Self-drive in southwestern Uganda, February 2020 (page 3 of 5)

Thanks so much, Delphine, for your kind comment.

And it’s true—this country is absolutely stunning. It was a real favorite for us too 🙂

More to come 😉 Happy reading !

February 10 The night was lively: hyena calls in the distance, hippo noises down below, and a hippo visiting right in front of our banda. The previous day’s recommendations suddenly made perfect sense



We got up around 5:30 AM, had breakfast, and then headed to the park entrance. We returned to the Kasenyi area. I’d read before our trip that you could show up at the gate and ask for a guide/ranger to accompany you in the car. Given our experience the day before, we thought that would be a good idea. Unfortunately, none were available. The guards told us we should’ve booked the day before 😕 Oh well. That wouldn’t stop us from entering the park. Off we went, the four of us. My husband and son took the driver and co-pilot seats—they did great 😊 We enjoyed the sunrise, the early morning light was beautiful, the landscapes were stunning, and it was sunny.





We chose a different route than the day before and explored the southern part of the Kasenyi plains. We were practically alone. We saw buffaloes, impalas, hippos, kob antelopes, warthogs, and a first for us—bush pigs. And, of course, birds everywhere.











We left the park (without getting lost 😛) before 9:50 AM, the time our permit expired. Even though we didn’t see any lions or leopards, we really enjoyed "wandering" through this part of the park—very wild in places (we could barely see the tracks we were supposed to drive on).



We rejoined the road, crossed it, and took the track toward the main park entrance (Kabatoro). We stopped at the viewpoint overlooking the Nyamanyuka crater lake. There were a few buffaloes. We continued a little further along the track and admired the different views. Then we turned around and headed back to the lodge.



We had lunch on-site and enjoyed a relaxing early afternoon before our cruise on the Kazinga Channel. At 4 PM, a boat from the local community picked us up below the lodge (no need to go to Mweya, where the UWA-organized excursions depart). We went for a 2-hour ride with just 7 tourists on the boat. The weather was perfect.



It was really beautiful and peaceful.



We saw hippos by the dozen, just one crocodile 😅, buffaloes in the water, a monitor lizard, fish eagles, dozens of kingfishers, and, of course, many other birds.









We were also lucky enough to see elephants and witness an incredible scene between a hippo and four elephants who really didn’t appreciate its arrival near them 😉







We had a great guide who gave us lots of information about the wildlife, flora, and local population. It was really interesting. All four of us loved this cruise.



We returned to the starting point around 6 PM. While waiting for dinner, we sat on a bench overlooking the channel, each with a Nile beer in hand. And we savored it 😎

I love the look of the bushpig (never seen one in real life)! 😏 It's so cool this cruise on a small boat. I didn't know it was possible.... Muriel

Love the bushpig’s face (never seen one in real life)! 😏

It was a first for us too 😉

That little boat cruise looks fun—I had no idea it was possible....

The lodge told us about it. We could choose between the UWA cruise or the one with the local community boat.

February 11 The night was calmer than the previous one. We still heard hippos in the distance but they didn’t pay us another visit. Last breakfast with a view of the Kazinga Channel and in great company 😊





Today, we’re heading toward Fort Portal and Kibale Forest. We left the lodge around 9:20 AM. We stayed on the main road that crosses QENP, without venturing onto the perpendicular tracks. To wrap up the safari part of our trip, we still saw a few impalas, kob, buffalo, elephants, warthogs… It’s really surprising for us—used to Kruger Park where everything is fenced off—to see a national road, also used by cyclists, motorbikes, and pedestrians, running through a park with wild animals 😮 We crossed the Equator line again.



The road to Kasese is in great condition, paved. It’s partly lined with cotton fields.



In Kasese, we’re back to the hustle and bustle of Ugandan towns: boda-bodas everywhere, shops, people… but also factories. As we leave the city, the road conditions change completely. It’s under construction, very dusty. And it stays like that all the way to Fort Portal. On this stretch, I think we’ve seen every possible road condition 🤪, and we even spotted a truck lying on its side. We assume that once the work is done, the road will be much more pleasant to drive 😉

Here, it was okay 😛



The road between QENP and Fort Portal seemed less "interesting" and a bit more monotonous than the routes we’d taken before.

In Fort Portal, we’re back on tarmac until the turnoff for the lodge where we’ll be staying for the next three nights. We take a track that climbs, with a few deep ruts, but as (almost 😊) always, it’s really beautiful.



We pass through a village, then turn toward Isunga Lodge on a very narrow track running through farmland. We’ve arrived. It’s 1 PM. It’s hot but misty. It’s stunning, with views from the restaurant terraces over Kibale Forest and the Rwenzori Mountains.



A garden full of flowers and birds. And a little bonus—though it’s not the main reason for a trip to Uganda—there’s a pool 😉





We booked the family cottage (a cottage with two bedrooms, set apart from the others—which I didn’t know when I booked—and with a view of the Rwenzori Mountains in the distance).



This lodge is one of our favorites. But keep in mind that the restaurant is much lower than the parking lot, and the accommodations are even lower (except for our cottage, which is a bit higher than the restaurant 😊), with very steep access (best not to forget anything in the car 😛). So it’s not recommended for people with mobility issues.

We ate our picnic on the restaurant terrace and spent the afternoon reading, swimming, and catching up with the rest of the world… Sunset drinks and dinner under the stars. Basically, a real holiday vibe 😎

Isunga Lodge was a real favorite for us too... even though there wasn’t a pool yet 😮. Muriel

Isunga Lodge was a real favorite for us too

I’m keeping it in mind for a future trip—sniff—had spotted it but didn’t book, opting for camping instead 🤪

We also fell in love with Isunga Lodge... even though there wasn’t a pool yet 😮. Muriel

Next time, maybe! 😉

I was wondering where on earth it could be... but it's a tiny pool 😏. Muriel

February 12 Today is the second "big day" of our trip. We're going to meet the chimpanzees. And the sun is out 😎

We leave the lodge around 7:15 AM and arrive half an hour later at Kanyanchu (the visitor information center and starting point for chimpanzee tracking in Kibale Forest).



We sign in (we’re once again the only ones without a driver 😉), attend the briefing, and then our group is assigned. There will be six of us—our family of four plus an Italian couple—and our guide will be Edisson. We need to reach a starting point deeper in the forest. The Italians leave with their driver, while we take our car and bring the guide along. We drive for about 5–10 minutes.

We start the approach hike around 8:45 AM. At first, we follow a small path through the forest, then we cut through the woods. The walk is much easier and faster than the one for the gorillas. We meet the trackers in 25 minutes. There’s already another group of tourists there.

The chimpanzees are right on time, high up in the trees. We can hear them and spot them from a distance.



The other groups join us. There must be about thirty of us. We settle in as best we can on the slope to find the best viewpoint. We get our cameras ready and zoom in.





We watch the chimpanzees eat, groom each other, pee on us ("it’s raining," as our guide would say) 🤪, swing from branch to branch... for about an hour.







Then we realize our hour with them is almost up. We’re obviously happy to have seen them, but still a little disappointed we didn’t get to interact more closely. At the start of the observation, Edisson had told us to be patient... And sure enough.

The chimpanzees begin to descend from the treetops and come down to the ground one by one. That’s when the real tracking begins 😉 We start moving, following our guide, who anticipates the chimpanzees’ movements. First, we follow a female who suddenly stops, lies down, and takes a little nap with about ten tourists snapping photos, seemingly unbothered.



We move through the forest following the chimpanzees’ movements.







We stop, observe, ask the guide questions, get passed by them... They brush past us sometimes, stop, "strike a pose."

Not for the photo quality but to show the distance between them and us







At the end of the day, who’s observing whom?



It’s an incredible experience. We follow them like this for an hour. Unfortunately, the time comes to say goodbye.



The return walk is very quick—10 minutes to get back to the car 😛 We take Edisson back to the information center, and he gives each of us our certificate. This time, no stock shortage 😉

All four of us are amazed. This experience was fabulous and, for us, even more rewarding than the one with the gorillas. We return to the lodge with stars in our eyes.

I was wondering where on earth it could be... but it's a cute little pool 😏. Muriel

😛 😏 It's below the restaurant terrace, along the path that leads to the rooms. It's definitely not an Olympic-sized pool, but hey, it's refreshing 😉

Awesome, it's great that the time starts when they arrive on the ground, because seeing them only in the trees 🤪

Awesome, it's great that the hour starts when they arrive on the ground, because seeing them only in the trees 🤪

Thanks! We didn’t know the hour started when the chimpanzees were on the ground. That was a really nice surprise for us 😉

February 12th (continued) After lunch, we decide to visit the Bigodi Swamps, 40 minutes from the lodge. We take the same route as this morning. The entrance is a little further than the chimpanzee information center, just before the entrance to Bigodi village. On the way, my husband’s gaze is drawn to something at the top of a tree. We stop, grab the camera, zoom in, and discover an eagle (we later learn it’s one of the largest) with a monkey’s arm in its talons. We really weren’t expecting that! 😮



We start driving again and arrive at Bigodi shortly after.



There aren’t any other vehicles in the parking lot, and the local guides are waiting for tourists. We sign up and pay for the 5km guided walk. We’ll be guided by a young man, Joseph, along with an intern. We get a quick briefing before starting, and Joseph asks about our interests—birds and monkeys. We set off, and before we’ve even left the parking lot, Joseph already points out the first monkeys (grey-cheeked mangabeys). We don’t see them very well since they’re hidden in the trees, but the walk looks promising! 😊 We follow our guide, who’s a real wealth of information. We pass by flowering coffee plants—it smells amazing! 😊 It’s a bit like jasmine.



A little further on, we spot some great hornbills and the stunning blue turaco.





We reach the edge of the swamps. The vegetation is beautiful.





We’re now walking on a wooden boardwalk where we witness an acrobatic show by red colobus monkeys 😊. It’s magical.







We continue our walk, occasionally crossing paths with villagers. Three times, we encounter young souvenir vendors. We pass cultivated plots, spot more blue turacos, kingfishers, and other birds whose names I’ve forgotten. And goats—those goats we saw throughout our trip. We also catch sight of red-tailed monkeys.









Toward the end of our tour, we arrive near the community nursery. They grow coffee plants, among other things. We ask if we can buy a sapling. For the fun story, we brought it home, and despite the climate being quite different from Uganda’s, we haven’t given up hope it’ll grow! 😛 We return to the starting point after a good two hours. Quick debrief and a few souvenirs bought from the community shop.



We take Joseph with us and drop him off in his village.

We head back to the lodge, tired but happy after such a beautiful day of discoveries under the sun and heat.

Hi Bénédicte,

superbe turaco bleu

How lucky😎, we looked for it so much... with no luck 😕

Thanks again for this beautiful trip 🙂

This is all amazing!

For the eagle, I think it’s a Banded Eagle

Amazing blue turaco

How lucky😎, we looked for it so hard... with no luck

I think it was Carmen who also managed to get some great photos of this bird. We didn’t see any in Bigodi, but quite a few during the chimpanzee day... though I don’t have a single decent photo 😕. Muriel

We didn’t see any during our entire stay.

I’ll admit I was disappointed—I was really looking forward to seeing lots of birds in Uganda, but in the end, we didn’t get many in front of the lens. 🤪

Maybe it’s a seasonal thing, then, because we saw a lot of them—different species, too (though in the end, I don’t have many presentable photos 😇). Muriel

Maybe, but it's true that taking photos of birds is super hard. I try regularly, but very few shots turn out usable in the end—either the sky is too bright and the contrast is too high, or the bird moves too fast, or there are branches in the way, etc. ...🤪