AMABERE CAVES

Easily accessible from Fort Portal, the caves of Amabere will certainly disappoint lovers of monumental speleothems and speleologists fond of cat flaps ... Indeed, there you will only find very modest cavities. The main one is the limestone concretions (stalactites, stalagmites, columns...) which attract geology students who want to improve their knowledge. In addition to their physical aspects, the caves are full of legends. Used as rock shelters by the natives who came to eat there from 1847 to 1900, they owe their fame to Nyinamwiru. Nyinamwiru was, according to oral tradition, the daughter of a local king, Bukuku. Indisposed by the marriage proposals under which his tendron was crumbling, Bukuku cut off Nyinamwiru's breasts(amabere means "breast" in the vernacular) and slashed her face to dissuade the most assiduous men. As the ugly face did not have the desired effect, the king decided to hide Nyinamwiru from the men's eyes by hiding her in one of the caves in the area. However, the poor father did not succeed in his goal, since a clever pretender managed to penetrate the balm despite the vigilant cerberus posted at its entrance... So what was to happen happened: Nyinamwiru got pregnant and gave birth to a baby without Bukuku's knowledge. Unable to breastfeed her infant, following the removal of her appas, Nyinamwiru would have resorted to mamelliform stalactites secreting a calcareous milk to sustain her baby. The latter, to end (or almost) the story, was named Ndahura and founded the Cwezi dynasty. The caves of Amabere, which you will discover during a guided tour, are located in a depression of green land in which the waters of the Amabere waterfall (7 m high) fall. The price of the visit is a bit excessive. It is therefore better to combine this activity with the hike to Saka Lake (3h30 to discover the waterfall, the caves and three crater lakes). This walk is concocted by the owners of the place who have, in addition, a delicious campground and two pleasant bandas duly equipped (kitchen, washing machine, wifi, rooms with their own sanitary facilities ...). The site is located 8 km from Fort Portal. To get there, follow the RN leading to Bundibugyo for 6 km before branching off on a track going on the right of the road (well marked access).