4th February - Lake Mburo to Entebbe Airport

I woke up early and revelled in the early dawn chorus knowing it would be my last one in the African bush for quite a long time.  After an early breakfast, we sadly piled into the car knowing it was our last game drive of the holiday.  We saw so many different animals on our way towards the park exit – impala, zebra, giraffe, warthogs, monkeys, topi and so many birds – it was as if they were all on show to remind us of what we were leaving behind us.

A hammerkop

We drove for quite a long way on a very good road as we were heading towards Entebbe and Kampala.  Just outside of Kampala, we turned right towards Lake Victoria where the huge Mabamba swamp is located and hopefully, where we will find the elusive shoebill.  We parked up and had a quick bite to eat before getting into our small wooden canoe shaped boat with a guide and a chap to steer it and control the engine.  There was no shade on it all and it was boiling hot.  Chris and Mum both had hats so I used an umbrella that C had brought with him as would have burnt to a crisp otherwise.

At last - a shoebill!!

We set off down the main papyrus lined channel where the odd boat whizzed by us heading to an island where a lot of people lived and grew food.  Very shortly, we turned down a side channel which was much narrower and had some more open water covered in waterlilies – it was beautiful.  We went much slower and just puttered along enjoying the ambience.  Our guide stood at the front of the boat his head constantly swivelling around looking in every direction.  Suddenly, his body stiffened and he motioned to the driver to cut the engine and so we drifted slowly forward simply due to the boat’s momentum.  Then we saw it – a shoebill to our left standing on a mud bank quite clearly fishing.  

It was a fantastic sight, and for me, the icing on the cake for the trip as this was the one animal I had wanted to see above all others but knew it was elusive, so hadn’t been that hopeful.  What a creature to behold too.  I suppose the size of a grey heron, but much thicker set with a large head and the huge wide beak with its vicious spike at the tip.  It moves very slowly and with much deliberation and can apparently stand more or less in one place for several hours until it catches a fish.  It will then move on to another feeding place.   

Our guides manoeuvred our boat closer to the bird so we got a much better sight unobstructed by any vegetation.  I asked if I could stand up and this was perfectly acceptable and didn’t bother the shoebill at all.  We watched her (probably a female as it was quite a small bird as they go) as she slowly moved across the mud bank looking one way and then another.  Suddenly, she struck and came up with a long eel-like fish.  She retreated to higher ground and proceeded to throw the fish around in the air moving it around so she could swallow it – incredible dexterity with her beak.  After she’d eaten it, she then had several drinks of water.  Once her thirst was quenched, she started pacing up and down and getting restless and our guide told us she was about to take off and move to a new fishing ground.  I’m glad he told me as put my camera on to movie mode and captured her taking off and in flight which was amazing as she flew directly at me.  What a privilege that whole experience was and one I’ll never forget.

Malachite kingfisher

We then went off to look for some different birds but as it was so hot, there weren’t many around.  We did see some kingfishers and ducks and then, unbelievable, we came across another much bigger shoebill in the reeds, so we couldn’t really see his legs.  We watched him for a while before we had to go as our time was up.  How lucky we were.

We then drove on to Entebbe where we had booked a day room where we showered and freshened up before starting the long, boring journey home via Nairobi and then Amsterdam.  In Nairobi we were screened for Ebola just by having a thermal camera measuring our body temperatures – am pleased to report we all passed!

Foot-note

So, here I am back in Portugal having just shown a friend a slide show of some of better photos.  What impressions have I taken away from Uganda?

-         A very beautiful country with some stunning scenery.  It was much greener and lusher than I was expecting with lots of rivers, lakes and water everywhere.

-         Probably though my lasting memory will be the grinding poverty that most people live in.  I was shocked.  I thought Cambodia was poor, but did my research whilst away and discovered that Uganda is the 14^th poorest country in the world and one of the most corrupt.  There are fabulously wealthy politicians who have ensured that their families and friends also benefit from the bribery and corruption.  However, the vast majority of the population living in desperate poverty with no electricity or running water in their houses.  They live hand to mouth and starvation is a real problem in some areas where there are too many people with not enough land to sustain them – crazy in such a fertile country.

-         What about the wildlife?  Sadly, I don’t hold out too much hope here.  With the Chinese drilling for oil in Murchison Falls NP and building a motorway through the centre of the park plus damming Murchison Falls, that park is doomed.  Queen Elizabeth NP also had problems with the vast majority of it having been overrun by spear grass, lantana, the Kalahari Christmas tree and the very dangerous congress plant which the local wildlife can’t eat.  Any investment in this park seems to be going on check points and gates rather than tackling the rogue plants.  The last park we stayed in (Lake Mburo) keeps being reduced in size as parts of it have been given to government ministers for ranching and other parts to the local cattle grazers.  This means that lions are more or less extinct here and the number of species is being reduced as the land left can’t support the really large mammals anymore.

-          The only plus point for tourism are the chimpanzees and gorillas.  We met so many Americans who fly in specifically to see these 2 animals and then fly out – they’re there for 4 days allowing 2 days per ape and then fly on to Kenya or Tanzania to see other game.  I just hope that the Uganda government treasure these high-altitude jungle National Parks and preserve them for future generations.

-          Would I recommend going to Uganda?  Absolutely, but go quickly before it’s ruined…..