I had a wonderful journey through Uganda and Rwanda last October -- so wonderful, in fact, that I am still working on writing about my experiences and sifting through all the photos and hours of video. Since I haven't had the chance to write a trip report yet, I thought I would briefly describe my trip and post my favorite photos (warning: lots of gorillas!), with the promise that I will, when work and life allow me the time to sit down and do it, post a real trip report.
In the meantime, hope you enjoy the pix, and please feel free to ask me any questions. I will definitely elaborate more on the various projects we visited when I write my full report.
ABOUT OUR TRIP
Some of you might remember from my previous posts that this was a trip my husband and I took with a group of conservationists and volunteers from the Oakland Zoo, where we volunteer on the behavioral observation team. The main purpose was to visit several projects sponsored by the Zoo, including the Budongo Forest Snare Removal Program and the Kibale Community Fuel Wood Project, both in Uganda. We also visited the Virunga Artisans' headquarters (they have a Bay Area connection, too) and the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project in Rwanda. And we took some time for safari and those amazing primates, too!
At first we were a bit apprehensive about taking a tour with such a large group (20 of us in 3 vans, with 4 Ugandan guides!), since we've always enjoyed planning our own trips and traveling alone together. This time we couldn't make any of the decisions about lodging, itinerary or how we spent the bulk of our time. (Some of you might be cringing just reading this!) But I have to say what a wonderful, unique, amazing experience we had. We made some new friends who I believe will be friends for life, both at home and in Uganda. And throughout the journey, our connection with the Zoo and the projects on the ground opened up so many doors and introduced us to so many experiences that we never would have been able to have on our own. When we traveled to Kenya and Tanzania in 2007 we had an incredible safari with wonderful guides, but I felt like our exposure to and experiences with local people left something to be desired -- that gap between tourists and locals was often so wide. But on this adventure, we were welcomed into villages and homes, shared great food, danced with and laughed with new friends who really gave us a sense of what it's like to live and work in these incredible and difficult countries. It is an experience I will always be grateful for, and will treasure all my life.
OUR ITINERARY -- October 2008
1 night in Kampala (Grand Imperial Hotel) -- Kasubi Tombs & walking around town with jetlag
3 nights in Masindi (New Court View Hotel) -- this was our base for the Budongo Forest, where we visited the Budongo Conservation Field Station (which is not open to tourists), the site of the snare removal project, as well as Kinyara High School, where the Budongo folks have helped establish a Conservation Club for the students (who put on an amazing show for us, their families, and community), and also did a little chimp-watching
2 nights in Murchison Falls (Paraa Lodge) -- game drives and the falls and a boat safari
1 night back in Kampala (to avoid the rainy-season drive between Murchison and Kibale)
3 nights in the Kibale Forest (Kibale Forest Camp/aka Mantana Tented Camp) -- chimp trekking (including a very intense experience where we saw a group of chimps kill another chimp right in front of us -- I am not posting photos of that), visiting the Kibale Fuel Wood Project (where we watched the project's director teach a family how to build a fuel-efficient "rocket stove" at their home), and hiking to the Amabeere cave and crater lakes
3 nights in Queen Elizabeth NP (Mweya Lodge) -- here we had the great privilege of meeting and going on game drives with Dr. Ludwig Siefert of the Uganda Large Predator Project; our time with him and his staff included tracking radio-collared lions, visiting areas of the park that are normally off-limits to tourists to learn about the serious conservation challenges this park is facing, and a night game drive in search of hyenas, whose numbers are in sharp decline (plus another boat trip on the Kazinga Channel)
1 night that was supposed to be in Musanze, Rwanda... but ended up in a refugee hotel on the Ugandan border (you'll have to wait for the full trip report for that story... but it has to do with the troubles in the DRC)
2 nights in Musanze (La Palme Hotel & Kinigi Guest House) -- gorilla trekking to see Group 13 and the Umubano Group
1 night in Kigali (Hotel Gorillas) -- visiting the Virunga Artisans and Mountain Gorilla Vets before heading to Kigali and the Genocide Memorial
PHOTOS
note: you will have to sign in to Snapfish to see these. The photos look their best if you click on the "slideshow" button, but if you want to read the captions you'll need to look at them in the regular album view
Uganda Part 1 (Kampala, Budongo Forest and Murchison Falls NP)
http://tinyurl.com/bylv39
Uganda Part 2 (Kibale Forest NP and QENP)
http://tinyurl.com/b87vh2
Rwanda
http://tinyurl.com/bga6q7
MyDogKyle's Uganda & Rwanda Photos
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MDK, great trip report and photos! It brought back fond memories of our birding trip to Uganda where we stayed at the same lodges. BTW, the bird in your Part 2 gallery is a White-browed Robin-Chat...gorgeous, isn't it? I couldn't figure out how to leave a comment on Snapfish.
Thank you! This makes me look forward to my September trip even more! I loved the variety of photos and getting a glimpse of places we would otherwise not see. Looking forward to your report when you have time.
I have only made my way through the Uganda part 1 set of pictures, and I look forward to the rest. I especially liked the shots of the dress shop and the butcher - the latter is enough to make me want to become a vegetarian. Murchison Falls are lovely.
I hope you were given a copy of the poem!
That K-Mart has the tidiest shelves I have ever seen! Robin
Thanks, guys! I am always a little shy about posting photos on this board, since we're not the hotshot photographers that some people here have proven themselves to be! But I do like to take those out-the-window shots of towns and stores and people, as you can tell.
Ovenbird, thanks for identifying that beautiful bird! They were all over Mweya Lodge, and very friendly.
Patty, I'll try to get it done before September!
Robin, yes she did give a copy of her poem to the Zoo. She had a more impressive vocabulary and writing style than most adults I know, let alone high school kids! The whole day spent with those kids at Kinyara High was really moving and special for all of us. One of the (many) highlights of our trip!
Thank you for posting the photos. They are wonderful. I enjoyed their variety; animals, people (especially the children), and the beautiful scenery. It gave me a real feel for the places you visited. I am looking forward to your trip report when you get the chance to post it.
Amy
MDK, thanks for sharing your pictures. They are beautiful and reminded me that I haven’t seen a patas monkey. I’m looking forward to your looong report.
I checked out the first album and believe I saw you in costume and dancing. Great people and market shots, including K-Mart. The falls were lovely! So that was a patas monkey? I liked the elephants obscured by tall grass. Cute bushbuck. I'll be interested in matching stories with photos. Thank you for posting.
Hi Lynn,
Nope, not me -- those were my friends Amy and Sarah dancing (I was busy filming). But I did get pulled out of the audience to dance with the "witch doctor" at the Kibale Fuel Wood Project party. You guys should be glad there's no picture of that!
While we were watching the elephants in the tall grass, I kept looking at their body language and thinking, "They're protecting a baby in there," but we never did see it. Then several months later when we were sharing photos with others in our group at our reunion, a friend showed us a picture he took from one of the other vans -- sure enough, a tiny little trunk and face was peeking up! It was really incredible seeing elephants in the wild again. I'm loathe to pick a favorite animal, but...
MDK, Your animal intuition was correct! The gorilla shots were wonderful. That arrival picture with the rounded mountain looks like you used a special fish eye lense, but that's how it really looked. So many cute babies and closeups. I liked the piggyback shot with the baby standing behind mom. I'll be most interested in your report.
Also, post a separate thread about your next Earthwatch in South Africa, please.
MDK, Thanks for sharing your report and photos. I LOVED the gorilla photos. We are planning to include Rwanda or Uganda on our next Africa trip to see them. What an adventure you had! Hope
Awesome MDK -- what a great experience and I loved the photos that show a much broader slice of life than is typically seen. Fantastic combination with the wildlife experiences. The exposure to all of the projects is very interesting.
Thanks for the nice comments, everybody! I'm so glad you liked the pictures, and I'm excited to share more information about these wonderful projects. I should have a chance to sit down and start typing up an edited version of my very, very long journal later this week. I'll post that on a new thread (I'm sure it will take me a while to get it all on here).
Lynn, since the cat's out of the bag with our friends and families now, I will also post something about our upcoming Earthwatch volunteer project in South Africa. My goal is to have my Uganda/Rwanda trip report finished before we leave in August!
For anyone debating about visiting Uganda or Rwanda, I want to encourage you to GO! It was one of the most amazing experiences of our lives, despite some of the logistical challenges of travel there.
I will be in Rwanda/Uganda/Kenya in October. Is there a particular outfit (i.e. waterproof pants, etc) that you would recommend on the Gorilla Trek) in order to not be stung by nettles or just simply uncomfortable on a long hike? Any advice in hindsight that you could suggest, I"d really appreciate.
I don't think I looked at the gorillas before. Some great shots. I'd like to say I recognized some of the 13 members, but they look pretty similar.
Takingtravel, I'd pack the waterproof pants in your backpack unless it is raining when you start. The stinging nettles were not that bothersome, especially through pants. I did get a few pokes through my quick drying material zip offs. No big deal.
Oh, I did look at the gorillas before. I'm just seeing them with new eyes now I've just visited them myself.
Talkingtravel, Pic #49 shows what everyone is wearing. Here are some links to gorilla gear.
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=4&tid=34863680
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=4&tid=35094525
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=4&tid=34863680
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=4&tid=35094525
Thanks so much for the advice. I went to the Patagonia store with the intention of purchasing a water proof outfit and the advice I was given was that water proof clothes would likely be sweltering in this kind of trek and that they would rather get wet and have a breathable semi-quick dry outfit than to be over-heated.
I just didn’t want to have a wrong outfit choice hinder the experience.
You may want to stick the waterproof stuff in your backpack, but I agree that I wouldn't wear it from the outset.
I am arriving in Kigali 2 days prior to my 15 day excursion. Is the Serena the best hotel to get some quality rest and rejuvenation prior to the many tent stays and long hike's post NYC jet leg? I don't mind spending the extra money if it is indeed the most sensible approach but I don't want to just subscribe to the theory that spending the most amount of money equates to the best option. I am a single female traveler. Any advice is appreciated.
takingtravel, I think MyDogKyle and her husband are currently in South Africa
but I too am interested in hearing opinions on this.
The Serena in Kigali was beautiful and top notch when we were there in October 2007,
Hi guys -- Wow, stuff's been going on with my thread while I was gone, how exciting.
As for gorilla trekking clothing, Lynn's advice is very good -- bring the rain pants to put over something lightweight and quick-drying (like zip-off pants). If you get a muddy trek like our first one, it's worth a little bit of sweat to have pants that will keep you from getting bogged down in mud. The rain pants helped me with nettles too, but again not every trek will be through nettles (one of ours was very nettle-intensive, and the other had very few nettles at all). I also highly recommend high-top hiking boots for ankle support. Some people did it in tennis shoes and the mud sucked their shoes off. And bring a long sleeve shirt, even if it is warm. Again, I needed it for one trek but not the other.
The only hotel I'm familiar with in Kigali is the Hotel Gorillas, which was a very nice business-style hotel with a good restaurant, in a neighborhood where we felt perfectly comfortable walking around on our own. I'm not familiar with the Serena and I don't know how the prices of the two compare. But I would definitely recommend Hotel Gorillas. (It's much nicer in person than any photos I was able to find online, by the way.)