Hiking the Hoima oil trail
Like other Ugandans, I wanted to see the effect all those billions of dollars that have poured into the region have had. And, among the Mountain Slayers, the Lake Albert Trail has reached mythical levels. Stories are told around campfires of escarpments that appeared out of nowhere and seemed to go on forever. When hikers start speaking of their experiences with that kind of reverence, you know it is definitely worth it, writes Kalungi Kabuye
Mountain Slayers hiking the oil roads in Buliisa. (Credit: Kalungi Kabuye)
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WHAT’S UP!
I swear it wasn’t me, but the sports field inside the spanking-new Hoima City Stadium looked really small. It’s the perspective, someone explained. We were looking at it from way up high, almost the top of the stadium.
But even when we got right down to the pitch, and the guys I was with couldn’t resist running around the athletic track, it still looked small. Maybe it was because I was used to looking at rugby pitches, which are much bigger than those of soccer. That was the most plausible explanation I could come up with, because the very next week, there was some international match of sorts, and they played on that very same pitch, and it looked all normal on TV.
We were in Hoima last month with the Mountain Slayers, and the plan was to hike what has grabbed the fancy of the nation these last few years — the oil fields of Hoima. We have heard of the tremendous developments that are happening, and the almost mythical ‘oil roads’, which are spoken of with almost a touch of envy by other Ugandans.
Like other Ugandans, I wanted to see the effect all those billions of dollars that have poured into the region have had. And, among the Mountain Slayers, the Lake Albert Trail has reached mythical levels. Stories are told around campfires of escarpments that appeared out of nowhere and seemed to go on forever. When hikers start speaking of their experiences with that kind of reverence, you know it is definitely worth it. So, I knew it would be an interesting three days.
The end result was that we got to Hoima late, had to visit the oil fields first thing in the morning, meaning we had to do the hike in 30° heat. The trail was along the shore of Lake Albert, which is at the bottom of the Rift Valley, and hot as hell.
But the folks at the stadium received us well, and we were all impressed by the place. I have been to international stadiums, including the historic Hong Kong stadium where the world-famous rugby sevens have been held for years, but Hoima Stadium seemed a notch better. Maybe because it is still new.
We toured the whole stadium, and even shot some hoops in the arena. It really is an impressive place, even if it still seems small.
It was too late to tour the oil fields that day, so we went to our camping grounds at the also-seems-new HB Safari Lodge. By that time, we were no longer in Hoima, but in Buliisa. Sadly, the old road that used to climb spectacularly up the escarpment is no longer there, and now it is a gentle slope down into the Rift Valley.
I don’t really know what I was expecting from a tour of oil fields; I think in the back of my mind, I imagined oil gushing from pipes and gas wells burning. But it was nothing of the sort. In fact, we couldn’t even get into the Central Processing Facility, which seemed to be still under construction. I guess when the refinery starts working, and oil starts flowing into the pipeline headed to Tanga, maybe then activity will rise.
By the time we started the actual hike, it was around 11:00 am, and temperatures were heading into 30°. It was crazy because we could actually see the lake on one side, but it was very hot and dry.
There was a break halfway for lunch at the still-work-in-progress HB on the Nile, but there was no way I was continuing the hike after stuffing my face. So, while the more determined hikers continued with the last 10km or so of the trail, I took the bus back to the lodge, and to some much-needed chill downtime.
The night was memorable for the battle of the Bluetooth speakers, which MSU’s ‘Sheila’ won hands down, thanks mostly to Matilda, who is usually a very cool, calm and collected businesswoman.
The next day was a boat ride to the bottom of the Murchison Falls, which I’ve done more times than I remember. It’s three hours of looking out for hippos peeking at you from the water, and about five minutes of looking at the falls. I should have opted for the trip to the top of the falls, which is more spectacular and you get better pictures.
Some wags among us claimed the best part of the weekend was driving back along that road in the park, one of the best roads in the country. Not a pothole or boda guy to be seen.