The jewel of the Nile

Apr 25, 2011

WE arrived after a gruelling five-hour drive through Luweero district, stopping for refreshments at Masindi Hotel. We had to be in time to cross River Nile by ferry which was to drop us at the opposite bank, a three-minute drive to our dream destination – Paraa Safari Lodge.

By Winnie Rukiidi
WE arrived after a gruelling five-hour drive through Luweero district, stopping for refreshments at Masindi Hotel. We had to be in time to cross River Nile by ferry which was to drop us at the opposite bank, a three-minute drive to our dream destination – Paraa Safari Lodge.

Ice-cold hand towels and chilled orange drinks were passed around as our luggage was taken to our rooms by the lodge staff who welcomed us with warm smiles to this 54-bed facility. I wondered how they assembled themselves so fast for our arrival.

Later, I realised they must be programmed because the ferry crosses at a particular time everyday and its purpose is to deliver guests at Paraa Safari Lodge.

The general manager, Crispus Mwandi, greeted each one of us with a handshake, took time to ask about the journey and finally welcomed us.
Established in 1954, Paraa Safari Lodge is located in Murchison Falls National Park in north-western Uganda.

The lodge overlooks one of nature’s best, the River Nile, flowing from its source in Lake Victoria to join Lake Albert, where it is channelled into a gorge only six meters wide and cascades 43 meters below.

Murchison Falls was named by explorer Sir Samuel Baker in 1864 after Sir Roderick Impey Murchison KCB FRS, an eminent geologist and president of the Royal Geographical Society in 1864.

The lodge carries a colonial era theme, where the guard staff wear brown khaki uniforms with leather belts, while the dining tables are made from good mahogany.

The rooms are comfortable but you have to part with extra bucks for the air conditioning. The lodge uses land cruisers for game drives, with professional drivers and guides.
The following day we were up by 6:00am to have breakfast and go for a four-hour game drive.

Eric was our driver and guide and at 7:00am, we left for the park. It takes about 15 minutes to start seeing herds of animals. First on the scene were the numerous baboons and warthogs.
Later, we came across the Uganda kob, which appears on the Uganda Coat of Arms.

They have a very large population in the park and were a delight to watch as they are so graceful. The crested cranes that also feature on the Coat of Arms and the Uganda flag were numerous.

Next, were the buffaloes and they did look back at us with curiosity! The African buffaloes are one of the most successful grazers in Africa. They live in swamps, flood plains, as well as grasslands.

Other than humans, buffaloes have few predators and are capable of defending themselves against lions. It typically takes multiple lions to bring down a single adult buffalo.

However, one of the greatest attractions of the park is the giraffes. The Giraffa camelopardalis is an African even-toed angulated mammal, the tallest of all land-living animals and the largest ruminant. Giraffes usually inhabit savanna grasslands, or open woodlands.

However, when food is scarce, they venture into areas with denser vegetation. They prefer areas with plenty of acacia. They drink large quantities of water when available, which enables them to live for extended periods in arid areas.

The giraffe has one of the shortest sleep requirements of any mammal, which is between 10 minutes and two hours in a 24-hour period.

In the afternoon, a boat ride on the Nile exposed us to the hippos, the crocodiles and Murchison Falls, the most spectacular feature of the Nile along its 6,700km journey to the Mediterranean Sea. The gorge is just six metres wide, making the falls one of the most powerful surges of water found anywhere in the world.

We also managed to catch sight of the elephants which had eluded us during the morning land ride. The hippos were many and they ignored us. At one point there were fishermen in a boat a stone’s throw away from the hippos.

The other attractions in the park are the kingfisher and the saddle bill stork, among other bird species. The kingfishers are important members of ecosystems and good indicators of freshwater.

The highest densities of breeding birds are found in habitats with clear water, which permits optimal prey visibility. The saddle bill stork, like most of its relatives, feeds mainly on fish, frogs and crabs but also on small birds and reptiles.

They move in a deliberate and stately manner as they hunt, in a similar way to the larger herons. They are silent except for bill-clattering at the nest.
Back in the 1960s, Murchison was one of the best parks in Africa and today, it can be confidently said it has steadily recovered from the bad old years to reclaim its place as Uganda’s best all-rounder.

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