How I lost my heart in Uganda

Africa calling?!

It started with a friend that had a passion for Africa and for the second year in a row he wanted to go to Uganda. It didn’t take him long to convince a couple of friends to go too, except for me. I was a bit hesitant, I love to travel, but Africa… to be honest had never really been on my travel bucket list… I didn’t know much about Uganada and mostly thought it was a dry and poor country.

I had seen a video, made by another friend that did pretty much the same trip the year before and it turned out that the picture in my head about Uganda was way off. At that point I started to become more interested. And then, one day (I remember this well), when I was showing Brussels to my Canadian friend I got a call; “ We are booking the tickets NOW, are you coming or not?!” An urgent request and serious voice on the other side. I had a couple of seconds to think and answered “Ok, I’m joining!” Finally the magic words “Book it!”. That was that,  Uganda was happening!

Sit back and relax

Everything was completely arranged, I didn’t have to think about a thing. Not something I’m used to, but I very easily adjusted to it. Especially in a country I knew nothing about and where all your travel apps are of no use. My friend arranged everything, from the flights to the hotels, from the gorilla visit to fixing the car on the way. It’s no surprise to me, that this triggered him to start up a travel agency for trips to Uganda.

The benefits of traveling with a professional cameraman and hobby photographers is that I didn’t have to worry about getting the perfect shot with my Iphone 5s. That would not have worked at all anyway. In fact if you want  good pictures of the animals in the distance, you need the right lens for that and a phone won’t do the job.

Go! And experience it

Words can’t really describe the feeling of travelling in Africa. However this video does a real good job!  

I just want to say “Go! And experience it!”. 

Number 1!

It’s been 3 years since I did this trip and meanwhile I’ve seen a lot of other places. Nonetheless when someone asks, what is your best trip ever? My answer will still be Uganda. Apologies to the boyfriend that I’ve travelled 20 countries with already, including a bunch in South America. Yes, even Machu Picchu and Patagonia. There is just something special about Africa that I can’t describe and you just need to experience. Plus seeing the Gorilla’s is such a wonderful experience, that nothing has beaten it yet! So I’m a bit jealous that my fellow blogster Ine will travel to Uganda now. This country is back on my travel list!

Tips:

• It might be cliché, but watch “Gorilla’s in the mist” before you go
• Don’t drink tap water
• Don’t even use the tap water to brush your teeth
• Bring some US dollars with you to pay for your visa at the border

Can’t wait to go yourself?!

Go to www.2travel2safaris.com
Contact: frederik@2travel2safaris.com or dimitri@2travel2safaris.com

© photo & video credits : Frederik Knaepen Medialife