Murchison Falls National Park

To get to Murchison Falls National Park you pass through Masindi, a charming post-colonial town in the green hills of Uganda. Luckily we have access to Google Maps and navigated through the town, where Siri then instructed us to turn right on a dirt road with no signage. Siri has been known to lead us astray, but we didn't have any better ideas and hastily followed her instructions. After a bit of driving we stopped to ask some ladies selling produce by the side of the road if we were going the right direction, and were told it was the only way to the park. Before we knew it we came upon the park entrance, paid the fee and were on our way. 

The road within the park rotates between smooth highway, dusty dirt, and road construction. As we were cruising down one section of perfectly smooth paved road we saw a group of small figures in the distance. Slowing down we realized that there was a troop of baboons sitting on the shoulder, ranging in size from large males to small babies. They were fascinating and terrifying at the same time, needless to say we made sure all of our windows were up! We saw many more of them as we continued on our way to the lodge. We were even lucky to see one black-and-white colobus monkey peaking out from the forest, the only one we have seen in country thus far.

Again, Siri directed us to turn left off the main road onto another dusty dirt road, but this time there were signs indicating we were headed in the right direction. We drove by villages with scattered thatch roofed huts and children waving gleefully at us as we passed. We arrived at our lodge and were greeted by the staff, who promptly took our luggage and carried it on their heads down a small path that led to our cottage. It was two stories, with a small bathroom and an outdoor porch on each level with hammocks to relax in and enjoy the forest view. A perfect place to call home for the next few days.

The lodge is located just off the banks of the Nile River. We were warned to keep our distance from the water's edge because of crocodiles and hippos. We also had to be escorted by a staff member with a bright flashlight anytime after dark because the hippo's evening ritual includes coming up to the lodge to graze. The hippos could be heard any time of day from our cottage, the dining area, and even the pool. We couldn't see them, but we knew they were there. This made the idea of crossing the river by boat a bit nerve-wracking for us all. However, if we wanted to go on the safari drive we had planned, we would have to face our fears!

We got up early the next morning and met our guide, Paul, for a quick breakfast before we set off. We made it to the dock and had to walk across a few tires and wooden beams to get to our boat due to flooding that has occurred in the area. Once settled in the boat we crossed the river within minutes, without spotting a crocodile or hippo, and found the vehicle we would spend the day in waiting for us. Paul was the perfect guide, not too talkative, but knowledgeable and patient with the kids. A native Ugandan, Paul told us that he once wanted to be a doctor but didn't have the funds to cover medical school tuition. He now claims that he has the best job in the world! We took off, spotting baboons first, and then made our way deeper into the park. It was an amazing day for it, not too hot with a slight breeze, and billowy clouds in the sky which made for the perfect lighting for photographs. The rest of the day was magic.

Since Paul is a seasoned guide, he was good at spotting things we never would have on our own. At one point he stopped and looked out in the distance with his binoculars. He spotted three hyenas, and on a second look realized there was a leopard in the tree above them. He informed us that there used to be a path that led out that direction that wasn't supposed to be used anymore. The next minute he veered off the road into the grass and told us, "Be prepared to pay $150 if we get caught!" For a leopard he was willing to take the risk. We got somewhat close to the tree and the leopard jumped out of it, but was immediately chased back up by the three hyenas waiting below. Then it decided that the humans in the car may be more of a threat and jumped out of the tree again, quickly disappearing from sight in the foliage below. Another highlight was eating a picnic lunch on a blanket with several giraffes behind us grazing, and an irritated looking buffalo staring us down in the distance the entire time. We also came across a small herd of elephants, and all of a sudden a baby that had been left behind came trumpeting out of the woods to try and catch up to its mama. 

Naturally since we were in Murchison Falls National Park, we had to check out the falls. We decided to take the boat cruise to see the base of the falls. This time we saw plenty of hippos and even two very large crocodiles sunbathing on a rock. Thankfully we felt very safe in the boat with a skilled operator at the helm. Apparently, Ernest Hemingway's plane crashed along the river in the 1950s and we were shown the precise location this occurred. The ride was beautiful and peaceful, but the real highlight was when we drove to the top of the falls the following day. At Murchison Falls, the Nile squeezes through an 8m wide gorge and plunges with a thunderous roar into the "Devil's Cauldron." Due to flooding the amount of water flowing through the gorge was much more than normal, making this sight even more incredible. While we were there admiring the falls, we heard a cracking sound and realized that a tree on the bank not far from us was about to be rooted and dragged into the water. We backed away in astonishment to see the tree topple over, but its root system was connected to some other nearby trees so it just dangled there in the current.

The rest of our time was spent swimming in the pool, sipping gin and tonics while watching the sunset over the Nile, reading, and just chilling out. One evening a group called the Mubako Musicians from a nearby village came to play their traditional music using the Adungu, a wooden-arched string instrument. We listened to their songs and danced under the stars, with hippos joining in the chorus in the background. When we asked about one song, we were told it was about the suitability of a woman to become a wife based on her cooking and cleaning skills, and then we stopped asking what the words meant. They ended with the familiar verse of "hakuna matata." 

Although we knew the hippos were around, we never actually saw one out of the water and grazing at the lodge. Our kids still had a healthy fear of them, but were determined to see one before we left. On our last evening there, we were walking back from the dining area to our cottage with a staff member leading the way. He stopped and pointed his flashlight over in the bushes, where we saw the rear end of a gigantic hippo. Mission accomplished!

Beautiful sunset from the lodge

Hartebeest - apparently known for their small brains

   We were told that buffalo are some of the most aggressive animals out there. The stared us down every time we passed by.

A few of the many hippos we saw on our boat cruise

Nile Crocodile on our boat cruise- the other one had already slid off the side of the rock after hearing our boat