For my 60th birthday, I gifted myself a trip to Uganda. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, I wasn’t sure that this trip would happen until I was on the plane heading towards Entebbe via Doha. It was predominantly a birding tour, but we also saw so many mammals in the wild and seeing animals in their own habitats, without fences as in zoos, makes saving them from extinction all the more important and pressing.
Here are a few highlights:
Shoebill
Hamerkop
Black-and-White-Casqued Hornbill
African Grey Parrot
Annoyed Chimpanzee
Red-Tailed Monkeys
Verreaux's Eagle-Owls
African Buffalos watching us watching them
Hippo in mud bath flanked by a Hamerkop and a Little Egret
Elephant and more hippos on the Kazinga Channel
Mountain Gorillas
Unlike the chimpanzees, who seemed genuinely annoyed by our presence, the gorillas seemed to ignore us and just kept foraging for food and eating. The babies would watch us once in a while, but didn't try to approach us. To get to the gorillas, we had to hike partway up a steep mountain and trackers used machetes to cut paths into the forest. Our porters held our hands and told us where to step. If we didn’t follow their directions, a foot would go through the vines and dangle in mid-air. It was the hardest hike I have ever done and yet it was only 2 km.
Ankole cattle and even more hippos, Lake Mburo
Not photographed were some rare birds, such as Nahan’s Partridge, Royal Mile in the Budongo Forest, and Grauer’s Broadbill, Mubwindi Swamp.
Being able to get so close to chimpanzees, gorillas, elephants, hippos and more was an incredible experience for me. In Namibia, we had to keep our distance because the animals were not habituated as in Uganda. But Namibia is a large country with few people, whereas Uganda is a small country with many people, so the animals have no choice if they want to survive but to become accustomed to us.
Speaking of experiences, being a tourist in Uganda was interesting in itself. The only other white people we saw were other tourists and because of COVID-19, there are not many tourists in Uganda right now. There may be more white people living in Kampala, but we never went there. Wherever we went, we drew a crowd, mainly children. They did a lot of waving and we waved back because it made them smile. One member of our group said he felt like royalty. Everyone was so nice to us and no one begged for money. Our Ugandan guide said that it was discouraged. Instead, the kids, and some adults, just wanted to practice their English and help us find birds and other animals. One little boy sang 'Happy Birthday' to us. I like to blend in and not stand out as a tourist when I travel, but as a white person with binoculars, being anonymous seemed impossible in Uganda.
Before I close, I want to add a short advertisement here for our Ugandan guides, Livingstone and Hilary of Livingstone African Safaris. The trip was wonderful because of them. They know so much about Ugandan birds and mammals and always seemed to know exactly where to find them. They also gave us invaluable advice, such as hiring porters for gorilla tracking and hiking to Mubwindi Swamp. Both would have been difficult and less enjoyable without porters. Not only did they teach us about Ugandan wildlife, but also a bit about Ugandan history, politics and culture. Without Livingstone and Hilary, I don’t think I would have learned so much about Uganda or experienced it so completely, or at least as completely as possible during this pandemic.
