Our parents were in Africa for the first time in their lives and we hoped we could show them why we’d chosen to move here. People generally find it difficult to view huge swathes of this continent in a good light but underneath the negative news headlines there’s loads of great stuff. You often hear people referring to the Idi Amin days and yes, that was a horrific time in recent Ugandan history. However, things have moved on and today this land-locked, beautiful part of East Africa is a safe, secure and friendly place to visit.
Masindi
Accommodation: Masindi Hotel
Activities: Celebrating Steve’s birthday
On getting home from work on the Friday it was a quick shower and jump in the van. We’d decided the best bet was to hire a van and driver for the week and it worked out perfectly. Not only was there ample space for 5 adults and luggage to travel comfortably but the van had a pop-up roof. This negated the need to hire a safari vehicle while we were out and about and we had plenty of wildlife viewing lined up. The best bit of all was our wonderful driver, Peter; he knew all the places we were visiting, was a careful, considerate driver and turned out to be a good safari guide too.
Unfortunately we didn’t get to enjoy Uganda’s oldest hotel for long enough as we simply used is as an overnight stop on our way to Murchison. The places oozes colonial charm with lovely comfortable rooms and it turned out to be just the spot to celebrate Steve’s birthday, my Mum’s arrival and the start of our trip.
Murchison National Park
Accommodation: Sambiya River Lodge
Activities: Boat cruise & Game drive
Steve and I opted for the cheaper accommodation as it saved us a considerable sum per night but the bandas were very over-priced for what they were. The place also let us down when it came to service and the food was well below standard for what they were charging. Yes, we know these places are remote but they just weren’t getting things right there. It was a shame as the cottages our parents stayed in were lovely plus the lodge itself is in a cracking setting and we’d love to have more positive things to say. We weren’t going to let it spoil thing.
Steve and I had been once before but that had been 5 years ago and as we know things change or your memory plays tricks. Not in this case and Murchison NP lived up to all expectations. You actually have to drive quite a long way through the park having paid entrance fees and although there isn’t a plethora of animals here it’s worth keeping a look-out. Along the track to the lodge we saw 4 different species of monkey and a whole host of bird life. The highlight was watching a kingfisher perched on a branch with a snake clamped in its beak bashing the living daylights out of it. Now we’ve seen kingfishers by the thousands but we’ve never seen one partial to a bit of Sidney.
On checking into the lodge we had time to explore and enjoy the wonderful grounds where you need to watch every step for fear of standing on a lizard. As I said the place has plenty to offer but it could and should be fantastic. Sitting in the grounds beyond the restaurant is a great spot for viewing bird and monkey life. Apparently when the area is a bit wetter the natural pool attracts many different animals but it was bone dry when we were there.
Before long it was time to head off deeper into the park and catch a boat up the river. This proved to be a big hit all round and we saw birds by the score, some rather large crocodiles, plenty of hippos and loads of elephants. As you’re enjoying all of that you almost forget that there is a non-wildlife viewing treat to the trip – Murchison Falls. The boat manoeuvres into an area as close as possible to the falls for a good view but you’re still quite a distance away. As the wide gently flowing Nile reaches the ledge over which it needs to plummet it is channelled into a very narrow gap. Murchison Falls are by no means the highest or widest in the world but they win the prize for being the most powerful.
The sheer volume of water being forced through such a small space is phenomenal and difficult to truly comprehend. Especially when in a boat at the bottom of the falls but not close enough to appreciate the power of the currents the cascading water generates. The following day we took a trip to the top of the falls where it’s easier to grasp the pure power of nature. Being at the top of the falls also affords great views down the river and into the national park with rainbows dancing over the chasm adding to the splendour.
Before that little side trip we needed to get up in time for a 5.30am breakfast so we could catch the first ferry across the river and embark on a game drive. Now as you know Steve and I have done many a safari but for the parents this was to be their first ever game drive on African soil. We all had something special on our wish list and by the end of the day we’d all ticked them off; even Steve & I who have increasingly unusual or rare animals on our lists. Obviously seeing animals is the ultimate of any game drive but with Murchison there is loads of wonderful scenery to take in too. We noticed that the animals are around in much greater numbers these days and it’s great to see the park’s inhabitants thriving.
We were lucky enough to see a lion very close to the road but unfortunately he didn’t hang around for very long. Never mind we’d all seen him and enjoyed eyeing him up close. The beauty of safari in Uganda is you don’t have to share it with hundreds of other jeeps. That said there were many more tourists than 5 years ago but the money generated is clearly going towards protecting the animals. I know that as soon as Ziwa Wildlife Sanctuary have enough rhinos to start putting them into the wild they hope to use Murchison so they will need to proof they can protect these vulnerable beasts.
Although it’s always good to spot the big cats I think we all agreed that other species provided their own memories. Who could ever tire of looking at the magnificently majestic giraffe? Many of the animals had young with them and the various antelope babies were very cute. Steve & I finally got to see patas monkeys and we all enjoyed the antics of the warthogs. A wonderful day out and following such an early start it was time to go and relax in the lodge reflecting on the day we’d had.
Animals spotted:
Elephant, lion, hippopotamus, Rothschild’s giraffe, Nile crocodile, warthog, buffalo, bushbuck, waterbuck, oribi, Ugandan kob, Jackson’s hartebeest, olive baboon, black and white colobus monkey, blue (Sykes) monkey, vervet monkey, patas monkey & agama lizards.
The bird life is so prolific here that I’m not going to list them every time – there’s one long list of the animals we’ve spotted and positively identified at the end. Believe me, we’ve seen plenty more but have no idea what they are – the usual story!
Lake Albert
Accommodation: Lake Albert Lodge
Activities: Relaxing following early starts and a long travel day
We exited Murchison National Park via a different gate and of course along the way saw plenty more animals though no lions, giraffes or elephants. The route to Lake Albert was very quiet and the parents loved watching the world going by and witnessing how rural Ugandans live. The road was nowhere near as rough as we thought it would be and in fact as we approached Hoima we found tarmac. Now we had intended to break the journey in Hoima for a spot of lunch but the new road negated the need to go through town.
All was going way too smoothly and then we had to leave the lovely smooth, utterly empty tarmac road for a detour. Peter had been in this area before so he wasn’t unduly worried, however the lack of signs at junctions led us to take a wrong turn. Fortunately it wasn’t a major problem and we were soon back on the road. Correction: travelling through a building site. This massive project obviously has something to do with oil in the region and it will undoubtedly benefit the local communities. In the meantime it’s cutting through a national park area and much of the wildlife has been scarred off. As we were leaving the following day they had the cheek to try and charge us the entrance fee – not until it resembles a peaceful, wildlife area again we won’t!
We slalomed our way through the machinery and Peter finally spotted the track he was looking for. In next to no time we were pulling up outside the lodge. Now this was a real treat for us expenditure wise but boy was it worth it. We all had huge, very nicely appointed luxury tents perched upon a cliff over-looking Lake Albert. They’re billed as tents but in reality it’s only the side window areas that are canvas. Unfortunately at this time of year conditions tend to be rather hazy so we couldn’t see over the water to spy on DR Congo.
Other than a 2hr wait for an uninspiring lunch (but then to be fair they hadn’t been expecting us as we’d only asked for half board) the food and service was very good. If we’d known about the construction work I don’t think we’d have bothered taking such a round-about route but we’d hoped to do a night drive. The staff were happy to arrange it but pointed out that with the animals having been scarred away and all the grass burning having taken place they didn’t think we’d see much. In the end we all decided to simply relax and enjoy the lodge and its surrounding area. On pottering around we saw abundant of bird life and before setting off the next morning Steve and I went for a bit of a longer walk. As you can see from the list below not all the creatures have run away.
Animals spotted:
Ugandan kob, warthog, bushbuck, waterbuck, cape hare, olive baboon, black and white colobus monkey, vervet monkey, oribi & a small mouse!
Fort Portal
Accommodation: Duchess
Activities: Botanical Gardens, Retail therapy, Primate spotting & Wetlands walk
Following a leisurely breakfast we set off for the 4 ½ hour drive to Fort Portal where the bulk of the journey was very dusty. However, once again we passed through interesting rural Africa but all of us admitted to enjoying the last 50kms on tarmac. Steve and I had stayed in Duchess previously and it is run just as well as ever. It’s an absolute steel at $50 a night B&B with friendly, chatty staff, wonderful rooms and a fabulous restaurant. Now this is a place that deserves to be fully booked all the time as they’re doing things just right. With not quite enough time left in the day for a full activity it was a case of ‘each to their own’.
That left us with quite a lot to squeeze in the following day and although we did do everything it didn’t feel like a hectic schedule. Peter dropped Steve, Glenne and Brian at the Mountains of the Moon colonial hotel while Mum & I popped to the Botanical Gardens. Now this isn’t quite what you’d expect as it covers quite a small area and is basically a glorified nursery. We actually got dropped off at the back door (as that was where Steve and I had seen the sign) but in fact we’d been within a couple of hundred meters of the front door when dropping off the others! Anyway we clambered over building materials to pay our entrance fee of USh10 000 a head and were introduced to our guide.
It seems that wandering around on your own isn’t the done thing and to be honest we were glad we had a guide as he was very informative. Not just about the plants and their herbal and medicinal properties but about the ethos of the gardens and where they hope to go in the future. To be honest I thought we’d be in and out within about quarter of an hour but it took a good hour and we enjoyed it.
On picking up the others we drove back to town and to The Gardens Restaurant for lunch and some promised retail therapy. Glenne and Brian will track down a shop from 500 paces but we’d promised them this one offered good stuff at much better prices than Kampala. By the time our butties had been made we all had a bag full of goodies and I have to say the food was much better than the last time we visited.
Fully replete it was time to embark on the main activity of the day – a trip out to Kibale National Park. For those of you who regularly read our ramblings you may remember that the road cuts through the park so you can go monkey spotting without having to pay the entrance fee. Luckily for us none of the parents felt they were up to scrabbling through the forest looking for chimpanzees and parting with $150 a head for the privilege.
We were all scanning the trees on either side but I for one (following our last visit) was disappointed at the lack of monkey moments. Further down the road I spotted 4 rather large dark, primate shapes up a tree and yelled for Peter to stop. I didn’t dare hope that they could be chimpanzees but they were indeed and everyone got to see them before they slunk off into more dense foliage. It certainly explained why the monkeys weren’t around, especially the red colobus, as they are a favourite chimp snack. It’s astounding to think how lucky we were to spot them whilst just driving along and indeed everyone we spoke to found it hard to believe. A highlight that couldn’t be beaten, at a total saving of $750, and we still had another activity to do.
Bigodi Wetlands Swamp is a very small, locally run reserve but well worth visiting. We knew my Mum would be interested and would push herself to make it all the way round but we weren’t sure who else would be joining us. In the end we all went and we were impressed with the parents’ have a go approach / attitude. The walk isn’t very strenuous and with loads of natural break to look at bird and monkey life it’s easy for everyone to catch their breath. We may not have seen very many monkeys along the road but we certainly found them here in particular the red colobus.
We all agreed that we’d had a fantastic, busy but not hectic day and celebrated that evening with a couple of beverages and a cracking meal.
Animals spotted (Kibale):
Chimpanzee, black and white colobus monkey, red colobus monkey, red tailed monkey, olive baboon, striped ground squirrel, agama lizard & chameleon.
Queen Elizabeth National Park
Accommodation: Simba Camp
Activities: Coffee breaks, Posh Lunch, Game drives & launch cruise
We awoke to find the entire area was experiencing a power cut – it didn’t affect us at the guesthouse as they had a generator. However, it proved difficult filling up with petrol before setting off on the next leg of our journey. We were all sorted and on our way by 9.30am even though today wasn’t going to be a long travel day.
The first stop was in the Crater Lake area where we popped into Ndali Lodge for a brew. This is a superb lodge build as a tea planters bungalow many years ago and has since had individual rooms added around the grounds. The main building sits upon a crater lake affording magnificent views and a wonderful place to while away an hour or so. Unfortunately we didn’t have the luxury of that much time but enjoyed our interlude. I wonder if Steve & I will ever just say ‘hang it all’, pay the man and go and stay – oh how we’d love to.
We’d warned the parents that Simba Camp was basic and until seeing the rooms our worry was that it was going to be too much like roughing it. In fact, although the rooms don’t have any mod cons, the beds are very comfortable, everywhere, is spotlessly clean, the rooms are sprayed every night against mossies and each room had its own balcony. Luxury it isn’t but comfortable and decent value for money it is. The only negative thing to talk about is Oscar – the manager. How on earth such a dull, glum, anti-social person ended up working in the tourist service industry is a complete mystery. We quizzed Peter about it as it was apparent he knew the fellow – it turns out he really is as miserable as we witnessed and has a history of being asked to leave places! Anyway, enough gossiping, we have safaris to talk about.
We’d hoped to split the activities over the remainder of the day we arrived and the following day but unfortunately the boat timings didn’t work out for us. That left us with an afternoon at leisure and a full day’s programme to look forward to.
It also meant another early start if we hoped to spot samba which we duly did but unfortunately not a close sighting this time. However, we definitely saw 2, if not 3, lions that morning but other than that just kob galore and very little else. Steve and I had expected that to be the case and could only hope we’d see more game in the afternoon. As we drove along the track towards Mweya Lodge for our posh lunch a greater variety of animals put in an appearance. A little further down the track we were treated to what turned out to be the day’s highlight – we were prevented from continuing due to a herd of elephants on the road and on both sides. We sat for quite some time enjoying watching a herd of up to 50 pachyderms, including some tiny babies, browsing, plodding along and generally just being elephants.
This area of the park is much more densely vegetated making it more picturesque but the beauty of this track is you’re basically driving along a huge bund with lake on either side. It really is stunning and you can imagine the lodge is yet another of those perched in a cracking spot. Lunch sitting on their veranda area was as special as Steve and I remembered it to be – yes it’s a treat but compared to British prices its excellent value. Or so the parents told us but we wouldn’t know as we’re very out of touch with UK living expenses! Stuffed again and still an activity to look forward to.
The launch on the Kazinghe Channel is a must should you ever be lucky enough to find yourself in Queen Elizabeth National Park. Once more hippos regaled us with their antics and grunts and there were loads of buffalo taking a cooling dip. At one point a male hippo who’d been out checking his territory returned to the water to be gleefully greeted by the youngest members of the family. A touching wildlife moment. We saw loads and loads of birds, quite a few crocs and finally spied a couple of monitor lizards – they are much more elusive than their Asian cousins. Elephants came out to play by the score too and we reckon that by the end of the day we’d seen upwards of 80 elephants – fantastic news when you consider they were almost wiped out as recently ago as the 1970’s. Another long, action packed day but once again everyone happy and satisfied.
Animals spotted:
Elephants (around 80), lion, buffalo, Ugandan kob, waterbuck, bushbuck, banded mongoose, olive baboon, Nile crocodile, Nile water monitor, hippopotamus & warthog.
Lake Mburo National Park
Accommodation: Rwakobo Rock
Activities: Game viewing & Boat ride
There’s little surprise that Rwakobo Rock was voted as the best place we stayed in; superb rooms, attentive, friendly service, excellent food and fabulous views over-looking Lake Mburo National Park. The only downside for Steve & I was we went for the cheaper tent option and as spacious and comfortable as it was I didn’t like the jungle trek to the open plan (not just open air) facilities. It rained through the night making bathroom trips impossible plus there was no lighting along any of the paths. Now I’m all for saving energy but these days you can get excellent, very efficient solar power lanterns that would have been just the ticket.That said Steve and I are determined to return and next time we’ll be splashing out for a cottage when I’ll be looking for the resident python and hyraxes.
Lake Mburo is a national park that tends to get over-looked as it doesn’t have elephants or lions and we feel this is unjust. Mind you we’re happy to always have the park basically to ourselves whilst on ‘game drive’. This isn’t a safari park in the true sense and just getting down to the lake takes you through the areas where the animals enjoying pottering around. Plus Mburo is the only place in Uganda where you can see zebras and they turned out to be yet another favourite with our families. We also saw many other species of antelope for the first time this trip including a large herd of eland that can be difficult to spot.
Not surprisingly since there’s a lake we had a boat tour on the itinerary! This was the only time we really saw any other tourists in this particular park. I know by now you’re not going to be surprised when I told you we saw lots of hippos. At the beginning of the holiday, way back when in Kampala, we’d given the parents a’ hippo sighting or money back’ guarantee. We knew we were on safe ground! Once again birds flocked and the beauty of being on a small boat is that you can edge closer to them.
Another wonderful day drew to a close with sunset beer perched atop the rock taking in the beauty of Uganda. We’re lucky we can go back pretty much any weekend we fancy and now we know there’s a 50-50 chance of spotting a leopard on a night-drive………………….
We dragged ourselves away the following morning and headed back to Kampala reflecting on all the fabulous things we’d seen, places we’d visited and experiences we’d had. We broke up the journey, as most people do, having a brew and bite to eat on the equator. Glenne and Brian just couldn’t resist a spot more souvenir buying so we had to give them a time limit or we’d never make it back before dark!
Animals spotted:
Striped ground squirrel, impala, dwarf mongoose, zebra, topi, buffalo, warthog, bushbuck, waterbuck, hippopotamus, crocodile, vervet monkey, olive baboon, dik-dik & eland.
Jinja
Accommodation: Source of the Smile & Hotel Nile Anchor Palace
Activities: Wander into town for coffee and retail therapy & Boat ride
Both places we stayed in were excellent with the former being a notch above but unfortunately they were full for our return leg. The sitting and bar area are very comfortable and relaxing and there is a small pool to enjoy. Source of the Smile is excellent value and another of those places that deserves to do well and have a constant stream of guests. For our second trip we had booked to stay at Surgios but at $120 for a basic room it seemed very over-priced especially as it didn’t include a private balcony area. Nile Anchor attracts more locals than tourists but the rooms ($45 per double) are excellent with fridge and balcony – just the thing for us as we’d brought some supplies.
We stayed in two places because we went twice; well Steve and I did but Glenne & Brian and then Joan only had one trip each. We like Jinja a lot as its quiet, tree lined streets makes it a great escape from Kampala and only a couple of hours drive away (depending on traffic of course). Wandering into town to sip and brew and mooch round the shops is a pleasant way to spend an afternoon and that got Steve’s parents vote. The following day we detoured to Bujagali and sat overlooking the river having yet another slap up meal at Nile Porch.
My Mum? She was up for another boat ride so we did the source of the Nile tour. Is has changed slightly since we went 5 years ago as you go further up the river now. It’s always a worry doing something for a second time having thoroughly enjoyed it the first but I think we had an even better experience this time. The bird life was a prolific as ever and the monkeys came out to play plus we spotted another monitor – I’m hoping they’re increasing in number. Being with my Mum we always seem to hit some ultra-good luck when it comes to animals and this time was no exception; a spot-necked otter popped up to say hello. It was only a brief glimpse but it was an otter – my favourite animal.
Neither place we stayed in has a restaurant (but they both provide an included breakfast) so we walked around to 2 Friends a matter of minutes away. This is a guesthouse cum restaurant cum bar and sports watching gaff. We might not have stayed there but we partook in the rest of their facilities and now they have the kitchen fully operational again the food is good. The bar attracts locals and ex-pats making for a good atmosphere and a great place to meet people.
Animals spotted:
Vervet monkey, Nile water monitor & spot-necked otter
Kampala
Accommodation: The Tower, Bukoto / Kabira Country Club
Activities: Eating, Drinking & More retail therapy
We’d organised the family visit to that we’d have one week with Steve’s parents, followed by the week ‘to trip’ as outlined above altogether and then a week with my Mum. There was just one night of over-lap in Kampala so Glenne and Brian stayed in the Kabira Country Club. This is very close to where we live and conveniently next door to one of our favourite restaurants Cayenne; where we rendezvoused for final meal together.
We think the parents were surprised at how many fantastic restaurants and cafes there are in Kampala and we certainly are spoilt for choice. Many places are set in beautiful relaxing gardens and with a pretty much perfect climate eating al-fresco is a must. Tried and tested are; Endiro café, Prunes, Mish Mash, The Lawns, Cassia Lodge and the sports bar Just Kicking. The craft shop Banana boat also proved to be a popular spot and Steve took our visitors to all 3 branches at least twice each over the course of the month!! It wasn’t all plain sailing and they all experienced at least one water or power cut during their stay – but hey – that’s Africa!!
Birds spotted:
African darter, cattle egret, common squacco heron, little egret, intermediate egret, great egret, goliath heron, grey heron, hamerkop, yellow-billed stork, Abdim’s stork, African open-billed stork, marabou stork, sacred ibis, hadada ibis, Egyptian goose, spur-winged goose, white faced whistling duck, black kite, African fish eagle, African harrier hawk, tawny eagle, long-crested eagle, grey kestrel, helmeted guineafowl, African jacana, grey-crowned crane, black-winged stilt, spur-winged lapwing, African skimmer, eastern grey plantain eater, African palm swift, pied kingfisher, grey headed kingfisher, woodland kingfisher, malachite kingfisher, red-throated bee-eater, African grey hornbill, black and white casqued hornbill, Abyssinian ground hornbill, African pied wagtail, common bulbul, black-headed gonalek, piapiac, yellow-billed oxpecker, Ruppel’s long-tailed starling, woolly-necked stork, glossy ibis, red-billed firefinch, red-cheeked cordon-bleu, pied crow, scarlet-chested sunbird, spotted morning thrush, yellow wagtail, Nubian woodpecker, double-toothed barbet, speckled mousebird, blue-naped mousebird, Ross’ turaco, grey parrot, water thick-knee, great blue turaco, robin chat, African blue flycatcher, great white pelican, great cormorant, long-tailed cormorant, striated heron, African spoonbill, common sandpiper, African pygmy kingfisher
