MPANGA FALLS

Just as it's about to end its course in Lake George, the Mpanga enters a gorge whose climax is a 50-metre-high waterfall. The riparian vegetation is also worthy of note, with giant cycads(Encephalartos whitelockii) dotting the canyon slopes. Although morphologically similar to ferns and palms, Uganda's giant cycas are relics of an order of coniferous plants that is thought to have appeared over 300 million years ago and underwent a phase of significant geographical expansion from -250 million years ago. The giant Ugandan cycas, whose female cones resemble pineapples, is therefore a "living fossil", endemic and, like its congeners, critically endangered. Paradoxically, it wasn't until the construction of a hydroelectric power station at the end of the 2000s, which resulted in the felling of numerous cycas, that protection and preservation measures (including the construction of a nursery) were put in place. While the activism of environmentalists has paid off in the case of the cycas, it is less conclusive for the time being when it comes to hydraulic developments and the multiple forms of pollution affecting the flow and quality of the Mpanga's waters. The construction of a dam, necessary for the operation of the Mpanga Hydroelectric Power Station, has had - and continues to have - an impact on the volume of water falling at Mpanga Falls. Despite this denaturation, the site remains picturesque. A handful of diversion bays upstream from the main cascade are ideal for an invigorating swim (but be sure to check the river's hydrological and sanitary conditions before descending into the Mpanga bed...). A new trail (The Cycad Trail) has recently been created to introduce visitors to cycads and their environment. Reserved for the more adventurous for the moment, it could be the prelude to the development of tourism in the area, as envisaged by the Ugandan authorities. In the meantime, although access is better today than it was in 1891, when Frederick Lugard - the representative of the Imperial British East Africa Company - crossed the gorge with men, salt and ivory, you'll have to take the Fort Portal-Mbarara national road to the village of Rwenjaza (3 km south of Kamwenge) before turning off onto a track (and then others...) for some 20 km to reach the gorge via the locality of Rwengo or Mpanga.