Welcoming the whales in Watamu – a first for Kenya!
Whale watching in Watamu, part of Kenya’s Twin Migration!
The Great Migration of a million plus wildebeest across the plains of Kenya – and Tanzania – combined with the annual migration of whales along Kenya’s coast make a compelling case for visiting East Africa at this time of year.
Did you know…? Between July and September, humpback whales pass close to the shores of the Kenyan coast. Why? They gather in the warm Kenyan waters to calve and mate. If you’re into wildlife – like I am – whale watching is another not-to-be-missed ecotourism experience!
Below are extracts from an article in Kenya’s The Nation entitled Travelling to Watch Whales in Kenyan Coast.
Armed with a pair of binoculars and a good viewing spot, Charlotte Beauvoisin, a British travel blogger who lives in Uganda sat at the shore watching the whales from land.
“I got a sneak peek from behind the scenes with the Watamu Marine Association land research team,” she says.
Charlotte Beauvoisin, The Nation – Business daily, 9 August 2019
I’m a huge fan of the conservation work and ecotourism activities developed by the Watamu Marine Association. On a previous visit I was lucky enough to accompany WMA’s dolphin monitoring team onto the ocean. For over an hour, we watched a pod of 20 dolphins on this same stretch of coast. As soon as the WMA team mentioned that they now organise whale watching tours, I just had to see them!
“If a whale watching boat does not see the animals, a guide or researcher will communicate with the land base which increases the chance of visitors to see whales. When I was with the land team, it was early in the season so we couldn’t see the mother whale and calves that come as close as 500 metres from the shore. However, as I was watching there was a call from one of the boats, Alley Cat, to tell me that I was looking at a whale just slightly outside out of range. In the next few hours, seven whales were seen from the boats in the ocean,” Charlotte says.
She has always been fascinated by whales; their size, grace and eerie, unusual songs. “I’m terrified of deep water so I have immense respect for how whales live and the many thousands of miles they swim every year as they migrate.”
Last week I travelled to Watamu to meet Jane Spilsbury and Steve Trott of the Watamu Marine Association. They work closely with Hemingways Watamu, Kenya’s first hotel to offer whale watching excursions.
The whale migration through Kenyan waters normally starts at the beginning of July and ends in September (although sightings have been made as late as November in some years). “It is expected that the whales will start to increase in numbers as the migration peaks in August,” says Jane. In October, the whales make their 5,000 km return journey to Antartica, their main feeding area. During the peak month of August, humpbacks – said to be “among the most acrobatic of whales” – can even be seen from shoreside bars and hotels such as Hemingways and Ocean Sports Bar. The whale watching tours follow WMA’s responsible whale watching guidelines.
How much does it cost to go whale watching in Watamu?
Whale watching costs between $450 and $100 for a morning or afternoon boat trip that lasts about 4 hours. There’s a good chance of seeing other marine mammals such as sea turtles and dolphins on a whale watching trip.
Would you believe it – these are the teeth of a Sperm Whale!
In 2018, the 17 metre long body of a Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus) was washed up at Kwale, on the Kenyan coast. My friends at Watamu Marine Association were quick to visit the scene. Watch the story of the beached Sperm Whale unfold. It’s quite something. (One quick thinking local was there to take and print selfies for the crowd who gathered at the scene!)
The Sperm Whale is 1 of 24 marine mammal species identified by the Watamu Marine Association along this stretch of coastline.
Once upon a time, Sperm Whale teeth were much in demand by seamen who used the teeth to carve intricate images. This artwork was known as scrimshaw. The image was scratched onto the surface of a Sperm Whale tooth using a knife or needle. Scrimshaw art was popular with 19th century whalers.
If you love the sea, there are so many thrilling ways to experience nature in Watamu: snorkeling, whale watching, dolphin monitoring, turtle conservation. (Whatever next – sharks?)
For more information, visit Watamu Marine Association’s web site. To book a whale watching trip between July and September, contact +254 (0) 724170154 / (0)731697356 or fishing.centre@hemingways.co / michael.mwangombe@watamumarine.co.ke
Here is my favourite blog from the coast, all about Kenya’s dazzling marine life: where to snorkel in Watamu.
17 must-try experiences in Mombasa!
17 must-try experiences in – and on the way to – Mombasa
Mombasa is closer than you think…
I recently flew to the coast – with a few hours stopover in Nairobi. Here are the muzungu’s 17 recommendations on how to fly, where to stay, what to eat, and more!
1. Fly to Mombasa via Nairobi
Our journey to the coast started with an early morning flight from Entebbe to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi.
We passed a day sightseeing in Nairobi, Kenya before catching the short flight to Mombasa.
2. Eat breakfast at Four Points by Sheraton, a hotel that overlooks both the JKIA runway and Nairobi National Park
Breakfast time found us on the outdoor terrace of the Marketplace restaurant of Four Points by Sheraton, a high-class hotel in a unique location.
Whether you are a safari goer or a plane spotter, you’ll love staying at Four Points JKIA. (Rooms are soundproofed so you aren’t disturbed by the planes). I could imagine staying here for business meetings between flights. The hotel caters for tourists, walk-in guests and corporates.
3. Take a safari game drive in Nairobi National Park!
It was fun to fit in a game drive before our early evening flight to Mombasa. Nairobi is the only East African city where you can go on a game drive. Here’s my story about my first safari in Nairobi National Park.
4. Eat lunch at ROAST by Carnivore in Karen
5. Hop on the flight to Mombasa
Woo hoo! THE COAST is calling me! We took the evening flight from JKIA to Mombasa’s Moi International Airport.
6. Soak up the nautical theme at Voyager Beach Resort, Nyali, north coast Mombasa
As we entered the gates of Voyager Beach Resort, Nyali Beach, north coast Mombasa, the ascari raised his trumpet to sound a fanfare to welcome us on board. The resort’s fun nautical style is apparent throughout: rooms are known as cabins, floors are decks and the staff dress in naval uniforms. The theme continues as the Voyager ‘docks in a new port’ every day, meaning the resort takes on the menus – and more – of the new destination. One day the Voyager docked in Mexico; another day we docked in Mombasa for Swahili breakfast and dinner. Local fabrics adorn the dining room to complete the look.
Voyager Beach Resort is the ideal location for all-inclusive family holidays on the coast. (It’s the kind of place I LOVED as a kid!) Think kids’ activities, yoga classes, live music, theme nights, family shows, activities for teenagers, watersports centre, gym, three swimming pools, tennis courts and four bars. One night we watched the brilliant Mombasa Roots play live as the ‘Animation Team’ (resort staff dressed in yellow T-shirts with a big letter A on them) got guests moving and a grooving on the dancefloor – (there was some classic Dad Dancing on display too!) Voyager is a mixed crowd of Kenyans and other Africans, Europeans and a few Americans. There’s a super relaxed vibe.
7. Contemplate the colours (and your morals) at the Shree Cutch Satsang Swaminarayan Temple
What a way to start our day… gazing at the gorgeous colours of the temple’s painted walls and doors put me in a fantastic mood. Take a closer look and many of the images are rather scary: dire predictions about how thieves, drinkers and meat eaters will be ravaged in hell. (These graphic warnings did not put us off enjoying everything that Mombasa had to offer us however!)
This temple is a cracker. There’s no charge to enter (and if you arrive before 10.30 am they will open the inner sanctum for you). If you admire temples, there is another one further along Haile Selassie Avenue.
8. Stop for a selfie with ‘Pembe za ndovu’ Mombasa’s giant elephant tusks
Pembe za ndovu is the Swahili name for Mombasa’s famous elephant tusks that form a M shape across Moi Avenue. Selfies here are the classic “look at me, I’m in Mombasa” shot.
According to my driver, Mombasa’s tusks (thin sheets of metal) were erected in 1956 by a European. He got the date right. The European was Princess Margaret of Great Britain who visited that year. Does the M stand for Margaret or for Mombasa?
Be mindful of the traffic while posing for your selfie – Moi Avenue is a busy road.
9. Taste local snacks on Mama Ngina Drive
Mama Ngina Drive is famous for the freshly fried kachri ya muhogo cassava crisps and chilli washed down by madafu coconut water – the perfect combo!
You can pick up tourist souvenirs and trinkets on Mama Ngina Drive. (I doubt you should buy the seashells and many countries won’t allow you to take them through customs). This makes thought-provoking reading: You might want to think twice before buying a seashell souvenir.
I’d avoid the rather dilapidated toilets in the Mama Ngina heritage building if you can. (The blue and white building looks like a lighthouse). The place is clean enough for the cheap entry price but toilet doors don’t seem to lock.
From Mama Ngina Drive, you can watch the non-stop flow of human traffic embarking and disembarking the Likoni Ferry that connects north and south coast Mombasa. As we watched the tens of thousands of people pass by, you might imagine they are running to catch an Underground train in London or the Metro in Paris.
10. Pretend to be a commuter: take the Likoni Ferry
The July weather had us running down the slope in the rain to catch the ferry from Mama Ngina Drive across to Likoni. Pedestrians travel for free; cars, tuk tuks, and heavy lorries pay a small fee. Men on bicycles ship jerry cans; women carry bundles of produce for the market; small trucks are loaded with goats.
As soon as the Likoni Ferry fills up, it sets off for the other side of the creek. The journey lasts just a few minutes but gave us a chance to look upstream to the Port of Mombasa and downstream to the Indian Ocean. The Likoni Ferry may not be on every tourist’s itinerary but it does give you an insight into the everyday lives of the people of Mombasa.
11. Step into 500 years of history with a guided tour of Fort Jesus
Despite numerous trips to – or should I say through – Mombasa, this was my first time to visit Fort Jesus. Entry fees to Fort Jesus are 400 KES (local price) or 1200 KES (muzungu price!) plus guide fee, which is negotiable.
Our guide Dunga recounted the history of Fort Jesus. In 1498, Vasco de Gama – with a Christian cross emblazoned on his sail – first passed the Kenyan coast en route to India. In 1593, the Portuguese invaded and built Fort Jesus as a military garrison.
Beyond the heavy cannons, the Fort Jesus’ small museum records the history of conquests and sieges by the Portuguese, Arabs, Omanis and British. On display are pottery, old stamp collections and beautiful artefacts from Persia, Oman and China. The Omani Museum showcases modern displays in an ancient building. I wish I’d paid more attention. (Next time I’ll leave my camera behind and just take my notebook…)
The areas open to the public are small enough to make Fort Jesus an easy trip of half a day or less. Visit early morning when it is not too hot. Afterwards, drink some fresh tamarind juice under one of the ancient trees on the main road.
Mombasa is a melting pot of African, Arab and European influences. Nowhere is this more evident than in Fort Jesus.
12. Explore the Old Town of Mombasa on foot
The Old Town of Mombasa is an interesting mix of narrow streets and Swahili architecture. Hire a local guide to scratch below the surface of this UNESCO-listed city. I adored the antiques and knick-knacks in the Gallery Shop, one of many curio shops. I could have spent all afternoon browsing!
13. Enjoy the ocean breeze at Forodhani Restaurant
Forodhani’s quiet location is five minutes’ walk from Fort Jesus, next to the Old Port, with a panoramic view of the Indian Ocean and English Point, a small promontory of land on the north coast opposite Fort Jesus.
Beyond its setting, the restaurant is nothing special to look at, some plastic tables and chairs, no table decoration. Since I was in a Muslim city, I decided to try a mutton biryani; it came in a spicy tomato sauce with plenty of meat. I also ate a delicious lamb kofta sausage. According to my Kenyan travel companions, the standards were not as good as before. Service was average and staff attention was minimal but lunch was pretty affordable (and the restaurant worth visiting simply for the view and the cool breeze!)
Across the water is English Point Marina, a state of the art luxury development that looks across to Fort Jesus.
14. Chill on a sunset dhow cruise and dine at La Marina Restaurant, Mtwapa
Our sunset cruise along the inland waterways of Mtwapa Creek left from the jetty at La Marina, where our enthusiastic hostess Alice took our dinner orders and organised my preferred tipple of Kenya Cane rum for our cruise boat’s bar. The leisurely cruise was a calming tonic after our day exploring the city of Mombasa. Our small group had the whole creek to ourselves that night. Oh the starlit sky!
The candlelit, open air palm tree terrace at La Marina Restaurant is a romantic setting on the edge of the creek. (I feel relaxed just remembering that night). Dinner was exquisite: calamari in a creamy sauce for me, followed by grilled suli suli Kingfish. Other seafood options were octopus, sushi, baked oysters, king prawns and grilled lobster. I’ve always loved seafood (even more now that I live in land-locked Uganda and visits to the coast are such a treat!)
La Marina Restaurant is a short drive north from Nyali. Call +254 (0)723 223737 for bookings. For the full romance, watch the sun going down aboard a traditional Arab dhow.
15. Feed the giraffes and crocodiles and meet a 200 year old tortoise at Haller Park
During Mombasa’s hot months, there’s no place I’d rather be than here underneath the trees. What a gift Haller Park is!
Haller Park deserves several entries in this list of things to do in Mombasa as there are so many activities you can take part in, from physical exercise to animal feeding to educational tours.
Be there at 11 o’clock or 3 o’clock to take part in the giraffe feeding. Crocodiles also get a little snack every day at 4.40 pm. (They have their main feed of 10 kg of meat just once a month).
There were shrieks from our group as we passed through the reptile enclosure. Many of the snakes had been rescued from local homes. I don’t mind snakes but felt rather nervous when the Puff Adder eyeballed me. That snake has a mean reputation!
During the 1950s, the Haller Park site was a Bamburi Cement quarry. Thanks to the vision of a certain Dr Haller, the barren quarry site was reclaimed for the environment: it is now a popular location for biking and running the nature trails, and school trips, thanks to Lafarge Eco Systems (a subsidiary of Bamburi Cement).
Haller Park opened to the public in 1984. The transformation from barren site to lush woodland is phenomenal and gives me hope for the future.
Unfortunately we didn’t get a chance to meet Owen the hippo and Mzee, his giant tortoise buddy! When Owen was stranded after a tsunami, he was rescued by Kenyan villagers. To everyone’s amazement, the orphan hippo and Mzee, a 130-yr-old tortoise, became inseparable. Photos of their friendship made them worldwide celebrities. Their friendship has even spawned a Broadway musical!
16. Admire the multi-coloured starfish on a glass-bottomed boat ride and snorkelling adventure
I never knew starfish came in so many colours! Orange, red, blue, brown and grey were clearly visible as our boat motored along the coast. But note: don’t pick up the starfish. Pulling them out of the water can kill them, even if they are put back! And boat operators turn a blind eye to this…
The highlight of our afternoon was anchoring in shallow water and walking to an exposed sandy ledge of the reef to explore the crevices of the rock pools for sea urchins, starfish and shellfish.
Kenya Wildlife Service manages the country’s protected areas. In addition to the cost of the boat ride, you’ll need to pay the Mombasa Marine National Park entry fee if you want to snorkel.
Snorkeling, scuba-diving lessons, big-game fishing, windsurfing and canoeing and dhow safaris can all be arranged from Voyager Resort.
17. Taste Nyali nightlife!
Next stop Tapas Cielo lounge bar for a Johnnie Walker /DJ night. Eddy Kenzo and Sauti Sol videos made a perfect night of it at Anuba Lounge.
I wish I’d stayed longer in Nyali. I get the feeling that Mombasans are very like Ugandans – they’re easy going and love to party!
More about Voyager Beach Resort, Nyali Beach, Mombasa
We were so caught up in sightseeing in Mombasa, I’m not sure I did the Voyager’s facilities justice. It’s the perfect base for family holidays, with an extensive programme of activities, sports, entertainment, shows and tours for all ages. However, research for this blog forced me to sample the bars – at least!
My favourite was the Lookout Bar (above the beach) and the small Harbour Bar near the restaurant. Go find Raymond – he’s an award-winning cocktail maker!
Voyager caters to many tastes: European, Indian, African and more. While most meals are served buffet-style in the main restaurant, Voyager’s Minestrone Restaurant has an Italian à la carte menu (included in the all-inclusive price).
The Smugglers’ Cove restaurant is hidden in a coral cave! The food was superb (discounted for Voyager residents).
The balcony of my deluxe room looked onto gardens of palm trees, just 50 metres from the beach. It was perfect. The room had aircon, TV (did I even switch it on?), fridge, a good size safe, a powerful shower and plenty of complimentary toiletries. Voyager has 234 cabins, of various styles, each with its own balcony.
Murchison Falls National Park
Visit the spectacular Murchison Falls! Take the boat ride to the Bottom of the Falls. Experience the thundering water under your feet at the Top of the Falls!
That’s my dad! The Devil’s Cauldron. Top of Murchison Falls
Murchison Falls National Park is named after the spectacular waterfalls, the undoubted geographical highlight of the area. It was during his 1860-70’s expeditions that the explorer Sir Samuel Baker named the Falls after Sir Roderick Murchison, the President of The Royal Geographical Society. During Idi Amin’s time, the Falls were known by their local name: Kabalega Falls, after the notorious warlord king of Bunyoro Kingdom.
Sir Winston Churchill described the plains around Murchison Falls as “Kew Gardens and the [London] zoo on an unlimited scale.”
Before I go any further, I must alert you to the heinous idea of building a dam at Murchison Falls. Read my blog “There is no Murchison Falls National Park without Murchison Falls.” The debate rages on.
On an early morning game drive in Murchison, you’re likely to see elephants, Cape buffalo, Rothschild’s giraffes, lion, Uganda kob, warthog and more. My friend saw a porcupine on safari in Murchison! An armed Uganda Wildlife Authority ranger escorts visitors on game drives.
Murchison Falls National Park has over 400 bird species. I love the big Abyssinian Ground Hornbill! I spotted these as we drove along the south bank of the Nile
The boat trip to the Bottom of the Falls is second to none. It’s an absolute must-do! You will see huge Nile crocodiles, hippos and 100s of birds, including brightly-coloured Beeeaters, Spoonbills and – if you’re lucky – you can even see the prehistoric-looking Shoebill, which is a cross between the dodo and a dinosaur! The boat takes you to the base of the Falls where you can stop for some great photo opportunities.
On my last trip we saw an amazing THREE Shoebills on the River Nile delta cruise with Wild Frontiers. Photo Allan Ssenyonga
View of Murchison Falls and Uhuru Falls, Uganda
The hour’s hike from the edge of the River Nile up to the top of Murchison Falls is highly recommended. En route you will see a second set of waterfalls – Uhuru Falls. The striking view of both waterfalls is not visible from the top of Murchison Falls, nor from the boat. This hike can be done in either direction. There is a steep climb for a few minutes, but the Uganda Wildlife Authority has invested in steps and handrails, so I highly recommend the hike. UWA charge a small fee to do the walk to the bottom of the Falls.
There is an inevitability about the constant flow of the River Nile that I find quite overwhelming. I find myself imagining the distance this water has travelled…. click on the image to read my blog all about Murchison Falls
The experience at the Top of the Falls is staggering. Here the Nile, the longest river in the world, is forced through a narrow gap in the rock (only 7 metres wide), before ferociously plunging down 43 metres. You can feel the force of the water beneath the rocks underfoot. You’ll need to SHOUT to make your voice heard above the tons of water thundering beneath you!
Sport fishing for giant Nile Perch is a popular activity in Murchison Falls National Park. Guided walking safaris are also available too.
Budongo Forest Reserve, to the south of the main Park, is an excellent ecotourism site for trekking chimpanzees. Budongo Forest is home to some 600-700 chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii). The Budongo Forest Conservation Field Station studies and works to conserve the local chimpanzee populations.
The majority of Murchison Falls National Park’s game viewing is on the northern bank of the Nile, where there are a number of hotels and lodges. There’s also a range of accommodation just outside the Park, on the southern bank of the Nile. The advantage of staying outside the Park is that you do not pay Uganda Wildlife Authority’s entry fees until you enter the Park. (The downside is that you have to then wait for the ferry before you start your game drive). The ferry takes just a few minutes to cross the Nile. (A bridge is under construction in 2020).
Queen Elizabeth National Park
Queen Elizabeth National Park – more bird species than any other African national park!
Uganda Conservation Foundation’s map of Uganda, created to celebrate their tenth anniversary. 10% of sales of these maps is donated to UCF
Queen Elizabeth is the park that the Muzungu knows best, thanks to my volunteering with the Uganda Conservation Foundation.
African Fish Eagles on the Kazinga Channel, Queen Elizabeth National Park
Queen Elizabeth National Park has the highest recorded number of birds of any of Uganda’s national parks: a whopping 666 species. That is the highest for any national park in Africa!
A very serious muzungu taking notes on my first field trip with UCF and UWA Queen Elizabeth Conservation Area
Queen Elizabeth is an excellent place to see hippos, elephants and lions. You’ll have to look very carefully to spot the leopard!
Leopard camouflaged in Euphorbia ‘candelabra’ cactus, Queen Elizabeth National Park
One of my favourite activities is the boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel. Read Bird watching on the Kazinga Channel – a 21st century Safari! Look out for the big Nile crocodiles basking in the sun at the water’s edge!
You can also trek chimpanzees in Kyambura Gorge on the edge of the escarpment, at Kichwamba, just outside the National Park.
The southern sector of Queen Elizabeth is known as Ishasha, most famous for its tree-climbing lions. Ishasha’s wide plains give you a wilderness experience. Many people experience Ishasha while driving en route from game drives in Mweya and central Queen Elizabeth down to see the gorillas in Bwindi.
Queen Elizabeth has a fantastic panoramic viewing point – and café – on the Equator, managed by Conservation Through Public Health. The Queen’s Pavillion and Information Centre is also the site of a Uganda Wildlife Authority office. Do drop by if you’re passing!
In and outside the park are a number of crater lakes. Katwe’s crater lakes are famous for seasonal migrations of flamingos.
Harvesting salt from beneath the water of Lake Katwe – not a pleasant job to be knee-deep in salty water all day!
On the edge of Queen Elizabeth National Park are some fantastic community tourism projects. The best established ones have been developed with the support of Volcanoes Safaris Partnership Trust, UCOTA and Ishasha Community Uplift Group.
There’s a lot more to Uganda than wildlife, and visiting a community tourism project is a quick and easy way to contribute to local communities. Get out of your comfort zone and meet the rural Ugandans!
Did you know… you can see the Rwenzori Mountains and the Blue Mountains of the Congo from Queen Elizabeth National Park?
Stirring up magic at the Devil’s Cauldron
Top of the Falls, Murchison Falls National Park
There is an inevitability about the constant flow of the River Nile that I find quite overwhelming.
I find myself imagining the distance this water has travelled. Day and night, night and day, for tens of thousands of years, billions of gallons of water have raced through Murchison Falls en route to the Mediterranean. Kingdoms have risen and fallen, we live, we die, but still the water keeps coming. Imagine if the Nile had a memory: what stories would it tell us!
There are several vantage points at the top of Murchison Falls, arguably the biggest draw to the National Park. To the right of the drop-off point, there is a glimpse upstream of where the River Nile is half a kilometre wide. See the staggering speed of the water, racing towards a gap in the rocks that is just seven metres wide. The water flows ferociously fast. It is breath-taking.
I stand at the edge of this incredible feat of nature, trying – but failing – to comprehend its total and utter awesomeness. Oh, how microscopic and unimportant I feel with my little camera!
Thousands of people have taken photographs of the Top of the Falls so I can’t pretend I can improve on others’ incredible shots. The truth is, you cannot possibly capture the essence of Murchison Falls with a camera. You need to visit.
You need to see it with your own eyes.
You need to smell the river, feel its thundering power beneath your feet, listen to its roar, let the spray touch your body…
The water mesmerises me. Its power is so compelling. I feel its draw as I stand by the railings above the Devil’s Cauldron, the point where the River Nile plummets, crashes and explodes down a 43 metre drop.
It’s both exciting and scary.
How small I am. Stand in the wrong place and certain death is instant. I would be swept away in a second; indeed, more than one person has chosen to end their life at Murchison Falls. The river’s huge Nile crocodiles (some measuring an astonishing four or five metres long) are unlikely to mean a body is recovered either. There is a strong link between waterfalls and death in Uganda: certain waterfalls in the south west are historically associated with some macabre practices, like the forced ‘damping’ (dumping or drowning) of young women who were perceived to have broken the strict moral codes of the day.
I record a short video clip. As much as I am recording, I’m watching too, trying to make sense of what I am seeing, struggling to understand it. Although every scene is like every other: ‘water cascades over rock’ / ‘water shoots up into the air’ ad infinitum, it has a life of its own. Amongst the voluminous cascades and torrents are microscopic droplets that dance ghost-like in the air for a second before being consumed into a cloud of mist.
The water wears many costumes. At once dramatic and imposing, in a split second it is intriguing and dainty. I see magic everywhere.
I suddenly feel a gust of wind. I am safely behind the railing but I feel the wind catch me. Is it blowing me away from the water or pulling me towards it? Is my imagination playing tricks on me? I take a few steps backwards. I’m so lost in watching the movement of the water from the safety of my camera screen that I’m wary of the water tricking me. (See what personality I have given it)? It may only be water but I feel it has a life of its own. It makes me nervous.
The moment is a reminder to put the camera down. You can’t beat the full-frontal vision of Murchison Falls and I cherish the sensation of the river’s spray dancing over my face and bare legs.
The Devil’s Cauldron! Diary of a Muzungu goes to the Top of Murchison Falls with Wild Frontiers from @CharlieBeau Diary of a Muzungu on Vimeo.
“The water level has dropped,” Evelyn tells me. “Before, you would get completely soaked standing here” she says, as we pose for photographs next to the safety rails on the small outcrop of rock above the Devil’s Cauldron. (I wrote this story in 2017 – what devastation the high waters have wrought since!)
Sadly, we don’t have time today to walk down to the Bottom of Murchison Falls. It’s a steep walk, on a decent path with handrails and, if you plan it well, you can catch a boat from the bottom. It is only by taking this path that you have the imposing sight of both Murchison Falls (once known as Kabalega Falls) and the lesser-known Uhuru Falls.
Tip: take the time to do this excellent walk, for if you do, you will have one photo of Murchison Falls that your friends don’t!
A bit of history
Originally the falls were known as Kabalega Falls. Indeed, some Ugandans continue to refer to the indigenous name. However, explorer Sir Samuel Baker renamed Murchison Falls after Sir Roderick Murchison, president of the Royal Geographical Society. (He also renamed Lake Mwitanzige to Lake Albert, in honour of Queen Victoria’s ‘consort’ Albert). The Sir Samuel and Lady Florence Baker Historical Trail runs 805 km (500 km) through the African bush, and recalls the 1864 route they took from South Sudan into Murchison Falls National Park. The Trail features on National Geographic’s World’s Best Hikes: 20 Dream Trails.
The muzungu’s Murchison Falls travel tips
I travelled to Murchison Falls with Wild Frontiers Uganda and stayed at the superb Baker’s Lodge, on the southern bank of the river, in a luxury thatched safari suite looking straight onto the Nile. We ate every scrumptious meal outside and I even had a dip in the swimming pool. (No extra charge for the soothing sound of hippos munching outside your cottage as you fall asleep!) DISCLAIMER: sadly the Nile has completely consumed this gorgeous lodge!
Watch out for the crocodiles & hippos! (Very amateur film) of the boat ride to the Bottom of Murchison Falls from @CharlieBeau Diary of a Muzungu on Vimeo.
The scum on the surface of the river water is created by the turbulent Falls and is composed of organic matter (rotting fish and hippo, to be exact!)
The walk from the Top to the Bottom of the Falls (and back up) costs and takes one to 1 to 1 ½ hours. It costs $10 / $10 / 10,000 UGX (tourists / foreign residents / EAC citizens) according to the Uganda Wildlife Authority’ tariff for 2022.
Wild Frontiers and Uganda Wildlife Authority both run boat trips up and down the River Nile. I took the Wild Frontiers boat cruise to the Bottom of the Falls “possibly the world’s most powerful waterfall in terms of the force of water ejected from the Falls itself.”
Another superb experience in Murchison Falls is the Delta cruise with Wild Frontiers’ excellent guides Milton and Dan. On our trip, they located not one but three rare Shoebills!
[Click here to learn about the horrendous plan to dam Murchison Falls!]
Wild Frontiers are the only company to offer a private Bush Breakfast on the northern bank of the Nile. The best way to experience this is by first taking the early morning Delta cruise. After breakfast, you can circle back to your lodge via a game drive through the park. The Muzungu has enjoyed 😊
Have you been on safari in Murchison Falls National Park?
Sundowners, star-gazing & tales from the bush
A weekend at Nile Safari Lodge and lunch at Masindi Hotel
There’s a cool breeze coming off the Nile tonight.
My banda at Nile Safari Lodge is open-netted on three sides. Set on stilts above the riverbank, it is airy and spacious. My banda has a wide veranda overlooking the river.
The two-tone noise beyond the nets can only be a frog. It is so loud that in my mind’s eye I imagine the frog to be a foot long! We hear the occasional HONK of a hippo.
The background noise is a symphony of crickets. According to Zahid, “all you have to do is clap your hands and the noise of the crickets will stop, for 15 seconds at least, and then they will resume. Don’t worry, they automatically shut down by around 10.30pm !” The muzungu isn’t concerned. I look forward to the crickets lulling me to sleep before too long.
A lunch stop at Masindi Hotel
At Masindi Hotel, we received a friendly, understated welcome before eating a simple salad. (The heat in the middle of the day was too hot to consider eating anything else). The service was polite and swift.
Masindi Hotel is one of the original government-owned Uganda Hotels, and was managed well until Amin’s day. It and many others were sold off in the 1990s. Standards slipped. According to the hotel information, Masindi is the oldest Uganda Hotel, built in 1923. It is Indian owned now and has touches of classic Indian decor to complement the original building design and classic gardens. The hardwood interiors of the main living areas are beautifully done. The main building has welcoming bright yellow paintwork.
Famous guests have included Ernest Hemingway, Kathryn Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart. The Kabalega Restaurant is named “in honour of the legacy of his Majesty Chwa II.” What history! What associations! What a shame this place is not better utilised. [Masindi Hotel has undergone a substantial facelift since I wrote this story].
Driving from Masindi to Murchison Falls National Park
The approach to Murchison Falls National Park is dusty. As we drive the dirt roads approaching the main gate, we close the windows and put the AC on. This is tsetse fly territory. I’d forgotten about those nuisance insects. (Guess who’s wearing a bright blue dress to enter the park? Tsetse flies are strongly attracted to the exact shade of blue that I’m wearing).
Zahid has been visiting Murchison Falls all his life. He points to the bridge that his engineer father constructed. “There used to be so many elephants and buffalo on this side of the river that we had to stop. We could not pass.” These days, most big mammals are confined to the north bank of the Nile.
There are no other vehicles on the road. Our only road companions are baboons, Buffalo, a Marabou Stork, a pair of Helmeted Guineafowl and one of my favourite birds, the Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, its curled eyelashes long enough to make any girl jealous. Flashes of bright blue are the tell-tale sign of Woodland Kingfishers. Swirling flashes of green are Cinnamon-chested Beeeaters.
We enter the park on World Wildlife Day.
Arrival at Nile Safari Lodge
We arrive at Nile Safari Lodge late afternoon.
It’s March and it’s hot. Rain has hit Kampala but barely reached this part of Uganda yet. There have been bush fires. A few drops of rain have brought green leaves to the tips of burnt bush.
After a friendly welcome at the lodge, I watch ten monkeys picking fresh shoots from the tree next to reception. The monkeys are obviously happy here; there are many young among their group. They’re not scared by us, nor do they beg. Humans and monkeys coexist happily at Nile Safari Lodge.
As we enjoy our sundowners on the deck below the dining area, we spot the flapping ears of an elephant on the distant bank of the River Nile. He gently tugs at the long grass as he saunters upstream. Three Grey Herons fly by. An African open-billed stork and a cormorant fish below us. To our right is a small island that is popular with a pod of hippo and a dozen elephants who swim from the shore. We spot waterbuck too.
Nile Safari Lodge was the first lodge to be built on the south bank of the Nile in Murchison Falls National Park and still has the best view of the river. I remember when I first visited in 2010: we arrived mid-afternoon to see 20 elephants at the river’s edge on the opposite bank of the river.
What a lovely spot in which to wile away a few quiet days. It’s low season and there are only two other guests, a Ugandan lady and her Hungarian husband. We share a dinner table as we enjoy thick creamy home-made soup and the tastiest Nile Perch. The beers are cold and there’s plenty of ice. With freshly squeezed juice for breakfast (no added sugar), fruits and a cooked breakfast of eggs, sausage, tomato and toast, I really should have done a bit more exercise! Lunch and dinner are both three course affairs.
Early morning on the River Nile
Something on the roof awakens me the next morning. It takes a few moments to realise that there are monkeys overhead! They are so sure-footed, I swear they are human.
I go back to sleep and wake to sounds coming from the river: a flock of Pied Kingfishers and the occasional early morning launch boat, heading out for the start of today’s fishing competition. My morning tea arrives promptly. Hot water is brought for my morning ablutions. I love this banda. If I leave all the doors open, I can watch the River Nile from my open-air shower.
Our breakfast conversations are about crocodiles and hippos – near escapes in fact! Zahid’s friend “Crocodile Dog” had a lucky escape. He lived to tell the tale of his attack by a croc – albeit “minus one leg.”
“Those things come out of nowhere!” Zahid says, as he tells us another tale of lucky escape. Luckily for us, Nile Safari Lodge is high enough above the river to ensure visits by crocodiles and hippos are impossible.
Pakuba Lodge frequently comes up in conversation. There are rumours that this historical lodge will be refurbished one day. For now, nature has reclaimed Amin’s old lodge. “I saw two porcupines cornering a hyena there once,” Wolfgang tells us. I’ve also heard rumours of a resident leopard. Look what the BBC cauught on camera at Amin’s Pakuba Lodge!
(The Pakuba Lodge where I stayed to view Uganda’s extraordinary solar eclipse is in fact the revamped former staff housing of the original Pakuba).
Murchison Falls National Park has seen many changes. Murchison was Amin’s favourite National Park. It later became Joseph Kony‘s favourite park, making it a no-go area for many years. This was back in the 1990s and the park’s wildlife is thriving again, although oil drilling is the next challenge.
In search of Bugungu Fort
One morning, our driver Adong takes us to the site of Bugungu Fort, one of Samuel Baker’s forts. (It’s rumoured that an oil pipe may soon be laid right next to it).
Here, the River Nile is inside the National Park so fishing is prohibited. Of course, some people still try, especially since it’s impossible to police every inch of the river. Traditional crops include cotton, sweet potatoes and cassava but it’s been dry for months now. There is evidence of fires all around us.
After a morning talking about crocodiles and fires, my guide walks us down to the river past a small fire on which men are roasting cassava.
“Are there any crocodiles here?” I ask. “Oh yes!” Comes the opposite answer to the one I wanted. We walk through the fragment of Bugungu Forest. A few minutes into the forest and someone mentions tsetse flies. (Guess who’s wearing blue again?)
Where once was a wooden construction, all that remains of Bugungu Fort is a big hole in the ground like a small bomb crater. There are several large Mwai trees, complex trees whose convoluted branches have many smaller branches growing in every direction. They’re an important part of local culture.
We walk for another 10 minutes down to Delta Point, at the river’s edge. To the left is the Delta. To the right, upriver, are the famous Murchison Falls themselves. Here the riverbed is sandy. Further on, I spy a long straight pole poking from the surface of the river. It’s the unmistakable shape of a fishing pole. We look down to see a man’s pair of sandals next to it. The river comes under the jurisdiction of the Uganda Wildlife Authority. It is illegal to fish here.
We pause next to a Kigelia ‘sausage tree.’ I’ve always been fascinated by these weird-looking plants. Inedible in their raw form to humans, elephants love these huge fruits. You may know these fruits as the Amarula Tree. I quiz the local man about their uses for humans. Apparently peel one, boil the inside and you have a cure for Syphilis!
For some reason, I’d assumed the fruit was hollow and light, like a gourd. It takes the muzungu two hands to lift one!
Adong picks up a wire. “This must be a snare,” he says. Although there is little wildlife on this bank of the river, according to Rogers from Nile Safari Lodge, “some small antelope do swim across the river” into a snare if they are unlucky. Here, downstream from Nile River Lodge, we are just outside the Protected Area of Murchison Falls National Park.
A few metres on, a young man stands next to the lakeshore. An older, barefooted man stands next to him. They look at us, we look back at them. He must have heard us approaching before distancing himself from his fishing rod.
It’s interesting to be back in the bush, seeing first-hand the ongoing battle against poachers. I spent my first three years in Uganda as a volunteer with the Uganda Conservation Foundation fundraising to support the Uganda Wildlife Authority’s anti-poaching work in Queen Elizabeth. UCF are very active in Murchison Falls these days too.
Swimming at Nile Safari Lodge
After an intensely hot morning, it’s a relief to take a refreshing dip in the lodge’s pool. It is set away from the lodge and has a clear view of the River Nile. Massages can be organised at the tiny wooden structure below the swimming pool and above the riverbank. The masseuse has a great touch. I feel thoroughly spoiled.
One night we enjoy a vibrant performance by twenty Acholi dancers from the local village. The men wear elaborate feather headdresses which bounce up and down to the rhythm of the calabashes. The traditional drumming, the energetic hip-swaying of the dancers and the open fireplace make for a great atmosphere.
If you are into stargazing, you must bring your telescope.
Zahid showed us great views of Venus ‘evening star’ and a close-up of the moon’s cratered surface. Wow! I’ll never see the moon in the same way again. To the naked eye, Venus and the Moon appear a similar size but Zahid tells us Venus is a staggering 60 million miles away while the Moon is a mere 250,000 miles away.
Shoebill Camp – for the best view of the River Nile
Shoebill Camp is a spacious setting overlooking the Nile, adjacent to Nile Safari Lodge. I camped here with my sister on my first visit. This can be a great arrangement for people who are on a budget, or who like camping but not cooking! For just $10 a night, you have a whole field to yourself, a cold shower and flushing toilets. The security guard can light a fire for you too. It’s just five minutes’ walk through the bush to the lodge where you can enjoy all your meals and cold drinks, and the swimming pool (for an additional fee).
I’ll always remember how after dinner at the lodge, my sister and I were escorted through the bush by an elderly man with a bow and arrow. Our path through the vegetation was lit by glow-worms. It was magic.
Nile Safari Lodge is about to embark on a comprehensive refurbishment programme. With just a few touches here and there, I’m sure that Nile River Lodge will once again be the go-to place that it was for many years.
A big thank you to Zahid, John, Rogers and Dennis (who remembered me after a seven year absence!) It’s been particularly lovely to be back in a lodge where I have such happy memories of a family safari too.
“Eating fish” on Lake Victoria – the Muzungu’s guide
“Eating fish” on Lake Victoria – the Muzungu’s guide
Regular readers of Diary of a Muzungu will know how much I enjoy venturing off the beaten track and sharing my favourite Uganda travel experiences. Here is my Guide to eating fish on Lake Victoria, Kampala – a few day out ideas you won’t find on any tourist itinerary.
“Eating fish” on the shores of Lake Victoria is very much a “hands-on,” communal experience, great for a weekend outing. Where shall we go this week-end?
Where to eat fish on Lake Victoria. Ggaba, KSL Kabaka’s Landing Site, Kampala
Let’s start with Ggaba
The fishing village of Ggaba derives its name from the Luganda word for ‘serve.’ The small landing site on the edge of Lake Victoria became known for its free and bountiful fish, giving the generous ‘serving’ spirit of the place its name. Ggaba and nearby Munyonyo are reached by driving south (approximately 12 km) from Kampala city centre, through Kabalagala and Kansanga. Ggaba is deliciously close to the Muzungu’s home.
There are different venues for different tastes. Here are my personal favourites.
Ggaba Beach Resort on Ggaba’s waterfront is probably the best-known place to eat fish on the Ugandan shores of Lake Victoria
The Ggaba Beach compound is a mixture of painted white buildings, symmetrical grass lawns and tarmac. There’s no actual beach but it is on the waterfront. It’s safe for kids to run around, but to me the place lacks personality: too much concrete and too many straight lines. That said, the fish is excellent and the service is good.
Where to eat fish on Lake Victoria. Part of the huge Ggaba Beach compound at Ggaba, Kampala, Uganda
Ggaba Beach is a good place to watch activity on Lake Victoria: wooden ferries moving people and firewood across the waterfront.
Diary of a Muzungu’s day out tips
- Secure parking costs 1,000 shillings.
- Fried whole Tilapia costs 25 / 30 / 35,000 Uganda shillings; 5,000 UGX for chips.
- Ggaba Beach is a popular venue for big pop concerts, thus occasionally closed to fish-eating visitors at weekends.
- The music can be LOUD!
- Er… there is no actual ‘beach’ at Ggaba Beach!
Where to eat fish on Lake Victoria. View from Ggaba Beach compound across to Bole and Mukono. Ggaba, Kampala, Uganda
BEST FOR: families, secure parking, watching life on Lake Victoria
DIRECTIONS: drive to the end of Ggaba Road, through the trading centre and down a short steep hill. Ggaba Beach is the modern white compound in front of you. (Brits: think Butlins!)
Kabaka’s Landing Site (KLS) at Mulungu, Munyonyo
It was from here, in the 1870s, that Kabaka Mutesa embarked on hippo hunting expeditions to Lake Bulingugwe and beyond. The hippos are gone, and so is the Kabaka’s fleet of canoes, but Mulungu is still known as the Royal Port.
Where to eat fish on Lake Victoria. Brightly coloured umbrellas at Kabaka’s Landing Site – also known as KLS – Mulungu, next to Munyonyo, Kampala
Down at the shorefront restaurants of KLS, there are no frills, just fried whole Tilapia, Nile Perch and reasonably priced drinks beers, sodas and Uganda Waragi gin. Yum!
It doesn’t get fresher than this! A customer choosing his piece of Nile Perch at KLS Kabaka’s Landing Site. Where to eat fish on Lake Victoria
Diary of a Muzungu’s day out tips
- Entering the Kabaka’s Landing Site costs 1,000 Uganda shillings per person. Money goes to the Buganda Kingdom.
- Whole fried Tilapia are priced at between 15 / 25,000 Uganda shillings; 3,000 UGX for chips.
- The guys and girls who serve you fish will bring you water to wash your hands with. They usually, but not always, have soap.
- If you don’t want to eat with your hands, take your own knife and fork, and serviettes.
- There is a very basic selection of drinks available, e.g. beers, some sodas and Uganda Waragi. If you like tonic water, you can bring your own.
- Take a pen and paper for working out the bill and keeping a note of the number of drinks!
- A word about lake flies. When we went in March, we were blitzed. Lake flies don’t bite but they can be incredibly annoying.
- KLS is a nice spot for bird watching and watching the sun go down over Lake Victoria.
- You can also buy fresh fish, gutted and descaled, to cook at home.
- While you’re sitting on the waterfront, you may be asked if you want to take a boat out into Murchison Bay. I’ve seen a couple of lifejackets, but I’ve also seen people boarding holding bottles of Nile Special. Not entirely sure how safe said boats are…
- Despite outward appearances of KLS, there are decent toilet facilities. Just ask.
Entry to the Kabaka’s Landing Site is managed by the Buganda Kingdom. Where to eat fish on Lake Victoria. Ggaba, Kampala
I love being surrounded by nature – but don’t fear the huge Marabou Storks, they are all part of the experience. Where to eat fish on Lake Victoria. Ggaba, KLS Kabaka’s Landing Site
BEST FOR: groups of friends, bird watching, Buganda history
DIRECTIONS: from Ggaba Road, pass Speke Resort Munyonyo and the turning to KSL is a few hundred metres further on the left. The road has recently been tarmacked.
The waterfront market at Ggaba Landing Site
For the more adventurous – and the best prices – head right down to the waterfront itself, where you may even watch your fish being landed and descaled. Men play pool under the tin roofs of the quayside. On the waterfront, the fish is frying and the market is in full swing. It’s a great place to sit and watch the world go by if you enjoy a bit of a crowd.
Diary of a Muzungu at Ggaba landing site on Lake Victoria. PHOTO Isabel Romano, Diario de Abordo
Diary of a Muzungu’s day out tips
- Ggaba can be congested. If possible, leave your car and walk the last few hundred metres. Alternatively, someone will help you find a place to park, in exchange for a small tip.
- Monday is market day, however, every day you can buy fresh fish, smoked fish, the best value dried mukenne (silver fish), all your fruit and vegetables, tripe and offal, everyday household goods and vibrant Tanzanian fabrics, imported via Mwanza, a day’s ferry ride away.
BEST FOR: people watching, shopping
DIRECTIONS: drive to the end of Ggaba Road, through the trading centre and down a short steep hill, on through the market.
Beach House, Event Gardens, Ggaba
Undoubtedly the most laidback place to eat fish, Beach House is a favourite with couples, students from Kampala University accommodation and groups of friends. On Sunday afternoons it’s a popular hang-out for a small group of bikers.
Beautifully wrapped packets of g nuts (ground nuts) arrived just in time to go with my beer, courtesy of this friendly young man with very cool shades. Beach House Event Gardens, Ggaba.
I love the lake view and the flocks of Marabou Storks with their background of Papyrus swamp. Kick off your shoes and enjoy the feel of grass under your feet.
Quiet gardens on the edge of Lake Victoria at Beach House Event Gardens, Ggaba – can get busy at week-ends, especially with students from the next door Kampala University accommodation. Where to eat fish.
Once you see this view, turn left and head down to Beach house Event Gardens. Students from Kampala University walking to Ggaba market
Diary of a Muzungu’s day out tips
- As well as whole fried Tilapia, Beach House also sells roasted meat (muchomo) in the evenings.
- A whole Tilapia and chips costs 30k UGX.
- There is a small car park, for which there is no charge.
- Here you can catch a boat across Murchison Bay to Bole and Mukono District. Ask someone to call the boat over while you have a beer. It should cost you just 8,000 UGX to hire a boat to take you across. This is the cheapest way to cross to Lakeside Adventure Park or Lagoon Resort, both brilliant places for a day out or a weekend away. Just say Diary of a Muzungu sent you! (From Bole landing site, you will need to catch a boda for a very scenic 10 minute ride through the Bush).
BEST FOR: nature, watching the sun set over Lake Victoria, romance
DIRECTIONS: There are two ways to reach Beach House: through Ggaba trading centre and then left at the main boda stage, or, passing through Bunga, turn left at the Oryx petrol station (formerly Engen). Look for the Kampala University accommodation signpost.
Thanks for reading The Muzungu’s Guide to eating fish, Lake Victoria, Kampala. I’ve visited all these places and – at the time of visiting – all information was correct, but I can’t guarantee it will remain so. Do check these places out for yourself, and tell me what you think?
Have you visited any of these popular lakeside destinations? Where do you recommend going to eat fish in Kampala? I’d love to read your comments 🙂
Operation Shoebill: Uganda’s Big Birding Day 24-hour race
Operation Shoebill: first-hand experience of Uganda’s Big Birding Day annual 24 hour bird race at Mabamba Bay
So why precisely have I got up well before dawn – on a Saturday – to drive for three hours in a cramped minibus to sit in an old boat?
It’s that time of year again: Uganda’s annual Big Birding Day, a 24-hour contest in which birders compete to see who can rack up the score for the highest number of bird species. The early bird catches the worm… or so they say. (This silly early bird didn’t even remember to catch breakfast, and now I’m sitting hungry in the middle of a huge swamp, miles from anywhere … oh damn you and your insatiable Muzungu appetite for cappuccino…)
On the shores of Lake Victoria about 50 km west of Kampala lie the vast swamps of Mabamba, one of Uganda’s few remaining swamps that are protected by the local communities.
Classified as an Important Bird Area, Mabamba Bay is home to Uganda’s most famous bird: the iconic Shoebill.
Would our Big Birding Day team get lucky and see a Shoebill at Mabamba Bay?
A couple of rickety-looking boats greet us on the edge of Mabamba Swamp. With giggles of excitement, the team’s boats head off into the Papyrus.
A pair of Grey Crowned Cranes (referred to locally in Uganda as Crested Cranes) fly overhead. It’s like a statement: you have officially landed in Uganda’s wetlands. The fabulous Crested Crane adorns Uganda’s national coat of arms and makes its home in the wetlands (or what is left of them).
Our boats are surrounded by vibrant green, dotted with shimmering, purple water lilies, the cool morning mist rising from the crystal-clear waters.
A vibrant blue and orange Malachite Kingfisher poses delicately on a Papyrus stem as our boat pushes through the vegetation.
I spot a Northern Brown-throated Weaver (pale brown with an orange beak) at the base of some reeds. (I can’t say I know exactly what it is, but I’m the first to spot it! You don’t need to be an expert to take part in Big Birding Day; just quickly point out the moving blocks of colour to your more knowledgeable teammates).
The narrow waterways cutting through the swamp allow one, maximum two, narrow boats to pass. Travelling in a low-lying boat means you are at eye-level with so many of the birds at the water’s edge. It’s magic.
The narrow labyrinth of channels opens out into a wide freshwater lagoon.
We spot a Yellow-billed Duck in flight, a Squacco Heron amongst the reeds, and several Long-toed Lapwings, just a number of the iconic wetland birds you can see at Mabamba.
As our Shoebill comes into sight, everyone in the boat stands up (precariously tipping the boat to one side of course!)
The dark grey, funny-looking character stands an impressive five feet tall and stares back at us. A cross between a Stork and a Pelican, this prehistoric-looking bird dines on a menu of lungfish and frogs. Oh yum! (Mabamba is one of many places in Uganda you can see the Shoebill, but arguably the most accessible since it’s a short hop from Entebbe or Kampala. The excellent, mid-range Nkima Forest Lodge is just a few minutes from Mabamba Bay).
A pair of magnificent Blue-breasted Bee-eaters entertain us, while the Shoebill looks on, seriously, just ten or so metres from our boat. The Shoebill moves his head from side to side as our Mabamba guide educates us about this fascinating bird. There are just two or three pairs of Shoebills breeding in Mabamba, all under the watchful eye of the local community.
We look in vain for the Lesser Jacana, to the disappointment of our guide, who has a mental checklist of the birds he has hoped to record for Big Birding Day. Mabamba birds we do spot include Pink-backed Pelican, Saddle-billed Stork, African Fish Eagle, Purple Swamphen, Giant Kingfisher, Swamp Flycatcher and Weynn’s Weaver.
There is no protection from the sun when you are out on the open water. Cue: return to land, for a soda and a chapatti from the local snack stall. Refreshed, and with the Big Birding Day clock ticking, the competitive streak kicks in and the Big Birding Day team marches uphill towards some tall trees. En route we add a Fan-tailed Widowbird to our list.
Leaving Mabamba is a series of smaller Papyrus Swamps where we see locally occurring ‘endemic species’ such as the striking Papyrus Gonolek, White-winged Warbler and Carruther’s Cisticcola.
Uganda – ‘the birding mecca’ of Africa
Our tiny country is home to over 1000 bird species, almost 50% of Africa’s bird species. In addition to the 1000+ resident species, millions of birds migrate across Ugandan skies en route to summer alternately in South Africa and Europe.
Every year families, conservationists and the tourism industry come together to celebrate Uganda’s Big Birding Day, a series of fun conservation events celebrating birds. Young or old, an amateur or a professional ‘twitcher,’ Big Birding Day has something for everyone.
With a score of 114 species identified by the end of Big Birding Day 2013, our Mabamba team ranked a decent 9th out of 73 teams participating nationwide.
How can you take part in Big Birding Day?
Expert bird guides from NatureUganda, Uganda Wildlife Authority staff and Uganda Bird Guides Club lead participants in the main event, a 24-hour bird watching contest. Big Birding Day includes free guided nature walks at dozens of sites across Uganda. Uganda Wildlife Authority provide free entry to the country’s National Parks, Wildlife and Forest Reserves on Big Birding Day (provided you register in advance).
Uganda’s Big Birding Day takes place every November. Registration is through Nature Uganda email bbd@natureuganda.org Twitter @NatureUganda and Facebook www.facebook.com/NatureUganda.
I can’t be on the winning Big Birding Day team every year – or can I? 😉
Bird watching on the Kazinga Channel – a 21st century Safari!
Bird watching: a 21st-century Safari! Kazinga Channel, Queen Elizabeth National Park
Have you noticed that the more Safaris you go on, the smaller the animal that catches your eye? It could be the butterflies or the reptiles; for some it’s even the insects! But, increasingly, with a pair of binoculars and a professional guide, it’s our feathered friends that are causing the excitement.
African Fish Eagles. PHOTO Sherry McElvie Wildlife Photography
What is it about birds?
Few areas of the world can boast over 600 bird species; Uganda’s Queen Elizabeth National Park – one of the world’s most biodiverse Protected Areas – is one.
Queen Elizabeth, an area covering 1978 km², owes its rich biodiversity to its variety of habitats: Savannah, freshwater lakes, grasslands, swamps, Acacia and Euphorbia bush, salty crater lakes, moist tropical forest and more. It contains a Ramsar site (protected wetlands of international importance) and an IBA (Important Bird Area). Thus a trip to Queen Elizabeth is a trip to many different habitats with many different types of birds, some of them endemic – that’s to say unique to that particular place. The time of year will also affect which birdlife you will see, as many non-native species migrate over the country en route between Europe and summer nesting sites in South Africa.
Euphorbia cactus, Mweya Peninsula, Queen Elizabeth National Park Uganda. In the far distance is the DR Congo
Birdlife in Queen Elizabeth shows biodiversity at its best. Nature has adapted birds to fit every variety of habitat: it’s all about survival, and each bird’s characteristics have evolved to suit its particular ecological niche. Did you know… Queen Elizabeth National Park has more bird species than any other of Uganda’s National Parks?
Where is the best place to see birds in Queen Elizabeth?
A boat ride along the Kazinga Channel and the Mweya Peninsula joining Lakes George and Edward is an ideal starting point.
From the enormous Goliath Heron, a statuesque 1 metre high, to the tiny jewel-like Malachite Kingfisher, Queen Elizabeth’s bird life offers something for everyone to admire.
Blue breasted Bee eater. PHOTO Kaj Ostergaard
As our boat slowly meandered along the Kazinga Channel towards Lake Edward, our excellent Uganda Wildlife Authority guide Bernard listed the different bird species we passed.
Highlights included: Common Squacco Heron, Greenshank, Wood Sandpiper, Common Godwit, and a Water Thick-knee (a Wader with big eyes) feeding on the shore; and a lone African Spoonbill (its bill really does look like a spoon!) behind them.
We admired the gorgeous monochrome Sacred Ibis with its elegant curved beak; handsome Egyptian Geese and a Eurasian Marsh Harrier and an African Fish Eagle looking down at us from a tall tree.
Flocks of loud, luminous Glossy Starlings flitted from bush to bush; vibrant Madagascar Bee-eaters and beautiful little, water-loving Blue Breasted Bee-eaters hovered in and around the burrows they’ve excavated out of the earth banks.
Pelican. PHOTO Sherry McElvie Wildlife Photography
Pied (black and white) Kingfishers are a common sight, hovering in the air before plunging beak first into the water – an incredible 1,900 were recorded one July – and Yellow-billed Oxpeckers perch on the backs of Buffalo, removing their ticks (an arrangement that suits both parties well!)
Uganda’s famous scrawny old men of the bird world, the famous Marabou Stork, are residents of the Kazinga Channel too. These ugly birds are surprisingly elegant – just see them glide atop the thermals.
Marabou Stork outside UWA’s Tembo Canteen on Mweya Peninsula, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kazinga Channel in the background
As we approached the lake, flocks of thousands of birds flew off in a circle above our heads alighting again on the sandbars at the water’s edge : White-winged Terns, Great and Long-tailed Cormorants, African Skimmers (Queen Elizabeth is the easiest place to see these large birds), Great White and Pink-backed Pelicans, the psychedelic Saddle billed Stork, and Great White Egrets.
What a spectacular sight!
Sacred Ibis. PHOTO Sherry McElvie Wildlife Photography
Back on the Mweya Peninsula, look out for the enormous nest of the “King birds”, the Hammerkop, the biggest nest of its type (also home to the occasional snake!) and a favourite vantage point for Eagle Owls. With more time, a visit to Munyanyange Crater Lake north of Katwe is an absolute must – over 2,000 Lesser Flamingos were counted there one February.
As for the famous yet elusive Shoebill? Well, you’ll just have to ask your guide nicely if he’ll venture into the dense papyrus beds of Lake Kikorongo to spot one!
This is my dad! Looking for birds but actually spotting buffalo and hippo on Lake Nyamunuka crater lake, north of Mweya, Queen Elizabeth National Park
Is bird watching in Queen Elizabeth on your itinerary?
It certainly should be!
Birding is just one of the many different wildlife experiences Queen Elizabeth has to offer.
The Uganda Wildlife Authority’s mongooses experience is another fascinating day out.
There are some very cool local community tourism projects, too, promoted by UCOTA.
Visiting Deo the farmer and the elephant trench in Ishasha, excavated thanks to the Uganda Conservation Foundation, is another brilliant tourism experience.
How about a morning game drive to see the lions?
Sometimes you don’t need a telephoto lens! This gorgeous pair just strolled right past our car… early morning lions in Queen Elizabeth National Park,Uganda
Have you been bird watching in Queen Elizabeth National Park?
Where is your favourite place to watch birds in Uganda?
Let me know in the comments 🙂
A rolex-fuelled bike tour of Uganda and Africa
Uganda bike tour. An interview with Ron Rutland ‘Fat Kid on a Bike’
“I’m no David Attenborough, but trekking with the gorillas has been the greatest wildlife experience of my life,” said Ron Rutland, the ‘Fat Kid on a Bike’ who cycled through Uganda en route from Cape Town to London.
Ron is planning to travel through every African country and is a total rugby fanatic! He aims to arrive in London for the Rugby World Cup in August 2015. I organised Fat Kid’s Uganda gorilla trekking permits for him and we caught up when he was in Kampala. It was without doubt my #HumanSpirit moment of the week.
Diary of a Muzungu: What has your journey been like so far?
Fat Kid: I’m now 160 days into it and without sounding corny, it’s getting better and better each day. I’ve spent so much time organising, planning and sorting out visas for places like Eritrea and Somaliland, that I can’t wait to get there now.
I’m loving it, I’m absolutely loving it.
Diary of a Muzungu: What do you think of Uganda?
Fat Kid: I can honestly say that in 160 days cycling, the stretch from the Rwandese border and Kisoro, around Lake Mutanda, with views of the Virunga Volcanoes and on through Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, has been the most beautifully scenic part of my trip so far. It’s a truly unforgettable part of the world – but nobody knows about Uganda as a tourist destination!
Uganda has been one of the highlights of my trip, from start to finish.
Diary of a Muzungu: Have you tasted Ugandan food?
Ron and I discussed the Rolex – Uganda’s most famous street food.
Fat Kid: Rolex are a good nutritional balance; they’re particularly good for me because of all the carbohydrates.
Diary of a Muzungu: Can you beat my friend’s record of consuming six rolex in a 24 hour period?
(He may be called the Fat Kid, but no, that rolex record remains unbeaten!)
I had assumed – wrongly! – that Ron was at the peak of physical fitness before he embarked on his mammoth tour.
Fat Kid: Quite the opposite, I’d just recovered from an injury that needed surgery; with little training, the cycling was very tough going for the first two or three weeks. Everything became easier after that.
Diary of a Muzungu: What is the most useful thing you travel with?
Fat Kid: I have a very simply written letter saying that I am South African and explaining the purpose of my journey and the route. In the letter, I apologise for not speaking every language and say I have few needs apart from buying food, and thanking them for their hospitality. I have a copy of this letter in French, Arabic, Swahili and a few other key other languages.
Diary of a Muzungu: How did you feel about spending Christmas away from home?
Fat Kid: To be honest, there’s nothing I would rather be doing than this. I am living the dream! How exciting is that?
I’m a social person but also very happy in my own company. So far I have had about 30 days (out of 160) riding with people, but it’s very rare to be on my own. You are always surrounded by people. I haven’t yet got to the point where I felt lonely. I’m quite looking forward to those solitary moments in the desert.
One of my real frustrations, however, is people’s curiosity. You get stared at when you are eating, when you are putting up your tent, or cooking your food. You do feel like a circus freak. In Angola, 60 or 70 people watched me. The next morning I asked the local chief why everyone was staring at me. “They have never seen a white guy on a bike, and neither have I.” They might have seen the odd white person drive past in a UN vehicle, but they had never seen a white guy on a bike, put up a tent, or cook for himself.
I understand it, but the “Muzungu how are you?” does get a bit overwhelming. When you are cycling uphill and you get these constant questions, I think “I don’t want to be rude but actually I am completely shattered…”
Diary of a Muzungu: Your journey is called Lettie’s Ride. Who is Lettie?
Fat Kid: Lettie is a friend of mine who has breast cancer. She’s 36 and she has three kids. She has lived her life to the full; no-one could appreciate their health more than her. There are frequent sporting events, celebrating life for Lettie, like people running up Cape Town’s Table Mountain barefoot.
When I first planned this trip, it was just a selfish journey to watch the Springboks play rugby. I know how hard it is to do fundraising, so I didn’t want to commit to it when I knew how hard it was going to be just to cycle from Cape Town to London.
It was when Lettie’s husband sent an email saying that Lettie’s cancer had come back more aggressively that I decided to dedicate my ride to her. There have been days – like when I was pushing my bike through the sands of the Mozambique parks – when it’s flipping tough and you’re feeling crappy. Then you have to ask yourself, is it really that bad? I’ve been able to do this, I’ve chosen to do this, I’m not fighting a deadly disease.
The bike is bright pink and has the word Lettie written all over it. I think about Lettie every day.
I’m dedicating this ride to Lettie and I am also living this adventure. I want her to get the positive message; that’s what I get goosebumps about.
Diary of a Muzungu: So you’re a rugby fanatic! Tell me more.
Fat Kid: The Rugby World Cup in London 2015 gives me a date to work to, otherwise you could spend five years cycling through the whole of Africa.
After uni I played rugby in Australia for six months and then in Hong Kong. Four or five years ago, I set up a rugby tournament in South Africa. It’s an annual social rugby event that now has 100 teams competing.
I got to know Francois Pienaar through mutual friends. He is probably one of the most famous rugby players in South Africa. (He was captain of the Springboks rugby team at the 1995 World Cup, the famous rugby match that united the post-apartheid nation, made famous in the Clint Eastwood-directed film Invictus). Francois is my ambassador and Founding Chairman of the Mad ‘Make a Difference’ Foundation, who are doing a fundraising campaign around my trip.
Whatever route I take, I am going to cycle through Paris. On my last four or five days, Francois Pinard is going to cycle with me from Paris to London to the World Cup. There are many rugby lovers and South Africans in the UK, who I think will want to do the journey with us.
Hopefully, in my own little way, I can help to give Lettie strength. If I get to London and the Mad Foundation has raised 1 million rand as well, then I couldn’t be happier.
Diary of a Muzungu: How did you feel about being in Uganda when Mandela died?
I noticed the flags were at half-mast at the Ugandan parliament.
In some ways I wish I’d been in South Africa. From what people back home said, it was a mixture of feelings: sadness, but also a celebration of everything that was good about Mandela. Yes the country is mourning, but mourning together.
Like he did in ’95, and other times, Mandela has transcended everything, all the political crap and segregation that still exists in our society; not just black and white, but rich and poor. People talk about corruption in Uganda, but it is endemic in South Africa.
I wish Mandela had run the country longer. He was one of the only African leaders of that generation who gave up power voluntarily; that makes him unique too.
The week Mandela died, my African #HumanSpirit moment of the week was this: “Everyone I’ve met who has expressed their sympathy at the death of “Africa’s Father” or “Our Father”…it’s quite incredible the sheer number of times this happens a day.”
Diary of a Muzungu: How long did it take you to plan this trip?
In a sense, I’ve been planning this trip my whole life.
It took me six or seven months to actually plan this trip. I have put everything into this, literally. I’ve never been one to own a lot of stuff, so what I couldn’t sell, I gave to charity. I wasn’t going to pay money to put all my stuff in storage for two years.
The biggest decision was what kind of bike to buy. Now I’m on the road, I’m planning approximately 3 months ahead. Most of my planning is ‘visa driven’ that is to say it depends on getting visas to enter each country. For that I rely on a visa services company.
So, for example, while I am in Uganda, DHL will send my passport for South Sudan to Gulu. Once I’m out of Uganda I can send my second passport back to Cape Town to get the visa for the next countries: Eritrea and Sudan. I spent a few months planning the route and visas in advance. This is probably the best practical thing I did before I left, and no delays so far….
Diary of a Muzungu: How have you funded your trip?
Although cycling is a free way to travel, I spent all my savings buying the bike and setting it up for the trip. Whatever happened, I was leaving anyway. I’ve heard so many stories about people not having money and picking up sponsors along the way.
Once you are on the road, it really isn’t an expensive way of travelling. My budget is R200 or $20 a day. This covers visas and everything, including food, and accommodation, when I need it. Africa is not the cheapest place to travel by any means, but it’s a lot cheaper than just sitting on my couch in Cape Town. You know what I mean?
I have friends who have done well in business who helped me out. They said we can’t sell our businesses and put our wives on ice for two years. We can live our dream through you.
ABSA are my main sponsor. They sponsor the #HumanSpirit. [For them, what is a better example of the human spirit than someone cycling through every country in Africa to watch their rugby team – the Springboks – play in London?]
Diary of a Muzungu: What did you do before you embarked on this trip?
I’ve always been a bit of a restless soul.
I spent most of my career working in banking, in London. Next I set up a business and lived in Thailand for three years. Living in south-east Asia was a wonderful experience. Out of necessity, I then went back to banking, this time in Hong Kong for 3 years. Four or five years ago, I felt ready for a change so I went back to South Africa and set up the rugby tournament. It was fun but I wasn’t building anything for the future so I thought now is the ideal time for me to go and do what I want and to get it out of my system.
Diary of a Muzungu: Get it out of your system? Or ignite an even bigger flame? I asked.
The Fat Kid laughed.
Diary of a Muzungu: How do you keep in contact with everyone back home?
A GPS device records my location every day and this can be tracked on my website. I’m not a great writer, but I do record a few minutes about my experiences a few days of the week. Phone coverage has been surprisingly good. In fact, my family say they hear more from me than they ever thought they would.
After Diary of a Muzungu’s interview with Fat Kid on a Bike in Kampala
A few days after our interview, Ron cycled East to Jinja for some white water rafting with Nile River Explorers, and then North, passing through Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary at Nakasangola “my goodness was the rhino tracking another memorable wildlife experience!”
I told Ron he simply couldn’t miss Wild Frontiers’ breath-taking boat ride to the bottom of the falls in Murchison Falls National Park.
“The Murchison Falls boat ride will certainly go down as a highlight of not only my time in Uganda, but of my entire 5 and a half months on the road so far!”
We last spoke when Ron was in Gulu, planning to cycle into South Sudan. He sounded a little bit uncertain about what was happening next. I’m not surprised: leaving the Pearl of Africa and going into a war zone!
At the border, he commented on “the warm welcome, hospitality, and help received from the Ugandan soldiers based on the South Sudan border.”
Ron’s route was due to take him through Juba:
“I had to accept the very insistent advice of the UN, 50 km inside South Sudan, that to continue any further would be ‘completely reckless’, and I made the decision to back track to Uganda. Seeing for myself the human tragedy unfolding in South Sudan put a little cycle trip into real perspective.”
As a rule, Ron’s transcontinental route sees him exit a country using a different border to the one he enters the country; South Sudan was the first country – and let’s hope only country – where he failed to achieve this.
Ron sounded quite philosophical though:
“This is Africa, after all. I’m aware that things can change at any time.”
Of this experience, he said:
What I will try never take for granted again: the freedom of travel within and between countries. After having to make an abrupt UN enforced U-turn in South Sudan, to having to re-route through Ethiopia and Sudan to get to Eritrea from Djibouti, to the headaches I’m now having in plotting a way across Sudan through Darfur to Chad, it has made me realise the incredible privilege it is to be able to travel and cycle freely across and (even with the hassle of visas sometimes) between most countries.
If you’d like to keep up with Ron’s trip on the remaining year of his journey, visit the Fat Kid on a Bike website or Facebook page. He writes weekly updates and you can follow him on the map.
As Kingsley Holgate reminded me during a long liquid meeting before I left, this expedition ‘isn’t about the bike’, but rather ‘an epic African adventure which you happen to be doing on a bicycle’ – a huge difference!
As we said goodbye, Ron invited me to accompany him on a leg of his trip. How I would LOVE to! (I wonder if I can make it to West Africa in time to meet him?)
If not West Africa, we might have to wait until London 2015… my dad is a rugby fan(atic) too and I have a feeling he will be enjoying the #HumanSpirit watching the Springboks play at Twickenham rugby grounds in August 2015!
Messing about on the River Nile. A week-end at The Haven, Jinja
A week-end at The Haven, Jinja – accommodation on the Nile
A cursory look at The Haven’s visitor’s book tells it all: full of compliments from first time, second time – even ninth time! – visitors. Just outside Jinja, The Haven’s accommodation and camping facilities are particularly popular with campers who just happen to be driving from Cape Town back to Europe via Jinja and Uganda
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Panorama of the Nile below The Haven at Jinja
I can’t believe it’s been four years since I last visited The Haven. My family had such a fantastic time last time that I was bit worried: Would this visit live up to the memories of the first time? Would the spectacular rapids beneath the Lodge still be visible or had they been submerged following the creation of the new dam?
Early morning fishing on the River Nile. View of the rapids from my room at The Haven
Like melted chocolate, the River Nile flows over the rocks below The Haven at Jinja. A short walk down to the rapids before breakfast is a MUST. It’s the best time of day.
I chatter, chatter as I flow to join the brimming river, for men may come and men may go, but I go on forever.- From The Brook, 1887 Lord Tennyson.
“You can really see how the village has developed!” Exclaimed Ma as Rashid drove us through the bush for the last couple of kilometres drive to The Haven. No doubt it is a combination of tourism and the Bujagali Falls dam that have increased local incomes, resulting in more brick houses and more tin roofs. Nonetheless, the route was as picturesque as ever.
I had forgotten about the legendary Haven breakfasts. When the staff say you are going to be served Continental Breakfast, they don’t just mean coffee and a bread roll. The staff ply you with an extensive menu that consists of: warm, freshly baked slabs of bread; home made fruit juice; a mixed platter of fruit; wafer thin pancakes with honey, chocolate spread and sumptuous mango compote; a mixed platter of cheese and thinly sliced cured meats (clue: the owner is German); and on top of all that lot is the cooked breakfast. These are not options, I hasten to add – this is the regular standard breakfast for everyone!
Just one element of the huge breakfast at The Haven Lodge Jinja Uganda
Blimey.
How I didn’t sink to the bottom of the swimming pool after that lot, I don’t know!
Did I say we ate well at The Haven? Sunday lunch starter was a yummy light salad of warm cashew nuts, black olives, tomato, onion and a vinaigrette dressing. We loved the lunch and evening menu options, always a choice of three main courses. I found the fish and the vegetable kebabs delicious; the caramelised banana pudding with ice cream was to die for. Red meat was on the menu too (but not for this Muzungu).
With these gargantuan tasty meals, you might have thought we would have (should have?) tried all those adventure activities we’d discussed … but the pool beckoned, as did the sun loungers and the hammocks, strategically slung so we could doze above the rapids while watching the Grade 5 white water rafters do all the work.
God my life sucks…
River Nile dining room view at The Haven Lodge Jinja
The outdoor seating at The Haven is designed to maximise the incredible view of the River Nile
Lime trees, bananas and colourful Bougainvillea decorate the grounds of the Haven. Fragrant wafts of Jasmine reached our dining table, adding to the magic of the setting.
The Haven is a wonderful place to take in riverside life: tiny fish are visible in the shallows of the Nile, multicoloured dragonflies and butterflies flourish by the river.
“SothisisaRiver”
“THE River,” corrected the Rat.
“And you really live by the river? What a jolly life!”
“By it and with it and on it and in it,” said the Rat. “It’s brother and sister to me, and aunts, and company, and food and drink, and (naturally) washing. It’s my world, and I don’t want any other. What it hasn’t got is not worth having, and what it doesn’t know is not worth knowing. Lord! The times we’ve had together…”
– From The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
Ma has taken multitasking to a whole new level: birdwatching, filming and drinking Waragi and tonic! All done simultaneously while perched on our little boat.
Late afternoon is perfect time of day to take The Haven’s boat cruise. The lodge now has two electric boats, perfect for birders like us who love to get as close as we can to the birdlife
Our sunset cruise on the Nile below The Haven was a very laid-back, private affair in the hands of the very capable ‘Captain’ Charles, one of The Haven’s staff. A tray laden with Uganda Waragi, tonic water and a bucket of ice are the natural accompaniment to any boat cruise…. (surely everyone knows that?)
As we set off, a Ross’s Turaco flew across the river, black and red wings flapping above our heads.
Along the river shore, we spotted: a vibrant Jacana hopping delicately across the vegetation, our first Dwarf Bittern, the outline of a statuesque Purple Heron at the top of a tree, a Common Sandpiper, bright white Little Egrets and majestic African Fish Eagles.
Jacana bird on River Nile Jinja
The African Fish Eagle is such a HANDSOME bird!
“If the Eagles can’t find fish, they might come into the village and carry off a 3 kg duck!” Charles told us. That would be quite a sight.
Little Egret. Birdwatching from a boat on the River Nile
Charles moved the boat closer to one of the islands, so we could watch the Black Headed Weavers crafting their intricate nests. The Weavers trailed pieces of grass – the effect was as if they had long, thin, tails. Amidst the Weavers’ busy chatter, two Grey Herons made a 360° loop of the island before landing in one of the trees.
According to the book, “the Striped Kingfisher is a small and rather drab kingfisher” – but I spotted him and no-one else did – so to me he was GORGEOUS!
Charles explained how the River Nile separated the two historical kingdoms of Buganda and Basoga. It was interesting to hear the local names for some of the popular river birds. The Malachite Kingfisher is known as the rainbow bird (so much easier to remember in any language!) The African Darter is known as the snake bird, because of its looooooong neck.
Upstream we passed a huge Hammerkop nest at the top of a large tree. More of a house than a nest, did you know this Ugandan bird’s nest is the biggest of any in the world? (Don’t stand beneath one though: you never know what rodent or snake might fall out of it!)
A flock of Sacred Ibis flying to the roost on the River Nile
The birding highlight for me was looking up to see a flock of 14 Sacred Ibis fly in formation overhead. The actual highlight was being with my family, who’d flown all the way from the UK to see me.
As our little boat pootled upstream towards the dam, we noticed the Cormorants and Sacred Ibis flying downstream and away from us to their roost in the trees and bushes on the rapids below The Haven. Charles explained that there they feel safe from predators.
Dawn mist rises over the River Nile rapids, The Haven Lodge Jinja. You can just make out the roosting birds on the rocks and bushes separating the rapids
A tall and solitary mvule tree made me wonder what this landscape would have looked like 20, 50 or even 100 years ago. Was it once part of Mabira Forest?
Long-tailed cormorants Jinja
A few hundred metres from The Haven is the roar of white water over smooth granite boulders. Long Tailed and Great Cormorants dry their outstretched wings on the ammonia-stained branches of the low bushy trees on the rocks between the rapids.
Red-tailed monkey – my totem – eyeballing us at The Haven in Jinja
Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day. – A. A. Milne, Pooh’s Little Instruction Book
Vervet monkey along the River Nile
By contrast…
White water rafting Bujagali Falls – back in the days before Bujagali Dam flooded the upper section. (You now raft below the dam)
The Haven is a great base for river adventures – especially if you just want to watch them whil enjoying a beer!
Watch the white water rafters and kayakers on the river below The Haven
Unless you knew the river before, you probably wouldn’t detect the impact of the dam. Only the occasional eddies and swirls of water gave a clue to the rocks that lay beneath us. Charles revved up the engine slightly as we reverse boated what were once scary grade 5 rapids.
If only Ma realised – she certainly wouldn’t have crossed this stretch of white water five years ago!
Muzungu taking in the Sunrise over the River Nile. Ahhhhh…. The Haven Lodge, Jinja accommodation
Early morning, overlooking the rapids:
Between me and the white water is a single African Open Billed Stork perching atop a big bush, its beak glistening. These storks often look bedraggled and unkempt to me but this morning it shines. I wish I had my camera! I’m glad I didn’t have my camera… what an image: the gleam of shiny black feathers, early morning mist and the white water backdrop.
African Open billed Stork. COPYRIGHT 2011-2014 MARIE-FRANCE GRENOUILLET
About the accommodation at The Haven, Jinja
We’d loved the banda on our first visit, but on this occasion we stayed in the self-contained thatched family bungalow at the back of the compound. Although the front of the building doesn’t look onto the river itself, climb to the upper floor and the veranda looks out at right angles onto the Nile. The bedroom veranda was a great spot for evening sundowners.
Cottage overlooking the Nile at The Haven. PHOTO Keren Riley
Inside the honeymoon cottage – spacious, airy and with the constant sound of the River Nile to soothe you to sleep!
Oh what a lovely way to wake up – drinking tea while watching the river flow by…
Spot the African Fish Eagle! Mural in the honeymoon cottage
Being at the (less disturbed) back of the compound meant we had the best birdlife. We could twitch right from our beds! We never did work out quite what the bird was that sounded like a creaking wheelbarrow… The tiny bright blue and orange Malachite Kingfishers were easy enough to spot, however.
Isn’t this Malachite kingfisher gorgeous? This pretty bird measures just 12 cm long
The bungalows are spacious and can sleep four adults and two children. The double master bedroom has an ensuite bathroom. Also on the top floor, leading off the master bedroom, is the children’s bunkbed room. The decor here is functional; the honeymoon bungalows are far more decorative.
The facilities at The Haven are better than ever: a big private area for camping with hot showers and outdoor barbecue, mountain bikes for hire, a sandpit, trampoline, swing (and more) for the children, badminton, table tennis, satellite TV and free Wi-Fi in both the main dining area and cottages.
“We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.”
George Bernard Shaw
Sundays can be busy. The swimming pool is for residents only, which some lunchtime visitors may find disappointing. The pool isn’t that big though, so this decision probably makes sense; The Haven can be busy at weekends.
Swimming pool The Haven Lodge Jinja River Nile
The Haven is now the base for Kayak the Nile. Many of Jinja’s adrenaline activities can be booked and organised through reception at the Haven. Special thanks to Abraham, who dashed off to the pharmacist for me when I suspected I had malaria!
If you’re looking for lodge accommodation near Jinja, you can tell I (and my family!) heartily recommend The Haven. The staff make you feel right at home, you will eat like a king and even the camping is an upmarket experience. Check out The Haven’s website or email thehavenuganda@yahoo.com or call +256 (0)702905959 / +256 (0)78 2905959.
Please tell them the Muzungu sent you 🙂
DISCLOSURE: This blog is based on my personal experience. I was delighted to be given a discounted room rate in return for this blog post. For more information, read the Muzungu’s Terms and Conditions.
How to avoid Bilharzia
You won’t always get Bilharzia if you swim in Lake Victoria and, if you do, it may take weeks, months or even twenty years for you to show symptoms.
Bilharzia (also known as Schistosomiasis or snail fever) can be horrible. You will feel under the weather and nauseous for weeks.
How to avoid Bilharzia. “Swimming is at your own risk” reads the signpost in Munyonyo on Lake Victoria, Uganda
The best advice? Many people would just never swim in Lake Victoria or the River Nile but my tips to avoid Bilharzia are:
- Swim from a boat or pontoon, or at least in an area away from the reed beds where the Bilharzia snail’s larvae hatch. It’s these larvae that get into your bloodstream and make you ill.
- If you crunch on a bed of tiny snail shells as you walk into the Lake, that’s a sure sign Bilharzia’s around.
- After your swim, give yourself a good all-over scrub in the shower. Best to do this within 20 minutes of getting out of the lake.
- My friend Julia says ‘enjoy your swim! And afterwards, give the soles of your feet a good hard scrub!’ Apparently that’s enough to prevent you from getting Bilharzia.
- Don’t just assume you’re ok. Bilharzia can remain dormant for years and, left untreated, can lead to liver damage.
- Buy the Bilharzia tablets from any pharmacy in Kampala. They are very cheap. If you’re just visiting Uganda, I’d recommend buying some and taking them when you get home. You need to take them any time after three months of exposure. Take them one evening before you go to bed. You’ll feel a bit nauseous but wake up right as rain the next morning. Last time I asked, the Praziquantel (Biltricide) tablets cost just 600 Uganda shillings each. You should take one tablet for every 10 kg of body weight.
Alternatively….
Don’t let any of this put you off swimming in Uganda. There are hundreds of lakes scattered across the country. The good news is you can swim in most of them.
How to avoid Bilharzia. It’s safe to swim in Lake Nabugabo. There’s no Bilharzia, no crocodiles and no hippos!
Swimming in Uganda. Sandy Beach at Lake Nabugabo, just outside Masaka, is popular for a weekend away from Kampala.
How to avoid Bilharzia in Uganda. Swim in Lake Bunyonyi. Photo of washing clothes in Lake Bunyonyi
The crater lakes such as Lake Bunyonyi, in the far south west of Uganda, and Lake Kyaninga near Fort Portal are Bilharzia-free as well.
To swim or not to swim? At the end of the day, do what you feel comfortable with.
Have you swum in Lake Victoria? What are your tips for avoiding Bilharzia?
Do you have any other Uganda travel tips or expat travel advice you’d like to share?
Please leave a comment here or check out the Diary of a Muzungu Guest Post page for more information, I’d love to hear from you!
