Anticipation

 August 21, 2024

Anticipation

On Saturday, August 24, I will leave for yet another adventure.  I’ll drive to Toronto, and on Sunday morning I’ll fly Toronto to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where I’ll connect with a flight to Entebbe, Uganda, arriving on Monday, August 26.  I’ll be in Uganda until September 2, when I’ll fly to Rwanda; I'll be home September 12.

 

In Uganda, I’ll travel to Lake Victoria, Murchison Falls National Park, take a boat on the upper Nile, and visit a rhinoceros sanctuary.  Game drives should allow the finding of elephant, buffalo, large cats, Rothschild’s giraffe, and lots of birdlife.  In Rwanda, I’ll explore Kigali, including the Genocide Memorial, and visit Akagera National Park, where there are herds of giraffe, zebra, elephant and buffalo.  On Lake Ihema there should be sightings of crocodiles and hippos as well as a large number of birds.  The highlight of the trip will be a visit to Volcanoes National Park, home of golden monkeys and mountain gorillas.  On Monday, Sept. 9, I’ll take a mountain gorilla trek, which will not be easy.  From the warning notice I received: 

The mountain gorilla trek typically involves two to four hours of walking through thick brush over steep, rugged terrain at elevations ranging from 7000 to 9000 feet—and can include exposure to stinging nettles and fire ants….  Skilled trackers will have gone on ahead to locate one of the ten habituated populations of mountain gorilla families we can visit. 

The following day will be another trek, this time to find the rare and endangered golden monkeys.

 I’m excited to visit a part of Africa I’ve not seen before, and to have a chance to see the mountain gorillas in their environment.  I’m hoping I’ll have internet access and time and energy to blog as I go; I’ll give it my best.

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