Who dares to drive more than 3.000 kilometers on a scooter through East Africa? Visiting mountain gorillas? Scooter safaris (does this word exist?) in five National parks† To admire lions, buffaloes, hippos and elephants up close, among other things. My name is Eric and I like to travel around on a scooter. Read here part 17 of the unique report of an amazing scooter adventure Uganda, Rwanda en Kenya† In this part I have a wonderful scooter-free day and I visit the town of Moroto and the Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve.
Uganda has stolen our hearts more than once and as far as we are concerned it is a travel destination that belongs on the bucket list of every world traveler. Find out why Uganda is called the pearl of Africa.
A trip through Uganda will be one you will never forget. Spot the tree-climbing lions, meet thousands of elephants, come face to face with Mountain Gorillas in the jungle and get to know the beautiful culture.
A scooter-free day in Moroto
At half past eight the phone rings in my hotel room. The receptionist says that he has the mechanic of my scooter on the line. 'Drop it.' “Eric, I have good news and bad news. The good news is I know why your scooter isn't working. To fix it I need some parts that are not available in Moroto. They must be from Kampala. The repair will cost 100.000 Shillings (approximately 30 euros). That includes parts, transport from Kampala and my hours. If you agree, I'll order them right away.'
“I agree, but also tell me the bad news. You said you have good and bad news.' 'The bad news is that I won't have the scooter ready until tomorrow afternoon. The bus from Kampala only arrives in the evening.'
Finally a day without a scooter. Now I can stroll through Moroto at my leisure. Immediately at the exit of the hotel I have an animated conversation with a barefoot lady who is on her way to her piece of land. "We have to dig the ground," she says with a smile.
Moroto is a 'real' city in my opinion. Despite the fact that the city only has 15.000 inhabitants, the difference with Kotido is remarkable. The main streets in Moroto are asphalt and in good condition. That is different in Kotido. All roads there are made of sand.
Suddenly I'm at a Shell Station and can't suppress a smile when I see the antique gas pumps.
As mentioned before, Karamoja is by far the poorest region in Uganda. For Moroto there is an extra dimension: its strategic location near the border with Kenya. On the other side of the border live the Pokot and the Turkana. They have been at odds with each other and with the Karamojong for years. Years of arms race between the tribes regularly resulted in a bloodbath.
Until the early 2000s President Musevenic ordered the Ugandan army to disarm the Karamojong. That mission succeeded and was the prelude to an invasion of aid organizations. Due to the relative calm, they saw their chance to start up all kinds of aid projects. And as always, their presence can be read on large billboards. I often wonder why they always have to pollute the (urban) landscape there. The local population is waiting for constructive help and not for billboards. So I lost it again.
Then it's time for some happy nuts. For example, I would like to take a driving lesson at Delight Driving School. Just to see if a driving lesson in that old school car is really 'a delight'. Well, what about a game of football with v. Persie as an attentive spectator?
It is full of activity along the access road to Moroto. Vans deliver their stock to a cluster of shops and warehouses. A boda boda driver is ready to give two Karamojong herders a lift.
Just outside the built-up area I signal a 'ghost driver'. In this case, the wrong-way driver is a stray pig who is taking a walk.
The scooter is ready
After a day off in Moroto, the time has come to continue the journey. Today a monster ride of more than 180 km is on the program to Sipi Falls. Unfortunately, the day starts with a setback. Around ten o'clock the repair of my scooter is still in full swing. I hold my breath when I see the condition of the scooter. 'There are still parts everywhere. When do you think the job will be finished?' I ask anxiously. 'Do not worry. Everything is okay. You can take a test drive within half an hour.'
The mechanic keeps his word. I pay the bill including a decent tip. 'Thank you for the excellent service.' The mechanic still stammers that he thinks the tip is very high. "Buy something nice for your wife."
No sand but asphalt from Moroto to Nakapiripirit
And I'm gone. It is eleven o'clock and I am racing on a smooth asphalt road towards Nakapiripirit.
After 30 km I make a short stop in Lorengedwat. It is very busy along the side of the road. A few women sell dozens of colorful rugs to Karamojong herders. A few miles away I meet some of those shepherds at a broken down minibus.
"Are you waiting for a lift?" I ask about six shepherds who are resting along the way. "No, our herds are grazing further on and we're just taking a break."
It feels very unreal to drive on a pristine asphalt road in this area. Especially because there is almost no motorized traffic. The only users I encounter are shepherds crossing the road with their flocks. About ten meters from the road I regularly see the characteristic Karamojong settlements. It does not surprise me that there are hardly any cars on the road. No vehicle is parked anywhere. The big question is what this road is doing here.
About the bad roads in Karamoja
The first 100 km are over. It's half past two and I'm well over halfway there. Time to take a break and rest. In the center of Nakapiripirit I enjoy a freshly prepared lunch: a chapati with two fried eggs, tomato and lots of bell pepper. According to the cook it is a rolex deluxe (a rolex or rolling eggs is a Ugandan specialty). He asks curiously what I'm doing here. "I'm on my way from Moroto to Sipi Falls."
“So you want to go all the way to Sipi Falls? Pfffff… With that scooter or are you waiting for a minibus or terrain vehicle and does the scooter go in there?' "No, I drive all by myself." 'You're never going to make it. Do you know how bad the road is? This asphalt road leads to the mountains there. After that you get miserable sand and clay roads. Nowhere in Uganda are the roads as bad as here! If it's going to rain, you can't ride it at all. Then you slide right off. Dangerous on a scooter. Even cars stop then. Only when you are on the main road to Muyembe is there asphalt again. But that's only in 50 km.'
"Do you even know why there is an asphalt road between Moroto and Nakapiripirit?" 'Don't break my mouth. (Translated fairly freely from English). That is something of the government. They believed that in 2013 they should do a tender after the disarmament of the Karamojong. In the overall plan, the entire road from Muyembe to Moroto and further to Kotido will be asphalted. You would think they would start in Muyembe to connect to the existing asphalt. Not so. Moroto became the illogical starting point. That's how Karamoja got her first asphalt road.'
Side note: The road was built by a Chinese company and completed in 2016. In 2019, President Museveni promised during his election campaign that the remaining 92,2 km to Muyembe would be asphalted. A start was made on this in 2020.
My goodness, what a mess. The asphalt road is a thing of the past. A pile of loose sand has been put in its place. It means a lot of walking at a walking pace. Fortunately the road goes around the mountain, because my scooter could not have had such a climb.
A billboard welcomes me to the Karamoja region. Immediately below is a warning that AIDS is deadly. The advice is to be faithful to your partner, not to have sex or use condoms.
Every disadvantage has its advantage. I hardly make any progress, but because of my slow pace I attract a lot of attention. Children run with me and adults wave happily.
It is clear that my scooter is very bad against sand. In Namalu he again refuses service. I arrange a thorough cleaning with a mechanic under the watchful eye of half the village.
'You are very lucky,' says the mechanic. 'It has been raining hard here. The showers are now moving south. The sun is shining again and the road has dried up as a result.'
From Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve to an uncertain darkness
Ten kilometers away it's a completely different story. At the rest camp of Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve, the road has turned into a big muddy mess. It is not possible to drive on. Even pedestrians have trouble staying upright.
It does give me time to stretch my legs in the rest camp and get to know two ostriches. "They live here," a ranger says. He then asks if I want to go on a safari in the reserve. 'Unfortunately I don't have time. Maybe next time.'
Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve is the second largest wildlife reserve in Uganda. The government wants to make it a national park in the future, because there is a lot of room for reintroduction of game. Much of the original wildlife has disappeared or been wiped out in recent decades. Before that time there were large numbers of lions, elephants, giraffes and even black rhinoceroses. In 1995 news came that the last giraffe had been poached.
From the rest camp I report to the entrance. There is a park ranger in front of a pen. Strangely enough, the entrance is located on the main road towards Muyembe. Since I'm considered through traffic, I don't have to pay a $35 entrance fee. “The exit is at the river in eight miles. Be careful though, because it's very slippery because of the rain.'
I don't get the feeling that I am driving in a nature reserve and therefore actually on safari. I drive into a large stream of women who have just come from work and are on their way home. Is this the place to reintroduce big game on a large scale?
After 13 km I pass the border of Pian Upe and arrive at the passer-by market in Tabagonyi. To loud cheers I park my scooter at the market stalls. As usual, the saleswomen complain about a lack of business. It's very cosy, but I can't stay there too long. The darkness is coming. That makes me very nervous. Especially considering the miserable condition of the road…
Uganda has stolen our hearts more than once and as far as we are concerned it is a travel destination that belongs on the bucket list of every world traveler. Find out why Uganda is called the pearl of Africa.
A trip through Uganda will be one you will never forget. Spot the tree-climbing lions, meet thousands of elephants, come face to face with Mountain Gorillas in the jungle and get to know the beautiful culture.
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