Northern Africa and the Middle East - Clean Breaks: 500 New Ways to See the World - page 139

176 gET A TASTE of THE rEAl
AfrICA In ugAndA

177 gAzE AT THE gAlAxy froM A
STAr BEd, kEnyA

Fried grasshoppers don't sound wildly
appetizing, but when your host, Tinka, has just
offered you some as a welcome-to-my-home
snack, it would be rude to refuse. Actually
they're better than they look: crunchy, a bit like
pork crackling, and a good accompaniment to the
local homebrew.
Tinka and his wife Betty, who live in the west
of Uganda right by the Bigodi wetlands, offer
homestays in association with the Uganda
Community Tourism Association (UCTA), which
has spent the last decade working to develop
holidays that enable tourists to mix closely with
communities. Walking along the tree-lined paths
through the wetlands, you stand a good chance
of spotting great blue touracoes, yellow-backed
weavers and woodland kingfishers. All the while
the branches above rustle as colobus and vervet
monkeys dart among the canopy.
Alternatively, if you stay in UCTA
accommodation elsewhere in the country, you
could kayak on Lake Bunyoni and dine with
the fishermen on freshly caught crayfish, or
base yourself in a community-run lodge by
the entrance to Bwindi National Park, one of
the best (and last) places in the world to see
mountain gorillas. Or follow the Kabaka's Trail
to see the fourteenth-century Kasubi Royal
Tombs from the Baganda people's royal lineage.
On all of the activities, there'll be plenty of
time to chat with the villagers, play games with
the children, listen to folk stories and songs, and
dance to the drums as the sun goes down. And
whether you're discovering forgotten monarchies
or sampling surprisingly appetizing bugs, these
community trips connect you to a part of Africa
far from the usual tourist trails.

Ask anyone on safari what they love about
the African bush and many mention the
mesmerizing night sky - and one of the best
ways to view it is from the comfort of a “star
bed” at Loisaba Lodge in northern Kenya. If the
weather is fair, you can wheel these handcrafted
wooden four-posters out onto the deck of your
cabin and sleep under the stars. The beds have
mosquito nets and are on a raised platform
(fitted with a bathroom, a thatched dining area
and a fire pit) and are available in two locations:
the first is a 20min drive from the main lodge
in one of the eastern valleys overlooking the
“Kiboko” waterhole; the second a 40min drive
from the lodge on the banks of the Ewaso N'giro
River, where guests are hosted by members of
the local Koija community.
Loisaba Lodge itself is on a 250-square-
kilometre private ranch and wildlife conservancy
on the edge of the Laikipia plateau. The game
here is excellent - there are elephants, giraffes,
antelopes, buffalo, Grévy's zebra, kudus, dik-
diks, wild dogs and some big cats. Guests who
stay at the star beds have access to all the
facilities at the main camp - so after a day in
the bush, you can return for a dip in the cliff-top
pool, followed by dinner in the shady garden and
then a doze under a thousand stars.

Need to know All profits from the Loisaba Lodge
go towards conservation of the Loisaba Wilderness
area and to fund community health and education
projects with the neighbouring Maasai tribes. For
prices, activities and bookings see W www.loisaba.
com; T [phone].

178 CAMEl TrEkkIng In
SouTHErn SInAI, EgypT

Need to know The UCTA is based in Kampala.
For details of all the programmes organized by
the UCTA, as well as directions and prices, see
W www.ucota.or.ug.

As a region to lure trekking enthusiasts, Egypt's
southern Sinai has all the right ingredients.