Kisoro - An Adventurous Climb

Our final stop in Uganda brought us to Kisoro, a town close to the Congolese and Rwandan border and the gateway to two activities: seeing the mountain gorillas and climbing volcanos.

As seeing the mountain gorillas came with an exorbitant price tag ($750!) and it was not a must-see for me for that price, a couple of group members decided to skip the gorillas and go hiking instead.

On the first day, we hired an excellent guide, Didas, and planned to go for a casual 3h stroll through local villages (loads of kids!) to the nearby lake. However, Didas was so enthusiastic that we ended up going for a 6h hike incl two rather steep view points. It was worth it, though, with incredible views over the wide lake, the nearby villages dotted all over lush green hills and the spectacular volcanos.

The next day, it was time to summit a volcano - Mount Sabino that is >3600m a.s.I. At the summit three borders converge - Uganda, Rwanda and Kongo. The way up there was a true adventure, but, in hindsight, borderline dangerous. The path through the rainforest was wet and dreadful and at one point it just turned into a personal challenge to conquer instead of a fun hike.

The final summit push was essentially a vertical climb up, with only wet and slippery wooden steps to pull oneself up. In the rain, with a cold wind, limited visibility and no safety ropes - something that would 100% forbidden in the Western world. The feelings ranged from "Why the fuck am I doing this, this is ridiculous to "alright, I am already here, so let's get this shit over with".

Anyway, the majority of the group (4/5) made it up, I ate a Bounty in Congo and all of us got back down safely with a certificate of accomplishment waiting for us. And another adventure story to tell.Read more