Uganda, the fascinating "Pearl of Africa".

I owe to Africa some of my most memorable travel souvenirs. I will probably never see again a starry sky as the one observed in Tanzania in the Serengeti, by a lovely evening of November 2003. There were stars everywhere hung over on a jet black sky and they were so brilliant that it was impossible to distinguish the constellations and planets in all this starry mass. The warm welcome received in Kenya, the smiles on all faces in Madagascar, regardless of social status or age, the safaris in the East and South Africa national parks and this feeling of being one with nature. Africa is over and above all a great window into the wilderness.

After a visit to Uganda, Winston Churchill wrote a book in 1908, My African Journey, in which he mentionned this

For magnificence, for variety of form and color, for profusion of brilliant live - bird, insect, reptile, beast - Uganda is truly "the Pearl of Africa". The Kingdom of Uganda is a fairy tale. The scenery is different, the different climate and most of all, the people are different from anything elsewhere to be seen in the whole of Africa ranks ... what messages I bring back ... concentrate upon Uganda. 

Uganda straddles the equator. It is located in the Nile basin on the east african plateau, with an average of 1 150 meters above sea level, and it shares borders with South Sudan in the north, Kenya to the east the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to the west, Rwanda in the southwest and Tanzania in the south, with which it shares much of Lake Victoria. Other major lakes include Lake Kyoga in central and Lakes Albert, Edward and George along the Congolese border. Most national parks and spectacular places not to miss are six or eight hours driving time from the capital, Kampala. Murchison Falls, to the north, where all the Nile water cascades through a gorge of eight meters wide, is a unique and amazing place.

The southwestern part of Uganda, including Kabale Kisoro, was rightly described as "the little Switzerland", with its crater lakes and meticulous excavation of agricultural land on the mountain slopes. The hills overlooking Lake Bunyonyi offer stunning views of crater lakes and islands, and the impenetrable forest near Kabale is the stronghold of the great apes, gorillas and chimpanzees.

The climate is ideal almost year round with temperatures between 10 ° C and 28 ° C depending on the altitude, location and season. The Kampala area is moderate with 16 ° to 28 °. In the west, in Kabale and Fort Portal, as well as in the east, Sipi Falls and Mount Elgon, the temperature is cooler with 10 ° to 24 ° C.The country therefore offers the advantage of having a tropical climate without intense moisture that is found on the coast. There are two rainy seasons during the year (April to May and September to November) but with climate change lived all around the world, it is increasingly difficult to establish a flawless prognosis.

Sooner this year, my wife, Anne, and I decided to go in this attractive attractive from June, 14th to July, 6th. In the field of logistics and support we contacted the agency Gorillas Homeland Safaris based in Kampala. From the first contact by email, Davis Tukamushaba took us under his wing and  provided us with the services of Alex Gabiito as a driver and professional bird guide. 21 full days on the ground, 483 different species of birds observed, varied wildlife, breathtaking landscape and interesting meetings with other local guides. The choice of accommodation, food and well-planned route, not to mention the Alex constant good humor and patience, all contribute to achieve another incredible journey on the african continent.
 
Here is the map of our journey during these 21 days. From Entebbe (where we arrived by plane), we headed southwest, near the border with Rwanda, then we went northwards along the border with Congo to Murchison Falls for finaly returniing to Kampala and Entebbe for the back home flight to Quebec.

Small green bubbles indicate the places where we stayed.

And here are some photos showing our activities and the beauty of Uganda.

Bec-en-sabot du Nil / Balaeniceps rex / Shoebill.
Here is a central african sought-after species by all the ornithologists of the world. This giant wader with its huge beak is only observed in a few countries in Central Africa and is present at only two sites in Uganda: near Entebbe along Lake Victoria, and in the National Park Murchison Falls, located farther north west.
We had the amazing opportunity to observe at least one bird in both places. Here is the picture taken at Mabamba swamp, near Entebbe, on June 14, 2019.

Crabier à ventre roux / Ardeola rufiventris / Rufous-bellied Heron. Another lifer for me on the same day and at the same place than the Shoebill.

And here is Alex Gabiito indicating the origin of an interesting bird call. We see at the front of the boat one of the two local guides who accompanied us on this occasion. Alex is a fascinating guide who hears and sees everything. To ensure you do not miss the interesting species at the different visited sites, he often combines the services of a local guide who knows the area visited on the tip of his fingers. Always at the Mabamba swamp near Entebbe.

Grue couronnée / Balearica regulorum gibbericeps / Gray-crowned Crane. Here is the emblematic bird of Uganda. We saw it almost every day in pairs or more. On June 15, at Lake Mburo National Park.

 

Grébifoulque d'Afrique / Podica senegalensis senegalensis / African Finfoot. Another highly sought-after species and little observed. It is at Lake Mburo that we are lucky to find one. Thanks to the boat captain. On June 15, 2019.

 

Tisserin de montagne /  Ploceus alienus / Strange Weaver. Unlike other weavers, he is met lonely and does not nest in colonies though, on occasion, two nests can be placed close to each other by as many couples. On June 18, 2019 near Ruhija.

 

Eurylaime de Grauer / Pseudocalyptomena graueri / Grauer's Broadbill. This species has a small fragmented range in which its subalpine forest habitat continues to be degraded and cleared. It is known only in two regions of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the Itombwe hills and mountains west of Lake Kivu, and in the southwest of Uganda, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest . And it is only in the Bwindi it is well protected. In 2000, in the book Threatened Birds of the World, Birdlife International reports that a single nest of this species was found at 11 meters above the ground in a tree reaching 20 meters in height. In March 1998, the young birds left the nest and were observed in the process of being fed in Bwindi. Here is one of the two pictures I could make of this ultra rare species and, as a bonus, near the nest. We can even see the open beak of two nestlings inside the nest. Oh yes, this is my 5 000th bird species observed. Life could not give me a greater gift on this beautiful day of June 19, 2019 in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.

Souimanga de Preuss / Cinnyris reichenowi reichenowi / Northern Double-collared Sunbird. The Old World sunbirds replace the New World hummingbirds. They also feature an iridescent plumage and they feed primarily on nectar from flowers, but they do not have the skills of hummingbirds to hover. So they perch near or on a flower to plunge the spout and collect sugar. Here is one of 22 different species of sunbird observed on this trip. Photographed on June 21, 2019 at Buhoma.

 

Brève à poitrine verte / Pitta reichenowi / Green-breasted pitta. On June 26, 2019, we left before daybreak and our guides led us to Kigale forest land where another very special species was awaiting for us. A species that stands primarily to the ground and rummages in leaf litter in search of arthropods and other bugs. After about one hour of research, one of the two local guides found the very hard to see bird. Here it is.

 

Gobemouche de Berlioz / Melaenornis ardesiacus / Yellow-eyed Black-Flycatcher. Somewhat frequently encountered forest flycatcher. In Bwindi Impenetrable Forest on June 19, 2019.

Barbican guifsobalito / Lybius guifsobalito ugandae / Black-billed Barbet. On 1 July 2019 in the Murchison Falls National Park.

Calao à cuisses blanches / Bycanistes albotibialis / White-thighed Hornbill. On July 03, 2019 at Budongo Forest.

 

Calao à casque noir / Ceratogymna atrata / Black-casqued Hornbill. On June 28, 2019 in the Semliki Valley.

 

Bucorve d'Abyssinie / Bucorvus abyssinicus / Abyssinian Ground Hornbill,. On June 30, 2019 in the Murchison Falls National Park.

 

 

Perroquet jaco / Psittacus erithacus erithacus / Gray Parrot. Here is the recognized species of parrot as having the greatest capacity to repeat the human language. On June 26, 2019 at Kibale.

 

Euplecte franciscain / Euplectes franciscanus franciscanus / Northern Red Bishop. On July 1, 2019 in the Murchison Falls National Park.

No, there are not only birds in Uganda. We found a nice variety of animals during the safaris, along the road or on our walks into the forest. Before saying goodbye with a last picture, let me give you the information to join Davis Tukamushaba at Gorillas Safaris Homeland;   

email      info@gorillashomelandsafaris.com email 
website   https://www.gorillashomelandsafaris.com.

Anne and giraffes. In Murchison Falls National Park, on 1 July 2019.

  Have a fantastic life !