Due to a tight itinerary on the fourth day, our breakfast was put in packs for takeaway. We checked out very early in the morning and drove straight to Queen Elizabeth National Park, which is about a three hours drive from Kibale. We saw the Uganda ranges occupying thousands of kilometres along the road. Donald pointed to us at his home, where he came from as we continued our journey to Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Queen Elizabeth National Park is located in the Western Region of Uganda, spanning the districts of Kasese, Kamwenge, Rubirizi, and Rukungiri. The park is approximately 400 kilometres (250 mi) by road south-west of Kampala, Uganda’s capital and largest city. The city of Kasese lies to the northeast of the park, while the town of Rubirizi is to the southeast. The park adjoins Kyambura Game Reserve to the east, which itself adjoins the Kigezi Game Reserve (including the Maramagambo Forest) and thus the Kibale National Park to the northeast. The Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo lies across the border to the west. Together, these protected places completely encircle Lake Edward. The Rwenzori Mountains National Park in Uganda lies not far to the northwest.
The national park occupies an estimated 1,978 square kilometres (764 sq mi). The park is known for its abundant wildlife, including African elephant, African kob, hippopotamus, topi, waterbuck, warthog, giant forest crocodile, leopard, spotted hyena, chimpanzee and lion. Overall, the 95 mammal species and over 600 bird species. The area around Ishasha in Rukungiri District is famous for its tree-climbing lions, whose males often sport black manes. In 2020, Uganda Wildlife Authority executive director Samuel John Mwandha stated that the wildlife in the park has been increasing in the last five years.
Boat Cruise
On arrival at the entrance to Queen Elizabeth National Park, a security check was thoroughly carried out before we were allowed into the massive park. We got to the jetty at 9:37a.m. Ugandan time and had an hour boat cruise in the Kazinga Channels lying between Lake George and Lake Edward. The tour guide, Godfrey, took time to explain the rules to us. Everybody on the boat cruise had a live jacket put on for safety. Shortly after the boat cruise started, we first spotted buffalos, hippos, crocodiles, elephants and birds. As we disembarked to continue our journey to the Gorilla Heights in Bwindi, we saw hoards of elephants, warthogs and antelopes along the road. At the gate of the national park another routine security check was conducted before we exited.
8-Hour Journey On Hills to Bwindi
Shortly after we hit the Kyambura Road to Bwindi, we crossed a bridge where George Edward Lake passed through and just a few metres ahead we pulled over to refresh. From there, I saw Kazinga (a fishing village) and a large expanse of land in the Queen Elizabeth National Park. Some locals, mostly children, came to our vehicles to greet the team. The children later received food packs and danced around in excitement. Nine-hour journey to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park had just started and was mostly on hills with an approximate distance of 371 kms. After driving for over four hours, we stopped at Kaahwa Kanuzire Restaurant to have our lunch.
One of the takeaways about the day-long journey is that it helped us to observe the normal daily life of the locals and communities we came across. The locals who are mostly farmers farmed on the hills and terraces showing skills that have passed from one generation to another. The locals also were seen rearing their cows and goats along major roads and markets. Their architectural dexterity was manifest from one community to another as they built houses on top of very high hills and even in the deep valleys. Many of the houses have solar panels on top of the roofs. They also have sprawling vegetations where different kinds of trees were planted making the landscape a beauty of some sorts. The journey on the hills gave us goose pimples any time we tried to look down the deep valleys hoping that nothing untoward happened. Instead of sleeping, my eyes were opened throughout the journey.
The journey which entered into the night later became bumpy as we navigated the road to Bwindi. But the fear of the high hills and valleys refused to go out. Late into the night we got to a point of no return. The drivers stopped at a T-junction to ask questions on the road that leads to Bwindi. As they were making enquiries, a vehicle carrying rangers heading to Bwindi surfaced. We followed them until we arrived at the Gorilla Heights Lodge, where we will be staying for two nights. As we drove into the lodge, Celestine, the manager and others were on ground to welcome us. They gave us hot towels to clean our hands and faces after a long journey. The keys to the cottages on a hill about 2,000 feet above sea level were tagged according to names of gorillas in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The key to my cottage bears Bwindi. After having dinner, we all retired to our rooms to rest. My cottage was built on the edge of the hill, showing the mountains and thick forests. The view was simply amazing.
The Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is in southwestern Uganda. The park is part of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and is situated along the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) border next to the Virunga National Park and on the edge of the Albertine Rift. Composed of 321 square kilometres (124 sq mi) of both montane and lowland forest, it is accessible only on foot. The national park is a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation-designated World Heritage Site. Species diversity is a feature of the park. It provides habitat for 120 species of mammals, 348 species of birds, 220 species of butterflies, 27 species of frogs, chameleons, geckos, and many endangered species. Floristically, the park is among the most diverse forests in East Africa, with more than 1,000 flowering plant species, including 163 species of trees and 104 species of ferns. The northern (low elevation) sector has many species of Guineo – Congolian flora, including two endangered species, the brown mahogany and Brazilian Longipedicellata. In particular, the area shares in the high levels of endemisms of the Albertine Rift. The park is a sanctuary for colobus monkeys, chimpanzees, and many birds such as hornbills and turacos. It is most notable for the 400 Bwindi gorillas, half of the world’s population of the endangered mountain gorillas. 14 habituated mountain gorilla groups are open to tourism in four different sectors of Buhoma, Ruhijja, Rushaga and the Nkuringo in the Districts of Kanungu, Kabale and Kisoro respectively all under the management of Uganda Wildlife Authority.
