Whispers of the Wild

Rain on my face and wind in my hair. That describes most of my time with East African Safaris at Lake Mburo National Park Saturday. Lake Mburo is a game park that encompasses ___ square kilometers. My journey started at 6:45 am since it’s a four hour drive to the National Park. And we made a stop at the equator for a photo op along the way. I wasn’t in the open air jeep that I always imagined on safari, but rather a van with a top that pops up about two feet, allowing occupants to stand up. A lot safer than being in an open air jeep if there are predators around. 

Almost as soon as we turned into the park I saw antelope and zebras. The antelope moved too fast for me to get a good picture, but the herd of zebras was very accommodating. It’s the rainy season, but even so I was enjoying the rain on my face and the wind in my hair while standing up and taking pictures— that is, until the top fell down onto my head and knocked me down into my seat. The road is very bumpy and apparently I was holding onto the wrong bar for support. After a stop to secure the top we continued on, even going off road briefly when we found the way blocked. The actual park entrance is about 8 kilometers down the road. You’re not allowed to exit your vehicle when you get into the park and you’re not allowed to drive across the savanna. There are actually some scattered residents in the park, just as there were some residents living on small islands on the Nile River. I saw so many zebras my dreams will have stripes tonight. I also saw huge herds of antelope, families of baboons, warthogs, water bucks, monkeys, Ankole cattle, and buffalo. 

My guide says that the animals here fee very secure because there are no predators. There are some leopards in the park, but they are nocturnal. He says there is only one lion, which is also nocturnal. Apparently there used to be more but the locals killed them, I guess because the lions were destroying their livestock. There is a restaurant by the lake and that is where we had lunch. The restaurant has a thatched roof and is painted to look like the zebras which are so plentiful here, and inside there are wonderful wood carvings of some of the native wildlife. There is also a souvenir shop, which is my crack.

I had only taken two bites of my lunch when my guide came up to say that the boat was getting ready to leave. Apparently part of my fee included a two hour cruise on Lake Mburo on a bright green ferry boat named the Impala. So I packed up my veggies, rice, and wine and off I went. I was joined on the cruise by a charming and lively group of primary school children-- including my young seat mate. (Who did crack a smile AFTER I took his picture!) The captain tells us that the lake is 10 square kilometers and 8 meters deep. We immediately see a large school of hippos. The captain is a fountain of information on hippos. They can stay under water up to 15 minutes. And they stay in water during the day and come on land at night to graze. Their poop is food for the fish!


Shortly after starting we circled back to pick up an English couple who join us. They happen to be Caucasian, and it’s clear the children have never seen a white person before, because the couple immediately become more interesting than the boat, the water, or the animals! Eventually the children did start watching the shore again— long enough to notice a couple of monkeys and a young crocodile that the captain pointed out.

                                                           
On our way out of the safari park I finally saw my long awaited giraffes!