIFTED BY NATURE.