Uganda, Africa is such an amazingly beautiful country with very warm, delightful people. Our recent visit there, was absolutely wonderful with great adventures every day. The folks there were so incredibly happy to see us as they'd really not had any tourists visiting since the country and the world was shut down last March. Africa so badly needs the tourist business both for the survival of the people and their lovely animals.
Our journey started in Entebbe initially just for one night, before the real adventure was to begin. We had a lovely get together party at the Boutique No. 5 Hotel with our like-minded fellow Travel Advisors. We were all very excited to know the journey was about to begin! I've included a pic of just a few of us.
Our first real adventure day took us to a rhino sanctuary called Rhino Fund Uganda where they’re working passionately to bring them back to Uganda. Sadly, they became extinct there in 1983 due to poaching. They started with a total of 6 rhinos with 4 from Kenya and 2 from the U.S.'s very own Disney Animal Kingdom. They now have 32 of them through their valiant efforts. It’s so wonderful to see their commitment at Rhino Fund Uganda. After our visit, we had a lovely BBQ lunch at Amuka Lodge next door.
In Murchison Falls, we not only had the pleasure of doing 3 safaris but also had a lovely, fun boat cruise on the Nile River to see the Falls.
On the safaris we saw a lot of animals including a ton of giraffe, many different kinds of antelope including Jackson Hartebeest, Uganda Kob, Oribi, bushbuck, and Waterbuck, lots of baboons, water buffalo, elephants, Patas monkeys, warthogs, hippos, birds and finally a few big cats namely, leopards and lions.
Fortunately, we didn’t miss out on the very important tradition of “Sundowners” that involved our choice of cocktails alongside the Nile River at sunset in the middle of our game drive.
Our Nile River cruise allowed us to see more hippos, crocodiles, and heaps of birds. The Falls were spectacular as the water squeezes between a narrow gap as it flows from one section to the next. It was a very smooth ride and also included gin and various mixes, beer, wine and snacks. So many great belly laugh moments of fun to go with the fabulous scenery.
Overall the landscape in Murchison Falls National Park was spectacular with the Nile River as its’ backdrop. It was well worth visiting in spite of not being able to stay at our original lodging on the river's edge. Unfortunately, the place was flooded from the extraordinary rainfall they've had this year. They've hadn't experienced this much rain since 1964!
Part 2 will be continued next week, when we continue on our charter flight to Kibale Forest to visit with the Chimpanzees...