Our morning begins at the Compassion International national office of Uganda. We have a very pleasant visit with them and learn about how they operate. After a couple of hours spent with them, ending with refreshments and some nice visiting time, we say goodbye to three of our group, Tim, José, and Bob. They are headed home today while we travel north.
Some of the Uganda Compassion staff:
Some of the sights on the way:
Making mats:
Carrying brooms:
A disagreement between a bicycle rider and a van driver:
We then depart for Entebbe and the airport. It is time to fly to Murchison Falls National Park. I am very excited about what’s ahead. It’s like a classic boyhood dream to be here. We board two small planes for the hour flight - the plane below and a four-seater.
Upon arrival, we see small antelope, not much taller than a dog, eyeing us as we taxi in on the dirt runway. We are on the savanna now, a much different looking place than southern Uganda. It is about 1,500 feet lower in altitude, warmer, and more humid. The tall, tan grass blows in the breeze, an unusual variety of trees dot the landscape, and tall hills are visible on the horizon. We are also reminded of how close we are to the troubled border with the Congo. A large tank one hundred yards from the runway, with soldiers garrisoned in thatch-covered huts, protect the airport. There is always concern about LRA in the park, the infamous army that has terrorized the Sudan and killed ten tourists here in 1999.
This adventure begins right away. We pack into vans and speed off on the rutted red dirt roads for our river safari boats about an hour’s drive away. Our chartered flights have arrived an hour or so late, and there are other people waiting for us at the boats that can’t depart until we arrive. On the drive, we get our first glimpses of giraffe, various breeds of deer and antelope, and cape buffalo on the drive to the Nile River.
Upon arrival, we quickly jump out of the vans and into the boats. As we’re exiting the vans, Justin in our group notices a monkey jump on the van, reach through an open window, and run away with a pack of cookies.
We push off and start our journey. The feeling among us at this point is still a bit indescribable. It’s as if it’s hard for us to believe we are actually in Africa on a boat cruising down the Nile River! Almost as soon as we start, we see hippos anywhere from ten to twenty yards from us. Our boat is narrow and sits low in the water, so we feel especially close to these great beasts. It’s an odd feeling knowing that at points, hippos are almost certainly directly below us as well. The river safari is a beautiful, exciting, and at the same time, peaceful experience. We see hippos, crocodiles, elephants, monkeys, cape buffalo, wart hogs and more along our route.
I didn't even see this guy at first. After we got closer, I couldn't miss him!
Another good hider. He made a few moves towards us to let us know we were too close to his spot.
Our end point of this river safari is Murchison Falls. About a mile away from the falls, we begin to see pockets of foam on the water. As we move closer, the number and size of the foam pockets increases. They are from the churn of the falls. Finally, the falls are in sight. It is a powerful picture. I have never seen falls with this much power or with the intensity with which the walls of water crash against the stone walls and boulders.
Still about a half mile or so from the falls, our captain drops us off at a narrow, rocky, steep embankment that leads into dense trees and vegetation, almost unnoticeable from the river as any kind of trail. We begin to hike and climb to the falls themselves. It is very hot and very humid. Halfway to the end, faces are bright red and sweat is pouring from our bodies. The views are beautiful. The rise from where we started to the top of the falls is about 1,000 feet. The view from the top is awe-inspiring.
On the trail to the top of the falls:
When we get to the top, we meet a Ugandan gentleman in a green military jacket. He introduces himself as Sammy. It turns out Sammy was supposed to be our guide and was to meet us at the boat at the beginning of this hike, but fell asleep! Good thing we could find our own way! We take a photo with Sammy the Sleeping Guide, then head toward the vans.
Sammy the Sleeping Guide and friends:
The view from above the falls:
It turns out that we need to be in quite a rush. There is a ferry across the Nile that we and the vans must board to cross the river and reach the lodge where we will stay. The last ferry departs at 7:00 p.m. and it is already after 6:00 p.m. Our drivers race across the rutted and potholed dirt roads, getting us there just in time. The ferry is a flat, shallow barge that lumbers its way across the river. It is now almost completely dark. Long bolts of lightning begin to flash intermittently. This is as classic an African moment as I have imagined. We unload on the other side and walk to the vans for the rest of the ride. About fifteen yards to our left in the tall grass, a hippo decides to ever so slowly get up and amble his way to the water. The moonlight glows brightly off of its back.
We check into the Paara Lodge. Built to match the environment here, it sits on top of a hill overlooking the Nile River. After dinner, we head to our rooms. There are mosquito nets that need to be pulled around the beds, then it’s lights out.
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