Lions, hippos, elephants, giraffes, oh my!
On a lovely sunny weekend at the end of September, we teamed up with the wonderful Julia Taylor to journey from Mbale to beautiful Murchison Falls in northwest Uganda to meet up with Karen and Casey traveling from Arua, and Grey trekking from Gulu. We are fortunate to live down the street from Casa del Turista, a restaurant, bed & breakfast, and travel agency where Saleh (the owner) and Fred (tour guides extraordinaire) a fun duo, always with a smile and good sense of humor, helped us arrange the trip. The day started at 8am loading up into a spacious matatu-turned-tourist-van with Fred as our driver and guide. Fred has become an honorary brother, as he and Sarah's birthdays are only two months apart. Along the 6 hour drive we had a lovely lunch stop to catch up with Julia Rasch, a midwife and GHSP volunteer located in Lira. It was great to hear about settling in and making Lira home, her experiences teaching midwifery students, alongside news of how her hospital was managing with the lack of interns - as well as support staff who had left on strike in support of the interns.
The trek continued to the northern entrance of the park. After entering, we elevated the roof of the van for the perfect viewing of wildlife along the path. The first site was the silhouette of two giraffes in the distance. As we continued to drive, we encountered warthogs galore (aka Pumba for all of The Lion King fans); this was Julia's favorite animal to spot along the trail. When running away, their tails stand straight up in the air, usually with a bird riding on their back. We also encountered several different species of antelope including the Ugandan kob - Uganda's official antelope, Jackson's hartbeest - who have a long flat face, oribi - hopping and jumping through the savannah, and the shaggy waterbuck. There were several herds of water buffalo peering at the human newcomers through the grass, as well as families of elephants feeding in the distance.
We made it to the Paraa Ferry to cross the Nile River at the last scheduled departure of 7pm. As we are near the equator, the sun rises and sets at nearly perfect 12 hour intervals, 6:30 am and pm respectively. While awaiting the ferry crossing and watching the sun slowly set, we were talking of the infamous hippos that come out of the water at night and often feed amongst the Red Chili campground where we would be staying. At this, Fred mentions that the hippos are often spotted in the water right near the ferry crossing. Not long after, the distinctive eyes and ears of a hippo are visible nearby, and the evening sounds begin to crescendo with noise of hippos, indicating that they will soon leave their cool water sanctuary to start feeding on the nearby land as the hot sun has finally set. Once we are across the river and at the campground, it is a fun evening of catching up with friends and sharing stories of our new Ugandan homes. The night ended early to prepare for the next morning's early departure and game drive.
The air was fresh and crisp Saturday morning as we grabbed our packed breakfast and left the grounds at 6:30am for the morning drive. The Nile crossing was beautiful with the sky turning purple and pink with the rising sun. It was a particularly special day, as it was Casey's birthday! We were joined in the van by Jimmy, a Uganda Wildlife Authority guide who had been working at the park for nearly 20 years and had incredible knowledge about the animals and vegetation. When we asked him how he knew so much about the animals, he mentioned that it was Peace Corps volunteers who had trained him - needless to say he was pleasantly surprised when discovering he was in a van full of PCVs! 
Jimmy wasted no time in taking us through the park to a location where lions and lionesses are known to frequent in the cool morning hours. Along the route we saw the early morning giraffes, as well as a few hyenas racing back to their den. After a bit of "off-roading," we were soon in the presence of three beautiful lionesses in the field. When they decided the day was getting too warm, they began sauntering through the grasslands, with the dark tip of their tails visible in the fields. To get back on the road, the van needed to be pushed a bit to get through the soft earth. We were fortunate it didn't take too long, as after a few minutes down the path we encountered another lioness at the side of the road. Whew! 
Next, we encountered giraffes galore. There were large families of giraffes, elegantly walking and grazing from the tree tops. One giraffe was demonstrating the not-so-elegant task of drinking water from a watering hole, steeping down to have its head maneuver from high atop its long neck reaching down to the water far below. Nearly every turn in the road had a new family of these beautiful creatures, with Fred keeping a lookout for animals crossing the road. Further down the path was where the elephants typically meander, feeding in the leaves. After seeing a few families of two or three elephants, we came across a large family of over 20 elephants feeding in the leaves, as well as some elephants tussling immediately ahead in the road. With two walks outside of the van to see herds of hippos basking in the water as well as watching a Shoebill stork take flight, alongside all of the incredible antelopes, warthogs, and water buffalo, with the Congolese hills across the Nile providing the gorgeous backdrop, the morning was complete.
The ride up the river was filled with herds of hippopotami, crocodiles up to 19 feet in length, bathing elephants, and basking giraffes. Near the falls we disembarked for a hike to the top of the falls. They are known as the world's most powerful waterfalls, churning out the vast expanse of the nile through a small chute towering over 40 meters high. The mist created from the raging water was a welcome respite from the heat and humidity along the hike. At the top, Fred was waiting to drive us back to camp, with two giraffes spotted along the way in the late evening glow.
Back at camp, as we were preparing to eat dinner, a staff member asked if anyone wanted to take a look at the hippo grazing the grounds through the camp. Sure enough, Grace the hippo was grazing on the short grass that hippos love so much, with two wart hogs nearby. We made sure to keep our distance and not get between the massive animal and its beloved water.
The following day we were off to a rhinoceros conservation park, where 18 rhinos live and are protected from poachers for their horn. In a country where a doctor (medical officer) makes from $3,000 - $7,000 annually, one kilogram of rhino horn is worth $60,000 on the black market. As the species is officially extinct in Uganda, the rhino sanctuary provides security and is a place to re-populate the rhinos. We were lucky that the animals were out during the day, munching on grass, rather than reclining and sleeping as they normally do during the heat of the day. 
After munching on some food ourselves, we were off for the ride home to Mbale, complete with several traditional mud and straw African huts along the away.Next up: notes from the field as physician educator.
excellent!
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