Life at 34 degrees Centigrade: West Nile | Uganda

Added: 2026-06-01

[00:00:03]In the far northwest of Uganda is a land with startling beauty.

[00:00:08]It's vast, off the beaten track, pristine and natural. A gem which has been kept under wraps by the locals.

[00:00:21]It's ideal for those who seek adventure, exploration and solitude. This land is called West Nile.

[00:00:31]We were here to hike the imposing Mount Otze at 1,563 m above sea level.

[00:00:40]Explore the secluded Dollo Island. Dollo means Colobus monkeys in the local Madi [music] dialects.

[00:00:51]Walk through the daunting Zoka Tropical Rainforest which is 1,259 hectares, the last remaining tropical rainforest in West Nile, and visit Ajai Wildlife Reserve to see the endangered white rhinos in the wild.

[00:01:16]What a better way to kick this off by exploring our base, Ara Fishing Lodge, and experience the scorching temperatures of West Nile.

[00:01:28]We were blown away by the magnificent Ara Fishing Lodge which is an eco-lodge nicely tucked away in this thick green vegetation surrounded by a gigantic rock formations that have been preserved in their natural setting.

[00:01:49]The journey from Kampala takes more than 7 hours when straightforward.

[00:01:54]Ours was a little different which we'll get in detail on another day.

[00:01:59]It had twists and turns which made it more scary and adventurous.

[00:02:04]The distance was north of 450 km.

[00:02:09]We arrived when the sun had gone to bed.

[00:02:13]Fortunately, staff at our fishing lodge were still awake and patiently waiting for us.

[00:02:19]The welcome drinks were thirst-quenching.

[00:02:22]The food These guys are too generous with their food portions. Probably they received the memo that we are starving. Not forgetting it was also delicious.

[00:02:37]We were led to our cozy and air-conditioned cottages which were nestled within the thickets of Ara.

[00:02:43]You could literally feel the breeze from the mighty Albert Nile. Impressed by the luxurious feel of this place, we gladly went off to sleep.

[00:02:56]The cottages have an environmental conscious design and the world grass thatched with solar panels on top.

[00:03:04]Wood is a common theme within the cottages.

[00:03:07]They blend harmoniously with the surrounding rocky landscape.

[00:03:19]Sunrise unveiled these beautiful scenic views which [music] we had came to explore before sinking our teeth into breakfast.

[00:03:28]Only spans [music] is Lake Albert adjacent to the mighty Albert Nile.

[00:03:35]It is an oasis away from the noisy traffic of the busy cities with nice road connections.

[00:03:44]Put off our hike to Mount Otche for the following day as we wanted to get sufficient rest before hiking.

[00:03:51]Besides, we needed to wake up early in the morning to catch the early morning ferry to Moyo.

[00:04:00]Being an eco lodge, resourcefulness is at the forefront of most of the stuff they do.

[00:04:06]Recycling in this place is taken seriously and we are impressed by their creative ways of handling recyclable material.

[00:04:17]Having a tourist theme, a few of these sculptures are dotted around the gardens. The weekend must have been a busy one and we are seeing the tail end of it.

[00:04:31]The water hyacinth, which was previously a menace, has now been made to good use and is used to feed the goats and the birds.

[00:04:56]We soaked in the amazing views and stretched our legs before heading for breakfast.

[00:05:11]Breakfast was under sausage tree and suddenly we are not disappointed.

[00:05:23]Portions were generous and it was tasty.

[00:05:27]We ate to our fill, although we are not certain what the day had in store for us.

[00:05:43]As we had the entire day to ourselves, we opted to have a tour around the estate.

[00:05:50]Tag along if you don't mind.

[00:05:52]The place is gifted with ample land with various activities going on under the radar.

[00:06:00]There are quite a few water activities.

[00:06:03]However, we were drawn to nature. We had our hiking shoes on.

[00:06:18]We bumped into our chef under tree, which was the place to be when making a phone call.

[00:06:24]Network coverage is a bit patchy around here, which was a blessing for electronic detox.

[00:06:30]I was totally immersed in my surrounding and I completely forgot about the outside world.

[00:06:37]A great place to switch off.

[00:06:43]We headed off to the spice gardens where they grow organic spices and vegetables.

[00:06:49]These are incorporated in the meals.

[00:06:52]They have green peppers and sweet peppers, mint, lemongrass, vegetables, and natural insect repellents.

[00:07:02]These are first grown in the greenhouse, then later transported to this place.

[00:07:09]They don't entertain any [music] chemicals and fertilizers are used from the fish cages they have nearby.

[00:07:16]The dry seasons can be harsh in this part of the country and we noticed the difference drip irrigation can make.

[00:07:28]The gardens are fenced off and locked to prevent the baboons from helping themselves to the farm produce.

[00:07:49]>> This place is generously blessed with gigantic crocs and Ajum is called the rock city.

[00:07:56]Having said that, such demographics attract snakes and the meaning of Ara in the Madi language means python.

[00:08:05]Such an environment offers the perfect mix of shelter, safety, temperature regulations to these cold-blooded reptiles.

[00:08:15]Temperatures were up to 34°C, which was a little bit warmer for my liking.

[00:08:22]The sun had gifted us with more of her warmth and time.

[00:08:38]To our right, we headed for the farm, which houses goats and a decent number of bonds.

[00:08:56]The goats are kept on the first floor with the bonds living on the ground floor.

[00:09:02]The structure is well fenced off to protect the residents from predators and the elements.

[00:09:15]I said loud who I suspected to be a West Ham football fan, but I wasn't brave enough to ask.

[00:09:21]We appreciated a few exotic birds, which included the Chinese silk chicken, a few wild ducks, and mallards, which have now been domesticated.

[00:09:38]>> [laughter] [laughter] >> Our fishing lodge is nature best providing accommodation designed to have the minimal environmental footprint.

[00:10:00]It focuses on sustainability, wildlife conservation, and supporting the local community.

[00:10:07]On a good day, baboons and monkeys are seen freely roaming the compound.

[00:10:24]Not far from the farm was this spacious aviary.

[00:10:28]Within this enclosure, they had white and black guinea fowls, Chinese geese, the rare Ayam Cemani, which is a breed of black chicken from Indonesia.

[00:10:40]They have a dominant gene which causes hyperpigmentation making the chicken mostly black, including their feathers and internal organs.

[00:10:52]We were reliably informed that 8 months ago the aviary was attacked by a python which tried to nourish itself on the residents.

[00:11:06]This is the orchard.

[00:11:08]I saw some guavas, oranges. Braving the scorching heat, we moved on to look at the orchard where they have a few pawpaw and mango [music] trees in their infancy.

[00:11:23]These have been protected from the elements by wrapping some polystyrene around them.

[00:11:35]>> Goats are hiding here.

[00:11:36]Great.

[00:11:38]We were privileged enough to watch the goats, which have been allowed to freely graze within the estate away from the enclosure.

[00:11:59]>> [music] >> Venturing out to the main gate, we appreciated the main Adjumani road, which leads to the landing site.

[00:12:18]At the landing site, one is able to catch a ferry to Laropi, which is in Moyo District.

[00:12:30]This is the neem tree. Lots of velvet monkeys and baboons feed on the leaves from this tree.

[00:12:40]Aura is aiming to achieve self-sustainability status, as it is in the process of developing its ecosystem.

[00:12:48]They have fish cages where they grow fish, organic garden for growing local and exotic spices, and orchard as well.

[00:12:56]They work well with the local fishing community and provide employment to the locals.

[00:13:08]Not far from the main gate is the apiary, or the bee yard.

[00:13:13]It has a capacity of 250 hives.

[00:13:16]They have American and Kenyan beehives.

[00:13:20]In here, the hives are protected from the elements, which include lizards.

[00:13:27]Also, having the beer protect them from the natural disasters such as falling trees.

[00:13:36]We had to tread carefully as we are not keen on being stung.

[00:13:51]We explored another scenic part of the estate.

[00:13:55]It has lots of massive beautiful rocks that have been left to be and they are appreciated in their natural habitat.

[00:14:18]Climbing up the rocks give us panoramic [music] views of the Albertine and Lake Wewe with a beautiful breeze which was blowing in our direction.

[00:14:42]One appreciated the topography from this advantage point as they had a top-down view of the area.

[00:14:54]Finally, came across a small snake [music] that had succumbed to what I suspect to be natural causes.

[00:15:12]Another secret harbored by Amara is this dining place.

[00:15:17]Visitors are whisked away in the morning to enjoy a breakfast in the bush.

[00:15:22]It was eye-catching and it must have been works of a genius to figure this out.

[00:15:32]It was cool, well protected from the morning sun, aesthetically pleasing to the eyes and afforded the privacy one needs when dining.

[00:15:46]This was spacious enough to handle a handful and full of people.

[00:16:12]The massive greenhouse took us by surprise.

[00:16:15]Westnao is known for being a hot spot.

[00:16:18]The dry seasons here can be harsh.

[00:16:21]Drip irrigation has been used to prevent these plants from drying out.

[00:16:26]It's also protected by an electric fence with low voltage to deter baboons from accessing the plants.

[00:16:33]Though they have found clever ways of circumventing this obstacle.

[00:16:50]That's the pipe work for the dripping irrigation.

[00:16:54]Faced with 34° C, we felt we felt a bit lazy to venture out in the afternoon sunshine.

[00:17:02]Preserved our energy for Mount Oche, which was one of our challenges for the trip.

[00:17:08]As the evening gave up its light, the views became nothing short of beautiful.

[00:17:14]Mother nature gifted us with a sunset savor.

[00:17:28]Ready to soak in the sounds of the night, we're prepared for an early morning hike.

[00:17:34]Till next time.