Being a tourist

Some people think my time in Uganda is just one endless safari.  This is not so!  But that notwithstanding we – Steve, my sister Lyn, cousin Ian and I – have just had a rather good tour travelling north, east and south-west to see more of Uganda than most Ugandans have seen.

Where we went

This little map shows our peregrinations over 2 weeks starting with my schools, then Mabamba swamp, Karamoja region and Kidepo Valley NP, Sipi Falls, Lake Mburo NP and finishing at Kipling Lodge near Jinja.

We don’t have space at our little house for both Lyn and Ian – only one spare bed – so they stayed at Danma Gardens, a local guesthouse and restaurant that we frequent.  It is not The Hilton but it is an African experience.

The trip to Mabamba Swamp is not a long one and I always enjoy a couple of hours in the narrow wooden fishing boat tooling around in the papyrus looking for Shoebill and Papyrus Gonolek – both of which we found with the help of Vincent, a local bird guide.  Many of the usual birds were absent (off somewhere breeding Steve said) but it was a pleasant morning.

Shoebill

The trip to Kidepo Valley NP, in a hired car with driver, took us over the Nile at Karuma  Falls and through Gulu and (overnight at) Kitgum to the South Sudan border.  All through the Karamoja region there are refugees from the fighting and hunger in South Sudan.  They are building temporary dwellings and planting crops.  They get some support from UNHCR but are just getting on with life.  We saw many children with nothing but a Maasai blanket for clothes.  Oxen are used for ploughing and it was in full swing with the good rain.  This has to be the poorest region we have seen.  It is a “Do not travel” area, as far as DFAT are concerned, but with so many army personnel plus the UN up there it is really quite safe.  Acts of terrorism and banditry are rare and we did not feel threatened or unwelcome.

Karuma Falls

Emergency housing

We plough the fields and scatter

Kidepo Valley NP was splendid.  We saw lions and giraffes but no leopards or elephants even though we were told they were there.  Lots of good birds of course!  The Abyssinian Ground Hornbills were as common as chooks.  We did a walking safari with armed guard Simon.  There was one slightly tense moment until he said (in actually quite a relieved voice) “it’s a lion coloured rock”.

Walking safari with Simon from UWA

Abyssinian Ground Hornbill

Rock Hyrax or Dassie

 Black Crake

Close up!

Kanataruk Hot Springs

The trip to the far north of the park took us to the South Sudan border where there was an army encampment as well as interesting hot springs.  We saw ostriches and one Secretary bird.  Ian managed to photograph it even though he didn’t actually ‘see’ it (in the background behind the ostrich) so has the moral dilemma over whether to claim the sighting!  Nga Moru Lodge was a very nice place to stay.  The down side is that when you hire a driver in east Africa you get an East African driver and that is not always an experience you want!

Landscape near Abim

We came back through central Uganda and a rock-strewn landscape then to Lira where we had a wait while the van was mended.  That meant we arrived in the dark and could hear the falls but didn’t see them until we opened our curtains the next morning.  Lyn, Ian and I did the walking tour up to the falls and Ian was pleased to see several chameleons as we walked through the coffee plantations.

Sipi Falls Number 2

We picked up a self-drive hire car (a Land Cruiser) for the second week.  Our RAV is small and has been a bit unreliable.  We had three nights at Rwakobo Rock and two days in Lake Mburo NP.  It was a bit spoiled by the rain and we had a couple of bogging incidents necessitating use of four-wheel drive.  We saw the small family of giraffes that have been moved to Lake Mburo from Murchison Falls NP to control the acacia but again dipped on leopards!  Lake Mburo NP has very many antelope of all sizes and colours, which generally cooperate for photos.  The boat trip was fun too with good views of crocodiles, hippos and the rare African Finfoot.  I insisted on the tourist pic at the Equator.

Water Buck

Rothschild's Giraffe

Rednecked Spurfowl family

A stripe of zebra

Malachite Kingfisher

I'm looking at you

I insisted!

Our last two nights with Lyn and Ian were at my favourite lodge, the Kipling, on the Nile near Jinja.  We did the boat trip to the falls – motor-boat this time as the current is so strong with the rain.  We ate delicious, beautifully presented food and drank excellent wine.

On the Nile

We relaxed and swam in the pool and I prepared myself mentally for the next two weeks, which will be full on, jam packed, professional development time for my teachers!

Thanks Lyn and Ian for coming to see us – we don’t get many visitors!