Uganda Day 11 — The Walking School Bus

After leaving Nabagoye Village yesterday, we drove West across the country to reach our safari destination: Murchison Falls. As the landscape changed, so did our moods as we eagerly anticipated our 3-day safari together. The trees became denser and the grass lusher and 7 hours later we reached the park passing elephants along the way.

The lodge is set overlooking the Nile River. We are staying in huts scattered along the property.

We had dinner outside listening to the sound of animals. We ate and drank and retired early to our huts as our day was to begin at 6:30 sharp.

It was still black outside when we woke up and had breakfast at 6:00. We watched the sunrise and the beautiful African horizon was pink and red. It was a breathtaking start to the day.

We set off on our first game drive at the biggest park in Uganda: Murchison Falls which is 5000 square kilometers.

We spent the morning on an exciting game drive. We saw herds and herds of elephants, giraffes, Buffalo, antelope, warthogs and prata monkeys; we even spotted 2 lions.

They packed us lunch and we went to a local spot by the Nile River. There were hundreds of children dancing and listening to music.

Dan couldn’t resist and immediately joined in followed by the rest of us. We danced around the circle with the children and their supervisors. They loved including us and warmly welcomed us. While enjoying lunch, a hungry baboon approached our group. Within seconds there were park patrols scaring them away ensuring our safety. There were many baboons and warthogs all around us while we ate- not a sight you see everyday!! Our guide took us to a beautiful lodge to relax for an hour and we excitedly jumped in the swimming pool feeling so happy. We have had very little downtime since arriving and the hour in the pool hit the spot. Then, off on a boat safari to the gorge of the Nile. We saw hundreds of hippos, and many giant crocodiles. There were many animals along the shore resting and eating. The waterfall itself was breathtaking. The scenery here is majestic.

We returned to our lodge 12 hours after leaving this morning. We had a special day in the park as the 11 of us shared quite an incredible experience together.

Originally published at https://thewalkingschoolbus.com on July 24, 2016.