"You are most welcome"

In May, Ash and I spent three incredible weeks in Uganda, described by Sir Winston Churchill as the 'Pearl of Africa' and my parents as 'paradise on earth'. Our visit to Uganda was primarily to run the 2018 International marathon that takes place in early June, see the elusive mountain gorillas but for me, this was also a very personal journey to re-trace my family history from when my Grandfather first settled here from India in 1917 to us leaving the country as part of the Idi Amin expulsions of Asians in the early 1970's.

FINDING THE PLACE OF MY BIRTH

After spending our first night in Kampala taking in the sights and sounds of this vibrant capital, we headed north to a town called Kayunga, which is where according to my passport I was born. In Kayunga through the help of our Salias (our driver and guide), we successfully managed to find the very place my mum had given birth to me. The whole day was unbelievable, one that I never thought I would live to see - a complete emotional rollercoaster!

UGANDA MARATHON – ‘AN ADVENTURE LIKE NO OTHER’

The next seven days were spent in Masaka a town in central Uganda, west of Lake Victoria, acclimatising for the marathon and visiting the local projects we had been fund raising for. On June 2nd, after 5 gruelling months of training that began on the 2nd January, in London, running 5 nights a week and with over 500 miles of practice under our belts, we successfully completed the Uganda marathon, raising £4,000+ for the community.

QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL PARK – SAFARI IN STYLE

After the marathon, we drove to the Ishasha Wilderness Camp, a luxury camp in the Queen Elizabeth National Park for much rest and recuperation. En-route to the lodge we got to see the tree climbing lions, which Ishasha is famous for, fast asleep in the mid-afternoon sun. Other wildlife we spotted were the Crested Cranes – the national birds of Uganda that you see on the flag, as well as elephants, baboons, Uganda Kobs, and Topi.

MOUNTAIN GORILLAS

After a couple of days in the Queen Elizabeth National Park, we headed to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site to trek the elusive mountain gorillas. Bwindi is home to almost half the world’s mountain gorillas. On the morning of the trek, the Uganda Wildlife Authority provided us with an initial briefing regarding the different Gorilla families in the Forest and what we could expect from the trek itself. The trek is dependent on locating the Gorilla families, and you can hike anything between 2-6 hours through the rainforest to find them. We were very fortunate to locate the Habinyanja family within an hour of us trekking. Once we were with the gorillas, we were given an hour to spend with them. This was the closest I came to feel like Sir David Attenborough. Getting up close and personal with these beautiful creatures and discovering they share 99% of our DNA was magical and a real privilege. The baby gorillas were my favourite, they were completely unfazed that we were nearby watching. During our time in Bwindi, we stayed at both the Buhoma Lodge and the Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp - both luxury lodges nestled deep in the Forest.

BEYOND THE WILDLIFE

There is so much to see and do in Uganda, whatever your interests. Just a few of the highlights during our stay were crossing the Equator line and seeing the famous water experiment conducted; Walking around the crater lakes in Kyaninga, near the Rwenzori mountains; Hiking in Mount Elgon National Park and Sipi Falls; Enjoying a sunset boat ride on Lake Victoria, on our last night in Uganda.