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Maramagambo Forest in Western Uganda

Welcome to Maramagambo Forest Reserve in Western Uganda. The name of the forest comes from the story that a group of people were lost in the young forest, who took many days to emerge, and when they did they could not speak for a long time. Their exhaustion was so complete that it inspired the naming of the forest- maramagambo, which means 'the end of words'

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_________________________________________________ Maramagambo Forest is an extensive rain forest which is part of Queen Elizabeth National Park (QENP) in the far west of Uganda. There are numerous small caves in Maramagambo Forest like Bats Cave and Hunters Cave. Bat Cave is home to hundreds of fruit bats and pythons, which are often observed in the crevices of the cave floor, using the bats as a source of food.

The caves are visited on guided tours to the park, under the general theme of biodiverity. Maramagambo means 'the end of words' in the local language, and is based on a local legend. A group of people was lost in the forest, and needed many days to find out. When they returned they could not speak for a long time because of their exhaustion.

In July 2008 the caves at Maramagambo Forest became world infamous, after a tourist from the Netherlands died after returning from a journey to Uganda. She was - obviously on her Africa journey - infected with the extremely dangerous Marburg virus, a deadly disease similar to Ebola, which causes haemorrhagic fever and bleeding.

As she had visited the caves, the bats were immediatley accused to be responsible. But this was an isolated case, during ten years of tourism in the area nothing similar happened before, and three other tourists who visited the cave with her were not infected. But as long as the source of the infection is not identified the park authorities decided to close the caves, just in case.

The reason why bats are held responsible for outbreaks of Marburg is the fact that according to ongoing ecological studies about 5% of the fruit bats in Kitaka mines in Kamwenge district show evidence of prior Marburg virus infestation. In August 2007 three gold miners were infected and one of them died.

Subsequently the mine was closed and no further infections have been reported. The common conclusion is, that bats in western Uganda are a reservoir for the Marburg virus. However, so far the natural reservoirs for both Marburg and Ebola diseases are unknown.

And most likely the bats are not responsible, as there are millions of bats which fly all night, with lots of occasional interaction between bats and humans. If they would spread the disease, there would be an epidemic in the country.

My Visit to Maramagambo Forest Reserve

Our guide, Coolo, led us into the Maramagambo forest with a wealth of knowledge he really wanted to share. His enthusiasm and energy were contagious and without obstacle. I wish we had taken a longer hike with him, this one just lasted a couple hours.

The name of the forest comes from the story that a group of people were lost in the young forest, who took many days to emerge, and when they did they could not speak for a long time. Their exhaustion was so complete that it inspired the naming of the forest- maramagambo, which means 'the end of words'.

Coolo then led us up a gradual but tall hill, to where we looked down at a small pond, called Kamira njojo (not sure about the spelling). The story for this one was that hunters were pursuing an elephant, and the elephant ran down the hill to swim across the lake (elephants are the only other large mammals that can swim long distances) to lose his seekers.

The lake was so deep that, surprised, the elephant drowned. The lake is volcanic, with depths of up to 45 meters. Kamira njojo means "swallow an elephant."

Above the lake, where a waterfall feeds the body below, is the cave. It is beautiful, shrouded in thick, dripping moss. The growth around the cave glowed in healthy greens, fertilized by the rocks of guano deposited at the floor of the cave.

I remembered hearing that the air inside a batcave is toxic, but one side of the cave was open, giving an eery quality to the vision before us. Coolo signaled me over so that I could capture a shot of the python that slithered below the rocks we balanced on. The carnivorous snakes probably find easy meals from dead or fallen bats.

There were millions of bats. Or thousands or hundreds of thousands, moreover, there were more bats than I'd ever imagined! What surprised me, although I must consider that it was daylight, was the commotion.

At any given time a few dozen bats were changing positions. They hovered around and found new 'perches' to squeeze their tiny bodies within. I wish I knew why they needed new space or what characteristics of the stone attracted the creatures. As many hung, their eyes were open.

The faces looked like rodents, but had a cuteness about them. These were fruit bats, and were about the size of a kitten. They had ashen, soft-looking fur, and funny wrinkled noses. The power of their senses is baffling, and the noise was pervasive.

But nothing compared to the smell, which was completely original. Coolo introduced them to us by "then we will happen upon a cave of thousands of smelly bats," and his succinctness is enviable.

That night was the hatching of the lake flies. I had to research the phenomenon when I returned, and found that it's quite common, once a month for the warmer seasons, to have an infestation wherein a hatching of the flies, about the size of blackflies but paler, fill the air in Biblical proportions. This, I do not exaggerate.

That night we ate in the dark, eating the flies, breathing the flies, as they flew into our clothes and tents and books with a density like smoke. It was a miraculous swarm. One of those moments when you absolutely love the planet you live on.

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