Uganda: The Pearl of Africa
Yolanda Woeke, vice president of sales and marketing at inVOYAGE partner Green Route Africa, recently explored the beautiful country of Uganda. Although this wasn’t her first trip to Uganda, the itinerary was action-packed and awe-inspiring and here she shares some of the trip highlights…
“Our first stop was to the Murchison Falls area, the biggest conservation area in Uganda at around 381 square km. This park is home to the big four, elephant, lion, buffalo, leopard. The Murchison Falls conservation area is divided into the North and South and the magnificent river Nile divides the two. The Northern side, similar to the savannahs of the Serengeti, is called Pakuba and the Southern side, which is more like a forest or jungle is called Panungu.
Tumbling along a rocky canyon, the river is literally squeezed through a seven-metre wide fissure to create a spectacular waterfall, making river cruises a must-do activity on a Murchison Falls safari. Not only can you take in the drama of the Falls, but you’ll enjoy good game viewing from the comfort of the boat. For the adventurous, one can hike up to the falls, for some of the most magnificent views.
The next part of the itinerary was Queen Elizabeth National Park. The park is 1978 km square and also has the big four, excluding rhino. It is divided into two sections. Myewa is on the Peninsula and, interestingly, the highest concentration of hippos in Africa live in this region. Myewa is a wonderful area from which lion tracking as well as chimpanzee trekking can be done.
On safari in this park, we saw buffalo, hyena, loads of hippo, amazing birdlife, loads of massive elephants, huge Nile crocodiles and the biggest warthogs we have ever seen. Everything here looks like they are on steroids, they are just massive, bigger than South or East Africa even.
The highlight of any trip to Uganda however is Gorilla Trekking. Located high in the hills near the world-famous Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, the Gorillas are fiercely protected and access is limited to preserve the gentle giants for future generations. A minimum two-night stay is recommended in the region as the trekking is a full day activity.
Departure is in the morning and continues until the Gorilla family is located. This can involve up to six hours of walking so participants do need a certain level of fitness. You are then permitted a maximum of one hour to observe the animals (this is to ensure that the animals are not over-exposed to humans) – but it is most definitely worth the walk and for sure the quickest but most exciting hour of one’s life.”
Green Route Africa will be attending inVOYAGE 2019 on 6-9 October in Monaco.