Ugandan Section One of The Sir Samuel and Lady Florence Baker Historical Trail – From Fort Patiko to Gulu Town – was officially opened today. The first local guide was hired and economic benefits have hit the ground. The two day hike through the bush follows trails that the local Acholi have used for generations. We trekked through local villages and encountered such generosity and hospitality. At one point during day two, four women came out of their mud huts to dance and sing. Pure magic!

From Gulu I have travelled south, crossing the Nile today at Karuma Falls. Sadly a new hydroelectric plant is being built that will forever change the landscape. The next Baker Trail section I plan to focus on is the Masindi Port to the Masindi Hotel.

I have been coming to Uganda since the late 1990’s and anytime I get to Masindi Town I base myself out of the Masindi Hotel. As the hotel’s website boasts, it “has been host to several famous visitors. Ernest Hemmingway made a legendary trip to the district” and “Humphrey Bogart and Catherine Hepburn stayed at Masindi Hotel during the filming of ‘African Queen’…” The hotel is also legendary for its East Indian cuisine and is located 22kms from the Paraa Ferry which crosses the Nile into Murchison Falls National Park. It’s also less than 100kms from Bakers View.