Kidepo National Park

Driving into Kidepo National Park, is a treat unto itself. Long before the park entrance, coming in from Kitgum, you feel yourself more silent and reverent at the beauty of the plains and mountains. The landscape of Kidepo (Uganda’s most remote park) is a stunner, and visitors are often rewarded for their long trip to the northeastern corner of Uganda with wonderful wildlife sightings. The last time I was in Kidepo, we saw lions tearing away at a buffalo carcass and I saw more new birds than I could keep track of. It was also a childless trip, with a stay at the park’s fanciest lodge, so clearly this was going to be a different experience.

We pulled into the Uganda Wildlife Authority’s main campsite, thinking we would stay somewhere close to a food source, but the only place to camp was directly by the entrance with neither a view nor privacy. After lunch, a rest, a wee, and making payment, we drove off to compare the more remote campsites and landed on the one said to be frequented by lions, and we settled in, occasionally standing on the large rock that provided a wonderful look-out and gave the boys an exciting place to play with their monster trucks.

We stayed at this campsite for three nights, with the company of some rangers when darkness came and with some friends joining us on our second day. We heard lions roaring from a distance each night and each day we hired a ranger to help us look for them, but we had no luck. We had to make due with stories about lions, told to us by the rangers, who said the lions were occasionally found sleeping in the shade huts set up on the campsite.

When out here in the wilderness with kids, I admit to a constant, background state of anxiety. Many would think it would have something to do with Africa’s top predator potentially looming about, but I trust the guidance from the rangers when it comes to the big game. Instead, I’m often alert to other potential sources of injury - ants nests, thorns, cliffs, lightening storms. At one point, Leo and I stood atop the lookout rock, talking to another visiting couple, when a swarm of bees quickly surrounded us. We ran down the rock and thankfully they didn’t follow us, but my mind started to work out scenarios and options if they had wanted to attack. The most pressing health and safety issue may have been the sun, which shone relentlessly. We enjoyed the crisp evenings when the sun went down and treated ourselves to some marshmallows.

The game sighting were not spectacular this time around in Kidepo, but we left knowing this is part of the safari experience. Out here in the wilderness, nothing is guaranteed and your best option is to be grateful for the beauty that does present itself to you. We still saw elephants, jackals, giraffes, kudu, vultures pecking away at a buffalo carcass, and even a bat hanging in the campsite latrine. And the landscape, of course. That is no small thing.

Amboseli National Park: Days 19-21 of our Kenya Overland Trip

We had turned back West and were slowly making our way from the Kenyan coast, back home to Kampala, Uganda, with several stops planned. After Chyulu Hills, we had a short drive to Amboseli National Park, one that has been touted as a favorite among safari-goers in East Africa. Amboseli is a small park, and therefore it its wildlife is more concentrated and supposedly easier to find. Mount Kilimanjaro, which looms across the Tanzanian border, also makes a stunning background for the already beautiful scenery.

We camped outside the park at Elephant Gorge (AKA Winnie’s Camp). At each of our destinations, no matter how spectacular, it was the campsite that could make or break the experience. At Elephant Gorge, our first impressions were not favorable. It was hot and the sun was harsh. There was no shade at the campsite and as we got the boys out of the car, we noticed thorns all over the ground, an ant’s nest just a couple of steps away, and a few “Nairobi Eyes” (small red and black beetles that leave a burn on your skin). I couldn’t put Pax down on the ground to help set up camp. But we were soon saved by Joseph, the manager of the place. He promptly brought a large tent to give us shade, as well as a sprawling rug for the boys to sit on. He was incredibly helpful and kind, making a less-than-ideal site (for young kids) very do-able.

I noticed several lovely birds flying around, so I kept my camera close by. As a rule, I would always take my camera to the bathroom with me during the trip because I would often see something lovely and unexpected. On bathroom trips at Winnie’s Camp, I saw a stunning little Purple Grenadier and a Green-winged Pytilla.

After having lunch, setting up camp, and putting Pax down for a nap, Leo and I had some time to walk around a bit. We carefully avoided the several Nairobi Eyes that we saw in the tall grasses as we found animal tracks around the campsite. We looked up to see a few zebra and a couple of giraffes looking back at us. Leo gathered some grass to “feed” to them, but of course we didn’t get very close.

At night, we enjoyed our s’mores around the fire (part of our camping bedtime routine), and played monster trucks in the tent until bedtime. After the boys were in bed, there was always more work to do, so Eric and I forced our tired bodies out of the tent and into the cold darkness so we could do dishes and pack everything away. It was then, at night, when I appreciate the lack of shade trees around our campsite, as it offered us a wide-open view of the night sky.

In the morning, we were making breakfast and preparing for a day in the park when Joseph came over and asked if we had seen Kili yet. He pointed South and sure enough, just behind the bushes, we had a clear view of Mount Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain on the African continent. As we headed into the park for a game drive, it loomed beautifully in the background for most of the morning before the clouds covered it for the day.

We had a fun day cruising around Amboseli, although a good part of the park was not accessible due to the heavy rains. We made it through several large puddles, but thought better of it when the puddles turned into small lakes. We enjoyed watching large families of elephants strolling through the grasslands and flocks of pink flamingos gathering in the water. Although antelope quickly become uninteresting while on safari, a highlight was watching a group of impala close to the road. On our left side, there were dozens of females and one male, who seemed to be the head dude. On the right side of the road were several other males who were play-fighting one another. The big guy with the females bellowed out to the other males, almost mocking them and daring them to come challenge him. We did not hire a guide or ranger, which is usually helpful if you want to see any big cats, but as we passed other cars and asked them if they had seen anything, they all said no. It seemed the lions and leopards were hiding that day.

We did, however, have quite the adrenaline rush at one point. As we explored some of the side roads, we came upon a lone bull elephant, who are known to be quite aggressive. He indicated that he didn’t want us there, so we stopped and let him graze for a while, waiting for him to move on. When we thought he had moved far enough away from us, we slowly proceeded on the road, but it seemed he still had a point to make. He promptly turned around and charged our car, running right at us. I started yelling “GO GO GO!!!” to Eric, who kept his eyes on the road. After gunning it for a few hundred yards, we came to a huge puddle covering the road and had a moment of panic, not knowing how deep it was and if our car could make it through. For a couple of seconds, we were trapped between the washed-over road and a charging elephant, but as I looked back to see how close he was, the elephant graciously decided to let us off the hook. Now we were faced with the decision to try our luck at the puddle or turn back and face the elephant again. Wisely, we chose the puddle. We made it through and we stopped to catch our breath. I was shaking and laughing. Pax had no clue what had happened and Leo started asking a million questions.

We continued on with our drive, now a bit more weary around elephants. We left the park early, knowing we had to set up the tent again and make dinner, all of which had to be done before nightfall.

The next day, we would drive to Nairobi, where we would ring in the New Year with pizza and ice cream and friends. We set up camp on our friends’ yard, appreciated the chance to talk all about the highlights and struggles of the trip, and enjoyed a good internet connection.

Tsavo East: Days 11 - 13 of our Kenya Overland Trip

We left the truck stop campsite after breakfast and headed to Ndololo campsite in Tsavo East. The park was a muddy mess and we slopped through the mud, spotting some animals, mostly elephants, here and there on the way to the campsite. The campsite was a mud pit as well. We found a dry spot and set up camp while the boys promptly took to the mud.

Ndololo is a public campsite attended by a couple of helpful Maasai men who helped us identify the strange sounds we heard at night (hyenas vs elephants) and ward off the vervet monkeys. There was a screened-in kitchen available to keep our food, should we need a safe place away from the monkeys and baboons. We were relaxed about the primate competition at first, until the monkeys surrounded us from the ground and above in the trees, jumping onto our table as soon as I turned my back while cooking. One took a precious squash and ran up the tree with it while I threw a fit down below. We dug out Leo’s slingshot and found some pebbles, shooting them at any of the pests who dared get close. From above, two monkeys fought over the squash and they dropped it, which I proudly retrieved. Half of it was still good. Leo worked on making a monkey trap out of rope.

Primates were not the only wildlife around the campsite. A herd of antelope came through in the middle of the day and on our second night, I heard several snorts and sighs outside our tent. I shone my flashlight out the window to see 6 elephants not 20 feet from us. Those were the times I was grateful our tent was high on top of our car.

On the second day in Tsavo, we toured the park. Tsavo is a huge park, known for its elephant population, still recovering from poaching wars, and for its stunning landscapes. We drove from one landscape to the next, enjoying the opportunities to get out of the car with the kids and walk near the Luggard Falls on the Galana River and on top of the huge Mudanda Rock. The scenery was truly incredible and it made for a fun day exploring with the boys.

Despite all the beauty and exploration, Eric and I were becoming more exhausted every day. I wasn’t getting much sleep at night, thanks to the strange sounds, (several which seemed concerning), and mosquitoes who mysteriously kept finding a way into our tent, yet seemed to only target me. My eyes were also causing me problems and they hurt like hell every time I put in my contacts. I cleaned my lenses several times and changed them, but nothing seemed to help except wearing my dreaded glasses for a while. By the time we left Tsavo, we were tired of the mud, tired of packing and unpacking, and just plain tired. We were ready for the beach.

Murchison Falls National Park

This year I took two trips to Uganda's most popular national park - Murchison Falls National Park. We took a group of 30, who came for The Unity Initiative, on safari and I had to take an earlier trip to the park to hash out logistics for the group, so we made it into a family weekend.

This park remains one of the most popular game parks because the delta attracts animals, so you don't have to drive long to find good game sightings. We also managed to snag the best park ranger, who spotted a leopard hanging in a tree from an unimaginable distance.

I've been on safari more times than I can count now, but it never gets old and has become a favorite way for our family to get out of the city. There is always something about the wild that will beckon us. Here is a collection of some of my favorite photos of those two trips.

The wilderness of Kidepo

We lucked out with a trip over New Years a couple years ago to Uganda's most remote and highly-lauded game park, Kidepo National Park.  Situated in the corner of the country between Kenya and South Sudan, Kidepo Valley required either a couple days' drive from Kampala or a flight.  Part of our lucking-out included a stunning flight over the country.  When we landed, we were escorted to Apoka lodge where the remoteness of the landscape met luxury.  We had bathtubs overlooking the savannah and an infinity pool overlooking a watering hole.

Kidepo is a place where the most well-safari-ed come to safari, and with good reason.  Each day, we came across a pride of lions, once just after they had killed a water buffalo for breakfast.  The park also has all the other big game, along with one of the best variety of birds in Africa.  Our time at Apoka was my favorite Ugandan get-away so far, and that's saying a lot!