Queen Elizabeth National Park

Mark, a co-worker of mine from EF in Shenzhen, came to visit me on his way back to the UK. His only request that he see some animals, so I arranged for a tour of Queen Elizabeth National Park through Red Chilli Guesthouse. I had heard good things about their Murchison Falls trips and the price was reasonable for what they offered (especially considering the distance the park is from Kampala). We added on the option for a chimpanzee trek as well. Mark arrived on Monday evening and we spent that night and most of Tuesday afternoon around the hostel relaxing. Tuesday morning we ventured in to Kampala but just had a nice breakfast and didn't do much sightseeing.

  The tour began on Wednesday morning and we found out there would be a total of 5 people plus the driver. It was a great number because we all had plenty of space to move around in the van as well as when we were on safari. It was Mark and I, another Canadian, and two German women and all were very nice. Wednesday was mostly spent driving (it's about 350km) but the view was pretty nice. As we approached Fort Portal there were fields of tea which were quite picturesque. We stopped at a buffet place in Fort Portal (where Mark got to sample traditional Ugandan fare) and we travelled another two hours or so (with an obligatory Equator photo stop) until we crossed the park boundary.

One of the things I love about QENP is that there are still many villages located within it; this means that a lot of the park's land is accessible without a fee. The main road that led to our accommodation was a hotspot for wildlife so every time we left, we were rewarded with a mini safari. As we arrived near the cottages it was getting close to dusk. We all had our eyes peeled on the roadside shrubbery and soon enough we were rewarded by a large male elephant in the bushes to the right. Our driver stopped the car and the elephant looked at us, gave us wide berth, and then crossed the road.

When we arrived at the place we'd be staying, we were very pleasantly surprised! The tour itinerary said that we would be staying at Simba Safari Camp in dorm-style accommodation, but it turns out that the camp was full so Red Chilli shifted us to Kyambura Safari Cottages. What an upgrade! Each pair of us got our own cottage, all of which overlooked a beautiful valley. The cottage Mark and I got actually had three beds and was very spacious. It had a sit down toilet, hot running showers, and comfy chairs on the porch. We certainly were lucky to be able to stay there without an increase in the tour fees. The only downside was the the Cottages were originally built by a tour company who used them as part of an all-inclusive package. This means they were not used to catering to 'pay by piece' customers so when it came time for food orders, the selection was small and the prices were high.

View from the cabin door

Sunset over the valley

Awesome preying mantis I found!

It watched me and followed every direction I went

Thursday morning we woke up early and were on the road as the sun rose. We stopped briefly at the UWA (Uganda Wildlife Authority) to pay our fees for the 'high game' part of the park and set off on our morning safari. The views were breathtaking. Because it was still early morning, the small valleys were cloaked in mist. Part of the park is grassland and the other is dotted with small trees and the sun shining off both was worth the early wake-up. We saw a lot of antelope such as water buck and Ugandan kob, a few warthogs and many species of bird. Our driver knew that we were really after the lions so he kept his eye open but to no avail.

We stopped for a break at a salt lake in the middle of the safari area and returned after to the cottages for lunch. Around 1:00 we set off again, this time entering a different part of the park on our way to for our cruise on the Kazinga Channel. The Channel is 32km long and connects Lake Edward and Lake Albert. Along the way to the wharf, we spotted some more elephants in the brush as well as antelopes and warthogs.

The cruise boat was packed but our guide was really informative and had a keen eye. Most of the animals on offer were birds, hippos, and buffalo, but we were really lucky to see a solo elephant close up, as well as a herd of them where the Channel meets Lake Edward. We also passed by one of the seven fishing villages that inhabit the park, just as the men were heading for the Lake Edward. They fish all night and then return in the morning. Fishing is prohibited in the Channel so they have to paddle out to the lake each day. I was happy to discover that a portion of every park entrance fee is given to the villagers as well.

Which one of these things is not like the others?

The boat ride took a couple hours, which left us a little bit of time before dusk set in. Our driver rushed back to the location of our morning safari in a quest to find us some lions. The sun was setting and the moon had risen when he spotted the flick of a tail in the bushes. I still have no idea how he (or anyone) could spot such a small movement on such a huge plain but I'm really happy he did! It turned out to be 4 lions, 2 youngsters (about a year old), a lioness in the distance, and another female much closer. We were able to get within 10 feet of the female and it was truly spooky as she gazed at us. What a fantastic opportunity! We drove back to the cottages after a fantastic day, leaving behind another gorgeous African sunset.

Another early morning came on Friday (Valentine's Day) and we ate a quick breakfast before heading to Kyambura Gorge. This deep ravine is home to a group of habituated chimps which means you can walk near them without major threat as they are adapted to human presence. However, they are still wild animals and we were cautioned that if a chimp came towards us, it was important to stand our grand; if you flee, the chimp will see you as weak and will attack you. Armed with our cameras and (thankfully) good hiking shoes, we walked for about 20 minutes trying to locate the group. We could hear them, alright, but they were doing a good job of keeping out of sight. We backtracked and crossed a bridge that traverses the small river in the gorge. Shortly up the path was an older male chimpanzee sitting and relaxing. This continued for some time, with us walking back and forth along the trail as the apes moved along. We were extremely lucky because chimps, unlike mountain gorillas, spend most of their time in trees rather than on the ground so sighting can be difficult. Almost all the chimps we saw were sitting or walking on the ground so it was fantastic. I just wish I had a better camera!

The gorge from above

We had been following the chimps back and forth for about 40 minutes and we were all grouped around watching a male who had left the group behind. I was standing near the front of the group, with a small tree in front of me. The chimp got up and started running towards us, but like our guide told us, we all stood our ground. The chimp jumped on to the tree in front of me and climbed up a bit, slapped me on top of the head, jumped back down and returned to his sitting place. It was surreal! It was a good whack but didn't cause any injury or too much pain, it was more of a shock than anything! The best part is that another person on the trek captured the whole thing on video! Needless to say, we took that as a sign that they wanted some peace and we returned to the vehicles.

Apparently their bosses didn't believe that the chimps had actually hit someone so they made sure to get a photo with me

After a rest back at the cottages, we set out once again, this time heading for Katwe Salt Lake. Due to the volcanic activity in the region, there are a number of crater lakes and a high percentage of them have high salinity. Some of these lakes are untouched, while others are being 'mined' for their salt. We took a tour of the Katwe Salt Mines on one of the largest of the lakes. They showed us the different stages of salt production, and also the different types of salt that can be produced for different uses. The lakeshore is divided up into plots, each of which is owned by an individual or family. These shallow plots are used to obtain eating salt and salt licks for animals and are generally mined by women. The lake itself is the men's territory and they use log rafts to collect 'rock salt' from the lake's bottom. There is a conservation initiative happening now and one half of the lake has been put aside 'for future generations' so that it won't be exploited early. In addition, rock salt harvesting is only allowed three days per week. We drove around the entire lake to see the different structures and to watch people working. I never imagined salt could be so interesting!

A crater lake along the way. It's not being mined.

The different colours are due to varying minerals in the lake

Rock salt

Each square is owned and mined by a different family/person

On our way back to the cottages, we took a detour to the Katwe Explosion Crater. We had all expected it to be a short drive to a big hole and that's all, but we ended up driving past countless craters for over two hours. Because most of the grass had been burnt and there was a distinct lack of water, there were not many animals around, but the views were rewarding in themselves.

On Saturday we made the long journey home, this time via Mbarara, and were able to stop along the highway to spot zebras from Lake Mburo National Park. All in all it was a fantastic trip and I would highly recommend it to anyone!

Mark and I with our driver at the Equator on the other side