Ng'aali Issue 4 Web

YOUR FREE COPY MARCH - MAY 2021

DUBAI’S EXCITING THE NAKAYIMA
DESERT SAFARIS
WITCH TREE:

LEGENDS AND
TALES OF THE

CHWEZI

UGANDA CRANES

LOOKING TO
MAKE UGANDA’S
PARTICIPATION IN

AFCON A HABIT

KILWA KISIWANI

THE GREATEST TREASURE
OF SWAHILI MARITIME
HISTORY

NAIROBI • MOMBASA • MOGADISHU • JUBA • DAR ES SALAAM • KILIMANJARO • BUJUMBURA • ZANZIBAR • KINSHASA



APARTMENTS FOR SALE
OFFICE AND RETAIL SPACE AVAILABLE FOR RENT

0752 711 016 / 0752 711 903 [email protected] | [email protected]

0752 711 750 / 0702 711 142 p[www.cms.co.ug

f twww.facebook.com/CraneManagementServices www.twitter.com/@cmsug

Dare to explore exhilirating new heights in the
Rwenzori Mountains. Rare vegetations, countless
bird species, magnificent waterfalls, clear blue lakes,
breathtaking glaciers and snowcapped peaks await!



CONTENTS 66

MARCH - MAY 2021 68

12 CEO’S NOTE

SPORTS

20 UGANDA CRANES Chasing The Third Straight
AFCON Qualification

REGULARS

16 BUSINESS TRAVELLER Cross-Border Transfer
Of Data In Uganda & Schrems II

64 ANIMAL KINGDOM The African Wild Dog
66 CELEBRITY PROFILE Chimamanda Adichie
68 CUISINE Kenya’s Must-Try Staples
76 ROOM WITH A VIEW
82 TRENDS The Colour Purple
86 NG’AALI KIDS
92 ROUTES
95 BOOKSHELF

82

6 NG'AALI MARCH - MAY 2021



DESTINATIONS 34

30 UGANDA
34 DUBAI
38 MOMBASA
40 JUBA
42 TANZANIA
46 SOUTH AFRICA
52 LONDON
56 GUANGZHOU
58 MUMBAI
60 ZIMBABWE

FEATURES

24 SEMLIKI SAFARI LODGE Uganda’s Oldest Upmarket

Tented Camp

70 CULTURE: BEAUTIFUL BODY ART The Indian

Mehndi Tradition

72 ZAMBIA’S WILDLIFE CONSERVATION HERO

74 ART: THE LAAS GEEL OF SOMALIA

80 FASHION: FINDING BEAUTY OUT OF CONFUSION

GUIDES AND TIPS

83 TRAVEL PACKING TIPS 70
84 SAFARI PACKING LIST
85 TRAVEL HEALTH AND WEATHER CALENDAR
94 TRAVELLER REVIEW
96 TRAVEL GUIDE
98 TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS

YOUR FREE COPY MARCH - MAY 2021 Ng'aali, the name of our inflight magazine, is derived from the local
Luganda name of the Crested Crane, which is the national bird of the
DUBAI’S EXCITING THE NAKAYIMA African nation of Uganda. It appears on the flag and Coat of Arms and
DESERT SAFARIS WITCH TREE: can be found near the country’s many lakes and rivers.
Crested Cranes stand over 3 feet tall, with a wingspan of up to 6.5 feet.
LEGENDS AND On The Cover: They live up to 22 years, but hatch in 30 days and reach maturity in 3
TALES OF THE Go Play In The Sand! years. These majestic birds practise monogamy - they remain with the
CHWEZI (Pg 34) same breeding partner for life. Literature has it that if one is widowed,
they stay single until they die. They are omnivores, so like humans, they eat
UGANDA CRANES both meat and plants.
LOOKING TO

MAKE UGANDA’S
PARTICIPATION IN

AFCON A HABIT

KILWA KISIWANI
THE GREATEST TREASURE

OF SWAHILI MARITIME
HISTORY

NAIROBI • MOMBASA • MOGADISHU • JUBA • DAR ES SALAAM • KILIMANJARO • BUJUMBURA • ZANZIBAR • KINSHASA

8 NG'AALI MARCH - MAY 2021

CONTRIBUTORS

KALUNGI KABUYE CHARLOTTE BEAUVOISIN MARK NAMANYA KENNETH MUHANGI
Kabuye is an award winning Conservation volunteer and This acclaimed sports journalist Muhangi is a Lecturer of IP
writer and photographer, and marketing trainer Charlotte has won multiple awards in and ICT Law, Partner at KTA
has been a journalist for more Nagawa Beauvoisin has been his field. A former President of Advocates, award-winning
than 20 years. He has been writing the award-winning Uganda Sports Press Association author and trainer in IP and ICT.
editor of several magazines and travel blog Diary of a Muzungu (USPA), Namanya's command of He also advises the Ministry of
newspapers in Uganda. since 2008. She has written for the sports language is unrivalled. ICT on innovation and ICT policy
the Bradt Uganda Guidebook, development, and is a consultant
Fodor’s and Lonely Planet. with the World Bank.

SOLOMON OLENY SARAH MARSHALL HASSAN SSENTONGO MARK EVELEIGH
Oleny is a creative, self driven Inspired by nature and wild Ssentongo is a writer and Eveleigh, a frequent visitor
professional travel journalist. places, Marshall is a freelance editor. He lives in Kampala, and to Uganda, has contributed
He has worked with CNN to travel writer and photographer currently serves as Creative 750+ full-length features to
profile tourism in Uganda, and based in the UK. She regularly Director at Satisfashion UG, an 100+ international publications,
is a recipient of nine Tourism visits Africa as part of her work online platform that celebrates including BBC Wildlife, BBC
Excellence Awards since the for the Tusk Trust Conservation fashion. He is passionate about Earth, Geographical, National
start of his journalism career in Awards. fashion and food. Geographic Traveller and The
2008. Independent.

Publisher Dora Barungi Writers Sales Executives The views expressed in
Administrator Doreen Kabatesi Adele Cutler, Kenneth Atukwase Clare Murekyezi, Ng'aali are not neces-
Muhangi, Mark Eveleigh, Irene Kaitesi, Diana B. Tayebwa, sarily those of the editor,
DESIGN Kalungi Kabuye, Sarah Aggie Ninsiima, Peter Kusiima staff or publishers.
Designer Esther Nabaasa Marshall, Solomon Oleny, Ng'aali is the registered
Mark Namanya, Hassan Social Media Management trademark name of the
EDITORIAL Ssentongo, Sasha Martin, Premier Advertising & Media Uganda Airlines inflight
Editorial Consultant Adele Charlotte Beauvoisin magazine.
Cutler Website Management
Copy Editor Pamela Nyamato PHOTOGRAPHY EBC - Epic Business Consult CONTACT US
Web Editor Solomon Oleny Peter Hogel www.ngaaliinflightmag.com
PUBLISHED BY: Tel: +256 782 555 213
ADVERTISING AND SALES Address
Sales & Marketing Director Acacia Mall, 4th floor
Richard Senkwale

www.ngaaliinflightmag.com 9





NCEOOT’sE

UR A330-800neo aircraft, which marked CORNWELL MULEYA
ESTEEMED the completion of our core fleet of CEO: Uganda Airlines
PASSENGERS, six aircraft as per the airline launch
plan. The two A330-800neo aircraft We will continue to add more cities to
Welcome aboard Uganda Airlines! are undergoing certification with our our network including Addis Ababa,
Finally, we made it into 2021, after Civil Aviation Authority, after which Johannesburg, Lusaka, Harare, Goma,
what seemed like a long year with the they will be deployed on long-haul Lubumbashi, Khartoum, Kigali, and
lockdowns and travel disruptions of 2020 international routes. We are especially many others in the near future.
resulting from Covid19. The impact of delighted to be the first airline in
the coronavirus on our industry means Africa to fly this type of aircraft with Our systems are being upgraded
that air travel will never be the same its enhanced operating efficiencies and to allow for global connectivity and
again. Airlines, governments, health comfortable product on board. the implementation of a framework
authorities and airports continue to seek of alliances, interlines and codeshare
to harmonise procedures to cope with Passengers can therefore look with partners across the industry. Our
this health crisis, which is still with us in forward to enjoying yet another first shareholders continue to stand with
the new year. in high standard service offering on us and to support and invest in the
the planned long-haul flights, which business especially now with Covid19.
At Uganda Airlines, we have adds to our achievements on the
implemented the new Standard regional network. Our Pearl of Africa Uganda Airlines is well positioned
Operating Procedures which include Service, which brings to our customers for the future and I wish to thank you
an enjoyable, friendly and courteous for making us your airline of choice on
(i) Covid19 PCR tests before travel customer experience across all our this journey. We look forward to being
(ii) temperature checks at airports and touch points, will soon be felt on inter- of service to you again soon. Meanwhile,
boarding gates continental flights to Europe (London), please sit back, relax and enjoy your
(iii) the wearing of face masks Asia (Guangzhou) and the Middle East flight with us.
(iii) social distancing within (Dubai, Mumbai). We plan to open
airport premises these routes in May 2021.
(iv) extensive sanitisation at airports
and aboard the aircraft. These, together Our schedules are designed to
with the protective equipment worn by offer you convenience and flexibility
our crew, have enabled us to offer you across our growing network. We
safe flights to your destinations across have simplified our ticketing and
the region. We are pleased to confirm refund procedures to allow for the
that our industry as a whole has adopted flexibility of passengers replanning
these new operating procedures and journeys at short notice. We currently
this has allowed more countries to fly to Bujumbura, Dar es Salaam,
continue to open their air travel markets Zanzibar, Juba, Kilimanjaro, Kinshasa,
accordingly. Mogadishu, Mombasa, and Nairobi.
We have started 2021 on a high note
with the arrival of our second Airbus

12 NG'AALI MARCH - MAY 2021



TRUSTED BY MILLIONS
OF UGANDANS

With a vast selection of Roofing Iron sheets, Roofings Drainage & Plumbing Solutions, Wire products and HRC products,
Roofings continues to innovate highquality, long-lasting products that honor the trust of millions of Ugandans.

TTTRRRUUUOSSOSTTFTFEEEUUDDDGGBBBAAYYYNNMMMDDAIAIILLLNNLLLSISIIOOONNNSSS
OF UGANDANS

WitWh iathvasvtassetlseeclteicotnioonfoRfoRoofionfigngIrIornonshsheeeettss,,RRoooofifinngs Drainnaaggee&&PPlulummbbininggSoSloultuiotinosn, sW, WireirperopdruocdtuscatnsdanHdRCHRprCodpurcotdsu, cts,
RooRfionogfisngcsoncotinntuineusetsotoininnonvoavtaetehhigighhqquuaalilittyy,,lloonngg--llaassttiinngg pprroodduucctstsththaat thohnoonrotrhtehterutrsut sotf omfilmlioilnlisoonfs UogfaUngdaannds.ans.

With a vast selection of Roofing Iron sheets, Roofings Drainage & Plumbing Solutions, Wire products and HRC products,
Roofings continues to innovate highquality, long-lasting products that honor the trust of millions of Ugandans.
TTRRUUSSTTEEDD BBYY MMIILLLLIIOONNSS
OOFF UUGGAANNDDAANNSS

With a vast selection of Roofing Iron sheets, Roofings Drainage & Plumbing Solutions, Wire products and HRC products,
WithRaoovafisntgselceocnttiionnueosf tRooionfinnogv Iartoenhisghheeqtus,aliRtoy,olfionnggs-lDarstaingagpero&duPlctusmtbhiantghSoolnuotritohnes,trWuisrteopfromdilulicotsnsanofd UHgRaCndpraonsd.ucts,

Roofings continues to innovate highquality, long-lasting products that honor the trust of millions of Ugandans.

BUSINESS TRAVELLER

T&DCRARSATOCANHSSSIR-FNBEEOMURRSGODIAFIENRDA
Words by Kenneth Muhangi

In the Fourth Industrial practice when dealing with cross-border Contractual Clauses (SCCs), Codes of
Revolution (4IR), it would transfer of data. Article 3 in particular, Conduct and/or Binding Corporate
be wholly impractical for any extends the scope of the GDPR to cover Rules. In addition, the company in
organisation, irrespective of data processed outside the EU, as long as question must ensure that data subjects
sector, to do business, let alone cross- the data relates to a data subject who is a have enforceable rights and effective
border business, without the ability to citizen of any of the EU countries. legal remedies in the third country.
transfer data. In Uganda, transfer of
data across borders is in most instances Article 46 provides that any transfer Key under such SCCs is consent and
a necessity owed to the relatively limited of personal data to a third country can right to be forgotten, which was first
infrastructure required to store or only take place if certain conditions introduced by the European Court of
process data. are met by the data exporter and the Justice (ECJ) in a case involving Google
Such transfer is regulated by Section data importer. For an entity to lawfully Spain, where the ECJ affirmed that data
19 of Uganda’s Data Protection & transfer or process personal data outside subjects have a “right to be forgotten”
Privacy Act (DPPA), which provides of the EU, that entity must identify and held that Google must delete
that where a data processor based in a valid transfer mechanism to legally “inadequate, irrelevant or no longer
Uganda processes or stores personal data transfer that personal data. relevant” data from its results when a
outside Uganda, the processing shall member of the public requests it.
only be lawful with consent of the data Consequently, entities domiciled or
subject and further, that the processor operating in Europe and which carry out The European Commission also has
shall ensure that the receiving country business whether directly or indirectly the power under Article 45, to review a
has an equivalent level of protection to with markets out of Europe (such as the third country’s legal system, domestic
that in Uganda. United States or Uganda) must ensure law and international commitments
Section 19 is analogous to Article 46 of that the receiving country is possessed to determine whether it ensures an
the General Data Protection Regulation of adequate data protection laws that adequate level of protection for personal
(GDPR) that offers wider considerations will protect EU citizens. In the absence data. On 12th July 2016, the EU did
when dealing with cross-border transfer of adequate regulation, the GDPR utilise such power and ruled that the US
of data. The GDPR has congealed allows a data controller to transfer/ had adequate protection to enable data
the importance of observance of best process personal data outside the EEA transfers under EU law pursuant to the
using appropriate safeguards such as EU/US Privacy Shield Framework.
the EU adopted or Approved Standard

16 NG'AALI MARCH - MAY 2021

BUSINESS TRAVELLER

SCHREMS II, SURVEILLANCE AND emphasised that even when using them, 2: The recipient of data is required
SCCs organisations must assess the level to notify within reasonable time, the
On 16th July 2020, the Court of Justice of personal data protection offered controller of any inability to comply
of the European Union (CJEU) in in the US, taking into account the with its obligations under the contract
C-311/18 (Schrems II) invalidated circumstances of each particular transfer concluded.
the Safe Harbour/Privacy Shield and any supplementary protection
framework between the EU and the US. measures they take themselves. 3: Suspend the transfer of data and/
Consequently, any transatlantic data or terminate the contract where the
transfers to the US from the European In particular, Section 128 of the CJEU recipient is not, or is no longer able
Economic Area (EEA) and relying on the judgment states that; to comply with the standard data
Privacy Shield are now illegal. protection clauses.
“Article 46(1) of the GDPR provides
On interpreting whether the EU that, in the absence of an adequacy 4: Ensure that the controller and
Commission in its earlier decision decision, a controller or processor may recipient of personal data satisfy
had succinctly addressed the issue transfer personal data to a third country themselves that the legislation of the
of the US having an adequate level only if the controller or processor has third country of destination enables the
of protection, the CJEU held that in provided appropriate safeguards, and on recipient to comply with the standard
Implementing Decision (EU) 2016/1250, condition that enforceable data subject data protection clauses.
the Commission failed to consider rights and effective legal remedies for
Article 7 on respect for private and data subjects, are available. According 5: The data controller and the
family life, Article 8 on protection of to Article 46(2)(c) of the GDPR, those recipient of personal data are required
personal data and Article 47 on the right safeguards may be provided by standard to verify, prior to any transfer, whether
to an effective remedy and to a fair trial data protection clauses drawn up by the the level of protection required by
of the CFREU. The provisions would in Commission.” the appropriate law of the sending
essence act as a sort of SI indicator for country, is respected in the third country
what amounts to an adequate level of Further, according to sections concerned.
protection in a third country. 131 and 132 of the CJEU ruling, it is
incumbent upon the controller or To conclude, The CJEU judgment
The decision reinforces/supplements processor established in the EU to inter-alia re-emphasises the power/
decisions from other jurisdictions that provide adequate safeguards in the form importance of data oversight authorities
have underpinned the importance of of SCCs which may be adopted and/or and the effect a single decision can have
data and privacy as human rights. supplemented by the Commission. on entire industries that depend on
cross-border transfer of data.
In 2017, the Supreme Court of India in Uganda’s DPPA does not specifically
Justice K.S. Puttaswamy (Retd.) & Anor. provide for SCCs but under Section 7 (2) Kenneth Muhangi is a Lecturer of IP and ICT
v Union of India & Ors, WP (Civil) (C), personal data may be collected and/ Law, Managing Partner at KTA Advocates
492 of 2012, declared that privacy is a or processed in furtherance of a contract (Technology, Media, Telecommunications &
fundamental right protected under the to which the data subject is party, and Intellectual Property), represents Uganda at
country’s constitution for each of its over under 17 (2)(e) of the DPPA, 2019, a the 4IR Portfolio Communities of the Centre
1.3 billion citizens. person who processes personal data shall for Fourth Industrial Revolution of the World
take into account the contractual rights Economic Forum, is an External Advisor to the
Using the same stare-decisis, and in and obligations between the data subject Ministry of ICT on innovation and ICT policy
light of the court’s concerns around the and processor. development, and is a consultant with the
US surveillance activities and lack of World Bank.
redress mechanisms for data subjects, We may discern therefore that Data
it is likely that the CJEU would reach Controllers And Processors (recipients)
the same conclusion for Uganda, whose in utilising SCCs are advised to;
surveillance laws such as the Regulation
of Interception Act (RICA) do not 1: Mutually undertake to ensure that
surmise the safeguards envisioned by the the processing and transfer of data
DPPA and the GDPR. pursuant to SCCs, has been and will
Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) continue to be carried out in accordance
The CJEU in its decision did not with ‘the applicable data protection
invalidate SCCs and BCRs but law’, and with due consideration to the
fundamental rights and freedoms of
individuals, and in particular, their right
to privacy.

www.ngaaliinflightmag.com 17



For journeys, not just destinations.

You might want to take a trip. Or Twenty

Plot 16 Old Portbell Road P.O Box 11482, Kampala UGANDA Tel: +256 414-233344. 414-348100 www.themotorcenter.com

SPORTS

UCGRAANNDESA

SQCTHRUAAAISLGIINFHIGTCATATHFICIORONDN
Words by Mark Namanya
How times change! after featuring in 2017 and 2019. Uganda
Only six years Above: would have sealed a spot in Cameroon
ago, Uganda Cranes striker but for a lacklustre defeat to South
Cranes fans were Patrick Kaddu Sudan late 2020. The Cranes now sit in
bemoaning a jinx celebrates his second place of Group B with seven
that had denied decisive header points from four matches, one behind
the country participation at the Africa that earned leaders Burkina Faso.
Cup of Nations for nearly four decades. Uganda a spot at
Time and again, the country had the 2019 Africa Cup To qualify, the Cranes must finish
fallen agonisingly short of qualifying of Nations in Egypt the group occupying one of the top two
for the continent’s most prestigious spots to secure a ticket to Cameroon in
soccer tournament. Generations and 2022. Keen observers of Uganda’s drastic
generations of players had come and improvement in the qualifiers ought
gone, coaches fired and others recycled, to look far back to failed campaigns
federations changed, but the one
constant was that the Cranes couldn’t
make the AFCON finals.
But not any longer. They have played
at the last two AFCON tournaments
and today, qualification is almost a given.
Except that it isn’t. The 2021 AFCON
tournament, which was delayed by a
year because of the COVID-19 pandemic,
is within touching distance for the
national team, but coach Johnathan
McKinstry’s charges must wait until
March 2021 to guarantee a third straight
appearance at the biennial competition.
Victory against either Burkina Faso on
March 22 in Kampala or away to Malawi
on March 30 will ensure that the Cranes
return to the Africa Cup of Nations

20 NG'AALI MARCH - MAY 2021

SPORTS

TO QUALIFY, THE
CRANES MUST

FIOONICNSHCETUOHPFEYGTIRNHOGEUP
TOP TWO SPOTS

TO SECURE A TICKET
TO CAMEROON NEXT

YEAR

of 2011 and 2012 to understand and For instance goalkeeper Denis Onyango, Below: Cranes
appreciate why qualifying for the who would later win the CAF Player of coach Sebastian
AFCON tournament shouldn’t be taken the Year Award for Africa-based players, Desabre (kneeling,
for granted. had been part of the national team for right) was overcome
over a decade and after experiencing the
Back then Uganda Cranes were failures of 2011 and 2012, was desperate by emotion
denied, first by Kenya’s Harambee Stars to bury the aforementioned ghosts. after Uganda
and one year later Zambia’s Chipolopolo, made back-to-
leaving the country’s hearts broken. The It was the same mindset for players back AFCON
Cranes had dominated both decisive like Geoffrey Massa, Tonny Mawejje and qualifications in
qualification matches but somehow Hassan Wasswa Mawanda. In Farouq
couldn’t strike the decisive blow that Miya, the team had a rising youngster 2018
was required to book an AFCON berth. who had developed a knack for scoring
vital goals in national team colours.
Both mind-chilling failures occurred Although he was relatively new to the
before a packed Namboole Stadium national team fold, Miya had a big-game
and a host of players either retired prowess that made him a favourite for
voluntarily or were retired by the coach Micho Sredojevic.
technical side of national team
management. One factor that can’t be disregarded
is that FUFA President Moses Magogo
In the 2015 campaign, Uganda once pushed for the national team players
again came short at the final hurdle but to be remunerated better, both by the
that particular miss is not as painful government and the federation.
as the previous ones, partly because
it happened on the neutral ground of “With better incentives, these players
Senegal and not before 42000 fans at focus better and apply themselves in the
Namboole. Then, Uganda Cranes were right away,” Magogo said when he met
beaten by Guinea after Andy Mwesigwa President Museveni in early 2016.
turned in a poor defensive display.
When they finally broke the duck in By the time Uganda played Comoros
September 2016, the writing had long in the must-win game, there was almost
been on the wall. no chance that they wouldn’t win.
Something was always going to fall in
The squad composition had a blend of line for the Cranes and on September
experience, youth and mental fortitude. 4, 2016, it did. In a close game, it was

www.ngaaliinflightmag.com 21

SPORTS

WHEN THEY FINALLY a Miya winner that settled the day and sent the
BROKE THE DUCK IN team to their first AFCON tournament in nearly
four decades.
HOTAHNDSEEPTLTWOHEMNERBEGWRIT20ABI16NEL, EGLN.
THE SQUAD Uganda hadn’t played at the Africa Cup of
COMPOSITION HAD A Nations since 1978 and the end of that barren run
BLEND OF EXPERIENCE, was met with nationwide excitement as fans poured
YOUTH AND MENTAL onto the Namboole turf to celebrate a famous win.
FORTITUDE For coach Sredojevic, it was a special qualification
seeing as Uganda was the first country he set foot
Left: in Africa when he was appointed SC Villa coach
Farouq Miya has back in 2001. Re-writing history in a country he
develpoed a knack calls his second home was a special feat for the Serb,
for scoring crucial who is currently managing Zambia.
goals for Uganda
Although Uganda did poorly at the 2017
Cranes tournament, the results were not so much
of an issue then. The team had had a taste of
AFCON football and were keen to return to the
showpiece event.

In 2018 and under the management of coach
Sebastein Desabre, the Cranes qualified for a second
AFCON after beating Cape Verde at Namboole.
This time, new faces had emerged on the national
team and the hero of that match was Patrick Kaddu,
whose header took the country to Egypt in 2019.

In Cairo, the Cranes started in emphatic fashion
by beating DRC and holding Zimbabwe. Although
the team lost the third game against hosts Egypt,
qualification to the second round was secured. But
the team self-destructed in a bonus row and later
lost to Senegal in the knockout stage.

The transition through the years means today’s
Uganda Cranes side is very different from the one
that played at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations. The
team today features players like Fahad Bayo, Elvis
Bwomomo, Allan Okello, Halid Lwalilwa, Karim
Watambala and Abdul Lumala. But there remains
a core of the old guard that includes Khalid Aucho,
Denis Onyango, Emmanuel Okwi, Timothy Awany
and Joseph Ochaya.

If as expected Uganda goes on to reach the 2022
AFCON tournament in Cameroon, the Cranes will
have turned the country’s participation into a habit.

And it is from that habit that national team
players can showcase their skills to a host of scouts
who can interest them in lucrative transfer deals.
In turn, that exposure of the country’s best players
would do the team a world of good.

With Uganda being the dominant country in
virtually all regional under-age competitions, the
future of the Cranes talent pool looks bright. But
for McKinstry now, the overriding objective is to
win a place at 2022’s AFCON.

22 NG'AALI MARCH - MAY 2021



DIARY SSLEAOMFDALGIRKEII
UGANDA’S OLDEST UPMARKET TENTED CAMP

NG’AALI MAGAZINE COLUMNIST Semliki Safari Lodge sits in the middle of Toro-
CHARLOTTE BEAUVOISIN, AUTHOR OF Semliki Wildlife Reserve in Western Uganda,
THE POPULAR TRAVEL BLOG DIARY OF a Protected Area that will soon be upgraded
A MUZUNGU, TAKES YOU ON A LUXURY to a National Park. “Uganda’s oldest upmarket
SAFARI IN SEMLIKI, A LESS TRAVELLED tented camp” is equidistant from Lake Albert
CORNER OF UGANDA. ENJOY A NIGHT and the excellent new road from Fort Portal to
GAME DRIVE, ENGAGE WITH EXPERTS Bundibugyo that winds its way through jaw-dropping Rift
WHO ARE ACTIVELY CONSERVING A Valley panoramas.
PROTECTED AREA, AND SHARE STORIES
OVER MASTERCHEF-CALIBRE DINNERS AT This was my third - and arguably my most interesting - visit
THE CAPTAIN’S TABLE. to this luxury lodge. My mission? To count birds on behalf of
NatureUganda (while being spoiled rotten!).

Toro-Semliki’s birdlife is fantastic and easily seen. The
wildlife reserve may not have the animal numbers of

24 NG'AALI MARCH - MAY 2021

well-established national parks but forest Even with the DIARY
elephants and a multitude of primates reduced number guides did. There were two new ticks for
made for three memorable game of staff (due to the muzungu that night: a Square-tailed
drives. One morning I even heard the nightjar and a Slender-tailed nightjar.
unmistakable sound of a chimpanzee in the COVID-19 Temporarily dazzled by our torches, they
the forest below my tent. pandemic), the sat silent and immobile giving us the
chance to admire their delicate plumage.
“I heard a leopard last night,” Lodge lodge did a
Manager Tony announced when we tremendous job of A Water Thick-knee pretended not
checked in – but would we see one? to see us. This mainly nocturnal bird
Cats, Scat And Bats! A Night Game Drive looking after us. “freezes or squats if disturbed,” the book
In Semliki Wildlife Reserve tells us. How true! “They are easily
We were thrilled when the team identified by their well-camouflaged
suggested we jump in the lodge’s safari brown plumage, large yellow eyes and
vehicle for a night game drive to the long thickly jointed yellowish legs.”
nearby airstrip. As we dimmed our
torches, fireflies blinked in the darkness Our nocturnal adventure continued
and we bumped along the murram track. with more interesting creatures: a
leopard had visited the airstrip not
Our first sighting was a pretty little long before us! As we swept our torches
Genet Cat, similar in size to a domestic along the ground, we picked out the
cat with a bushy tail. Once I was familiar small dark shapes of animal droppings.
with their eye colour and size, it was On closer inspection, the leopard scat
easy to pick out more Genets in the (poo) was crawling with 40 dung beetles.
woodland either side of the track. Tony’s eyes lit up with excitement. “I’ve
never seen so many! It’s the remains of a
A few minutes from the lodge, we leopard’s kill,” he said.
pulled up next to a big puddle. We were
amazed when Tony jumped out and As we leaned in for a closer look,
plucked a terrapin from the muddy we recognised fluffy grey baboon fur
water! (How have I lived in Uganda all among the dung beetles, moths and
this time and never seen one of these
aquatic reptiles?) He explained how
side-headed terrapins are common in
Toro-Semliki Wildlife Reserve but only
appear when the rain fills up the ruts
and gullies.

“Our guides drive around the puddles
to protect the terrapins, rather than
through them.” (I can see my friend Julia
will never drive through a puddle again!)

On the airstrip, a small flat area of cut
grass, we cruised slowly up and down
looking for Nightjars, shy nocturnal
birds that are sometimes seen ‘dust
bathing’ on the ground. They are masters
of camouflage. It is only when you
(almost) run them over that you notice
them fly off in a panic.

According to Stevenson and
Fanshawe’s Birds of East Africa, “Nightjars
are a notoriously difficult group to
identify: not only do the species look
alike, several have different colour
morphs.” Don’t ask this casual birder
to tell the two species apart, but our

www.ngaaliinflightmag.com 25

DIARY

MOUEVTEHRYFUL leopard scat. The beetles had clearly been
DELOIFCFIOOOUD WSA. SEACH industrious in the preceding 24-hours:
little remained of the baboon prey. We
INGREDIENT IS CAREFULLY may not have seen the leopard, but it
CONSIDERED, FROM THE was clearly around.

EXHOQMUE-IMSAIDTEECHPUILMLIPKTOINTSHOEUP Back in the vehicle, we spotted the
ANDD PERLEITCTYACTREEASTAIOLANDS OF ears of a young Kob poking through the
long grass at the verge of the airstrip.
LEAVES.
“Don’t disturb it.” Tony explained
how we must not draw attention to this
lone calf. It would make easy pickings
for a leopard. It was wonderful to be
in the great outdoors with like-minded
conservationists and nature-lovers.

As we drove back to the lodge - and
around the puddles - a Yellow-winged
bat swept through the night air. At the
lodge, the beam of our headlights picked
out a Defassa waterbuck in the sanctuary
of the lodge grounds.
Wining, dining and sleeping - Semliki Safari
creature comforts

Even with the reduced number of staff
(due to the COVID-19 pandemic), the
lodge did a tremendous job of looking

26 NG'AALI MARCH - MAY 2021

after us. Every mouthful of food was Chimp sightings are DIARY
delicious. Each ingredient is carefully not guaranteed but admire The Uganda Safari Company’s
considered, from the home-made chilli vision - and determination - to protect
to the exquisite pumpkin soup and you have a good this little pocket of nature.
pretty creations of delicate salad leaves. chance of seeing
Breakfast is a gourmet affair of poached Twice a year, the Diary of a Muzungu
eggs with bacon and rocket, cereals Olive Baboons, team carries out bird population
and tropical fruit served with home- Vervet, Red-tailed monitoring on behalf of NatureUganda.
made bread, chunky marmalade and Our patch is the Kibale Conservation
excellent coffee. and Black and Area which comprises Kibale National
White Colobus Park, Toro-Semliki Wildlife Reserve,
Every night, guests are invited to dine Semliki National Park, Lake Saka / Lake
by candlelight with the lodge managers monkeys. Bikere, Toro Botanical Gardens, Fort
at the Captain’s Table, a rare treat at Portal and Katonga Wildlife Reserve. We
a Ugandan lodge. Tony and Noline visit for the birds - and we hang around
are seasoned safari experts. (I would for the mammals, reptiles, butterflies
revisit any time for these shared dining and wild spaces.
experiences alone!)
Whether you drive – or fly in - to
The huge dining table - fashioned from Semliki, I highly recommend game
one gigantic slab of wood - is perfect for drives with the lodge’s knowledgeable
social distancing. Semliki’s main living site guides Julius and David. They know
area of chunky sofas, tribal art and wall the Toro-Semliki Wildlife Reserve inside
murals by the artist Taga, is rather grand. out and are full of interesting anecdotes.
They are expert drivers too. In fact, if
All the rooms are fitted to a high you want to learn four-wheel-drive
standard. The hardwood floor of the defensive driving, Tony is your man!
luxury tents felt wonderful underfoot
and there were generous amounts of Semliki is “a Mecca for birders” with
hot water for the showers and luxurious over 425 species. My birding highlights
outdoor bathtubs. Persian carpets and included: Abyssinian Ground Hornbill,
antique furniture recall a classic African Crested Francolin, Crowned Hornbill,
safari. Kikois (traditional African shawls) Palm Nut Vulture, Flappet Lark,
and slippers are provided, as well as White-browed Coucal, Grey Kestrel,
mosquito repellent and a lockable Yellow-throated Longclaw, Striped
cupboard. Every suite has a daybed on Kingfisher, Helmeted Guineafowl,
its private deck. African Paradise Flycatcher, Black-billed
Barbet, Northern Black Flycatcher,
On a tour of the lodge grounds, Tony Oxpecker, Ruppell’s Long-tailed Starling,
explained how the units have been Long-crested Eagle, Black Coucal,
remodelled to maximise the forest views.
The new layout almost doubles the
floor size of each luxury setup. Where
possible, every item has been recycled,
including “Amin’s steel,” reclaimed from
the ruins of the original Uganda Hotel
that once sat on this site. Here in the
bush, the Uganda Safari Company has
invested heavily in solar power, a water
borehole, a vegetable garden and more.
They supply the water to the UWA and
UPDF camps, a key contribution to
managing the security of the Wildlife
Reserve and its wildlife. Working
together, the three organisations have
cut the tracks and created a pond for
animals to drink from during the dry
season, amongst other initiatives. I

www.ngaaliinflightmag.com 27

DIARY Grey-backed Fiscal, Rattling Cisticola,
Blue-naped Mousebird, Ring-necked
At Semliki, guests Dove, Grey-headed Kingfisher, Ross’s
stay in golden-hued Turaco, Pygmy Kingfisher, Piapiac,
tents with gleaming Bateleur, African White-backed Vulture,
Red-cheeked Cordon Bleu, Blue-
hardwood floors. spotted Wood-dove, Little Bee eater,
Staying under White-banded Snake Eagle, and Fork-
tailed Drongo.
canvas is one of the Recommended activities from Semliki
most romantic and Safari Lodge
exciting things to do
on safari in Africa. ● A night game drive to the airstrip.
28 NG'AALI MARCH - MAY 2021 ● Safari game drive on one of the
numerous tracks in Toro-Semliki
Wildlife Reserve.
● A dip in the lodge swimming pool.
● Sundowners at the Semliki Bush
Bar on an evening game drive or at the
campfire at the lodge.
● Luxurious bush breakfasts, picnics
and private dinners in stunning
locations.
● Primate walk in Mugri Forest below
the lodge. Chimp sightings are not
guaranteed but you have a good chance
of seeing Olive baboons, Vervet, Red-
tailed and Black and White Colobus
monkeys. Bookings can be made at the

Uganda Wildlife Authority office next
to the lodge entrance.

● Lake Albert and tours to see the
Shoebill are 30 minutes’ drive away and
can be arranged by the lodge.

● Look for butterflies. The Sunbird
Hill team identified over 50 species
including: Blue Sailor, Sulphur Orange
Tip, Pea Blue, Red Tip, African Queen,
Pearl Charaxes, Citrus Swallowtail,
Blue Demon Charaxes, Scarlet Tip and
Guineafowl Butterfly.

● Birding in Semliki National Park
(SNP) or Ntandi along the main road
just outside SNP, just over an hour’s
drive from the lodge.

● The hot springs at Sempaya, in
Semliki National Park. You will need to
pay the UWA park entry fee.

● Do a day - or longer - hike in the
Rwenzori foothills. There are a number
of tour operators and community
organisations that organise hikes.

● Andrew Roberts, co-author of
the Bradt Uganda Guide, recommends
the (very steep) walk from Ntandi to
Karugutu.

● Bundibugyo is the closest town in
the Rwenzoris to the DRC (just 10km).
There is not a lot to do in Bundibugyo
but I find it rather charming. It’s a
scenic drive, particularly during the
rainy seasons, and you may see cocoa
plantations along the way.

● Enjoy the Rift Valley scenery. As
you drive from Fort Portal, with the
Rwenzori foothills to your left, there are
a number of roadside stops where you
can take photographs looking down the
Kijura Escarpment.

If you love birds, a tranquil pace, seriously
great food and stimulating company, you
will love Semliki Safari Lodge. It’s perfect for
seasoned safari-goers who have seen the Big
Five but just want to reconnect with nature.
If you’re travelling to this area of Uganda,
this is one of the best places to stay.

Pictures by Semliki Safari Lodge, The
Uganda Safari Company



DESTINATION UGANDA

The Nakayima Tree, said to be 40 metres tall, is
reputed to have magical powers. According to
legend, the tree sprung from a pole at the main
gate of the palace of Ndahura, one of the last
kings of the legendary Chwezi people, who are
said to have been demi-gods.
Words by Kalungi Kabuye

Sometime in the early 20th announced ‘Mubende Town Council Wabwire offered to take us around to
Century, a young colonial welcomes you to Nakayima Tourist Site’. explain the mysteries of the ‘witch tree’.
cartographer who was
putting together the map After yet another curve in the road, we The Nakayima Tree, said to be 40
of Uganda (somewhere in got to the top of the hill, and there in metres tall, is reputed to have magical
the vicinity of Mubende, front of us was a very tall, majestic tree, powers, and that was why all these
approximately three and a half hours’ surrounded by a circle of other not-so- people were here. According to Wabwire,
drive from Kampala), marked a place tall trees. It was about 8:00am but there when Nakayima died, her spirit also
as ‘witch tree’. Something must have was a bustle of activity in the clearing, disappeared into the tree trunk and all
really frightened him because that was and several cars were parked here. In a the trees surrounding the main one are
all there was on the map – the notation far corner of the clearing, tents had been her relatives. He points to features on
‘witch tree’, with no explanation of what rigged up, and it was clear that some the tree that look like parts of a woman’s
it meant. people had spent the night. This then, physique, including the backside and
was the famous witch tree, although breasts. There is also a part that looks
What exactly was the ‘witch tree’? some of my colleagues had never seen or like the mouth of a cow and is said to be
Did it actually have magic? Why was heard of it. Nakayima’s cow.
it named so? Had it ever bewitched
anyone? The British colonialists did According to legend, the Nakayima Traditionally, Nakayima was not
not encourage witchcraft and made Tree sprung from a pole at the main gate only a caretaker of the tree, but was
laws against it; so why was a witch tree of the palace of Ndahura, one of the last also regularly possessed by the spirit
marked on the map of Uganda? kings of the legendary Chwezi people, of Ndahura, on which occasions her
who are said to have been demi-gods extremities became covered in smallpox
I first went to see the Nakayima and thus had spiritual powers. They marks for several days. Her supernatural
Tree, as it is more formally known, in reportedly were present around the turn powers are said to have included the
1996 and had the chance to go back in of the first millennium, and ‘disappeared’ ability to cure and prevent smallpox and
2019 with some colleagues. Bizarrely, around AD1300. other fatal diseases, and to help infertile
you have to ask for directions as there women bear children.
is no signpost to point you to what is After many years as king, Ndahura
described as a national heritage site. abdicated in favour of his son, Wamala, After she died, Nakayima was
While the easiest way to get around who subsequently moved the capital of succeeded by another princess, who
Uganda today is to ask boda boda riders the kingdom farther away to present-day took on her name and title, and the
for directions, the young ones we found Masaka. When Ndahura eventually died, responsibilities of being a medium. The
in Mubende had no idea about the his wife, Nakayima, stayed on at his position became hereditary over the
Nakayima Tree or where it was. palace on Boma hill. years and the Nakayima, or Nyakahima,
always a Muhima from Ankole, wielded
Eventually, we found an elderly lady Word soon spread that Nakayima was considerable power and was recognised
who pointed out the route to take, “… a medium and could communicate with even beyond the borders of Bunyoro-
that way, climb the hills,” she said. So the dead Ndahura, whose spirit was Kitara. According to Wabwire, 10
we climbed the hills in our 4-wheel believed to reside in the tree, so devotees Nakayimas lived near the tree until
drive SUV, and climbed, and climbed, showed up to ask the dead king for fame 1907 when British colonialists finally
and then climbed some more. Nothing and fortune. People started worshipping evicted the last one, also called Nyanjara,
looked familiar, and I was beginning the tree as a connection to the demi- who eventually died in Fort Portal.
to think we had taken a wrong turn gods that had disappeared. When we got Her fantastic regalia now forms one
when after yet another turn, a signpost there, we were asked to pay an ‘entry fee’ of the most impressive displays in the
of UGX 3,500, and a young man named

www.ngaaliinflightmag.com 31

DESTINATION UGANDA national museum in Kampala - together with two large
ancient pots.
There are features
on the tree that The people that came after the Bachwezi, the Bahima,
look like parts are said to have tried to cut down the tree to weaken
of a woman’s the Chwezi influence but failed, as did the British. They
subsequently built colonial administration offices near
physique, including it, and future government officials occupied it at various
the backside and times. Some government officials were still in residence
breasts. There is when I first went there in 1996, but it now stands empty
also a part that and in ruins; Wabwire said it is taboo for anyone to
looks like the mouth stay there.
of a cow and is said
to be Nakayima’s Although the last Nakayima, Nyanjura, died more than
100 years ago, her spirit is still very present, said Wabwire.
cow. In flawless Luganda, he explained the history of the parts
32 NG'AALI MARCH - MAY 2021 of the tree and the plethora of pots that lie at its base.
When it rains, water is collected in the pots, which are
supposed to represent different deities and thus have
different powers. There are Ndahura, Mukasa, Musoke
and Kirunda pots, all said to cure different ailments.
Nakayima does not offer medicine and there are simple
rules that govern this place, for example, women are not
allowed to come here during their menses.

The buttress roots of the tree are referred to as ‘rooms’.
There are 18 of them, each representing a different deity,
and the largest opening is said to represent a boat, which
Nakayima supposedly uses when she wants to go sailing.

A notice issued by the Buganda Ministry of Culture,
Heritage, Royal Tombs, and Tourism stands prominently
in front of the tree as you get to the site. Among the dos
and don’ts (spelt out in Luganda) are: no slaughtering
animals at the site, no building shrines, no ‘bad manners’,
no drugs and alcohol allowed, and one can only spend a
maximum of 3 nights at the site.

About a hundred metres from the tree, beyond the
house built by the British, is ‘Nakayima’s lake’. Wabwire
tells us that every morning, Nakayima goes to the lake
to take a bath, and no one is supposed to stand in her
way, to and fro, and that anyone that dares look at her
naked self will disappear into one of the neighbourhood
trees. He did not answer when I asked him if anyone has

actually ever laid eyes on Nakayima, and
subsequently disappeared.

It is said that one time experts visited
the site and performed tests on the tree,
and declared it to be between 600 and
700 years old. But Wabwire insists the
tree is more than 1,000 years old, will
still be standing long after all of us are
gone, and that Nakayima will continue
to bless her devotees until the end
of time.

DESTINATION UGANDA

THE
BUTTRESS
ROOTS OF
THE TREE ARE

ARSEF‘REROROEDMTSO’.

THERE ARE 18
OF THEM, EACH
REPRESENTING A
DIFFERENT DEITY

www.ngaaliinflightmag.com 33

Dubai is famous as one of
the world’s wealthiest and
most vibrant cities. Fortunately,
for those with a love for the
romance of the desert, it hasn’t
quite shaken the sand off

its roots.
Words by Mark Eveleigh

here’s nothing quite Palm Jebel Ali, and Palm Deira, will DESTINATION DUBAI
like 14-carat gold be even bigger and together, the three
soap for getting the islands will add about 520km to Dubai’s AN ANCIENT
sand out from under coastline. PARABLE DEALS WITH

T your fingernails. I dry The desert is still out there, however. THE WISDOM (OR
my hands on a plush In fact, it is wonderfully accessible and
velvet towel that is embroidered with even today, no trip to Dubai should NOT) OF BUILDING
the curlicue logo of ‘Atlantis the Palm’ be considered complete without A HOUSE ON
and head back into the suite towards some time spent ‘playing in the sand’. SAND BUT DUBAI
Kim Kardashian’s sumptuous four-poster Standing in 40°C heat on the terrace
bed. She’s not in it, I hasten to add, so with the Royal Bridge Suite’s air- HAS TAKEN THE
I wander out onto the terrace of a suite conditioning wafting out through the CHALLENGE TO
that costs more per night than most doors behind me, I thought back to
people spend on a year’s rent. (Bear in the previous evening when I was out EEXNBTUTRIIERLMTEESCAAINNTDY
mind though that the USD27,000 price- in the solitude of the desert. Dubai’s AEMNDPIBRUE SOINNTEHSES
tag includes complimentary massages sleek highway had seemed almost
and, of course, soap sprinkled with like an experience in time-travel as STUFF
14-carat gold-leaf). my Tardis (actually a V8 Nissan 4x4
At this point, I should admit that driven by a white-robed Emerati With tyres (and expectations)
I’m not actually a guest in the so-called called Sharif) swept me smoothly out slightly deflated, we roared in a
Royal Bridge Suite. Once out on the of a city-centre that seemed virtually convoy of about 20 vehicles out into
terrace, nevertheless, I allow myself abandoned. The desert heat means that the dunes. Fortunately, there really
a moment of completely undeserved most people get to appointments via is something rousing about the great
satisfaction that I’m privileged to be cars or the air-conditioned cocoons of wilderness spaces of the desert. Within
standing at the very centre-point of the metro and through the network of a few minutes, the vehicles had spread
the best address in Dubai, which, to pedestrian tunnels. out and I started to enjoy a sense
many people, would mean the best spot of seclusion. The journey became a
in the world. Ferraris, Maseratis and It comes as a surprise, therefore, when whooping swooping rollercoaster ride
Rolls Royces are mere specks on the you turn off the highway and suddenly through a billowing landscape, and I
avenue running down the centre of Palm find yourself in a crowd. Al Badayer, grew increasingly envious of all the fun
Jumeirah, the manmade island that has our gateway to the desert, must have Sharif was having as he powered the
added 78km to Dubai’s waterfront. originally been just a little roadside heavy 4x4 into surf-style cutbacks and
An ancient parable deals with the trading centre before it became the cranking turns that sent great waves of
wisdom (or not) of building a house on launching pad for many of Dubai’s sand flying up from the wings of the car.
sand but Dubai has taken the challenge desert tours. Hooligan-driving in the desert is made
to extremes and built an entire city all the more enjoyable by the fact that
and business empire on the stuff. Four “It will be about 10 minutes while we within hours, the landscape would revert
thousand years ago, Dubai was a humble deflate the tyres, so feel free to have a to the pristine appearance it had before
trading port with a scattering of dhows look around and photograph the camel… our tearing wheels had swept over it.
loaded with copper and frankincense, or whatever,” said Sharif. ‘Whatever’ All signs of our reckless passage would
but today the city boasts the world’s turned out to be a gravel parking lot be erased with the first touch of the
biggest mall, the tallest skyscraper (the filled with quad-bikes and dune-buggies evening breeze.
828m Burj Khalifa), and the planet’s that could be rented out for a quick
largest manmade island. noisy spin around the cordoned-off
Palm Jumeirah is not only the location course, and a gang of touts who worked
of the 1,539-room Atlantis Resort but hard to convince me of the foolhardiness
is also home to 4,000 luxury villas of attempting to penetrate the sandy
shaded by about 12,000 palm trees. It wastes without a dishdasha headcloth.
is often described in Dubai as the 8th
wonder of the world yet it was built in ‘The camel’ was possibly the most
less than ten years. Not content with photographed member of its species in
such achievements, the city is now busy the world. I once spent several weeks
building the 9th and 10th ‘wonders being kicked and spat at by camels
of the world’: the manmade islands of in the Algerian Sahara, so I resisted
the temptation to queue up for the
seemingly obligatory selfie with the Kim
Kardashian of the Camelidae family.

www.ngaaliinflightmag.com 35

DESTINATION DUBAI at a desert resort where a buffet meal
Finally, Sharif powered the car up was accompanied by a cabaret of
the flank of a steep dune and brought it gyrating belly-dancers and the sultry
to a skidding halt on a saddleback just desert night was fanned with the skirts
below the summit. Even as he stopped, of a team of frantic whirling dervishes.
a slight groaning landslide slid down Complimentary camel rides, falconry
to remove our tracks, as if an invisible displays and henna-painting are enough
hand was carefully erasing them. The to convince you that traditional life
dunes are never static – always changing must have been unusually full for the
and drifting. I remembered how, in the Bedouin tribes of the Empty Quarter.
Moroccan Sahara, I’d heard tales of blind
desert guides who navigated in ancient You don’t have to go all the way into
times by sense of smell: “You can’t trust the Empty Quarter to find sand and,
your eyes anyway,” the locals had told me, right on the edge of the business district,
“In just a few days the dunes can look Dubai has once again found a way to
completely different.” turn some of it into virtual gold. Sun
By now, the sun was sinking rapidly spots like RIVA Beach Club on The
into the western dunes staining them Palm offer you a chance to lounge in a
deeper gold with every moment, and blissfully chilled swimming-pool and
looking around, I realised that the Jumeirah’s Nikki Beach allows you to
landscape appeared to be the same in dodge the glitterati in your VIP cabaña.
every direction. The only distinguishing
marks were the other little white cars Many of the beach clubs (Nikki
in the distance similarly perched – like included) only allow admission to adults
improbable patches of ice – on top of aged 21 and over but Aquaventure
the larger dunes. There’s a feeling of Waterpark is adventure heaven for
tranquility in the desert that is hard any water-baby (from 3 to 63). Part of
to find in any of the world’s other the Atlantis complex, Aquaventure
wilderness areas and there’s something combines with The Lost Chambers
delightfully unnerving in the immensity aquarium – with its 11.5-million-litre
of a ‘sandscape’ that stretched out into Ambassador Lagoon – to make an
the mindboggling expanses of the unmissable family holiday experience.
Empty Quarter.
The Rub’ al-Khali - to give it it’s Arabic Just north of The Palm, you find a
name, stretches in an unbroken chain less frantic venue on the great sweeping
of dunes 1000km from United Arab 2km stretch of sand that is Kite Beach.
Emirates through Oman, Saudi Arabia The kite-surfers who gave the beach its
and Yemen. I had driven in a Land Rover name have moved on and Kite Beach is a
expedition through part of the Empty favourite weekend (Friday and Saturday)
Quarter in Oman once and, stopping hangout for local families and in-the-
the cars at midday in brain-boiling 50°C know expats, and is one of Dubai’s most
heat, it had struck me that without the idyllic places for a stroll among the
cars it would be difficult to survive for joggers. Plan to arrive early enough in
more than a few hours. the morning to catch the sea-breeze and
At night, the desert is a far more watch the morning sun as it glints on
benign environment, but a sprinkling the billowing steel and glass arc of the
of stars was peppering the sky by the iconic Burj al Arab skyscraper. Designed
time we jumped back into the car to to mirror the shape of the sails of the
chase our ribbon of headlamps back traditional dhows that brought the
to the highway. Like most of Dubai’s earliest trade to this sun-drenched coast,
dune-bashing tours, our evening ended this so-called 7-star hotel is perhaps
the flagship of Dubai’s built-on-sand
36 NG'AALI MARCH - MAY 2021 empire.

DESTINATION DUBAI

WHERE TO SLEEP

If the USD27,000 Royal Bridge Suite is out of your budget,
Atlantis The Palm also has 3-storey ‘underwater suites’ for
USD6000 each. Regular deluxe rooms at Atlantis (www.
atlantisthepalm.com) are available from USD320, including
unlimited complimentary access to Aquaventure Waterpark
and The Lost Chambers aquarium.
Fairmont Dubai (www.fairmont.com), one of Dubai’s most
popular hotels, is located across the road from the World
Trade Centre Metro Station and within a short taxi ride of
most sights. Room rates start at USD245, including sumptuous
breakfast buffets. The ever popular Shangri-La (www.shangri-la.
com) offers spacious rooms from USD245.

WHERE TO EAT

Noire Dubai (fairmont.com/dubai/dining/noire-dining-in-the-dark/)
won ‘Best Experimental Restaurant in the Middle East’ in the
2016 BBC Good Food Awards. This visionary (no pun intended)
dine-in-the-dark venue features waiters in night-vision
goggles and combines an unforgettable experience with a truly
delicious meal.
The Palm RIVA Beach Club (www.riva-beach.com) brings the
flavours of the Mediterranean to the Gulf Coast, and Master
Chef Nobu Matsuhisa has created Nobu (www.noburestaurants.
com) – over 1000 square metres of traditional and modern
Japanese flair – serving what might be the world’s finest haute-
cuisine sushi.

WHERE TO SHOP

Dubai Mall (www.thedubaimall.com) is the world’s biggest
shopping mall with about 1,200 outlets. Apart from some of
the best shopping on the planet, this is one of the city’s great
entertainment venues with an ice rink and giant aquarium for
those who don’t happen to be dedicated shoppers. The mall
is so astonishingly huge that it helps to do some research and
know where you want to go in advance.
Dubai takes shopping to a new level (it’s even possible to
buy gold bullion from a gold-plated ATM) and, with Dubai
International Airport boasting 26,000 square metres of tax free
retail space, online shopping via www.dubaidutyfree.com can be
a hassle-free way of making your purchases without having to
schedule precious holiday-hours for ‘retail therapy’. To catch
some of Dubai’s trading heritage, head to the old Souks in
the timeless Deira quarter, where you can browse for spices,
perfume, textiles…and, of course, more gold!

HOW TO GET AROUND

Taxis are comfortable, efficient and relatively inexpensive
(on average less than USD3 for a 3km ride). A taxi from the
airport to a downtown hotel is likely to cost about USD13. The
Dubai Metro is predictably well run and connects most of the
major sights, and there are specially-guarded family and female
carriages.

www.ngaaliinflightmag.com 37

DESTINATION MOMBASA ENJOY…DON’T FORGET TO

Mombasa

Boasting the largest coastal port in East Africa, Mombasa has been a popular stop-off A MOMBASA CITY TOUR
for traders since the 12th Century. Once upon a time, it was known as the Island of This unique excursion starts at Fort Jesus
War, following repeated battles between Omani Arabs and the Portuguese who built National Museum. Visit the Old Town
Fort Jesus in 1593. It welcomed ships from as far afield as the Persian Gulf and the with its rich culture dating back to
Arabian Peninsula and today, the Swahili centre’s stew of sights, sounds and smells 200AD, and the old dhow harbour. See
reflects both sub-Saharan and Arabic influences. the slave market, spice market, and the
floating bridge. To buy souvenirs, you
will be taken to Akamba Wood Carvers.

EAT@: PAVILIONS RESTAURANT STAY @: VOYAGER BEACH HOTEL A VISIT TO HALLER PARK
Located at the Sarova Whitesands Beach Ideal for families, the clean rooms, Visit an animal sanctuary that’s home to
Resort, this classy restaurant comes relaxed ambience and helpful staff make giraffes, crocodiles, tortoises and more
with a perfect exterior coupled with a for a pleasant stay, along with a great on a half-day trip from Mombasa to
sophisticated interior. They pay special selection of food to eat from the buffet Haller Park. This afternoon trip includes
attention to their food selection and at meal times. The view of the sea from pickup and drop-off at both South Coast
offer varied themed buffets. the balconies and bedrooms is amazing. and North Coast hotels, and is an ideal
choice for families.

38 NG'AALI MARCH - MAY 2021



DESTINATION JUBA
Wrestling is

a hugely popular sport in
the world’s youngest nation, which has
been devastated by years of civil war. It is a very
popular sport among the Dinka, Mundari and Lotuka
tribes of South Sudan, and is seen as an avenue to bringing
together people from the various warring tribes. Athletes
say it is one of the few outlets where ethnic groups who have
fought each other can engage in friendly competition. The
carnival atmosphere, where wrestlers break out in dance to
celebrate victories as women chant the names of the
victorious athletes, is a welcome respite from the

hardships of daily life.

40 NG'AALI MARCH - MAY 2021

DESTINATION JUBA

www.ngaaliinflightmag.com 41

HABITUM, FICAE

Kilwa Kisiwani

THE GREATEST TREASURE OF SWAHILI MARITIME HISTORY

42 NG'AALI MARCH - MAY 2021

nce a burgeoning DESTINATION TANZANIA
empire, the biggest succeeded, bringing back coins stamped
and most powerful with sultans and dates that matched
on the East those found in the manuscripts. Kilwa,
now with a verified history unique
OAfrican Coast, the in East Africa, became a subject of
Tanzanian Kilwa scholarship recognised as the greatest
Kisiwani (isle of the fish) now stands treasure of Swahili maritime history. In
in ruins; its labyrinthine pathways, 1981, Kilwa Kisiwani – ‘Isle of the fish’,
grand palaces and majestic mosques was declared a World Heritage Site.
completely abandoned, stripped of their THE BEGINNINGS OF AN EMPIRE
former beauty. Take a walk through The Kilwa Sultanate began in the 10th
Kilwa’s amazing history and discover the Century. Ali ibn al-Hassan was the son
incredible wealth that once inhabited of the Emir of Shiraz and an Abyssinian
its walls. slave. Caught in an inheritance battle
‘The city comes down to the shore, with his six brothers, Ali fled his
and is entirely surrounded by a wall and
towers, within which there are maybe The Belém Monstrance is probably the most
12,000 inhabitants. The county all round famous work by a Portuguese goldsmith, and
is very luxurious with many trees and is much-admired for its historical importance
gardens of all sorts of vegetables, citrons,
lemons, the best sweet oranges that were and artistic merit. Crafted in late Gothic
ever seen…’ style, it was fashioned of 1,500 mithqals of
gold brought to Portugal by Vasco da Gama
So wrote Gaspar Correia, 16th in 1502 as a tribute from the king of Kilwa.
Century Portuguese soldier and At the bottom are the 12 disciples, praying
historian, about the island of Kilwa.
Only a few years before, circa 1502, his under the watchful eyes of some angels
countryman Vasco de Gama – the first hovering above.
European to reach India by sea – had
forced Kilwa’s Sultan to pay tribute in
gold. So much gold, in fact, that some
of it can still be seen in Lisbon where
it was forged into an ornate pyx, the
Belem de Monstrance, for the Jeronimos
Monastery.

In 1505, a Portuguese force led by
Francisco de Almeida built a fortress on
the isle, and its prosperous city began a
protracted decline. Although recaptured
by an Arab prince in 1512, growing
Western dominance of the trade routes
ignited the island’s wealth, while
successive conquests by Omani, French
and German forces clipped its power.

By the dawn of the 20th Century,
Kilwa was virtually uninhabited and
almost completely forgotten. Locals and
foreigners alike had little interest in the
haunted ruins off the Tanzanian coast.
Then, in the 1950s, two 16th Century
chronicles, Arabic and Portuguese, were
consulted. Both outlined a dynasty
of sultans, and British archaeologists
excavated the site to find objects that
could prove their authenticity. They

www.ngaaliinflightmag.com 43

DESTINATION TANZANIA The Great Mosque, the oldest STANDING ON KILWA KISIWANI,
homeland with his Persian entourage. extant in the region, was begun SURROUNDED BY THE CRAGGY
He settled on the island, then inhabited
by indigenous Bantu people, and began in the 1100s and expanded GREY REMNANTS OF A
constructing his own city. Legend claims repeatedly afterwards. It had ONCE-MAGNIFICENT COURT,
that he bought Kilwa from a local king an ornate roof with 16 domes,
who exchanged it for enough cloth to supported by an astonishingly IT’S DIFFICULT NOT TO BE
encircle the island. The king quickly complex system of arches and OVERWHELMED BY A SENSE OF
changed his mind, but Ali had already pillars. The central dome, now GREAT LOSS; OF THE ULTIMATE
destroyed the narrow land bridge that
connected Kilwa to the mainland, lost, was the largest in East TRANSIENCE OF HUMAN
securing it for himself. Africa until the 19th Century. ACHIEVEMENT BUT THERE IS
EQUALLY SOMETHING EBULLIENT
Ali’s Shirazi dynasty ruled until tip, has elegant crenellation and a ABOUT THE ISLAND’S PRODIGAL
the 1277 succession crisis, after which vast wooden portal. Most striking of VARIETY OF RUINS; THE MAJESTY
the related Mahdali sultans took over. all, however, is the Husuni Kubwa or
During these first three centuries, ‘Queen’s House’. Perched atop a cliff, OF THEIR ARCHITECTURE
several of the buildings (whose ruins about a mile from the main cluster of AND THE SENSATION THEY
survive) were built. The Great Mosque, ruins, it is reckoned to be the largest IMPART OF A COHESIVE LIVING
the oldest extant in the region, was pre-colonial building in sub-Saharan
begun in the 1100s and expanded Africa. Within, you’ll find the remains COMMUNITY.
repeatedly afterwards. It has an ornate of an 18-domed mosque, an octagonal
roof with 16 domes, supported by an swimming pool, a vast tiered hall and
astonishingly complex system of arches an array of courtyards. All in all, the
and pillars. The central dome, now lost, complex houses over 100 rooms.
was the largest in East Africa until the
19th Century. When the conquistadors arrived in
1502, the city was the most powerful
When the great Moroccan traveller on the East African coast — with an
Ibn Battuta visited in 1331, he was struck empire stretching north to south
by the mosque’s splendour and described from Malindi in present-day Kenya to
the city as ‘fine and substantially built’. Cape Corrientes in Mozambique. Its
Smaller mosques are scattered across sultans even controlled outposts on
Kilwa, each with their own distinct Madagascar. Commerce made it mighty;
features. The Jangwani Mosque has ships brought in porcelain from China,
distinctive water-holders set into its quartz from Arabia and carnelians
walls to allow worshippers to purify from India. Gold and ivory came from
themselves for prayer, while a nameless Great Zimbabwe in the interior. Spices
small mosque – perhaps the city’s most and perfume were in the air, and
pristine surviving structure – is attached pearls, pottery and tortoise shells in the
to what is believed to be a madrasa. market. Kilwa was the principal gateway
between Africa and Asia, the western
The majority of the isle’s ruins date end of the Indian Ocean trading routes.
from the 14th and early 15th centuries, THE ABANDONED CITY
when the sultanate was at the zenith Standing on Kilwa Kisiwani, surrounded
of its power. Kilwa had become one of by the craggy grey remnants of a
the Indian Ocean’s mercantile capitals once-magnificent court, it’s difficult
and its wealthy residents built grandiose not to be overwhelmed by a sense of
coral dwellings. The Great House is said
to have been owned by a sultan, who is
alleged to be buried in one of the four
tombs. The Makutini Palace, likely the
most imposing on the island, is a robust
triangular structure, built in the 15th
Century as the sultan’s stronghold. Pass
through its starkly grand towers and
you’ll find another sultan’s grave.

The Gereza, a fortress on the island’s

44 NG'AALI MARCH - MAY 2021

great loss; of the ultimate transience of one of the world’s most captivating be few arrivals more enchanting than
human achievement. But there is equally ensembles of ruins. In June 2015, thanks entering the island in the same sort of
something ebullient about the island’s to the work of local and international vessel as the Persians who transformed
prodigal variety of ruins; the majesty of conservation organizations, the site Kilwa into a gem.
their architecture and the sensation they was deemed sufficiently secure to
impart of a cohesive living community. be removed from UNESCO’s list of What’s the best way to see Kilwa
endangered heritage sites. To visit Kisiwani World Heritage Site?
For a potent dose of this latter feeling, Kilwa Kisiwani, travellers should base According to TripAdvisor,
head to nearby Songo Mnara, also part themselves in Kilwa Masoko, about 300 these are the best ways to
of the UNESCO site. Here you’ll find kilometres south of Dar es Salaam. Here, experience Kilwa Kisiwani World
the almost complete remains of a walled one must purchase a government permit Heritage Site:
town. Manoeuvre the settlement’s from the Cultural Centre, which allows 3 DAYS GOMBE STREAM CHIMPS
labyrinthine passages, passing through access to the protected area. SAFARI (From UGX 9,259,259)
the domestic dwelling and public 8 Days, 7 Nights - Mikumi
squares. Compared to Kilwa’s romantic, It’s also worth hiring a guide to lead National Park, Selous Game
timeworn desolation, Songo Mnara you through the island’s knotty pathways Reserve & Town of Kilwa (From
feels like it could have been abandoned and share the history of the individual UGX 12,333,333)
yesterday. structures, then head to the beach
and choose a traditional dhow for the
For both architectural and historical one-mile voyage to the island. There can
significance, Kilwa Kisiwani is truly

www.ngaaliinflightmag.com 45

DESTINATION SOUTH AFRICA

QUIRKYroadside dining
ROLLING hills
& BREACHING whales

With 11 official languages, South Africa is among
the most culturally diverse countries in Africa.
Mark Eveleigh hits the highway with his family on
a 2000km road trip around South Africa.

It is early morning and I’m filling marks the spot where Nelson Mandela
up our 4x4 rental at a fuel station was captured – starting his 27-year
near Durban. The attendant incarceration but also setting in motion
hands me a frosty bottle of the sequence of events that would lead
Stoney ginger beer – so spicy that it to the unification of this great country.
makes my nose tingle – and asks me
where I’m headed. Throughout the afternoon we drive
“Eish! It’s a long, long way to Cape through the countryside, which feels
Town,” he smiles. “But you’re going to see strangely familiar to my parents who
many, many wonderful things.” are travelling with us on this trip. It’s
He’s right. By mid-morning we’re been almost 20 years since I lived in
driving through a chain of Zulu England but the long sweeping valleys
communities with their little rondavels and rolling grasslands of the KwaZulu-
(round houses) painted in pretty pastel Natal Midlands still feel intensely
hues. The precious Nguni tribal cattle familiar. This pretty area has become
graze out on the plains, with their lyre a favourite weekend escape for South
shaped horns glinting in the sunlight. Africans, and an attractive art, craft and
My girlfriend Narina, who is South gastronomy route called the Midlands
African, points out that the Zulus have Meander has developed.
scores of names for the distinctive
markings on their cattle. There’s pure About sunset, I steer the car onto a
poetry in names that translate as ‘the tree-shaded dirt-track that leads down
maiden who lifts her skirts and walks in to a wonderfully secluded lakeside
a hurry’ or ‘flight of the egrets at sunset’. bungalow at Hartford House (www.
Our first stop is at a spot that is hartford.co.za). This is the only world-
simply known as ‘The Capture Site’. An class hotel on a world-class racehorse
intriguing piece of modern-art sculpture stud in the world. (Its celebrated guests
include the stallions of the rulers
of Dubai).

46 NG'AALI MARCH - MAY 2021

A view of Rorke’s
Drift Battlefield.
The heroism shown
(by warriors on
both sides) during
the long hours of
that horrific night
became the stuff of

legend.

www.ngaaliinflightmag.com 47

DESTINATION SOUTH AFRICA PADSTAL, LITERALLY
Along with some wonderful hotels and lodges, the Midlands Meander offers what FOOD-STALLS OF ALL
must be some of the quirkiest roadside dining in the world: The Farmer’s Daughter SORTS, HAVE BECOME
is a charmingly kitsch little cottage eatery in Lion’s River that offers irresistible
Dutch-origin Afrikaans specialties like regmaaker (literally ‘right maker’) pick- A CELEBRATED
me-up breakfasts. Chocolate Heaven is a big hit with kids who are thrilled by the SOUTH AFRICAN
chance to eat a mind-boggling assortment of ingredients (fruit, licorice, pickled
onions, jellies, even chilli peppers) all dipped in Belgian chocolate. TRADITION.
Padstal, literally food-stalls of all sorts, have become a celebrated South African
tradition. Originally padstal were simply farm-stalls that were set up along the ORIGINALLY PADSTAL
roadside to sell traditional Afrikaans produce to passers-by. Our discovery of the WERE SIMPLY FARM-
padstal tradition adds a new spice (and countless calories) to the road-trip as we STALLS THAT WERE
nibble on delicious kudu and ostrich biltong, apple pie, cookies and homemade
fudge, as the kilometres click past. SET UP ALONG
For the next couple of days, we continue driving down the hinterland between THE ROADSIDE TO
the mountains of Lesotho and the Wild Coast before we detour towards Addo SELL TRADITIONAL
Elephant National Park, South Africa’s third biggest national park. As the name AFRIKAANS PRODUCE
might suggest, the park is the best place in the entire country to see vast herds
of pachyderms (with a total population of around 600). There are many legends TO PASSERS-BY.
surrounding these elephants and their mysterious social lives. Old bushmen and
hunters used to bring back tales of mass reunions that took place as if organised
through some telepathic force. That afternoon, we sit in the car at a waterhole for
several hours, munching kudu biltong and watching one of these legendary elephant
meetings: all afternoon, elephants trudge out of the bushveld in small family groups
until we count a vast congregation of more than 300 elephants around the waterhole.
There are two types of travellers: those who prefer the picture-perfect pretty
landscapes of the Garden Route, and those who are attracted more by the rugged,
hauntingly desolate expanses of the Karoo Desert. We take an in-car vote and decide
unanimously that we are definitely in the second group. My father takes a turn
at the wheel, we tune the entertainment system to the haunting rhythm of South
African rock ballads by Rodriguez, and roll along the shimmering desert highways
towards the Karoo’s artistic centre at Nieu Bethesda, which has become known as
one of South Africa’s offbeat cultural capitals.
My friend Peter Frost, a South African editor and motoring journalist, had
advised us not to miss Nieu-Bethesda under any circumstances: “The town defies
easy definition,” he’d said, “It’s balm for the soul. It’s about no streetlights – a killer
light-show on a clear night – and the sheer remoteness of it all.”
Peter had fallen so deeply in love with the town that he wrote Nieu-Bethesda: A
Short Guide to a Little Great Karoo Town. ‘The famous Owl House, artist Helen
Martins’ tiny home and yard is an ode to creativity,’ he said. ‘The Karoo Lamb
Restaurant serves an excellent potjie stew and there’s artisan beer at the Two
Goats Brewery.’
Another reason we had come to Nieu-Bethesda, however, was to meet the owner
of Auntie Evelyne’s Eating Place, a humble eatery in a private house about a mile
from the town centre.
“I was born here but moved away to work as a kitchen help on a farm when I was
still young,” Auntie Evelyn told us that evening as we tucked into succulent Karoo
lamb, sweet potatoes, shredded carrot and maize mash. “I still mostly cook boerekos
(farm-food) .”
Tourists and travellers eat in the little restaurant and this hardworking and
generous woman puts her profits to good use by feeding up to a hundred hungry
people each day at the little soup kitchen in the yard. Before we leave, Auntie
Evelyn gives me the recipe for her homemade ginger beer (so spicy it makes your
nose tingle)…but since she only knows how to make it in 20L batches, I lose track of
the figures.

48 NG'AALI MARCH - MAY 2021

DESTINATION SOUTH AFRICA

Here, the artist Helen Martins made her home and the house There are two types
she lived in has become a place of homage for hundreds of of travellers: those
visitors who travel the winding country roads into what still
feels like a dusty frontier town. who prefer the
picture-perfect
By sunrise the next morning, we are already hauling a cloud pretty landscapes
of golden dust down the dirt-track backroads out of town. of the Garden
The Karoo is still a tough area to survive in and as we drive Route, and those
along the N9 highway, it is only the windmills mounted above who are attracted
the boreholes that alert us to the location of rare homesteads more by the rugged,
and sheep-farms. By midday, I am winding cautiously down hauntingly desolate
a dirt track into Prince Alfred’s Pass. A mournful sign reads expanses of the
‘Convict Graves’ (commemorating the resting place of some
of the labourers who carved this road in 1866) and another is Karoo Desert.
so intriguing that I have to screech the car to a halt: ‘Hot Beer,
Lousy Food, Bad Service - Welcome to Angie’s G Spot,’ it says.

At this idyllic spot on the banks of a tumbling river,
Angie Beaumont and her husband Harold have built a little
homestead – complete with accommodation, bar and restaurant
– that is nothing short of a little patch of South African paradise.
Part of their living quarters is made up of an old 1952 bus that
is built into the wall, and the property is fully self-sufficient.
Harold even shoots his own venison with a crossbow while
Angie bakes bread on the old wood-fired AGA cooker. Skins
and horns decorate The Pit Stop Bar and whisky is served out
of the rear end of a stuffed reedbuck. The sparkling riverbed
makes the best possible Jacuzzi during the heat of the day, and

www.ngaaliinflightmag.com 49

DESTINATION SOUTH AFRICA

Southern right in the evening, you can just lie back on DURBAN
whales undertake the banks and watch an unparalleled Durban’s benign sub-tropical weather makes it an
one of the biggest lightshow of Southern Hemisphere stars. ideal beach holiday area (escaping the muggy heat of
annual migrations Mozambique to the north), drawing thousands of visitors
By sunset the next day, we feel that we during weekends and public holidays. There are countless
of the animal have travelled a very long way from the big hotels here but a wonderful little boutique hotel called
kingdom – travelling desert. Through the sea-spray splashed Acorn B&B (www.acornbandb.co.za) makes for a wonderfully
from the Antarctica windows of Birkenhead House Hotel relaxing little hidden retreat that, with its safari ambience,
(www.birkenheadhouse.com), we can see also makes the perfect introduction to your African
to Australia – and, dozens of whales breaching and rolling holiday. At the southern end of the beach, you will find
along the way, up to in the breakers. Southern right whales a great little bar called Moyo, and the entertainment
undertake one of the biggest annual complex of Ushaka with a shopping mall, its Wet and
120 of these giant migrations of the animal kingdom Wild water-rides (best in Africa), and Ushaka Marine
mammals break the travelling from the Antarctica to World aquarium.
Australia – and, along the way, up to RORKE’S DRIFT BATTLEFIELD
journey to spend 120 of these giant mammals break the The simple little museum at Rorke’s Drift, South Africa’s
months at a time journey to spend months at a time most famous battlefield, gives a good insight into what
calving in Hermanus calving in Hermanus Bay, about 115km happened when 3000 Zulu warriors swept upon the tiny
Bay, about 115km southeast of Cape Town. reserve force of 150 British soldiers. The heroism shown
(by warriors on both sides) during the long hours of that
southeast of I can see why anyone might want horrific night became the stuff of legend and when the
Cape Town. to stay longer on this spellbindingly dust cleared, the survivors were left defending an area that
attractive coastline, but we are fast had shrunk to half the size of a tennis court. Be sure to stay
coming to the end of our own little at Rorke’s Drift Hotel (www.rorkesdrifthotel.com) where the
migration. We have already reached the owner, retired Irish Guards Major Charles Aikenhead, is
southern tip of the African continent sure to regale you with stories from those days of heroism
and the great rearing plateau of Table and bloodshed that could have been part of a Boys Own
Mountain beckons us from just a few Adventure book.
hours closer to the setting sun.

CAPE TOWN
African sunlight glints on white-washed Cape Dutch
buildings – the historical treasures of the ancient trading
settlement that is still known to many South Africans
as The Mother City. A brisk wind – ‘the Cape Doctor’ –
drapes a blanket of cloud over the looming mass of Table
Mountain. On days like this, in one of the world’s most
beautiful cities, it is always astounding that anyone ever
thought to label sun-blessed Africa as the ‘Dark Continent’.

The One & Only (www.oneandonlycapetown.com) is Cape
Town’s finest urban hotel and from the upper balconies, it
offers a classic view of the Table Mountain.

50 NG'AALI MARCH - MAY 2021