In June I was asked to take a few summer visitors on safari to Murchison Falls National Park. Anna C. was a guest of Jonathan & Lisa Mayo, and Anna L. is a summer Volunteer coming from Asbury University, I was very happy to drive them. Here are a few photos from that journey/adventure.
Above: We took a boat ride up the Nile River to Murchison Falls, seeing a variety of wildlife along the way. Most folks look for the hippos and crocodiles in the water and along the shore. We also happened to see some shy (far away and leaving) elephants, some kob (Uganda-specific impala), warthogs, waterbuck, and a variety of birds along the river's edge.
The entire Nile crashes through this 6 meter gap in the rocks, part of the Rift Valley escarpment. When parts of the water are sometimes 1/2 mile or even more across, to understand the force of the water is pretty hard to grasp. They say the water plunges 140 ft. below the surface, having dug out a deep hole after centuries of the water's plunging into this spot. Pretty amazing. Nobody on the water is allowed past a certain rocky outcrop, about 150 yards away from the actual falls. The foam on the top of the water is made because of the falls' force.
The view from our lodge (www.murchisonriverlodge.com) overlooking the Nile.
The second day, we went on an early morning game drive after crossing the River on a ferry. Our Uganda Wildlife Authority guide, George, is required to carry a gun with him in case of emergencies. It was not a thrill when he jumped out of the car at one point while he tried to see if there were any lions. He left the gun facing Anna. The gun wasn't to make US behave, but the lions or other beasts! Abandoning it while also pointing it toward her/us was not awe-inspiring!
But George was successful for us; he found us a lioness and she was beautiful. There are about 140 lions in the park, but they're pretty elusive, so this sighting was exceptional.
During Idi Amin's rule here, so many of the lions, elephants, etc. had been hunted, nearly to wiping them out within that park area. To have 140 bred in the wild in 35 years is actually quite good. The elephant population is also growing, along with all the other wildlife. It'll be interesting to see it all in the next 10 or so years; how the park will grow in animals and tourism.
One of my favorite birds here are also Uganda's official bird; The Crested Crane. To see 32 in one location was pretty amazing!
Below: waterbuck
Above & Below: Uganda Kob. They are different from regular impala because they have black forelocks and back/hind quarters.
Below: a Jackson's Hartebeest. Gorgeous skin; not so pretty faces.
Below left: George posing with Anna L., Anna C. and me along the Nile at the end of the day.
Right: This is the safari tent I stayed in. It was on a cliff along the River, and at night yes, we could hear hippos outside munching on grasses. I mean- so close I thought they were next to my head!
Leaving the park, we saw elephants just one more time. Lovely!
And on the way home, we went the Karuma Falls route (north then east and finally south around the park). These are the falls. Beautiful! Yes, this is still the Nile.
When we went to go back to the car, we'd been surrounded by a troop or pack or family or whatever of baboons. I'm not the biggest fan of these beasts. But thankfully they kept their distance. They can be pretty aggressive if you didn't know.
