AfriCam Goes on a Safari

Hello my Lovies!

This past weekend (Friday 1/8, Saturday 1/9 and Sunday 1/10) we took a holiday from the clinic and went on a 3-day safari! The destinations were only about a 2-3 hour drive northeast/northwest of Kabale to Lake Mburo National Park and Queen Elizabeth National Park. Lake Mburo is about 132,000 acres (372 square kilometers), close to the Tanzanian border (east Uganda), and is home to about 350 bird species, zebras, impalas, oribis, spotted hyenas, topis, bushbuck, waterbuck, leopards, giraffes, African buffalos, and hippos. I never expected to ever go on a safari before, well because I thought they were for rich white people who only wear khakis, white button ups and tan hats. I never ever thought for a minute I would have the opportunity, nonetheless the opportunity to be anywhere in Sub-Saharan Africa. But alas (earwax), there I was, sitting on the top of a van, driving down winding dirt roads through the Ugandan savannah, searching for wildlife whilst wearing khakis, a white button up shirt and a tan wide-brimmed hat. Who would’ve thought?

(Side Note: I don’t know if any of y’all have ridden on top of a vehicle before while going downhill, but I highly recommend it *don’t forget a pillow for your bum! * It’s a thrilling type of adrenaline rush.)

Although we did not have the pleasure of seeing any of the giraffes, spotted hyenas or leopards in Lake Mburo National Park, we did end up seeing a plethora of impalas, warthogs, bushbucks, waterbucks, zebras, baboons, vervets, and we even caught a glimpse of the backside of the rare and elusive topi (the fastest antelope in Africa). Everything seemed so at peace with each other; it was a natural balance that I had never really witnessed before while home in the states, even in ‘hippy-dippy’ Oregon.

Anywho, after blowing half of the remainder of my available funds (about 20 US Dollars) on VERY GOOD gifts at the craft store (keep in mind that this is hour 3 of our 3-day adventure), we stopped for lunch where I spent another 3rd of the remainder of my funds, leaving me with less than $10 to stretch over 4 more meals. Oops.

Things could’ve been really bad if we were back in the states, as I could easily spend at least $3 on just one cup of joe, but thankfully each MEAL was only about 10,000 UGX(about little bit less than 3 dollars) at the hotel we were staying in near the Queen Elizabeth National Park (Simba Safari Camp). It was a rough couple of days to go without as much coffee or beer as I wanted, but I made it out alive.

Queen Elizabeth National Park (southwestern Uganda) is the second largest park in Uganda (1,978 square kilometers), spans across the equator and is home to over 600 bird species and about 95 mammals (including lions and leopards). It was originally founded in 1952 as Kazinga National Park but then renamed after Queen Elizabeth II visited. On Saturday morning at 7am we were already perched on top of the van again and ready to drive all around the park, looking for the majestic tree-climbing lions in the early morning light. I don’t think I will ever forget watching that sun rise over the African savannah. During that 3-hour long safari-ride, remembrances of The Lion King flickered through my head and I am still incredulous at the fact how accurate-ish it is. After almost being charged by a huge bull elephant, we then went on a boat cruise that tours the 40km long Kazinga Channel. The channel connects Lake George and Lake Edward (which extends into the DRC) and is the watering hole for many mammals, reptiles (including 7+ft crocodiles), and birds alike. I don’t know if I was more concerned about the 8 ft. crocs about 20 feet away from the boat, or our close proximity (less than 30km away) to the unpredictable and war-torn Congo.

On Sunday, even though the safari part of our trip was over, my group was thrust into a whole new jungle: the Hot Springs. I do not know what I was expecting when I heard we were going to the Hot Springs, but it was definitely not what I saw. There were about 300 people crowded in a watering hole a little larger than an above ground swimming pool and yes most of them were naked. This was definitely one of the more obvious forms of culture differences and I am so grateful that they did not expect us to join the party, but another Hot Spring surprise bubbled up to the surface: apparently these Hot Springs have healing powers. All of these 300 people have come from all over eastern Africa (although probably mostly locals) to bathe in the healing waters of these hot springs. They say that a woman from Canada came to Uganda with a broken leg and pustules all over her body, but after bathing in the hot springs for a week she was healed. It was all incredibly interesting and I am actually really thankful we got to witness such an important facet of East African life and wellbeing.

Its 10:30, which means it’s time for bed so moosibeje (have a good night) and thanks for reading!

XOXOXOXO

Cam

P.S. This trip was absolutely amazing and a special thanks to Alexis, Allison, Scodius, Banard, Barnabas and all of the staff at Simba Safari Camp for making this trip so wonderful!

P.P.S. I posted a gallery of pictures separately, so if youre interested check it out!