Kibale NP & Budongo Forest - Tracking our closest cousins

Chilling out

Uganda, referred to as the pearl of Africa, is the premier destination for chimp trekking in the world. Uganda is also home to other great wildlife including Africa’s big five. Uganda boasts some great national parks including Queen Elizabeth (QENP), Muchinson's and Kidepo, with the first two also being home to chimpanzees. Chimp tracking is done in a number of other parts of Uganda with the premier destination being Kibale NP in Western Uganda.

Mabamba Swamp - Searching for the Shoebill

Shoebill - One of the most unusual birds to be seen

The search for the shoebill was aroused by its strange appearance more than anything else. We first became aware of the bird once we got to Tanzania and got our edition of the Birds of East Africa which claims that its stronghold in the region is the Moyowosi – Kigozi wetland complex in Western Tanzania. This is pretty much the wild west of Tanzania located in no man’s land between Kigoma and Tabora and not a place to be messing about in, as not even tour operators venturing into the area.

Murabeho Rwanda!

A great sighting in Akagera

After almost 3 years it is time to say goodbye to Rwanda!  Only a remarkable and dedicated nation would reach the lofty heights that Rwanda has today after the horrors of 1994 and we stand with Rwanda in saying "Never Again".

From a wildlife point of view, the first recorded sighting of the White-crested turaco in Rwanda made by us is by far the most notable wildlife moment.  Trekking up Volcanoes NP in search of the mountain gorillas was another highlight, demonstrating yet another amazing success story by Rwanda.

The flagship conservation success story from Rwanda was also our favourite hangout - Akagera NP, which over the last 10 years has been revitalised from a heavily poached area to a Big 5 national park.  We can vouch for its remarkable wildlife through our images, including seeing all the Big 5 in one weekend.  

Best wishes Rwanda and we will be watching your continued path to prosperity.  In the meantime, hello Uganda for a few weeks on our way to Malawi!

Volcanoes NP - Gorilla action

Gorilla portrait

We arranged a last minute trip to see the gorillas as we were leaving Rwanda permanently.  It had been raining heavily the last month or so over December, but after checking the weather report for early January, it seemed as though we may get a break in the rain to visit Volcanoes NP.

Volcanoes NP - Gorillas in the mist

The Suza family

The mountain Gorillas of Rwanda is one of many success stories of this tiny little Country saddled between the Democratic republic of Congo (DRC), Tanzania and Uganda. The border of these three countries is also host to the last remaining wild mountain gorilla populations.

Akagera NP - Cats on the road

Running giraffes

We have spent quite a lot of time in Akagera in 2019 - about 8 times in the first 3 months of the year.  And it has paid off with some nice sightings of lion, a couple of glimpses of leopard, and one really good long weekend where we caught the Big 5.  

Akagera NP - A Big 5 weekend

The lions of Akagera

The jewel in the crown of an African safari is the sighting of the big 5.  However, despite Big 5 being thrown around, the reality of sighting the Big 5 are actually very rare. This is mainly because one of the Big 5 - the leopard - is just plain hard to spot anywhere despite its wide distribution. Another - the rhino - is already extinct in some of the iconic national parks in Africa. Buffalo is probably the easiest to spot in any of the African parks along with elephants. If there are lions around, you have a good chance of finding them provided you know how to track down lions.

Uganda - The pearl of Africa

Crossing the Equator, just up the road from QE national park

The only real point of reference we had for the Pearl of Africa was the Semliki Forest. Much like the Serengeti, Maasai Mara or the Okavango delta are hotspots to the wildlife enthusiast, the Semliki is for birders due to the sheer number of endemics this small dot on the map seems to have. If you have ever paged through any volume of the ‘Birds of East Africa’, the Semliki will most certainly catch your attention. There are other draw cards for Uganda including the primates and of course the shoebill and all this lay within a day’s drive Kigali!

Rwanda - land of a thousand hills

The land of a thousand hills

The Rwanda story has to start with the horrible events of 1994 but I leave you to read the various reads on this subject, without which one can never really understand the Rwanda story but all I can say is never again! What is relevant is to focus on what Rwanda is today and just how far this small little country has got to since those dark days of 1994. In a relatively short period of time Rwanda is today one of the great success stories of Africa.

Goodbye Tanzania, thanks for the memories!

Storm clouds gather over the plains in our favorite place in Tanzania....

After nearly 7 years it is time for us to leave Tanzania. The Tanzanian journey has been an amazing adventure for us. In a country that is not the easiest for self drivers, we have experienced the best wild life on earth on our terms. From pushing a broken down 4x4 on the main Dar - Arusha highway to negotiating black cotton in the Selous to surviving the bone crunching Ngorongoro - Serengeti road, Tanzania has been a tough destination. 

The wildlife has been nothing short of sensational with the migration crossing the Mara River being the highlight without a shadow of a doubt. We were able to positively identify 334 of Tanzania's over 1,300 bird count. We have also been able to share the Tanzania experience with both sets of our parents who caught the migration in the Serengeti. After arriving in Tanzania via the Tunduma border where it took us 24 hours to clear, we leave via air headed to Kigali in Rwanda in search of the next adventure.  

Kwa heri Tanzania!