The Pearl of Africa - July-August 2026 (page 3 of 4)

Those gorillas are hard-earned! And not just financially, based on your hiking story. 😉

That sounds a bit tough for me. I’m a total klutz when it comes to climbing! Solo, I’ve still got time, but in a group, it must be stressful.

Hi Agnes, we can’t ignore the financial side, that’s a fact. But seriously, the physical effort really fades from memory. My friend had trekking poles, didn’t hire a porter, and struggled at the time—but if you ask her now, she’s completely forgotten how tough the hike was. One person in our group (in their forties) seemed to have a knee issue. But with a porter, even though she went slower, she still saw everything. Porters really help during the tough moments (steep downhill slopes).

Alone, I still have time, but in a group, it must be stressful.

The guide (for us) set a really slow pace on the ascents, so no problem. See you,

Day 12: Buhoma – Lake Mburo

Hotel: CTPH Lodge. Beyond the fact that the place is truly tied to gorilla conservation, the welcome, as always, is top-notch. The rooms are spacious, and the view from the restaurant is stunning. The meals are good. Highly recommended, even if the access is a bit rough!

We didn’t leave too early, but we still hit a lot of roads in bad condition. We drive and drive. Once on a paved road, the scenery changes a bit, and we find ourselves in a savanna landscape, more like the other African countries we’ve already visited. A stop at a (guide’s) restaurant where, it must be said, the food is better than at the one from two days ago. We keep going, then leave the road again for a track that takes us to Lake Mburo. Administrative formalities at the Gate, and since our hotel is near another gate, we do a game drive in this national park. Right away, zebras greet us—it’s a nice change since there weren’t any in the other parks—followed by impalas (also absent elsewhere).



We also see quite a few giraffes. Of course, our friends the warthogs, buffaloes, and various colorful birds are there too. The only big cats in this park are leopards—no others! So, they’ve got plenty to feast on without having to show themselves too much. Paul tells us it’ll be *very* difficult to spot one. No matter—we’ve had our fill. We’re really here to see nature living, whatever the animals.

We arrive at the lodge in the late morning. Friendly welcome, individual chalets as rooms, with the strict rule not to leave them once night falls, as there are lots of animals around. In fact, that evening, the guard who walks us to our place tells us he saw a leopard in the afternoon right in front of our accommodation!!!

No leopards at the lodge...

That’s all for today!

The plus: New animals in a completely different environment from what we’ve seen before The minus: We’re on the road to Entebbe, so the end is approaching

Day 13: Lake M’Buro

Early morning wake-up for another Game Drive. We start heading toward the lake. It’s tough to get close to the shore and see the banks, so we quickly move on to crisscross the different trails. Lots of zebras keep us company. We pass through small herds—nothing like the massive ones we’ve seen elsewhere. The giraffes play hide-and-seek with us, but we still manage to get some great shots. Buffalo graze peacefully, birds sing. Really, nothing extraordinary—if you forget we’re in Africa and that many people would be amazed to see so many animals in the wild.



Paul takes us to a watering hole, and we spend a good while watching the activity around it. It’s all very structured. The animals don’t really mix. Each group waits its turn, and for every herd (or rather, troop—usually about twenty members), some keep watch while the others drink. No matter which animal is drinking, they’re all on the lookout for leopards. The morning passes like this, and we return to the lodge happy with everything we’ve seen.



For the afternoon, we’d planned to do a mountain-bike safari offered by the lodge. The prices seemed reasonable. Then came the surprise: the lodge didn’t have any bikes and was outsourcing to another lodge at an exorbitant price. Even Paul thought it was overpriced. So we opted for another classic game drive in the late afternoon—simple but so beautiful. Among the sights we hadn’t seen before, we were lucky enough to spot a baby warthog just a few days old—never seen one so tiny! The watering hole was once again a source of great photos.



On the way back to the lodge, we saw a hippo family cross in front of us and head toward our lodge to spend the night! Drinks + dinner + bedtime: All’s well.

The plus: The rhythm of the savanna The minus: Didn’t see a leopard—but did we really look for one?

Day 14: Lake Mburo – Mabamba

Hotel: Arcadia Lodge: Individual chalets as rooms, always friendly welcome, decent meals. The photos of the lake view are a bit misleading. Well located.

Quiet departure. Since the lodge is next to a park gate and we had to cross the park to reach the Entebbe road, Paul suggested a little game drive to start our journey. Great, because we saw more buffaloes, giraffes, zebras, warthogs, and impalas. I never get tired of it. Once we left the track, we hit a paved road with villages along the way. A lunch stop at a restaurant straddling the mythical equator line. Depending on where you are, it’s winter or summer! Of course, they demonstrated the water drainage experiment. Mr. Coriolis must be laughing at this touristy trick. We continued on, hitting a few traffic jams. Total chaos! We took a dirt road to reach our last lodge, by Lake Victoria, for a relaxing afternoon by a beautiful pool. We arranged for tomorrow morning’s expedition to try and spot the shoebill (we missed it a bit in Zambia). We’ll leave at 7 AM—supposedly the best time! Tomorrow’s going to be a long day, especially since our flight is at 11:30 PM! Drinks + dinner + bedtime.

The plus: The beauty and location of the lodge by Lake Victoria. The minus: It really feels like the end.

Day 15: Mabamba – Entebbe then Brussels

Hotel: Mabamba Lodge: Top-notch for the spacious rooms, the welcome, the location, and the services. Plus, they let us keep our rooms until 6 PM, our departure time for the airport!

At 7 AM, we head to the lodge’s beach where a motorized canoe is waiting with its pilot. A bird specialist guide joins us, and we quickly set off toward the Mabamba swamps. At first, we skirt the edges, then we start venturing into what look like canals. Lots of birds, of course. At one point, the guide points out a large bird taking flight—it’s a shoebill. He tells us they found a nest a few days ago with a newborn chick, so we’re heading there. He says we made the right call choosing this time slot because excursions usually start around 8 AM, and just like with 4x4s on game drives, you can end up with several canoes overlapping at the same spot (try imagining canoes overlapping!!). The pilot cuts the engine and finishes the approach by paddling. At the exit of a papyrus plant (the second on the right after the big water lily), we find ourselves just 5 meters away from this mythical bird for me. What a gaze! We’d seen one in a rehabilitation center in Zambia under special conditions—it had left an impression—but here, in the wild, with its chick at its feet, wow!



We stay a while. At one point, the guide plays the famous shoebill’s call on his phone—a sound like a machine gun. He explains we might get lucky and hear it respond to the call. No luck, "ours" isn’t much of a talker, but no big deal—we’re thrilled just to see it. After about fifteen minutes, we leave and head back. We don’t cross paths with any fewer than 5 canoes heading toward the shoebill in 5 minutes. We had the place to ourselves! The "cruise" continues on Lake Victoria with a multitude of birds. The guide and pilot are super nice and do everything to help us get great shots. Around 9:30 AM, we arrive back at the lodge’s beach, and our day of lounging, packing, and pre-airport waiting begins. Could’ve been worse places. The day before, we’d left Paul with few details for the return to the airport. Two options, apparently: One by road, and if there’s no traffic, the expected duration is 1 hour 30 minutes. The other involved heading to a ferry, about 20 minutes from the lodge, crossing with the 4x4, and reaching the airport in roughly 40 minutes total. We’d left the choice to Paul—it’s his job, after all!

What we didn’t know was that he had a third solution in mind but hesitated to suggest it because it was unconventional. In the afternoon, he calls us, expressing his concerns about the first two options. There was heavy traffic on the road, and the wait for the ferry was endless. That’s when he proposed the third solution, which we accepted right away. A canoe came to the lodge’s beach, we loaded our luggage, and off we went toward the airport (or almost). Paul was waiting with his 4x4 after a 40-minute crossing of Lake Victoria. The crossing went smoothly, except for a fishing net stuck in the propeller blades. A few minutes by road, and we said our goodbyes to Paul. Then came the usual airport routine: papers, waiting, papers, waiting. The flight is on time, and we’re off!

The +++: The shoebill The +: The canoe ride to the airport The -: It’s over

Day 16: The Return

Hotel: Brussels Airlines flight. Airplane seats, so not comfortable 😅

I would’ve loved to say the flight went smoothly, but unfortunately, just like on the way there—and this time the row in front of us—a woman (without her husband this time) with a teen, a 5-year-old, and a baby really ruined our night. Out of a 7h20 flight, the two little ones screamed for 6h30!!! Not cried, but *screamed*!! At one point, my better half let her frustration show by yelling (just as loud) for them to be quiet. The woman turned around and shot her a death glare (she looked like a shoebill). That calmed the little one down a bit, and to try to smooth things over with the baby, the woman, holding her child, started rocking her seat back and forth. As a result, my screen—since she was right in front of me—started moving, like scrambled Canal+ back in the day. (I love that expression because you’ve got to be sharp to know *which* day—it’s different for everyone.) We arrived early in Brussels, had a 4-hour wait, then a smooth flight to Lyon. Once again at Lyon Airport, the baggage took longer than usual to arrive. My guess? On a Sunday around noon, there was probably only one person unloading the suitcases. We know the drill—landing in Lyon means this kind of wait. I’ll post a more detailed recap soon, but WHAT A BEAUTIFUL TRIP!!! (even if the few photos I shared, taken with an old phone, aren’t as high-quality as other travel journals)

The +: We made it home safe and sound The -: The kids screaming on the plane. I was *this* close to checking them as baggage!!!

Hello, A big thank you for letting us travel alongside you. Our trip to Uganda is "in the works" for February 2027. Your travel journal made my wife and me even more excited. lol Two questions if I may: (since I haven’t gotten any answers, I’m asking) - Did you have to present your yellow fever vaccination certificates when arriving at customs? And any idea about tips? (driver, guides, trackers, gorilla guards, etc.)

Thanks again for this story. Best regards, Alain

How lucky! For the yellow fever certificate, we were told it was mandatory to enter Uganda, so of course we had it. But neither us nor our friends (who went through a different counter) were asked for it. Little tip: My friends had lost theirs. If you remember where you got vaccinated, they’ll reissue one for you, no problem. However, since we were in the Ebola period (and still in the DRC), we were asked to fill out an online health form two days before arrival. It takes 1 minute (you can even do it upon arrival). We had to fill out the same form again when leaving Entebbe. As for tips, that’s a big question. We didn’t give them every time. Otherwise, we were tipping around 20,000 shillings per couple. Yesterday, I was with friends who were in Uganda last February, and they were on the same basis as us. On the other hand, the British travelers who were with us for the gorillas were tipping around $30!!! (not the same budget, clearly). Don’t hesitate if you have any questions. See you,

hi again, thanks for your quick reply. all good for the yellow fever, but you didn’t tell me your tipping baseline (unless you find that indiscreet). I’ve seen on this forum, especially from Anglo-Saxons, Australians, or Americans—how to put it—who are, let’s say, *very* generous... Anyway, can’t wait to be there (we always want to fast-forward time, lol). Thanks

Yes, I replied: For tips, it’s a big question. We didn’t leave one every time. Otherwise, we were giving around 20,000 shillings per couple. But for Paul, we didn’t give anything, and he didn’t show any sign of expecting one either. He was actually the one we’d asked for the baseline for occasional guides.

Oops, sorry! Thanks

Thanks for sharing your Ugandan adventures on this forum! 🙂

Thanks for this travel journal—it brought back some great memories! I missed the shoebill, so I’ll have to go back 😏 (...and I’ll take the chance to visit the east and north 😉)

It was a pleasure

Ah! If you missed the shoebill, you’ve gotta go back because you’re more likely to see it there than in Zambia. For the north, it’s clear you’ll need more time since the roads are apparently bad, even really bad. See ya!

The summary: Point by point, I’ll break down this trip’s highlights. To borrow an expression already seen on the forum about this country: WE LOVED IT!!!

Flight and Airline: For once, nothing to complain about (unlike Air France—see my Costa Rica trip report!). Punctuality, comfort, meals: classic and solid, with top-notch safety, of course. That said, after the flights, I was tempted to design child-free planes 😄.

Hotels: Paul had given us a list. In the end, we only stayed at one from his list (Dave The Cave) and found the others ourselves. We were super happy with our choices. All were different, and everywhere we had an excellent welcome. The vehicle: No issues with it, but it was very old. We were always nervous at startup, worried it wouldn’t... start. So, during game drives, Paul often left the engine running, which made the images vibrate a bit. There are 5 seats plus the driver. The 4 in the back are fine for the first two rows, but a bit cramped for the ones in the back.

Food: Lots of fruit, especially bananas (I’ve never eaten so many in my life—what a treat!). Otherwise, meals were decent, often with creative presentation. Meat: chicken, pork, and beef, always well-cooked. Not many original dishes, but with our travel style, that’s not our top priority. Just so you know, since we were taking Malarone for malaria, our stomachs took a beating with that treatment, so it changed how we looked at food. The roads: Really surprised by the quality. 70% paved roads and 30% dirt tracks. For the dirt tracks, yes, it’s bumpy, but nothing like Zambia. For the roads, as I mentioned, it’s the countless speed bumps in front of the countless villages that make them tricky. Traffic was very smooth except near Kampala and Entebbe.

Safety: “Whoa, you’re going to Uganda—isn’t it dangerous there?” How many times did I hear that? Different kinds of people asked me: - Some were stuck in the Amin Dada era and hadn’t updated their views (though, knowing how the current president Museveni runs things, the last King of Scotland seems like an amateur in comparison). - Others had heard about Ebola. - And for the rest, only France is safe 😄.

To answer: no issues with Ugandans. Like any traveler, we avoid flashing valuables and don’t put ourselves in risky situations (plus, it’s obvious we’re tourists). There are places to avoid, just like anywhere in the world, and we follow the same rules we’d apply anywhere else. Ebola: We did our research. In fact, at several lodges, they thanked us for coming because they’d had so many cancellations. The WHO declared in early July that the epidemic had ended in Uganda. I read an article on-site by the Ugandan Minister of Health, praising the country’s handling of the virus thanks to strict controls at the country’s entry points and all park gates. While we filled out an online form upon arriving in Entebbe (questions like “Are you sick? Have you had sexual relations with someone with Ebola?” etc.), we didn’t see any actual controls afterward!!!

Mpolampola Tours (Paul): We contacted Paul in September, and he secured our gorilla permits right away. After that, we built the trip in full collaboration. If he doesn’t respond immediately, it’s because he’s on safari and doesn’t always have Wi-Fi right away. But he does respond. Administratively and financially, he’s not the most efficient. His wife probably handles those things. As a driver, he’s great—no safety concerns. As a wildlife guide, he’s not the most experienced (I remember a former poacher in Botswana who was top-tier), though a few times he spotted animals in the distance that we missed. But—and this is a big but—he has such a strong network (especially with rangers) that he knows exactly where to go to find the best spots. As a person, he’s got a moody side, but he’s an excellent ambassador for his country. He can talk endlessly, passionately, and fascinatingly about many subjects. I recommend this agency 100%, especially Paul.

Our itinerary: From the start, we skipped the northern part because, based on the trip reports we read, there was too much driving, and you have to make choices. Otherwise, the balance was perfect. Long driving days were followed by “calmer” days (uh, less driving!). Going counterclockwise was dictated by the gorilla trek day, and I admit that doing this expedition toward the end really built up the excitement of the trip. If I did it again, I wouldn’t change a thing.

One regret? Having traveled to many African countries and seen plenty of incredible animal scenes, I still haven’t seen two elephants mating 😄. No saying I won’t return to this continent I love so much.

Thanks for reading, and if I can help, don’t hesitate.

Thanks for this travel journal. It really makes me want to go!

Thanks for this travel journal packed with useful info for anyone considering a trip to Uganda. I get that photography isn’t really your thing.....but is there a video report in the works?.....

Hello and a huge thank you for this amazing travel journal I just devoured—it’s so dreamy! So, while going through your past posts, I found tons of trips to add to my list just from reading yours. Larri