In 2010 before we started sharing travel content online, we took a trip to Zambia (Click here to our photos and story Biggest Animals, Small World)) and Botswana. We joined Wilderness, a conservation and hospitality company that runs small remote safari camps, locally managed and is engaged in community development projects, for 7 days of safari with our extended family. It was life changing for the three teens we had with us and one of the fondest memories we share with our relatives. Big game safari is everything one imagines it will be, and we were anxious to go back to this huge continent to experience other cultures and ecosystems. A family emergency caused a cancellation of a planned trip to Madagascar and Uganda in fall of 2024 , but finally, this May, after 15 years away, we get to return to Africa, this time to Uganda.
Lilac Breasted Rollers are some of the most colorful birds in the world.
In 2010, we visited Botswana for most of our fly in safari with Wilderness, staying 2-3 days each at Little Vumbura, Duma Tau, and Chitabe Lediba in three unique ecosystems, home to the famed “Big Five” (lion, elephant, Cape buffalo, rhino, and leopard) And while we saw all 5 of those animals, we also saw dozens of other animals from playful baboons to colorful lilac breasted rollers! As with all safari and animal expeditions we’ve done, we are always hopeful to see “charismatic mega fauna” but we go with an open mind and low expectations, knowing nature always has its own agenda!
Baboons live in larger social groups that are fascinating to watch.
A group of zebra is called a “dazzle” and when you see a huge herd in the wild it it easy to see why!
I always say that any trip to see landscapes and animals is poorer if you don’t also experience a “side of culture with that”! Meeting local people and sharing their food, music and culture, is one of the best parts of visiting any place! Traveling with a mindset only to see the natural world and not experience meeting local people is missing very important information about that ecosystem which must support human life too! We were fortunate to experience meeting local guides, touring communities where Wilderness working, and getting to dance and sing with local people!
So what are we hoping to see and do in Uganda? We’ll have the opportunity to go on safari with Natural Habitat Adventures, one of our favorite small group wildlife focused tour companies. We will visit three distinct ecosystems over two weeks. The first area, part of the Rift Valley of Africa, the Murchinson Falls National Park, is home to traditional “big five” and their grazing prey, such as antelope, and zebra they seek.
We learned first hand the difficulty large predators, like this leopard in Botswana, have trying to find food. Birds that can fly will spot predators and make alarm calls to warn other animals in the area that a leopard or lion is hunting.
Giraffes also play a part in warning about predators in the area, by being tall, they spot predators and will also warn other animals by moving off, and smaller ungulates will move off to safety with them.
The second part of our journey in Uganda will take us to the upper part of the Nile river and its feeder waterways. There we hope to spot elephants, hippos and crocodiles.
In Botswana, a large elephant objects to a safari vehicle as it crosses our path
An African Fish Eagle in Botswana, these birds fish along the water ways.
This hippo, seen in Botswana from Duma Tau, is one of the most dangerous animals when it’s out of the water!
The last part of our trip in Uganda will be focused on seeing the great apes, with four treks to hopefully see chimpanzee and gorilla in the equatorial rainforest at Kibale and Biwindi Impenetrable National Parks.
In Botswana, in 2010, the animals got close (although this was taken with a very long lens!) and our hope is have incredible experiences with the places, people and animals of Uganda in the coming weeks!
Our hope is have incredible experiences with the places, people and animals of Uganda in the coming weeks! We hope you enjoyed seeing the animals we saw in Botswana 15 years ago…and keep watching here to see what photos and experiences we we have from Uganda in the coming weeks!
