Adventure, culture and nature meet

My girlfriend gave me a blank stare. “Yes, love, in there,” I said, urging her to get in a boat.

She said she thought we were stopping at KK Beach in Ggaba for her routine run around the beach-line. Most of you too stop here not knowing the awesomeness that awaits you beyond this point.
I was looking for something more romantic and exclusive –far away from the hustle and bustle of the noise-polluted Kampala.
We set off from Ggaba at around midday, with Lake Victoria swallowing us whole as the boat ate its mild waters inch after another. The only traffic we encountered on this epic journey was a few motor boats and many canoes operated by fishermen.
As civilisation slipped away, a forest popped up with its wildlife residents chanting to us sweet welcomes. We were at Serenada Eco-Resort! The optional path to Serenada is 65km road trip via Mukono.
On arrival, we were welcomed with a glass of cold juice before setting out for a walk across an empty beach, listening to the whispers of rolling waves. Quite refreshing.
If you’re looking to recharge and rejuvenate your mind, body and soul, this is the best place. Just 25 minutes from Kampala.

Who keeps it and significance?
This privately owned eco resort is exclusively nestled in its own nature reserve sitting between the shores of Lake Victoria and a tropical forest in Kyaggwe, Mukono District.
In the 1980s, when many moneyed people left their villages to raid Kampala for land, a former ambassador Ibrahim Mukiibi and his wife instead took to this village and they have painstakingly conserved this forest for more than three decades. They hope to restore an abandoned medieval village and turn it into a retreat based on living in harmony with nature.
The walk around the facility gives you an idea of what the owners are all about, with visitors encouraged to plant an indigenous tree for a paltry Shs5,000. As a result, the facility is enveloped in wild flowers and fruit trees – think of a simple paradise.
But this ecological resort offers more: there is a lot of primates, gardens, caves, butterflies, monitor lizards, pangolins, statunga, dragonflies and lots of medicinal trees. Remember this is the magical land of Kyaggwe. The visit to the village will take you closer to the people as the local tour guides take you through the fairy tales that built this important locale in the history of Buganda Kingdom. Many folks still visit this place to either get rid of bad luck or seek favours from the gods that reside in the trees and mountains around Kyaggwe.

Activities
During my visit, I enjoyed the daunting mountain climbing and the adrenaline-filled papyrus canoeing. On top of the mountain we could see all the villages around and on one side we could see Namboole stadium at a distance. The canoeing experience which covers an intricate network of canals inter-joining wetlands throws you on the same path with reptiles and birds.
Back at the base, there are not many rooms as the place is still under construction. There are simply furnished tents set on wooden platforms overlooking Lake Victoria, each with comfortable mattresses, mosquito nets and private terraces.
“We have about seven rooms only at the moment but we are working hard to improve on our accommodation capacity,” said ambassador Mukiibi pointing into the direction of a protruding new banda.
After these activities, you will sink into one of the most romantic beds you will ever find in a forest, serenaded by nature’s lullaby. The sound of nature will have you entertained until you fall asleep. Serenada is probably the best secret in Uganda’s tourism locker waiting to be explored.

QUICK NOTES
Transport: Serenada runs three private boats that travel daily between morning and late afternoon. You can therefore decide to just drop in for a simple walk around and meal and drink.
Signature dish: Whole grilled fish served with lime and either chips or rice. Fresh fish caught and delivered by local fishermen on a daily basis make the grilled fish a must-have.
“With a dish like this, you need the freshest fish so we pull them out of water and straight to the fire,” added ambassador Mukiibi. “You also need a good cooking technique so we employ some of the best chefs around.”
At night, fireplaces fed with firewood collected from the forest, a sustainable and readily available resource, keep things warm and cozy.

Activities in Serenada: Compiled by Juliet Rukundo

Birding
Serenada is a birder’s paradise; in fact, this 18 acres of land have registered over 130 bird species and still counting. In Where to Watch Birds in Africa by Nigel Wheatle, ”In terms of its size, Uganda is the richest country for birds in Africa. “ And this immense volume and diversity occurs miraculously in a space which keen birders can cover in a relatively short visit.

Nature walk
A walk in the wild or by the quiet waters soothes the mind. You can choose to walk around the lakeshore at night and stare at the stars or just look back where you came from – 25 minutes away – on the other side of the world and you will be surprised to see the city’s flickering lights in a distance.

Dinners
Do not keep your romance for the bedroom. Try out a candlelit dinner at Serenada Eco resort. Accompanied by fine wines, candlelit dinners are the hallmark of Ibrahim Mukiibi and the wife, owners of the resort who have been married for decades. The two encourage young lovers to visit such a place to keep the spark in their relationships alive.