NORTH BANK
The thing about planning trips in advance, where there is an itinerary, is the military nature of having to set the alarm. This programme got us waking up at 5.45 am today. I had to remind myself that this an adventure holiday, not a military exercise. We were going to do a game drive on the wilder north bank, which is best done either early in the morning or late in afternoon when it is cooler and most animals get active, looking for lunch or being lunch. We needed to make a ferry crossing at 7am. Whilst waiting for its mobilisation we were mesmerised by the calm waters at this time, the slow crimson rise of the sun, the colours bouncing off the marshland, and the early birds whizzing around. Every now and then, the calm waters bubbled, most probably a fish grabbing an unsuspecting skating insect. The first instinct when seeing bubbles it to think of crocodiles but I couldn't spot any. Though not obvious to the naked eye, the river flows fast, noticeable from the various bits of floating vegetation passing by, going downriver.
The thing about planning trips in advance, where there is an itinerary, is the military nature of having to set the alarm. This programme got us waking up at 5.45 am today. I had to remind myself that this an adventure holiday, not a military exercise. We were going to do a game drive on the wilder north bank, which is best done either early in the morning or late in afternoon when it is cooler and most animals get active, looking for lunch or being lunch. We needed to make a ferry crossing at 7am. Whilst waiting for its mobilisation we were mesmerised by the calm waters at this time, the slow crimson rise of the sun, the colours bouncing off the marshland, and the early birds whizzing around. Every now and then, the calm waters bubbled, most probably a fish grabbing an unsuspecting skating insect. The first instinct when seeing bubbles it to think of crocodiles but I couldn't spot any. Though not obvious to the naked eye, the river flows fast, noticeable from the various bits of floating vegetation passing by, going downriver.
Stunning sunrise seen from the south bank of the Nile
The ferry ahead of us beginning the crossing
The crossing only takes 5 minutes and we were
greeted on the other side by olive baboons, who were really eyeing our lunch.
Our UWA guide, Emmanuel, who was to show us all the splendour of the north bank
hopped into the van. The terrain started as wooded grassland opening up to a
full grassland, or savannah. One unusual feature out here is the random spread
of palm trees that I am used to seeing near sea shores. The story goes that the
ancestors of the elephants living in this park migrated from upriver of the
Nile, in Sudan, where these palms trees are abundant. Elephants love
eating palm fruit and they migrated carried the seeds in their
digestive tracts eventually dispersing them by pooping it all out along the way.
Other stars in the north bank show included the national bird:the crown crane, the hippopotamus - hard to see for a large mammal as they were hidden in the river, the warthog (of campsite fame), some rather feisty juvenile African buffaloes, playful ''brown'' monkeys hopping across giant anthills, kite, and guinea fowl. We also observed some elephants in the distance, on the north side of the Albertine Nile. The soil is bright red in the centre of this section of the park and suddenly the giant anthills prominent here suddenly just disappear as you approach the river shore, in this case at the meeting point between the Albertine and Victoria Niles. It becomes sandy and ants cannot use it to build their abodes.
Other stars in the north bank show included the national bird:the crown crane, the hippopotamus - hard to see for a large mammal as they were hidden in the river, the warthog (of campsite fame), some rather feisty juvenile African buffaloes, playful ''brown'' monkeys hopping across giant anthills, kite, and guinea fowl. We also observed some elephants in the distance, on the north side of the Albertine Nile. The soil is bright red in the centre of this section of the park and suddenly the giant anthills prominent here suddenly just disappear as you approach the river shore, in this case at the meeting point between the Albertine and Victoria Niles. It becomes sandy and ants cannot use it to build their abodes.
The guide explained to us that as a result of the peril wildlife has faced in the past, the UWA approach to conservation has been stricter than those employed in Kenya or South Africa. Game reserves tend to cluster around the national parks providing a buffer to prevent poaching and encroachment of human settlements into wild habitats. Also vehicles are not allowed to go off the designated tracks, whether passing through or going on a game drive in order to preserve the integrity of the flora / fauna of the park and also for safety reasons. Speaking of going off track, Andreas seemed to have a habit of dozing off in this safari, with his headphones on. We decided to play a prank on him and pretend that whilst he was in his Chopin reverie, we had seen the elusive cheetah and have some snaps. We built up his anticipation before revealing to him a picture of the real slumbering, classical music appreciating cheetah….himself.
The national park surrounded by Bugungu and Karuma Game Reserves (Courtesy of http://www.safarilodges.com)
ON THE NILE & PHOTO GALLERY
There was another Andreas moment when we embarked on the Nile river cruise in a classic flat bottom river boat with two decks, called the African Queen. Because the sun was so intense most people preferred to stay on the lower deck. Andreas, who works part time as mountain rescuer, decided that it was his duty to provide some in-flight (incruise…rather) safety instructions. This was quite cheeky considering that the real captain of the boat had not yet arrived.
ON THE NILE & PHOTO GALLERY
There was another Andreas moment when we embarked on the Nile river cruise in a classic flat bottom river boat with two decks, called the African Queen. Because the sun was so intense most people preferred to stay on the lower deck. Andreas, who works part time as mountain rescuer, decided that it was his duty to provide some in-flight (incruise…rather) safety instructions. This was quite cheeky considering that the real captain of the boat had not yet arrived.
That night I decided that it would be too much of a mission to wander to the toilets on a far side of the camp, and instead did the business beside our tent. Not more than ten minutes after I settled back into bed, I heard continuous crunching and chomping noises and some rhythmic brushing noise against the canvas on the top end of our tent; a hippo grazing. It turns out that when I was having a leak I was a tent corner away from a surprising encounter of the hippopotamus kind!
A more familiar encounter....another Kenyan in Uganda
Below is a photo gallery of some shots I took that includes some portraits of animals that were aware of our presence, in a twist of irony. Remember, anything in the bush, anything, is lunch. Try and not be lunch!
2 young waterbucks take a break from jousting to watch me watch them
Olive baboon on a mission. Not long after this shot, he/she stole a pack of lunch from a tour vehicle whilst everyone was distracted
Sharp-eyed African Fish Eagle gazing back at me
A herd of hippos relaxed and in their element, somewhere between the water and the swamp
To get a feel of the size of typical hippo herds, click here.
To get a feel of the size of typical hippo herds, click here.
Victim of a turf war....still licking wounds
Just kickin' back...
Speaking of which..no better way to cool off and look menacing at the same time: The Nile Crocodile
We were near the bottom of Murchison's Falls themselves. To get an idea of the force of the river, click here
We were near the bottom of Murchison's Falls themselves. To get an idea of the force of the river, click here
An elephant intimidated by our presence about to scramble away
The Bee Eater. Tiny but very visible plumage.
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Click here and here for the '' The Nile - North Bank'' and ''On The Nile'' photo albums respectively.
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