Uganda 2006 Summary
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Among the many places we have traveled, Africa holds a special, almost magical appeal to us.  Thus we chose Uganda as our 2006 destination as it is home to the Mountain Gorilla, Chimpanzee and over 1000 species of birds recorded - among them the Shoebill, quite possibly the most sought-after of all birds on the African continent.

So it was in December of 2006 we set out with Birding Africa of Capetown for an 18 day safari from Entebbe to the Mabamba Swamp, Queen Elizabeth NP, Bwindi Impenetrable NP, Murchison Falls  NP and the Budongo Forest.

Bwindi Impenetrable NP is located in the rainforest of the Albertine Rift Valley and is home to roughly half of the world's mountain gorillas - estimated to be 706 individuals in 2003. The national park has 90 mammal species, including 11 primates, and the forest birding ranks among the best in Uganda, with 23 highly localized Albertine Rift endemics.

Our Mountain Gorilla experience was truly more than we ever envisioned.  On our first day in Bwindi, the day before our scheduled 1 hour Gorilla Permit viewing, we came across a family group as we traveled the main trail back to our camp for lunch.  To say this was an unexpected surprise is an understatement.  Even more surprising was to find them in relatively the same location blocking our trail after lunch as we went out for our afternoon hike.  I can't think of a more appealing reason for missing out on a bird/nature walk than having to stop and admire a gorilla family group. 

The next day we had our scheduled Gorilla experience, as it turned out it we had 1/2 day of rain in our entire trip. That half day would be in down pouring rain as we watched the Mubare Gorilla Family.  The downpour meant that we couldn't take close up photos as we had intended, but this had the unintended consequence of allowing us to more closely focus on the family group and their interactions.  Watching the Silverback pound his chest was something I only envisioned seeing at the movies.....

So what could top off seeing two separate family groups on 3 different occasions?  That would come during our stay in Ruhiza when we happened upon an unhabituated Gorilla Family Group while hiking the 12 mile Mubwindi Swamp Trail.  It was interesting to watch the  difference in the approach and alertness of the Park Guards as this Family group blocked our trail.  As dusk began to settle upon us it was decided that we could no longer wait them out as we needed to blaze a new trail making a wide sweep around the family group who had decided to bed down right along side the trail.

Murchison Falls NP is the country's largest protected area and provided us our first look of the Nile River as it cascaded over the falls  and provided the tranquil setting for the abundance of hippos, crocodiles, herons, ducks, and other mammals and birds.

An early ferry crossing brought us north of the Nile River for an early morning game drive.  This section of Uganda provides the more typically thought of open savannah which was a dramatic change in habitat from the rainforest of Bwindi. It was during this game drive that we found Lions, Elephants, Rothschild Giraffes, Cape Buffalo, Jackson's Hartebeest, Uganda Kob, Bushbuck, and Diana's favorite little friend - Warthog.

Earlier in the trip we had searched the Mabamba Swamps for the Shoebill - an odd looking bird that stands about 4 feet tall and frequents the papyrus reedbeds in mostly inaccessible locations throughout Central Africa - to no avail.  However, here along the Nile River we were fortunate enough to come across this remarkable bird fishing along the shoreline no less than 40 m from our vehicle. 

One of the more fascinating moments came as a Warthog crossed no more than 20 yards from us with 4 young that appeared to have been born earlier that morning, as the young still were wet from birth fluid, leaving us to wonder and hope they would make it through their first night.....

The other primate we had hoped to encounter on our trip was the Chimpanzee. During our visit to the Budongo Forest, we were not disappointed. Earlier on the drive to Budongo, at one of our stops, we had glimpsed chimps high upon the canopy, but here we were fortunate enough to come across a group that researchers were studying as they scurried along the road. 

It was truly a treat to watch the chimpanzees interact and listen to their vocalization.  We have heard others say that being able to watch chimpanzees is one of the most fascinating experiences and we fell lucky to have had the opportunity to share just a little bit of time with them.

Attempting to highlight a three week experience like this into a page of writing can not do justice to this country or our trip.  While the trip was taxing at times, with the accommodations a bit rough, electricity can never be taken for granted here, and the dusty conditions along roadside truly are overbearing at times, we did and saw most of what we had hoped to experience.

Diana and I totaled 487 species of birds of which 435 were life birds.  Our hopes were realized by seeing the Mountain Gorillas, Chimpanzees, and Shoebill. For wild cats we had Lions, African Servet, and Large Spotted Genet. Beyond the gorillas and chimps we also sighted: Green (vervet) Monkey, Black and White Colobus Monkey, Red-tailed Monkey, Olive Baboon, Blue Monkey, and L'Hoest Monkey.

To try and put it all in perspective is a daunting task. It is amazing to stop and think of all the experiences and sightings we left out and how remarkable they all were as well...........

2006 Trips    Uganda Photos    Uganda Itinerary   Uganda Trip Report    Diana's Tale