After a Year of Preparations … It’s a Go!

This is going to be the trek of the year for us! We have been preparing to welcome a corporate group from Dubai since 2023 and today we’re taking them on a five-day hiking adventure. It’s a big deal that Omnicom Media Group (MENA) chose us for their 10th Challenge for Good anniversary — a trip they could have done anywhere in the world. We simply had to give them our best.

There’s past tense in that last sentence because hitting the ground will be the easiest part! It’s the months of preparation and years of experience that will make a difference.

The OMG tour leader Alanna was surprised to discover that the men in the picture — Tom who will host them on his island and Owen who will guide — have been with us for over 15 years. They’re shown discussing how to best handle a group of 24.

But let’s rewind back to January. Our preferred Lake Bunyonyi accommodations, BirdNest and Arcadia, didn’t have enough space. We thus explored all other options and secured rooms at Bunyonyi Safaris.

In February OMG was a frequent topic at our All-Hands in Kigali.

In May our team visited all the locations that will be part of the OMG experience. Arcadia (pictured) will serve as a scenic stop during the hike.

The trek will end with Mgahinga Gorilla National Park where Triangle Hotel is our usual midrange solution. In July we inspected the property and agreed on some needed improvements.

At the start of this month, Bloomberg.com rattled us with an opinion piece about Rwanda and Congo being on the verge of war. After Alanna’s extensive research and consultations, OMG thankfully deemed it safe to travel to our region.

Last Friday we had to go mobile with Ugandan shillings. We withdrew thousands of dollars, exchanged them into the local currency at a shoe shop and topped up our phones close to the USD 5,500 limit.

The buses travelled to Kigali Airport all the way from Jinja (600 km/370 mi). We always call Sula as he expertly handles our rural roads.

The last few days have been about checking our tents, buying boots for the swamp crossing, campfire marshmallows, fruits …

We also checked on The Hut in Kigali where OMG will hold their celebratory supper on Friday.

As we publish this post, the buses have crossed the border and are in Uganda now. We are underway, bound for discovery!