The Amabere ganyinamwiru
10 kilometers outside of fort portal town lays the limestone site which is attached to a vast wealth of interesting legends. The Amabere ganyinamwiru cave is a massive even cave roof crypt, dotted with water drops wading in the greatness of normal rainfall.
Kabarole district later on fort portal would never have been my choice if it were all up to me. Am quite sure a number of you would identify with me on my hesitance I would probably rather go see tree climbing lions , elephant and all those amazing animals like in the zoo in queen Elizabeth.
Little did I know that I was about to uncover a rich natural, historical and culture topped with lush green developed hills one of which is home to the Toro kingdom King attractions that Fort-portal has to offer.
Due to some mechanical issue we arrived in the quite town of fort portal at dusk so we did not pretty much see anything. After a well spent morning exploring the Toro palace, we hit the road after lunch to the caves. The well maintained murram roads, through stunning green cultivated hills and valleys, interspersed by fast and slow flowing streams were not convincing enough about the beauty that lies ahead
Finally we pulled into the freshly green parking lots assembling into a green fenced enclosure with traditional cabanas as we listened to the briefing from the guide. Given the fact that were a large group only a few of us could go at a time to ensure minimal disturbance of the environment. I was really curious as to what lay in the profuse lush green drapes where the only available entrance was a trifling cat walk path (the paths are maintained small to maintain the place in its natural form as possible) where we almost had to bend as though entering a sacred place- so I decided I had to be among the first people to go.
We were welcomed by the sweltering sound of the water falls, the glorious distressed waterfalls hovering over the Amabere caves. The environment is serene and pretty cool because of the moisture content of the falls and the thick forest cover doesn’t allow much of it to escape. Inside these drapes seems like a whole new world, breathing in fresh crisp air, sights of beauty and wonder, the tranquility, actually it’s like being in an air conditioned atmosphere so fulfilling, fresh and heavenly. Believe me the memory of this place is not something you will forget so soon. The climbing plants that are interwoven with the rocks of the cave enhance the beauty of this place.
Breast like features, hang on the roof of the cave with whitish milk like substance tickling out – these were created by a ‘chemical reaction between water and salt’ in the course of years and this is where the place get the name of Amabere ga Nyina Mwiru a local word for breast of Nyinamwiru. Scientifically these are stalactites and stalagmites
The legend of this place say that Bukuku the then king of the Batembuzi dynasty (the predecessors of the current Babiito kings of Toro) had a beautiful daughter named Nyinamwiru. Nyinamwiru refused to get married to the man her father had proposed for her to marry so she fled to this place. in retaliation for her disobedience the King cut off her breasts and threw them in this cave, it is therefore believed that in these caves are her breasts and the whitish milky substance is the milk her breasts would have produced.
In the midst of this opulent green verdure, nature and culture come to life together. The ground is rather slippery though and is covered by hundreds of fallen leaves from over the years. With a little more stamina and perseverance regardless of the slippery path the falls are not that far. The sound of the hissing waterfalls can now be justified with the natural shower (as it is called) in full view.
If you have the time for further exploration, the guide takes you further where the hissing sound of the waterfalls is replaced by glorious and enchanting songs of birds and forest insects and if the reason as to why you came here is stress then it will be long left behind replaced by perfect serenity.
Monkeys swinging and having a day’s fun, squirrels trafficking the paths, all this and much more make the place even much more worthwhile the visit. The place houses a number other animals like which you may or may not see, I mean this is the wild anything is possible and there are no guarantees because the animals keep moving. We later immerged back to the place we started but in a different trail. Today I stand proud and glad that I actually went because the visit was worthwhile.
