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Hiking the Tororo rock
Hikers have fun while climbing the great Tororo Rock. Photo by Denis Mukungu
What you need to know:
ADVENTUROUS. Climbing the great Tororo rock is thrilling. You can have fun and exercise while conquering the heights. Esther Oluka shares her experience.
Ever wondered what exciting activity you can do while in Tororo town? You could try hiking the Tororo rock. Going alone may turn out boring and could be dangerous. I mean, if anything happens to you, no one will be there to give you a hand. But if you went with a couple of friends, it will be more fun and the experience would be worth it.
Hiking for a cause
Just ask any participant who went hiking last month at the great Tororo rock. Over 200 hikers turned up with the aim of raising money for painting Salvation Army School Orphanage in Tororo District. The event which was organised by the Eastern Entrepreneurship and Tourism Network (EETN), a cluster of companies run by young entrepreneurs keen on driving entrepreneurship towards developing tourism in the eastern part of Uganda, saw each participant paying Shs60,000.
Before the hike, individuals gathered around and were briefed on the dos and don’ts for the climb. But what I remember the most was the continuous reminder to be vigilant and careful of the steep rock. Afterwards, members were grouped and a guide accorded to each. I was in the group that climbed last. We were about 12 participants. For the first 30 minutes, ascending was a bit easy since the rocks were not that steep.
Why climbing at the advanced stages is harder
However, things became a little bit difficult about 30 minutes later when the rocks became steeper. There were also ladders to climb. These ladders would connect us from a lower ground to a higher one. On the other hand, we had to taker tinier footsteps while using extra support from our hands. It was as if we crawling up the hill at some point. We eventually managed to reach the top safely where we found the other groups. From the top, one could have a good view of Tororo town below, from the houses, farms to the large golf course.
We spent a couple of minutes taking in the beautiful sights and photographs before ascending down. And this was also done in an orderly manner, group by group with the guides leading. It took us about one hour to slope down. Just like when we were climbing up, we also had to be very careful while slopping down. We had to still get extra support from both hands.
The best time to do a hike….
Early morning is preferred as one of the suitable times because it gives one more time to finish their hike in time and enjoy the beautiful scenery without having to rush.
