PAIMOL

Neighbouring Kalongo, the rural sub-county of Paimol has climbing sites such as Paimol Rock, six kilometres east of Kalongo, or the impressive Kilibi (in the very steep area around the village of Akwang). In this area, you will have to carry all your equipment as only a few routes have, to our knowledge, been opened. The collaborative climbing platform, The Crag (www.thecrag.com), provides valuable information about the spots in the area. Paimol is also known for its Catholic shrine, the Paimol (or Wipolo) Martyrs Shrine, which honours the memory of Daudi Okelo and Jildo Irwa, two young Ugandans murdered in 1918 for their faith while in charge of catechism in Paimol. Tens of thousands of pilgrims visit this site every year, characterized in particular by its small stone church and the austere crosses and (almost) intertwined arches that mark its entrance. Beatified in 2002 by Pope John Paul II, Daudi Okelo and Jildo Irwa are revered in this pilgrimage located about twenty kilometres from Kalongo (access by the track leading to Naam Okoro). If you would like an indigenous cicerone (trained by the Italian NGO AVSI and the tour operator Matoke Tours) to visit Paimol and its surroundings, you can contact the staff of the Green Oasis guesthouse in Kalongo and the team of the Acaki Lodge in Kitgum. To sleep, eat, withdraw cash and refuel, head for Kalongo.