Safari Adventures!

Alison and I enjoyed our Safari experience and we went with a few other volunteer friends which made the experience that much better.  This safari trip was done at Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda, actually just a few hours’ drive from Gulu!  Upon arriving at the gates of the national park, we seen our first open air elephants and crocodiles…it was exciting!  We were starting to see the animals in their natural habitats and we had not even yet started the safari game ride!

Now let me take you on a journey sharing with you a little more about our exciting two day safari adventure…….

The lodge where we stayed at was called Paraa Lodge.  It was beautiful! Located right on the Nile River you could hear the hippos snorting from our room; in fact, there have been times when they have found hippos swimming in the pool! (We didn’t get to see that but the idea of seeing a hippo in the pool put a smile on our faces.)  The food was great. It was such a treat to have dishes more like things we would eat at home…we even got to have lasagne one night.  The first thing we did when we got there was enjoy lunch and then we had some time to relax. I enjoyed a refreshing swim in the pool and then we were off for our first game drive. We did an evening game drive and then left early the next morning (6am) for the morning game drive. Apparently, it’s during the night and early morning that the animals are most active. Unfortunately, we did not see any hyenasL.  We did however get to see a lion which is a rare sight in the area (I got this great shot of Alison with the lions in the background!) We also got to do a ferry safari ride on the Nile where we got to see the hippos and crocodiles and other wild life up close.  I must be honest with you…when your floating past the hippos and one turns its attention towards you with just the eyes peering above the water, and then suddenly submerges…lol…it can be a little intimidating!  Some of the activities we we’re going to do got rained out because ironically enough when we did the safari, it was also the only weekend the whole time we have been in Africa when it rained for a full day…..(Africa is now entering its rainy season). Although the rain was a little bit disappointing, overall, the safari was an amazing experience and something I hope to one day be able to do again.

In another couple of weeks, we will be doing our next African adventure…white water rafting on the Nile River! So we will be back soon to share on more of the fun times we got to have in our what seems like an ever shorter time here in Uganda.  

~Lawrence