Rick and Debbie Boyd live in Kelowna, BC. They have always enjoyed traveling, consider themselves lucky to be able to do it, and never return home without being very grateful that they live in such a wonderful country as Canada! This travel post features their experience on Adventures Abroad's tour to Uganda, Rwanda & Kenya (Tour Code: UG2). It is their third trip to Africa and their second trip with Adventures Abroad.

On Safari In East Africa

Cruising along game trails on Kenya’s Maasai Mara, our vehicle approached a small herd of gazelles just as two jackals made their move. We watched intently as they burst from the savannah grass towards their target: a baby gazelle and its mother. They moved with deadly speed and accuracy. One seized the baby by the neck; the other flew at the mother. Desperate for her fawn, mama dodged back and forth to rescue it, but the guard jackal blocked her with slashing fangs. The struggle was over in seconds….mama circled helplessly, clearly in distress, while the jackals devoured the fawn. We watched from our vehicle, stunned.

We had already been on several game drives in the national parks of Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya, seeing at close quarters the famous animals of the African savannah - elephants, buffalo, elands, giraffes, impalas, zebras--all vegetarians. The predators we had seen - lions, leopards, hyenas--had all been at rest when we observed them. Seeing a kill was a sobering experience for us. It was not to be the last.

The Two Jackals Work Together to Make Their Kill

Gorillas, In The Midst

The jackals' kill was one of many unforgettable experiences in our three-plus-week trip to East Africa, and this journal is only going to touch on the highlights. Our central reason for the trip had been a desire to see the mountain gorillas of Rwanda and Uganda, made famous by Dian Fossey in the twentieth century. The gorillas live in an area of volcanic mountains called the Virungas, which straddle the borders of Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, an area 25 by 75 kilometres. We were lucky enough to have two gorilla visits: one in Uganda and one in Rwanda. They followed the same pattern; one is summarized here.

Our Guides and Soldiers

The Rwanda Visit. We assembled at the Volcanoes National Park headquarters, several dozen of us. After a briefing by park staff, and separation into teams of eight, we transferred with our team by vehicle to the start point of our hike - a steep jungle hillside at the end of a very rough road. There we were joined by our guide and his assistant, plus two soldiers with rifles; they accompanied us to protect against bush elephants and buffaloes, who shared the gorillas' territory and could be quite aggressive to humans. As we started climbing the trail, two early-rising trackers had been busy up the mountain, locating the gorilla family that we were assigned to, starting from their last location yesterday. Guided by radio, our group reached the vicinity of the gorillas after about an hour's climb. There we shed our packs and walking sticks, and donned masks (the gorillas are susceptible to COVID and other human germs). Within minutes we joined our gorilla family. They were spread over an area of jungle about the size of an average suburban home's lot: some in trees feeding, some in small clearings grooming, some just hanging out, watching us. They showed no fear or irritation, having been habituated by frequent exposure to humans. We were very close, sometimes within touching distance - though that was forbidden. We and the guides made periodic peaceful noises - "unnh" as if clearing our throats (means 'we are friendly, not a threat') - as we moved about. We stared, entranced by these beautiful, strong animal relatives, snapping photos at will. A couple of times someone got too close and a gorilla would mock-charge, shrieking. We had been taught not to dodge or pull back…which was difficult!

A Rare, Older Bald Silverback

Time For Grooming

An hour passed, too quickly, and we were obliged to leave the gorilla family. We trudged back down the mountain, savouring the extraordinary experience!

Silverback (Left) - The Family's Leader

Mom and Baby

Conservation

The mountain gorillas were well along the road to extinction before Dian Fossey popularized their cause in the 1970s and 80s. The main threats were poachers and the encroachment by farms on their habitat. Today the situation has changed substantially. The high national park fees are being used for the benefit of both the animals and the farmers. We spent four days in their territory - two visiting the gorillas, one trekking to Fossey's mountainside home, operations centre and grave, and one visiting the golden monkeys. In all, we were in the company of 30 to 40 park staff, guides, assistants and trackers. Their conservation message to us was detailed, consistent and sincere. And the gorillas are prospering from this enlightened approach to conservation.

The Trip in Total

East Africa Map

We began our adventure in Entebbe, Uganda, having flown 14,000 kilometres from home via Vancouver, Montreal and Brussels - over one-third of the way around the world. There we joined a group of 10 others and traveled via Toyota Land Cruiser, sturdy four-wheel-drive vehicles with seating for six. Our route took us via central Uganda to Murchison Falls on the Nile River, to southwest Uganda and Rwanda. We then transferred by air from Kigali to Nairobi, then via land again in a circle through Kenya, with four days in the world-famous Maasai Mara National Reserve. We flew home from Nairobi. The roads we travelled ranged from two and four-lane paved highways to stone or gravel tracks that would be impassable for an average car.

Game Drives

On Safari

Heading off in our Land Cruisers for game drives in national parks and reserves was our main way to visit the animals there. Drives ranged from three hours to all day, with 4-6 people per vehicle and the moveable roof lifted so we could stand, for better viewing. We roamed at slow speed (and sometimes fast!) over a web of rough tracks across the savannah and through jungle bush, following the local knowledge and the keen eyesight of the guide/driver. We were often out of sight of any other vehicle but were connected by an open radio channel. When one guide found something truly noteworthy - a leopard, say - he would broadcast the location and any nearby vehicles would rush to congregate there. In one instance we counted 30 vehicles, closely following a leopard! The animals mostly treated us with indifference, sometimes walking right beside the vehicle. Lions, leopards, baboons and cheetahs were the most self-confident; zebras and warthogs were the most skittish. Elephants and giraffes were the easiest to find, because of their size. The big cats were the toughest, often sleeping in the bush or up a tree. Many times we would simply park by a promising location - a waterhole, say - and patiently wait in silence.

Our Patience is Rewarded!

Buffalo With Ox-Pecker Birds (True!) Cleaning Off Flies

Alpha Males

Animals tend to live in families or herds: large ones for zebras and gazelles, medium for buffaloes, and small ones for lions and warthogs. Each group is led by an alpha male, who earns or keeps his position in only one way - by fighting. Challenges can be frequent and unpredictable. The male who doesn't win must leave, often joining a band of other males, "the losers". We saw a number of those.

Male Gazelles, Settling Matters

The Benefits of Being Alpha

From a View to a Kill

We were out on a game drive when the radio crackled - a leopard had been spotted (sorry!). Our driver changed course and we soon caught up with the small flotilla of vehicles keeping pace with a beautiful adult male as he walked along a dirt track, searching for prey. We joined the procession; the leopard ignored us all. Presently a pair of ostriches appeared over a knoll, about 100 metres away. The leopard stopped and crouched in the grass, focused on them. We all got our cameras ready. The ostriches, alert but aware of their running ability, made no effort to escape. The scene hung in suspense for a couple of minutes…then the ostriches walked slowly away, the leopard relaxed its crouch and continued its walk, and we all exhaled. It was evident the leopard had decided he was not going to be able to catch that particular prey.

Not long after, the radio crackled again - cheetah! We drove quickly to the indicated location and spied the cheetah….this time with only a small number of attending vehicles. As we found a vantage point the cheetah spied a herd of Thompson Gazelles, some 200 metres across the savannah. He burst into motion, loping across the grassland. The gazelles scattered. He chose his target, a baby gazelle. The fawn ran but never had a chance. Closing at speed, the cheetah knocked the fawn down with a swipe of his paw, then seized it by the neck. We chased after, bouncing along. By the time we stopped, a reasonable distance away, the cheetah was stripping the flesh from the carcass. It was a gritty scene to watch.

Cheetahs and leopards look a lot alike. Our guide taught us that a cheetah has spots, a smaller head than a leopard, and longer legs. Leopards have rosettes rather than spots, a larger head, are stronger but not as speedy, and are reclusive--observing them in the wild can be difficult. The cheetah with its speed is assured of making a kill; it eats daily and does not eat to excess, consuming only what it needs and leaving the rest to carrion-eaters. Leopards (and lions) have to rely on ambush in many cases, and can not be assured of daily kills. When they kill they eat until they are stuffed, often protecting the remains to feed on later and sleep off their meal in a tree or secluded place - which is where we often found them.

Cheetah

Leopard, Skulking After Prey

The People

Being on the road continually can make it difficult to get to know a country's people. But the fact is, it is the people of East Africa that will stay with us among our happiest memories. We found the hospitality staff of our many lodges to be warm, gentle, friendly and cheery. The young children along the roadsides never failed to recognize our vehicles as tourists, and always waved and smiled. We shared the two-lane highways with herds of cattle, smartly-dressed kids on the way to school, preposterously-loaded bicycles and motorbikes….all shared the space with a minimum of hassle. Even the motor traffic was courteous, despite some fairly aggressive driving and passing; seldom was heard a discouraging horn-beep, even in crowded Nairobi. Most colourful were the Maasai of southwest Kenya, a tribe known for their red dress, their cattle herds, and their physical bravery….all preserved today for the enjoyment of us tourists.

Bikes Are a Main Form of Rural Transportation

Maasai Men in Traditional Garb

Deb and I traveled to East Africa with the usual tourist baggage: concerns about the food, the water, visa issues, malaria pills, difficult treks, etc. We returned home with none of these, our bags full of the memories of extraordinary experiences. Perhaps the single adjective that best describes our 3-1/2 weeks is "wonderful", in the most literal sense of the word….a trip full of wonder!

Beautiful Murchison Falls, on the Upper Reaches of the Nile

Two Male Rhinos, Working It Out

The King, Maasai Mara

Mother and Baby