Day 95 â Four Gorillas lodge
We woke up, had breakfast and hit the road. Sadly, an hour out, S realised he had left his safari hat at Mazikwe. âAdios, hatâ. We had to change cars because the air conditioning in ours was busted and they could not find a new air conditioning fan belt. The company had to send a new car out to meet us. Our old friend, Alex, from the night of our arrival, drove six hours to meet us and swap cars. The new car was another Toyota Landcruiser, but a slightly smaller version. The air conditioning worked well and J found it a bit chilly after a while. On the way to Bwindi, Dona suggested we view a tea production factory, which sounded like a good idea. When we arrived, a guard with a standard issue AK47 waved us in and we then went on to the entrance. Unfortunately, since COVID, you need to have an appointment a week in advance to tour the facility. As we didnât have that, we were turned away. We then headed on to Bwindi.
On the way we stopped at a rest stop, which had an âavocado houseâ for a company that exports avocado seeds. J took some photos of the giant avocado sculpture outside the building but was disappointed that they didnât actually sell any avocados. We then stopped in a town, Kabale, so Dona could pick up some white wine for us to drink at the Four Gorillas lodge, and any other items we wanted. He let J pick out some white wines. J went with the Four Cousins we had had at Mazikwe and a few other white wines. J liked the experience of being in a local grocery store. The staff at the grocery store were quite helpful. Dona was even able to exchange our warm bottles of beer for cold bottles.
The terrain on the way to Four Gorillas was breath-taking. It was very mountainous, but the villagers still managed to grow crops on the terraced hillside. The temperature decreased as we went up the mountain. On the way to the lodge, we stopped at a roadside vegetable stand. J and Dona got roasted corn for a snack. Four Gorillas lodge was down a long, single-lane dirt road. On the right side of the road was the national park (Bwindi), where the gorillas live. Apparently the gorillas make it down to the road from time to time and itâs possible to see them from the lodge.
Eventually we arrived at the Four Gorillas lodge. It is called Four Gorillas because when the owner was building it, he fell off a ladder during a storm, was knocked unconscious and pinned down by a beam from the lodge. When he woke up, the beam had been removed, he had been covered by a plastic tarpaulin, and a gorilla family of four was watching over him as it rained. Apparently the baby was even massaging his body. S doesnât find this story 100% plausible. For example, why would the gorillas even think to put a tarpaulin over the owner when they sleep without cover in a nest? However, it does make for good marketing for the lodge. The main building was very impressive. The owner imported from the Congo to build the lodge, including a veranda which overlooks the impenetrable forest. The main building has floor-to-ceiling glass windows and is decorated with furniture imported from Dubai. There is a giant double-sided fireplace which separates the seating area from the dining area. The fireplace is fed by fresh charcoal. There is also a small bar right by the entrance.
After being shown around, we had some sparkling wine on the veranda, overlooking the impenetrable forest, which is actually a dense jungle that covers the mountains. We were placed in a cottage close by the main building with very few steps, to help out S. The room was bigger than Mazikwe, but smaller than many of the other lodges weâve stayed at. It was sparsely furnished but had good lighting. Very importantly, it had hot water. J went to the room for a hot shower while S stayed on the veranda with Dona.
We had a few drinks in the main building next to the fire, where J sat on a fur stool and took in the heat. Dinner was an avocado and tomato salad with a honey mustard dressing, French onion soup and beef kebabs with vegetables and mashed potatoes. The lodge bakes their own bread, which is slightly sweet and very tasty. We finished with a caramel-encrusted pineapple slice for dessert, which was also delicious. We then retired to the sitting room for a nightcap. J loves the sitting area at Four Gorillas and would want to replicate parts of this in our next home.
