 |
| Abairo Falls in Oluko (East of Arua City) |
Directions to Abairo Falls (owned by John Acile): From Arua Hill Roundabout, follow Weatherhead Park Lane, then Oluko Road until Alua Primary School football field, then cut right. When you reach the bend heading right towards Ambeko, just move straight on the left. This is the trickiest moment of the journey; if you get it right, you will find yourself near Oluko Falls (a series of findable waterfalls). As you approach your destination, you will see multiple hills and valleys on your rightside; it's quite unbelievable considering the flat appearance of Arua near the city. There are some homes on the way, so you won't feel lonely as you reach a junction that slopes on the right: You have reached Oluko Falls which starts with Olokorokoro Falls (bought by an American humanitarian from Acile's uncle) on the left of a neatly-painted shop. Abairo Falls near 57-year-old John Acile's home next to the roadblock is farther down. Acile's place is where your vehicle stops (and you may have to pay some money - around 2K UGX - for his family to watch it for you), but you can hear the waterfalls from here though won't see it until you slope farther past the sheds and latrine. There is floating equipment like tyre-tubes for young swimmers. Between both waterfalls are smaller ones (one of which I named Ac[h]ile who showed it to me) and the land across the river in this stretch was bought by BN Group (an Anglican organisation) who plan to build a hospital plus Bible Study University.
Another route is from Muni through a panya at Our Lady of Rosary Ambeko Chapel (Eucharistic Centre in Oluko Parish of Arua Diocese) or to Ambeko Junction, then turn right towards Ambeko Primary School borehole on the side and follow the road after the school until you turn right.
GOD made Miriadua Falls in Maracha, Murchison Falls in Bunyoro-Acholiland plus Rift Valley escarpments and mountains in Western Uganda, but in Oluko, it's like he mashed them up together as mini-photocopies; so amazing! The weather is even the same. Olokorokoro Falls (Wonder if it's the Whaa Falls I used to read about one kilometre from Abairo, but definitely Mundu ma Yi [Whiteman's water]) is approximately 7 metres high with flatter block-shaped rocks reminiscent of Miriadua; I saw a lizard bigger plus longer than my arm below the elbow jump into the vegetation growing on the left of the rocks. Pond-swimming (What we called dubi in Naguru) is difficult there because of many rocks at the bottom of the shallow pool. Germans visit Olokorokoro a lot. A distance from this area, Mike Elkins built his beautiful home. There is also a camping site and cottages as though it's the Rwenzori Mountains; just splendid! Mike supplies orphans and disabled people in Vurra, Madi and Terego plus South Sudan with medicine, tuition, food and accommodation (3-roomed iron-roof houses for those with families and grass-thatched huts for old beneficiaries). There is a trail near the river linking Olokorokoro to Abairo and its tree canopy reminds me of Nabinonya Beach in Kisubi (Buganda). Only GOD could have assembled these Oluko rocks together, not Nephilim giants; HIS name be praised forever!
 |
| Visitors enjoying Abairo Falls... |
Downstream, Abairo Falls which is about 16 metres high (according to Acile though I calculated close to only 10 from waterdrop through step to pool surface) has a bigger, more swimmable pool with sandy bottom even if rocks with various shapes surround it. The steps leading you safely to the base have about five zigzag bends. When you reach down, you will appreciate the majesty of the giant rock on the other side towering above you higher than a double-decker bus or big-wheeled Caterpillar truck used for carrying rocks in a quarry. The place is open all-week, but most people visit on Sundays; Somalis hold parties on Saturdays. Visitors come for picnics, birthday parties, tours (In 2024, around five schools came), etc. The area is quite cold in the morning. Do not get close to the cliff! Acile started digging up the side in 2007; ten years later, the place was used as a tourist attraction. A Whiteman saw the waterfalls while flying over Arua and bought land near Abairo Falls from Acile. Security is not yet enough for sleeping at the venue, but if people come with their own lights and watchers, they may stay for the night. The river flows all year long, but during the rainy seasons, the water gushes farther than expected and covers the swimming area. City Government plans to build a reservoir and generate hydro-power. Acile has eight children (three boys including Jacob Yuma and five girls including Delilah Agazu). Animals you might spot here are: eto [Translated from Lugbara: rabbits], ndiria [small bush animals resembling goats], etc. Birds include kolikolia [black and white birds], ope [wild guineafowls with dark feathers], a'bulo (very many and feed on ori ifi [seeds], anya [millet]), nderaperio (with yellow beaks), small blue and brown birds, yudu (all-red birds), vultures which only eat meat, okoloa (which build big houses and suck tree sap), ohelu [crested cranes] fly in large numbers from Ajai Game Reserve in Madiland to Congo during August (the 8th month) when groundnuts are gathered (They do not like the dry season), kapio (many in Arivu - down South), etc. Acile wants an itinerary calendar scheduled for visits. River Asa comes from Ragem Catholic Church, grows bigger in Onzivu, Muni, Bangiriyo, Ambeko and then reaches Wandi - similar in name to the trading centre in Terego because people who settled near the waterfalls came from Terego. Lugbara would gather to dig and mushrooms cooked in ala [groundnut paste] was their payment: You dip the mushroom in soup and give to another person. Someone dipped and swallowed causing a conflict; he's the one who left Terego and settled in Oyufi Village, Wandi Ward. MUNGU awa drileba ndundu [GOD has distributed blessings differently]. Acile was a District Engineer at Arua District Local Government, then got sent to Soroti where they bathed for 200 Ugandan Shillings at a waterplace that reminded him of his own at home. When he returned, he worked on it. Acile wishes musicians film their videos at his site. Candia the Orphan (Lugbara film) actually has footage from Abairo Falls.
Aniako adreni ayiko ku [Ignorance is not bliss]! I cannot believe I lived in Arua since Y2K, read about Abairo Falls and even moved around Oluko and Ambeko many times, but never stepped foot at the iconic Oluko Falls for over two decades simply because I imagined it was too small to tickle my fancy; the final discovery was awe-inspiring: Whenever life pushes you down, get back up! Sometimes, the Abairo pool is so clear that you can see the riverbed. On Friday morning, I hardened my mind (No sleep until I finished posting, felt strong like Samson the Nazirite of GOD) and created a Wikipedia article for Abairo Falls; didn't even find Miriadua nor Olewa, Agoi, Ngbungbu, Dabaraca in Koboko, etc there. Arua is indeed sweet and excellent; no matter the size, small or medium!
(CC) Angu Neza [Sightseeing] by Aiko
![Elekitoro Komisoni Ongu [EC Race] 2021](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAo2xbJR5ARnWe_U1As57tS-D9aSdj6KR1hY01W8yFB1zNRGcVVQy9lDHv6mZFOBYCWrohl9bjA538bXyUrERcUNs9HVPvuR1_-jXCuI-npTMsKM4SxPul3mEZG8NDky0RotfGX5XqawQ/)
