While up in the canopy, one is able to enjoy a bird’s-eye view of the forest layers, mammals like grey-cheeked mangabeys and red-tailed monkeys, birds like palm nut vultures, African fish eagles, great blue turacos as well as the Griffin Falls on River Musamya. PHOTO FILE | NATION
The Mabira Forest Canopy Super Skyway is a zipline system above the tall ancient trees in the forest, next to Mabira Forest Camp.
The entire system, based on international safety standards, includes a harness with a capacity to carry a person weighing up to 250kg tied to a safety line with a lock.
While up in the canopy, one is able to enjoy a bird’s-eye view of the forest layers, mammals like grey-cheeked mangabeys and red-tailed monkeys, birds like palm nut vultures, African fish eagles, great blue turacos. as well as the Griffin Falls on River Musamya.
After an hour’s walk in Mabira rain forest, through the famous 22km Red Trail that ends on the Namusa Hill, you can go ziplining. The Mabira Forest Canopy Super Skyway is a zipline system above the tall ancient trees in the forest, next to Mabira Forest Camp.
I watched a demonstration by one of the trained sky captains, Abubaker Waiswa, who climbed a 40m tall Kirundu tree, with the aid of spikes, up to the first platform stationed about 18 metres above ground.
The entire system, based on international safety standards, includes a harness with a capacity to carry a person weighing up to 250kg tied to a safety line with a lock.
When Waiswa reached the first platform, which is the ziplining starting point, he connected the gear strapped around his body to the zipline trolley with a black strap, and onto the cable. A helmet protected his head from falling tree branches.
He then cruised on two cables in different positions — from the first to the second cable, on 30m and 40m diagonal ziplines. When he got to the third tree, he disconnected his gear and climbed down. The demonstration took 10 minutes.
“Ziplining is a canopy tour,” Waiswa said. “For the safety of our clients we have restricted the capacity to 150kg. The heaviest person we have ever had on this zipline was an American man who weighed 125kg.”
The camp is 44km east of Kampala, on the Kampala -Jinja highway. Zipline activities are done from 8am in the morning to 1pm, and from 2pm to 6pm daily. The zipline experience gives a tourist a unique perspective of Mabira Forest.
The second last zipline from tree five to tree six runs across River Musamya. The final zipline stretches 87m across River Musamya between two 40m trees. It takes about one hour to complete the entire route if you are an experienced ziplinner.
While up in the canopy, one is able to enjoy a bird’s-eye view of the forest layers, mammals like grey-cheeked mangabeys and red-tailed monkeys, birds like palm nut vultures, African fish eagles, great blue turacos as well as the Griffin Falls on River Musamya.
