Uganda

Beautiful, adventure galore, gorillas, chimpanzees, lakes, wonderful, kind people and so much more.

I don’t know, I will probably do 2-3 posts for Uganda, I can’t say enough – I asked for adventure and I got it in spades! I first have to have a shout out to my fantastic guide, Emma, who works for Devine African Safaris. All I had to do was ask for something and he was not only a gentleman, great driver, but he delivered the sightings and when I could barely make it up the mountain during the Gorilla trek in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest – he was at the top cheering me on. More on gorillas and chimps soon though.

Having a blast with Emma, I call him Colorado Cowboy

As we started driving from Entebbe, Uganda, and we got out of the city, the beauty of Uganda was all around us. I must say, traveling as a single woman I was a bit nervous hoping someone will be on the other end to pick me up and Devine African Safaris went above what I expected. They had a nice gentleman meet me as I got off the plane and walk me through customs and introduce me to Emma, and that is where the journey began.

As we went out to get in the truck, it was a day that all the local schools got to have a tour of the airport. I love that most of the schools have a uniform and it depends on the school.

The school children were especially engaging and happy to see a friendly face who loves to wave so I got so many hi fives and smiles – it began the trip perfectly.

I was blown away at how lush the National Parks were and throughout our trip. Starting from the beginning of this eight day adventure, we began in Murchison Falls, which to me is one of the most spectacular & powerful waterfalls I have ever seen. We went to the top to feel the power & experience the mist and after we went below and got on a boat to take us to the mouth of the falls.

And the journey begins…

Listen to the power of the water. Murchison Falls National Park, also known as Kabalega Falls, is a waterfall at the top of Lake Albert on the Victoria Nile in Uganda. It is known as the most powerful waterfall in the world. The pressure is so great that the ground trembles around it. It is also where the longest river in the world, the Nile, squeezes through a 7-meter gap and then drops down 45 meters. The park was first discovered and open for tourists in 1927 and today is the largest park in Uganda.

Besides the incredible falls, the park is home to more than 73 animal species and 451 bird species. (now that is an estimate). The park also boasts that it has 3/4 of the world’s population of Rothschild giraffes. We explored it all and the scenery, the lush vegetation and the amount of wild animal sightings made for a spectacular safari.

The highlight for me was to see a lion in the tree. Usually on safari you see them either hunting, lying in the grass or loving on each other, but the next few pictures are some of my favorite sightings from this trip – a mother and her cub. Enjoy…

As mentioned, the amount of wildlife and very few tourists, makes this a great destination for any person looking for a wild adventure.

These are Cape buffalo, not Water buffalo. Cape buffalo you can not domesticate, and they are from Africa, Water buffalo you can use on farms, and can domesticate, from Asia. When traveling the cattle egret loves to follow because these animals kick up many insects for them to eat.

Cape buffalos are extremely dangerous if provoked. They can run up to 40 mph and jump up to 6 feet vertically and quickly pivot to combat predators.

One of the birds that I like to photograph is in the Hornbill family – actually I enjoy all the variety of Hornbills and below is one that is called an Abyssinian ground hornbill, and we came across 2 of them – what luck!

As you can see, Murchison Falls National Park is spectacular! I never expected this kind of beauty.

I always have a photo wish list and one of the sightings that I would love to see are Cape buffalos wallowing in the mud. They do this to cool down but most importantly to cover themselves with mud which will suffocate any ticks or other bugs