Uganda is bang in the middle of Africa. To the west lie the great rain-forests of the Congo basin, to the east the savannas of East Africa. Here these biomes and their birds and animals meet. I had planned our trip so we could get a taste of both; personally,  I was more interested in the forests and the chance of seeing some very special species. But  forests are not easy – you can go a whole day with just a few tantalising glimpses of a bird or a monkey far above in the canopy and I wasn’t sure how well our group would do.  Also, this has to be done on foot, and we are not a very athletic  bunch. So I had given us enough time in the lower altitude savanna areas to see some big game, easier birds and so on. But now it was time for something different.

Now as we headed out of Queen Elizabeth National Park the landscape began to change. Yehudit carefully tracked our route on her detailed map as we passed through small towns along the foothills of mostly obscured Mountains of the Moon. Then we leave the tarmac and enter a hilly region.  It is very pretty country,  Banana orchards run up and down the slopes interrupted by wooded ravines and little crater lakes. Along the road we pass huge mounds of bananas (or rather plantains – the cooking variety which is the main crop here) on wheels : farmers taking their crop to market. We pass by the trading centers where all these plantains are collected and sold and everyone is eager to snap photos, but Hilary is adamant: “taking pictures without permission is like stealing”. We are getting an education. We stop and negotiate with a fellow with a bicycle and do it correctly.

By lunch time we have reached our destination – Kitojo guest house.  I had asked for a lodge closer to Kibale Forest – the reason for our visit here – but all were booked out and Tony suggested this. Hilary, who lives in the area has never heard of it so I hope it’s OK.  When we arrive Yehudit asks me: “did you know it was so beautiful when you booked it?” and I think: this is going to be fine. It is a lovely spot. Perched on a hill, one side a little woodland (with Red-tailed Monkeys and a pair of Wood Owls in residence) and a fine view over the countryside. Simple facilities and, it turns out, family hospitality and an excellent cook. What more can you ask?

For the afternoon I had the idea to do some birding around the area of the lodge, perhaps check out one the many lakes nearby. But Hilary suggests a visit to Bigodi, his home village, next to Kibale Forest, where a cultural program is on offer.  Sounds good to me and the gang like the idea so off we go. Its a bit of a way, but a good road through the forest where we start running in to bands of Baboons on the road. We dutifully stop for photos, little knowing how often this is going to be repeated in the next days.

At the village we arrive at the cultural museum, but get sidetracked by the bright yellow café next door. A round of cofee, a game of pool and a visit to the craft shops across the street later we are ready. The young men at the museum are very nice and explain about preserving the traditions of their village. Surrounded by all sorts of tools and utensils, from stretchers to violins, we learn about life here and finish with a lively little dance. It’s really from the heart, it doesn’t feel very touristy at all.

We then visit several homes in the village : the young man’s – whose name I’ve forgotten – Grandmother, Great Uncle and the local traditional healer (a.k.a witch doctor). All are absolutely charming, and tell us in their soft voices about local customs, medicinal plants and this and that. The doctor gives us “pet names”  ; for the rest of the trip Zvika is Apuuli (=puppy) and Yehudit is Adyeri (=friend). Sadly we run out of time and have to skip the ladies’ basket weaving club – we wave to them in passing.

A warm welcome at Bigodi

Apuuli poses with grandmother Akiki

On the drive back to the lodge (after more stops for Baboon photos) , Hilary spots a pair of Ross’s Turacos in some trees near the road. Unfortunately, they are moving away, it’s almost dark and we are on a busy road – so , no go. We head home for dinner and owls.

As we sit and chat with Mr Ezra – owner of the lodge and the adjoining hospital, a charming man – I realize something is shifting in our experience. Maybe it’s just that due to a shortage of rooms I am sleeping in Mr. Ezra’s spare bedroom , or perhaps because we are on Hilary’s home territory, but it feels to me that we are connecting much more personally with the land and the people who live here.  We are ready to enter the forest.

We are booked for a Chimpanzee trek in Kibale the next morning. This is an official affair with permits and rangers and so on and we need to be there on time so I am very strict on the early morning drive: “no Baboon photos!”. We arrive on time only to discover that someone made a mistake and our permits are for the afternoon!  This actually works out rather well – it means we can do some birding around the forest edge in the best, morning hours and, maybe, there won’t be quite so many people going after Chimps in the afternoon – I know there are supposed to be a lot of them here but am a bit surprised how many trekkers are setting out at the same time.

We spend a very fruitful couple of hours along the road near the Park Headquarters; a party of the ridiculously exotic Blue Turacos flop around on the trees and a band of the rare L’Hoest’s Monkey cross the road and settle down nearby. For the “serious” birders there are Barbets and Tinkerbirds, a Nicator, a Greenbul and a Yellowbill. Zvika is so busy photographing Wooly-necked storks through his telescope he almost misses everything else.  Finally, after the obligatory Baboon photo-stop, we head out of the park for a  traditional lunch  in Bigodi village.

[ I have to say a word here about the quality of this last photo and others in the blog: I was a bit too busy/distracted with managing the rather tricky program and somewhat unruly group to focus on photography; so I missed covering a lot of it with my camera. Judy, our leading Baboon photographer (and other subjects), I am sure has some fine photos but due to some problem with her internet connection has only managed to whatsapp me the ones off her phone; so for now I have a limited choice  – hopefully soon to be improved on, but I’d rather get this all written while it’s fresh in my memory]

Anyway…

The lunch was terrific –  We chewed our coffee beans (we already learned that yesterday) and listened  and watched as a charming young woman about 6 feet tall plunked down dish after dish and explained what they were. Everything was delicious, though Saul kept murmuring “Peanut Sauce” for a while after the meal.  My vote went for the Matoke  (steamed plantain) and the millet and sorghum stodge, the local staples.

We couldn’t linger though – it was time for our Chimp trek.

Back at park headquarters, along with four other parties, we were briefed and prepped for our jungle mission. I explained to our guide that we would be a bit slow and asked if it would be possible to find us the nearest Chimps available. He said he would do his best. After driving a short way in to the park we set off on foot in to the forest, trousers tucked in to our socks (against ants), well slathered with mosquito repellant and sun-cream, hats on, extra water bottles – ready for anything!

About twenty minutes in, after some busy radioing to and fro by the guide on his walkie-talkie we converged with another group and there were two large Chimps! The chimps were ambling up a slope at a fairly brisk pace and the guides frantically tried to move their groups in to position to take pictures of them. As more groups of tourist arrived at double pace the scene turned in to a chaotic melee of smart phone waving hikers in safari outfits crashing through the undergrowth as the two Chimps nonchalantly made their way through the forest. I was disgusted. I found the rest of the group and our guide as the Chimps and their pursuing trekkers disappeared into the distance and the forest became still again. We resumed our walk, picking up Zvikka – who had followed the Chimps part of the way, at great cost to his knee – along the way, and after a while we  came to where the Chimps had joined two others and settled down to feed on nuts. This was much better and we spent the next hour watching them feeding and grooming and even had the excitement of  a ruckus as another male rushed in and made a bit of a display. Some of the other groups moved on and so we had a nice meeting with our cousins of the forest.

It seems the morning trekkers had only seen Chimps up in the trees, so we had done well to have such a close encounter (though I wonder if they say that to everyone). In any case, everyone was pleased as punch. This had been our biggest challenge and it had been a doddle (see my post about Chimp trekking at Gombe Stream  Short Visit to Pradise for a much tougher one – though perhaps more satisfying). On the way home we discover my door in the car won’t close. We tie it with a strap (the  one we’ve been using for the back door) and later a mechanic comes over and takes it all apart and puts it together a number of times uselesly until Zvika intervenes and solves the problem with a few drops of oil from the engine’s dip-stick. We round off the evening’s entertainment with some Owl watching.

Next Day we face a long drive to Masindi,  gateway to MurchisonFalls N.Park and the adjoining Budongo Forest of ornithological fame. Hilary has been going on about how bad the road is and that if we don’t start early and avoid too many stops we will not make it before nightfall. I warn everyone to be on time and we set off  at a brisk pace, only to divert almost immediately in to the town of Fort Portal for an hour of gift shopping and what must be the only espresso machine in Western Uganda.

Finally we get on the road and make good progress. Hilary’s warning’s are unfounded – the road has been graded and several sections are even tarmacked and we speed along enjoying the scenery and our stops in small towns along the way. When we stop for cold drinks in a market street in Hoima,there is no awkwardness as we sit at the little table and drink fresh made passion-fruit juice.  We are rapidly becoming Africanized!

At Masindi we stay at the Hotel where Humphry Boggart and Lauren Bacall stayed when they filmed “African Queen”; Hemingway recovered here  from a plane crash. I expected something a bit special but it is  totally unremarkable – just a place to sleep. In the empty bar there is a small plaque saying “Hemingway’s Bar”. That’s it. But the kitchen staff have done a splendid job of making a birthday cake for Yehudit, faithfully copying the inscription Zvika sent them in advance, and we celebrate in style – Birthday (Yehudit say’s it isn’t her birthday at all) , success in the jungle, being in Africa, Baboon Photos – whatever. Everyone seems pretty satisfied and at peace and I get a good night’s sleep.

The rest – coming soon.