This is our backyard...

Ok, so backyard is a bit of a stretch.  One of the bonuses of Nikhil’s visit is that it gave us a little push to get out on weekends and enjoy what Uganda has to offer. After our weekend away in Jinja, Nikhil headed down south to check out the gorillas.   After his return, the two of us jumped into ‘Zuki and headed up to Masindi and Murchison Falls National Park.  After five hours and a couple wrong turns (we ended up on a 45 km stretch of horrible potholed road rather than fresh tarmac) we ended up at the park. 

We were instantly met by baboons, warthogs and birds.  These animals were literally on our doorstep, porches and tables.  The attraction of this national park is Murchison Falls which is the end of the Victoria Nile and the beginning of the White Nile, heading up through Sudan to Egypt, and the game drives.  

The waterfall is spectacular 100-foot drop.  Most impressive is the power of the Nile powering through a 20-foot gap. This area is ecologically important as it is one of the last homes of the enormous Nile Perch (I definitely need to get back up here for a fishing trip).  It is also home to many Nile crocs, hippos, elephants, waterbucks and hundreds of birds.

Our adventure in search of game started early with a 7am ferry across the river.  On the way we picked up Jimmy, our guide for the game drive.  Having not been on a game drive before, I have nothing to compare to.  However, the game driving up here is truly wild.  Not only do you drive your own car (the guide is in the back to help you spot animals), but you also get to go looking for the animals anywhere in the park.  

We set off on our drive and were interrupted by a traffic jam of antelope on our road.  We soon had seen so many antelopes that we no longer stopped to have a look at them.  We must have seen hundreds of them in the first 20 minutes.  We continued to drive and saw herds of giraffes, buffaloes and kob.  After about an hour, Jimmy asked us what we wanted to see.  Not knowing what to answer, we told him to take us to all of the best stuff.

Jimmy promptly decided that we should then take a sharp right and drive to find the lions.  I stopped the car to make sure I heard correctly.  There was in fact no road to the right and the savannah was covered with trees and shrubs.  Jimmy told us not to worry and that if we wanted to see a lion, that is where they were.  On we drove on, we couldn’t find anything.  Then, Jimmy asked me to drive towards the pile of dirt about 100m away to see what it was.  It turned out to be a giant male who had just finished breakfast!!!  Then to our left, we noticed two more females.  We had hit the jackpot! We stayed in amazement for more than 30 minutes, just staring at these giant beasts.  We were even lucky enough to see three cubs with females.  It was absolutely amazing how close we were to these wild animals and how few other people would be see them today.

After our time with the lions, we drove on and saw hundreds more animals including schools of hippos and elephants watering themselves by the river.  We even got to see the incredibly rare Shoebill Stork (apparently people travel to Uganda just to see them… and other than this time, hardly ever seen in pairs).   

After the fabulous game drive, we jumped on a boat for a four-hour cruise up to the mouth of the falls.  The trip was a wonderfully relaxing way to enjoy the Nile, see the animals and birds and have a knowledgably guides teach you about the ecosystem.  

 By the end of our trip, hippos, antelope and warthogs had become the norm.  We hardly even stopped for many animals.  It is amazing that this is hear and so untapped.  I can’t wait to come back and see what else hiding up hear.

I haven’t been able to put all of my photos on the blog.  If you want to see the rest of my photos, they are available here http://picasaweb.google.com/114379842904288416190/MurchisonFallsAug2010?feat=directlink.