bujagali4

Having met everyone and had a good gawp at the river, it was time to get our accommodation sorted out. We chose to stay in one of the double bandas (small cottage-type affair) which only set us back US$15 a night! Well cheap seeing as we'd paid US$75 the previous night for a posher place, but nowhere near as nice. The only bugger was the cottages were at the top of a humungous hill, which could cause bother after a skinful of beer!

To get to the cottages, you have to stumble up the flight of stairs you can see. These are hard-packed earth so they're not really much hassle. Under the tree is a traditional drum band who nobbled me later for a donation as the guy in the foreground saw me photographing them.

The bandas themselves are tucked away in a wooded area a little away from the main camp on a private track. The dormitories are a little closer to the camp opposite the showers. The track is lit at night with small candle-type lamps, so at least you can see when you fall over chemically challenged. We stayed in this banda on our first visit.

These bandas are single rooms, with a couple nightstands, mozzie net (if needed) and a really comfy bed. All the windows and gaps are covered with mozzie-proof mesh and it does keep the little vampires out, as long as you remember to KEEP THE DOOR SHUT! They don't have electricity, but you don't really need it, it's just a place to sleep really. Going to bed by candlelight with the falls roaring away in the background is really therapeutic. You get the same feeling at Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, but the falls there are much louder (well, they are about a hundred times bigger). The bandas are secure with locking doors and the place is really quiet, except for the falls of course. We slept like babies here, aided by a beer or two it has to be confessed. We did have company both nights in the form of a couple of lizards who hurtled around the roof, putting a sizeable dent in the insect population. We woke up the next morning to an unbelievable chorus of birds chirping away outside, with the locals on the banks of the river getting the days water in huge jerrycans.