15 October 2016

A Blog Post By Emily

Today we said goodbye to Kampala as we left to go on safari with our guide Arthur! It was a long drive to the park. We left at 6:30am and got into Murchison Falls National Park at 10:30am after a few pit stops. We ate lunch at a lodge that is situated on the bank of the River Nile and the views were breath taking. There were a few hippos hanging out in the Nile and sunbathing on a small island. After lunch we headed to Paraa Lodge doing a game drive on the way. You never know what to expect while you drive through the African bush. The road is very rough and surrounded by trees, grass, and bushes full of thorns. As we drove we had some vistors in our safari vehicle such as tsetse flies, which, if you did not know, bite and can bite through socks as Nick quickly found out. Arthur had warned us that sometimes elephants knock down trees into the road and that we may have to turn back if we come across this. It is a good thing that we were in a tough vehicle because we were too far too turn back when we found fallen trees. We learned that Arthur is a good off road driver.

After a few miles of driving, looking for animals, and only seeing a few antelope,“Giraffes!” Jennie exclaimed with such a childlike glee when she saw the first giraffes. We ended up seeing so many giraffes, antelopes, warthogs (“pumbaa” means warthog in swahilli), water buffalo, birds, and then finally ELEPHANTS! It was a very successful first game drive. Tomorrow morning we will go back out looking for lions especially.

When we got to the lodge Mike, Jennie, Dr. Foote, and I all enjoyed the pool especially because today was a rather warm and long day. As we were all walking back to our rooms to get ready for dinner, Mike spotted a few new friends, ELEPHANTS! There was a mother and her calf enjoying a snack right beside our lodge! It was such an awesome experience. Myself and the rest of the group are excited for whatever adventures tomorrow will bring. (Hopefully there will be more elephants.)