TOURING UGANDA, THE "PEARL OF AFRICA": Guest Post by Owen Floody

Lions in tree in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda.

With many thanks to Owen Floody, a frequent contributor to The Intrepid Tourist. In 1971, Owen and my husband Art participated in a field course in animal behavior in Uganda. The descriptions in Owen's post below bring back many memories of that first trip to Africa.

Rhinos.

This column describes a 12-day June 2025 safari in Uganda that was run by Wilderness Travel and ably led by Robert Sunday, of Classic Africa Safaris.  After one night decompressing in Entebbe, we began the first of several long drives, aiming for Murchison Falls National Park in Uganda’s northwest.  Fortunately, the drive was broken up by an hour at the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary.  There, we had great fun tracking white rhinos on foot.  The high point was a standoff between one male and several females: Dust was raised but we apparently didn’t merit any actual contact.

Murchison Falls.

One of the beauties of Murchison Falls is the variety of activities it offers.  We took two Nile cruises, one to the base of the falls, the other to the Victoria Nile Delta in search of Shoebills.  For balance, we drove to the top of the falls, where we surrendered our barrels and marveled at the volume of water being forced through the tiny opening in the rock.  

Giraffe.

In addition, we went on several game drives, during which we even managed to tear our eyes off the giraffes for long enough to enjoy the many other animals and birds (e.g., Ground Hornbill.)

Ground hornbill.

Of course, experiences of this sort can’t go unpunished, so that we then piled back into the Land Cruiser for the long drive south to the Kibale Forest National Park.  This park is one of the relatively few in East Africa consisting of rainforest rather than savanna.  Naturally, then, it features rainforest creatures, chiefly chimpanzees and other forest primates.  The highlight of our visit was the two hours that we spent alternately crashing through the undergrowth and quietly hanging out with a troop of chimps that seemed to ignore us completely.  Out of the forest, we enjoyed a walking tour of Bigodi village, including visits to a coffee farm, banana-beer brewer, and native-plants herbalist.

Chimpanzee.

Fortified by the coffee, beer, and herbs, we hit the road again for the mercifully short drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park, perhaps Uganda’s best known savanna park.  Accordingly, we sought grassland animals, on our own and along with researchers tracking radio-collared lions and leopards.  

Lioness.

And we came back to the theme of cruises, as we enjoyed a small-boat ride on the Kazinga Channel.  Along with the Nile cruises at Murchison Falls, this is among the best known and most pleasant water experiences in Africa.  The hippos were impressive and the hyena an unexpected treat, but it was the multitude of Pied Kingfishers and other wonderful birds that stole the show.

Pied Kingfishser.

Finally, it was time for our last stop, at the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, near Uganda’s southwestern corner.  Like all other visitors to Bwindi, we were there for up-close-and-personal views of Mountain Gorillas.  We did the smart thing and hedged our bets by scheduling two gorilla treks on separate days.  This was fortunate and speaks to the care with which Wilderness Travel planned this trip.  The first trek was difficult and culminated in limited views.  

Gorilla.

Apparently, no one had told the gorillas of the fans hoping for an audience.  But the word got out overnight and resulted in an easy trek and incredible views the next day.  It is simply amazing how gratifying it is to see these majestic animals so completely at ease and at such close range.  Was it the small plane or gorilla memories that transported us back to Entebbe to begin the long, but satisfying trip home?

GORILLA TREK IN UGANDA: Guest Post by Karen Minkowski

With many thanks to my friend Karen Minkowski, a most intrepid traveler, for sharing her gorilla trek in Bwindi National Park in Uganda with The Intrepid Tourist. 

In 1971 I hiked down the steep slopes of the Impenetrable Forest with a guide and a couple friends in search of gorillas. We reached the bottom of the mountain, where just across a small stream we could hear a group of gorillas hidden behind a large stand of bamboo, quietly moving and vocalizing. At that time the gorillas were not habituated, and we decided not to cross the water and likely scare them away. 

A couple days ago (a short 52 years later!), I returned to this forest, now called Bwindi National Park, to see these amazing creatures on a scheduled trek to a well-habituated gorilla family. It was a difficult hike, though not compared with what other (younger) groups did. I was happy to have hired a porter who carried my heavy pack and frequently offered a helping hand.

Vegetation often obscured the gorillas, and I rarely saw their entire bodies, but I managed to capture a few of their beautiful faces and expressions.

With me on the trek was Arinawe Scodious one of Uganda’s few women tourist guides (but their numbers are increasing). She is caring, fun and super competent – great to travel with and I highly recommend her. You'll find her on FB. I also recommend doing the Gorilla Trek before you have experienced too much of the stiffness and loss of agility that comes with ageing - just makes it easier.

I'd kind of hoped one would approach and touch me as I sat very still, according to the guide's orders, not responding in any way. No such luck!! 

WILDLIFE VIEWING IN UGANDA AND TANZANIA, Part 2, Guest Post by Ann Paul

Hippos in the Kazinga Channel, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda

My friend and fellow children's book writer Ann Whitford Paul recently went with her husband Ron on a trip to Africa, where they did some amazing wildlife viewing in Uganda and Tanzania. Her pictures bring back memories of my own trip to those countries in 1971. Although much has changed since then, the wonder of seeing animals at home in their natural habitat is still the same. Here is a photo tour of some of the highlights of Ann and Ron's trip.

Water Buffalo and Egyptian Geese

Queen Elizabeth Park extends from Lake George in the north-east to Lake Edward in the south-west and includes the Kazinga Channel connecting the two lakes.

Pelican and Water Buffalo

A boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel brought us up close to hippos, water buffalo, and lots of birds.

Malachite Kingfisher

The boat trip relaxed us for what lay ahead . . . Trekking to see the gorillas.  My husband and I both felt we should do this before we were too old.  However, we soon discovered three miles of daily walking up and down Los Angeles hills, did nothing to prepare us for the steep, three hour, straight-up, lush and unpathed trek through the misty mountains of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. 

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

But what an amazing privilege to see gorillas just four or five feet away going eating bamboo...

....and passing by us close enough we could almost touch one.

By the time we hiked back down (over two and a half hours) my knees were screaming with pain.  Fortunately the hotel must have expected it, because part of the cost included a free massage which I’m sure is the only reason I can still stand upright. 

To be continued:

Next post--a jeep safari in Tanzania.

You can find out more about Ann Whitford Paul and her books at www.annwhitfordpaul.com .