Today we woke up at 4:30 and caught a quick flight in a 12 seater to Kisoro. We then had an hour drive to our colorful Lodge, driving around lake Mutanda. Beautiful lake full of little islands and giant volcanos hidden behind the clouds. It’s about 6000 ft high here and cold like Montara! We’re about 15km from Rwanda and 5km from the DRC.
This afternoon we took a boat ride Lake Mutanda. Our guide told us the lake is 900m deep and in the distance we could see a chain of seven volcanos. In the lake there are many islands, one inhabited and farmed, the rest people free. We hiked up to the village on the inhabited island and saw the struggle to live there with a government not willing to help. We also visited the “Punishment Island” where Rwandan kings 150 years ago sent unwed mothers to their death. It was a truly harrowing spot. We visited a cave where the mothers were tied up and left to die. They had uncovered many skeletons which are still there.
Tomorrow we wake up at the same time and hike into the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park to do a Gorilla Habituation. What that basically entails is we get to spend 4 hours in a small group, only 4 permits allowed a day in all Uganda, with a family of gorillas that is being acclimated to having humans come and visit them. Should be exciting!