Queen Elizabeth National Park & Kingfisher Lodge

I have found my favorite place on earth, well, after pretty much any place in Newfoundland and my Aunt’s apple orchard. Let us then call it my favorite place in Uganda. The Kingfisher Lodge overlooks Queen Elizabeth National Park’s savanna expanses in the Southwest of Uganda. It’s one of those, “it wasn’t even in the plan” happenings.

So I signed up to go to Queen Elizabeth Park (QE) over two weeks ago. Pete said, “Hey Leah, me and my brothers are heading down to QE in two weeks, would you like to join us?” Where I live is on the way (they drive 7 hours I drive 2) and it was just for the weekend so wouldn’t mess with my brand new fancy job, so of course, I said yes. That was the end of my planning for the trip.

When they showed up in Kabwohe there was not a Pete family member in site. There were four young brits (who shall never again be mentioned other than perhaps to explain the downfall of that once great nation), Pete, Eric the driver, and my refreshingly sarcastic friend Lahoma (no one is sarcastic in Kabwohe, I sometimes feel my will to live draining away). Also, there had been some planning done. We weren’t just going on a roadtrip (as I had naively assumed) we were going on safari AND chimp trekking.

Reaching Katunguru Gate we paid our park entrance fees and started the 25km drive into the park and the Mweya Peninsula. Mweya Lodge sits on a 10km wedge of hilly land that is reached by following the road on a narrow isthmus. When crossing you can look straight down in both directions and see Lake Edward or the Kazinga Channel. There are amazing views of the Rwenzori mountains and lush hills and valleys which are closer still.

Mweya Safari Lodge is comfortably nestled into all of this beauty and honeymooning couples were hiding (or doing something) around every corner. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending how much you are missing your boyfriend and therefore have your hate-on for honeymooners, we stayed at the hostel just down the street. Still in the middle of the game park, but with peeling paint instead of pristine cushy towels. Standing on the porch of our little cottage the first night, a hippo walked by, well rather three hippos walked by. About 2 metres away. We ran inside!

The safari on Saturday morning was lovely! Lionesses and baby simbas, scads of elephants (at one time they were crossing the road in front of us and behind us, we could see over 40 just in our area), warthogs, bushbucks, more hippos (less scary when in a vehicle), buffalo, mongooses (lived actually at the hostel, very cute!). The birdlife was absolutely astounding as well although I wouldn’t know what to call them other than ‘black bird with blood red throat’ or ‘bright yellow bird with black mask’.

Sunday we went chimp trekking in the Kyambura Gorge which is a breathtaking forest river gorge carved into the surrounding flat savanna (am quoting out of my guidebook due to lack of eloquent personal thought this morning;). We were blessed to see chimps after walking for approximately 1.36 minutes. Our guide told us that the past 4 days they have stayed hidden from everyone. The community of chimps sometimes go into the savanna to gather food but are rather nervous there so usually stay nearer the tree line. Today they had climbed just to the rim of the gorge to feast on blossoms of a tree that grew from the side of the gorge. We saw four adults and a tiny baby. It was lovely to stand in the tall grasses of the savanna and watch them hang over the expanses of the gorge. A man with a much bigger camera than mine is going to send me his pictures and I will post the best asap!

After staring at them for what seemed like 2 hours we finally went down into the gorge to do a little bit of the ‘trekking’ part of our expedition. It was stunning wandering through the rainforest. Very African Queen with the muddy meandering river.

Eric dropped me at the Kingfisher Lodge so I could find my prearranged ride (Canadian high school students on a trip) back to Kabwohe. The rest of the group was heading to Fort Portal but I had to get to work the next morning. Unfortunately my ride had had to leave without me.

I was just arranging to have lunch and grab some public transport when three Brits who had been chimp trekking with us showed up with the same idea and would drop me in Kabwohe on their way back to Kampala. We had a lovely lunch together and then decided that this place was just too lovely to leave just yet. We moved into our rooms and the rest, as they say, is beautiful beautiful history.

The rooms are circular and separate and set into the side of a hill which drops steeply into the savanna. I’m sure to the animals below it looks like a hobbit village perched high up on a hill. Each porch (portico) has 180 degree views of the savanna below. I took full advantage. I must have sat there for hours. Enjoying the gentle breeze, soaking up the warm sun and scouring the clumps of trees for hidden forest elephants. Delighting in the moments they would reappear with the flip of an ear or the tip of a trunk. I could have sat there for weeks.

Unfortunately it came time to sleep (heard a lion roar in the night!) and then leave in the morning. I had great company for the trip and these three Brits reaffirmed my faith in their countrymen and women.

Views I love (in no particular order) :

The view from Sacre Coeur in Paris.

The view from Kingfisher Lodge (see above).

The never-ending seascape off of Signal Hill.

This new found ‘sweeping-view-love’ drives me to believe I should check out Saskatchewan. I told an 11-year-old British kid that Saskatchewan was so flat you could watch your dog run away for three days. His astounded laughter was contagious and our group’s giggles resonated over the savanna below us.