Uganda 2024 (Queen Elizabeth NP to Bwindi NP)

JUNE 2024

The plan for the day was for a leisurely start and then a drive through the Queen Elizabeth National Park to our next location at Ishasha in its southern section. We were therefore taking our time, listening to the bird song and enjoying our deck for the last time when we thought we heard the trumpet of an Elephant and it sounded fairly close.
No sooner had we gone back onto the deck than a whole family of Elephants passed through the trees just in front of us. The deck was elevated and although the Elephants were no more than 5 meters in front of us we felt completely safe. In fact, we were now in a perfect position to watch, photograph and film wild African Elephants going about their daily business. We think we counted 20 in all, a large matriarch, several smaller females, a few young adolescent males and some very young babies. They filed past almost in a row, browsing on trees as they went by. The largest at each end with the babies in the middle for protection. We must have watched them for about 30 minutes until they disappeared out of sight. With Elephants in the camp it meant that our movements around it, going to breakfast, bag collection, etc, required the company of an armed guard.

Elephant in the back garden from our lodge deck

Somewhere to rest your truck when there is an elephant traffic jam

Toddler elephant following mum

After all the excitement we ended up leaving camp a bit latter than planed but it was well worth it.
We rejoined the main road through the park and after letting a family of Banded Mongoose cross in front of us, progressed the few kilometres to the southern section turn off. The road was now dirt once more and tree lined. A few Olive Baboons made an appearance by the road side but the main visible wildlife were thousand of butterflies. So many white ones that it looked like it was snowing. But as we looked more closely it was evident that there was quite a variety of species and colours.
Further down the road we encountered small groups of Vervet, Black & White Colobus and Red Colobus monkeys. All feeding on their chosen vegetation.

School children greeting us as we pass

Vervet monkey, mum and baby

Black & White Colobus resting

Black-and-white Colobuses crashed out

But the highlight of this drive for me, was the spotting of a male Leopard in a tree. We had been admiring our first sight of Lake Edward and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the distance, when Innocent stopped the vehicle. He then pointed at a tree in the distance, saying “look there is a Leopard in that tree”. How he saw it with his naked eye whilst driving we will never know. But sure enough he was right. Although without the assistance of binoculars you could barely see it. We waited for a while to see if he would come down, but his only movement was to make himself more comfortable. We therefore carried on to our lodge.

Looking for Lions

Water deliveroo

We were staying at the Enjojo Lodge, which translates to Elephant Lodge, for the night. It was very quiet and we seemed to be almost the only guests. Another comfortable Safari Tent with a shaded deck plus a beautiful dining area with views over a waterhole.

Troup of Olives Baboons

Elephants wanted to cross the road

Those tourists could do with a shower, they need to move so we can cross

No climbing lions, but lots of Kobs

Trees, but no climbing lions

Sun set over the Democratic Republic of Congo in the background

This part of the Queen Elizabeth National Park is famous for its tree climbing lions and that was what we hoped to see on our afternoon game drive. The word around the camps was that your best chance of seeing them was close to the DRC border, so that’s were we went. Three hours of searching however, didn’t produce a single sighting. In fact most wildlife seemed to be pretty elusive this afternoon, except for the ever present Ugandan Kob. We later learnt that no lions had been seen for several weeks and were believed to have crossed the border into the DRC’s Virunga National Park. Disappointed yes, but we had seen them in the northern section, so not too much.

Our next day started with a very informative chat with the restaurant staff, during a leisurely breakfast, providing us with an insight as to how Ugandans view their neighbours (see below).
We now left the Queen Elizabeth National Park and made our way to the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. A short drive through the park got us back on to a main tarred road and a further short drive found us in the small town of Kihihi.
Our first stop was at “Save Wildlife Uganda”, a community project with an important goal. Their aim is to “foster sustainable conservation through active community participation, promoting human-wildlife peaceful coexistence and empowering woman for a better future”. We were met by the centre co-ordinator who explained what they were trying to achieve and showed us around the complex. We were introduced to the ladies weaving and sewing and learnt about the struggles many of them face. Anne even had a go at weaving. We were interested in buying one of their creations so were shown into a small shop connected to the centre. The quality was so good, we bought several items. A very worthwhile stop for anyone who is in the area, they also serve locally grown coffee.

Save Wildlife Uganda Community Center

Local woman learning new skills at the Save Wildlife Uganda shop

Save Wildlife Uganda shop

Our second stop in town was to pick up some provisions for Innocent’s mum. Visits to local shops are always interesting and informative, and this was no exception. A small brick building, about 6m x 3m, stacked from floor to ceiling with everything a local shopper could want. Two engaging shop assistants ensured we had everything we needed. Then our journey continued once more.

General store Kihihi , where you can fin everything (just like at the Samaritaine!)

General store in Kihihi

Kihihi Hight Street

Again it wasn’t long before we left the main tarred road and headed up into the mountains on a dusty dirt road. When the “African Powder” settled, the views were amazing and photographs were required at a number vantage points. Tea and banana plantations filled the valleys below us and as we reached the higher elevations Irish potatoes were the crop of choice. At 2,270 meters we went over the pass and began our decent. Now the crops became more varied, including coffee and sorghum.

Mountain tea plantation

Tea waiting collection

Mountain View

Banana stall

Market day

Pineapple delivery

Bricks ready for sale

Lunch was taken in the small town of Muko, in a delightful place by a river and lake. It was also a privilege to meet Innocents mother and father who dined with us.

Muko lunch stop with Innocent (our guide) and his parents

Local Ugandan Beer

Our guide with his parents and us

Once back on the road, it wasn’t long before we were climbing up into the mountains again. A variety of crops filled the lower slopes, similar to what we had seen earlier in the day, and “African Powder” filled the air each time we passed another vehicle.
What was new though, was the small scale iron ore mining. Most of this activity took place right on the road side, with pick axe and shovel wielding men doing the work. This often created a partial obstruction of the road, especially when a truck was being loaded.

It wasn’t long before we noticed a change in the mountain slopes. They were now covered in thick forest and we knew we were getting closer to Bwindi, our end destination for today. Sure enough, we soon arrived at our accommodation in Rushaga. Rushaga is a small town right on the edge of the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, home to Mountain Gorilla’s, which we were hoping to see the following day.
Our accommodation for the next two nights was a luxurious secluded safari tent with terraced views out over a valley to the thickly forested mountain slopes beyond. Locals cultivated the land in the valley below us whilst birds filled the trees that surrounded us. We even had a resident Augur Buzzard who perched on a branch barely a meter away.

Our safari tent in Rushaga Camp

View from our cabin safari tent in Rushaga Camp

Local farmers carrying crops

Sunbird outside our deck

Just before dinner we were treated to dancing and singing from a local community group. They also brought along some of their craft work, which was available to purchase by any interested guests. We couldn’t resist, and bought a few items. Especially as it helped support that community.

[Photo’s - Community Group dancers]

The next day was another big one for us. We were going into the Bwindi Forest in hope of seeing Mountain Gorilla’s. An early breakfast and short drive to the national park headquarters got us started.
A briefing on how to behave in the forest and around the Gorilla’s, should we find them, was delivered by the park rangers. Entertainment was then provided by local dance group. Which gave the rangers time to allocate guests into tracking groups (see below). Six groups of eight guests were then assembled and each allocated a ranger guide, three trackers and a couple of porters. Those groups had names which corresponded to the habituated Mountain Gorilla troop they would attempt to locate.

Before leaving for Gorilla tracking, ceremonial dance to wish us good luck

The tracking groups then headed off in to the forest, but in different directions. The direction chosen was influenced by the last known location of the troop the group were tracking.
We followed our ranger/guide, Florence, up a steep forest path. With a tracker at the front of the group and two at the rear. Close by us in the middle was Agnes our porter (see below). As the forest path narrowed the trackers and porters also provided a helping hand where needed. Although we didn’t need much help other members of our group welcomed it.
After about 30 minutes and with the forest closing in all around us. We all stop and Florence whispers “there they are” and points down into the gorge below our feet. The initial elation of having found the troop so soon was soon deflated by the thought of how we were going to get down to them. Undeterred we put on our face masks (to protect the Gorilla’s from human diseases) and our gardening gloves (to protect our hands whilst using the foliage to assist our progress). A suitable decent point was identified and we all (now only five of the original seven, as two had turned back) carefully negotiated the steep slope down to where the troop were feeding.
The troop consisted of seventeen members headed by a twenty seven year old silverback. Although we couldn’t see all the troop members from our various vantage points, as we followed them through the forest. We were in the presence of the silverback, several females and young ones of different ages. The silverback, who had fathered seven of the offspring, seemed comfortable having us around. Even when we followed them as they moved through the forest. Most of the time the silverback lounged on the ground feeding on leaves and branches close to hand. Younger ones moved around much more, both on the ground and in the trees around the troop. The very young clung to their mums and barely ventured further than an arms reach away. One of the mothers had a baby that was only 3 month old and climbed a tree in front of us for additional security. Every so often the silverback would give out a deep guttural sound. This provided instructions to the troop as to what he wanted, move on, stay close, etc. Our hour with the troop seemed to fly by and it was then time to get ourselves out of the gorge and back to park headquarters.

A group of tourist entering the forest

Our Porter in Bwindi forest

Silver Back hiding behind a leaf

Checking on his family

Mum with her 3 months old baby going up the tree for security

Thoughts for food

Beautiful silver back gorilla

Mountain Gorilla mum with 7 months old baby

Need to have my nails done

As we walked back to the park headquarters, talk was all about the amazing experience we had just had. Also how privileged we are to have had that experience and how lucky we had been to find the troop so quickly. We even had the bonus of a brief Blue Monkey sighting on our way back.
We paid Agnes for her services and tipped our guide & trackers once we got back to park headquarters. Then were presented with a Gorilla Tracking Certificate to mark the experience.
The pack lunch we, or more accurately Agnes, had carried in and out of the forest was eaten back at our accommodation. Whilst reminiscing about our incredible morning.

The early completion of our Mountain Gorilla tracking meant we had several hours to relax before we embarked on our afternoon activity. More of that in Uganda in Part 4 ….

Personal Observations & Interesting Facts

A Ugandan’s view their neighbours
Although just one persons opinion it was interesting to hear how Ugandans view their neighbours. First of all he confirmed something we had already witnessed: Ugandans are very welcoming, both to short and long term visitors. Because of the location of our conversation, he had most to say about the people from Rwanda and the DRC.
He said Rwandan’s come to Uganda to trade and often stay for longer periods of time. They stay to escape the oppressive laws in their own country. Originally put in place to create stability but now making normal life unnecessarily challenging. Some minor offences carry a prison sentence.
The people from the DRC are particularly nice he said. They are very law abiding and respectful and because of this are welcome to stay. Often they do stay, escaping the troubles that have blighted their own country for so many years.
Tanzanians come to trade. They are very business driven and don’t often stay beyond their trading trip.
Kenyans come on holiday and enjoy walking.
Regarding the South Sudanese, they come to Uganda to escape war and famine. The Ugandan people are generally happy to accommodate refugees on their border provided it is not too detrimental to their own way of life.

Mountain Gorilla Tracking Groups
The maximum number of guests in a Mountain Gorilla Tracking Group is eight. The rangers allocate guests based on their assessment of levels of fitness, taking advice from the tour guides. The fittest groups will track the Gorilla troops expected to be furthest from the park headquarters and the least fittest to those expected to be closest. Age, physique, impediments and tour guide influence play a large part in being allocated to a group. We later found out that my age and Anne’s shoulder issues were a key component to the group we were allocated.

Gorilla tracking porters
Gorilla tracking can take anything up to six hours to complete. Because of this, each guest is advised to take at least one and half litres of water with them, plus a pack lunch and waterproof clothing. This, in addition to camera equipment, works out to be quite a heavy load. When considered that all of this has to be carried through difficult terrain, having the help of a porter makes perfect sense. It also provides a good income for the local people who provide this service.