By this Author: margofiala

With the chimpanzees and gorillas of Uganda etched in our minds, we set off to get to our next destination - Tanzania. The easiest way to get there was through Rwanda, so off to the border we went. It was an interesting border crossing, clearly Rwanda is still very concerned about Covid. As we crossed over the border, there was a long line of spotless white sinks and soap for everyone to wash their hands and then someone taking your temperature as you left the area. It felt like a flashback. We had to lineup to exit Uganda and get an exit stamp in our passport, and then lineup again to enter Rwanda to get an entry stamp. Luke had to take the truck through a special lineup to have it checked before going into Rwanda as well. There was lots of military around, so not too many pictures were allowed. Everything went fine, it was just very interesting.

Rwanda is reputedly the cleanest country in Africa, and this was evident as soon as we crossed the border. Uganda could learn a lot from Rwanda‘s approach to controlling litter, as many African countries could. Luke told us that it was compulsory for Rwandan residents to spend four hours a month cleaning their community. It was great to see and probably cleaner than back home. In both Uganda and Rwanda, there was always something to watch as we drove along the highway. My favorite was seeing the brightly dressed women with babies slung on their backs:

People in this part of the world work so hard, just to get their products and produce from A to B. It made us feel very lazy!

Some light weight bricks!

Yes, that’s a coffin!

Carrots anyone?

Or cabbage?

Lots of potatoes!

Brings a whole new meaning to “DoorDash”:

We were also amazed with what people can carry on their heads. We were told up to 20 kg / 44 lbs is quite typical. try this next time your hands are full! Unbelievable:

We saw many tea plantations in both Uganda and Rwanda, and many hard workers. I also sampled local tea and it was very good.

We arrived in Lake Kivu for a day of rest before heading to Kigali and then onto Tanzania. Lake Kivu is a huge lake in northwestern Rwanda that borders the Congo, in fact the border goes through the middle of the lake. Despite the unrest in the Congo and its close proximity to where we were staying, we did not see any signs of conflict or trouble. In fact, we saw Congolese people at the markets and observed many people coming back-and-forth across the border. We stayed right on the lake at a hotel near Gisenyi called Paradise Malahide:

We spent a few hours on a boat ride that toured us around some highlights on the lake:

There was a small island just off where our hotel:

We also went by some natural hot springs:

We took a break at this lovely lakeside hotel, Kivu Paradise. This is where Mary and I are staying next time!

The saddest part of leading Lake Kivu was this was our last night together with Carleen, and our guide, Luke:

The next morning we headed for Kigali, Rwanda‘s capital city. It is a big, busy city!

We had a wonderful lunch at the hotel in Kigal that was the setting for the famous movie “Hotel Rwanda”, where over 1200 Hutus and Tutsis refugees were sheltered during the 1994 genocide. We didn’t have an opportunity to go to the Genocide Memorial Museum in Kigali, but have heard that is very real realistic and moving.

Goodbyes to Carleen and Luke!

Off to Tanzania!

NEXT STOP: Mt Kilimanjaro Airport in Tanzania. Unfortunately due to connectivity issues and how busy we are seeing animals, this may be the last blog of this trip. We will try to do something when we can but no promises!

Our permit for viewing gorillas was for the Nyakagezi gorilla family in Mgahinga National Park, which is about 5km from Kisoro, and is part of Virunga mountain range. These mountains (extinct volcanoes) span three countries, Uganda, Rwanda and the Congo, and are home to about half of the last remaining mountain gorillas. (The rest are in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda.):

We stayed in the very lodge where Diane Fossy sometimes stayed when she came down from the mountain, Travellers Rest, basic but very friendly, comfortable and had a nice garden.

Yummy banana pancakes:

The resident dog, Sushi, is over 15 years old and has spent her life at Travellers Rest. She was found as a puppy in the streets and taken in by the hotel. She needed a good brush but was living a good life:

She slept in the managers unit but was sleeping at our door every morning when we got up:

The next morning it took us about 30 min to drive 5 km to the park entrance because the roads were incredibly bad… yes, even worse than the road to Kibale, which is interesting considering they say part of the cost of the permits ($800US) is to improve roads…? Luke, our driver, said “these things take time.” It was too rough for pictures, I guess the most important thing is that we made it 😊. Luke was happy too!

Once we got to the parking lot we met our porters for the day, of course you had a choice whether to hire a porter but these are people from the surrounding farms that really need the work, so we each had a porter to carry our daypacks and help us up the mountain. We first had a 20 min hike straight up to the park office where we were greeted by a traditional dance. Such fantastic energy!

Then 18 of us started our trek up the mountain, nine tourists, six porters, the ranger guide and two armed guards, one at the front of the group and one at the back. The five trackers are already on the mountain looking for the gorillas, are in contact with our guide about where they are and what path to take up the mountain. We had to pause occasionally to wait for updates. It was definitely steep and took us about 40 minutes.

Our porters, Steven, Avery, Winston and Ben (no pic of Ben and Carleen, they were so fast we didn’t catch a shot!):

We knew we were close when we heard the trackers whistling us in. Then suddenly you could hear a lot of noise coming from the trees nearby, two younger gorillas in the trees feeding. It was difficult to see them clearly even though we were so close, about 15 feet. You could definitely tell they were very large animals in the trees! I can’t believe the branches can hold their weight!

We continued up the mountain about 50 feet more and first came upon Mark, the leader of the group, a 47 year old silverback. He was napping in a nice little clearing in the trees. The first thing that really shocked me is he didn’t look that big considering he weighed 450 kg, not as big as I would have expected, but his feet definitely were! It was crazy to see huge human shaped feet and hands on this big black and silver ball of fur!!

There was a female near him that apparently had joined the family recently, leaving another family of gorillas:

We watched him for awhile as the two gorillas move around occasionally to get comfortable, then while we were looking at a gorilla in the tree close by, an older female gorilla walked right by some members in our group (like within a foot!) and sat down for us to watch and take pics and videos! It was incredible! When they say habituated, I figured we would be watching them from a distance through the trees. We had binoculars, but certainly did not need them!

As we were watching this female (35 years old) one of the large silverbacks vying for leadership of the group came down from above and plunked himself in the clearing right behind us, 5 feet away! He wanted some attention 😅. I honestly think he posed for us! He was huge!

After he laid down for a sleep the guides called us back down the mountain to the younger gorillas and we got to see them playing, and then Mamma rolling down the hill to relax by them.

Finally we went back up to Mark and the leaders and said thank you for letting us be around them for the hour, and then back down the mountain we went.

On the way down we saw a few different colorful chameleons:

It’s hard to describe the experience of being so close to such powerful beasts, and yet we sensed they actually liked the attention. The trackers and ranger guides have definitely formed some powerful bonds with them and we were told later that if anyone else approached them, they may not have been so calm. They know and like the trackers and rangers they are familiar with. This particular family, called the Nyakagezi’s, has been habituated since the 1970’s, of course none of those original members are still alive and all of the ones we saw were born into this human-gorilla relationship. Thanks to this endeavor to habituate and open up viewing of these mountain gorillas, there are more than 1000 of them left in the world, all in Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Poaching still happens, but it’s rare and the economies of these regions depends on these gorillas, and that’s is what is keeping them alive ❤️.

NEXT STOP: Lake Kivu, Rwanda

The drive from Kibale to Queen Elizabeth National Park (our safari destination) was about 4 hours, with a stop on the way for a view of the crater lake that is on the Ugandan 20,000 schilling note, and a lesson on how the Ugandans prepare vanilla.

We had never seen vanilla in the bean before:

We also had a quick stop at the equator, and the guard for QE Park kindly snapped a shot for us.

We discovered that everyone carrying impossible loads on their head actually uses a banana leaf cushion to soften the load. One of our guides showed us how they are made and I tried one on but with no load. Now I see that most people use this cushion!

It only took about 15 minutes to start our safari after crossing into the park, we saw an elephant on the highway!

We arrived at the Bush Lodge at the end of a terrible road. However, it was worth the trip in and out every time as the location was spectacular, right on the channel with hippos right below us. They woke us with their snorting at the perfect time, 5:30 am. You have to get up early before it gets too hot to see the animals. Luke, our driver, had a hippo snorting around his outdoor shower one morning, good thing they escorted us from our banda’s to the dining tent when it was dark, too many hyena’s and hippos around to let us walk alone 😳! You could hear the hippos most of the time, it sounds like they are right there but they are actually down the hill in the water all day.

Dean loved the outdoor shower:

View from our banta to the lake, home to the hippos:

Here is one out of the water, where they spend the night eating.

They spend the day in the water to protect their skin from the sun:

We really scored on our first safari drive, seeing a variety of animals, but also two male lions in a tree. Uganda is known for its tree climbing lions, an adaptation that has happened here but not elsewhere in Africa that we are aware of. (In South Africa and Namibia we only saw leopards and cheetahs in trees.) We had to wait a long time to see them, it was a hot afternoon and they waited for the cooler evening air.

Our second day started early with the sunrise and our first sighting were male Cape buffaloes wallowing in the mud, apparently this is the old man’s club that got kicked out of their herd…

They look much better clean:

The water bucks are spectacular, large like our elk:

The kobs are smaller, like our deer:

Amazing herons:

A monitor lizard:

And lots of elephants:

In the afternoon, we took a boat ride down the Kazinga Channel connecting Lake George and Lake Edward We saw hippos everywhere, which was amazing, but the highlight was seeing the elephants come down to the water and and frolic right beside the hippos. It was a very hot day (about 32 °C/90 °F) and everyone was enjoying the water.

Those bumps in the water are hippos!

Luke is a big birder and loves photography, so shared some great photos:

See the fish in his mouth?

Late morning we stopped for a break at the Mweya Safari Lodge, a historic hotel where Queen Elizabeth stayed in 1952. She became queen while she was on her African tour, when her father passed away. It was a lovely, big old majestic hotel with an amazing view:

Looks like many of us qualify…

Luke got a call from one of his many buddies that there was a lion sighting in another area of the park so we jumped in the truck and away we went. We got there just in time to see two female lions crawl into a tree to start their afternoon siesta, avoiding the heat of the day. Our plan is to come back at sunset to check them out.

Here’s the tree, see anything?

We never saw the two female lions later, but were thrilled when we saw a lioness with her four cubs. It was magic:

Resting in the shade, waiting for the sun to fade:

Positioning for the best shot in the safari truck:

Walking away when it cooled:

Our last morning leaving Queen Elizabeth National Park:

No dogs allowed in the park, but we did see some friendly baboons and a very new baby:

Next stop: Mgahinga Gorilla National Park 🦍🦍🦍🦍

Arrived safe and sound from Dubai, Carleen had a few mishaps on the plane (she said her tray was tilted….?), but overall an uneventful trip and smooth entry to Uganda. Entebbe is a “suburb” of the big, bustling capital city Kampala with approximately 80,000 people and is home to their international airport. The population of Uganda is approximately 46 million and has increased by 10 million in the last 10 years because it has one of the most open refugee policies in the world, granting land and work rights, so it’s a major host country to those nearby (DRC, Sudan, Rwanda) fleeing war or political instability. 70–75% of Uganda’s population is rural, relying heavily on subsistence agriculture for food and income.

Checked into The Boma Hotel - a lovely place set in a beautiful garden. Wonderful!

We had one day in Entebbe, so spent the day touring about. First stop was the Entebbe Botanical Gardens, where Tony toured us around this 130 year old garden established by the British. The park is on the shores of Lake Victoria, the largest freshwater lake in Africa and second largest in the world. It is also home to several types of monkeys.

The park is also the setting for the original Tarzan movie filmed in 1942:

We strolled through the weekly Saturday market, that was an experience! I think the locals were fairly surprised to see us there, we definitely didn’t blend in.

On the way to church?

Afterwards we toured Aero Beach, which seems to be the local hang out for the young ones on a Saturday. It’s called Aero Beach because there are several decaying airplanes scattered around the beach which the visitors can walk on, in or examine the inner workings of. It was a bit weird to be honest…

We found Mecca!

The next day our driver, Luke picked us up for our adventure in Uganda:

Then we drove and drove and drove….gave a whole new appreciation of what MAMBA really means! (My sister Tara gave me a heads up on this saying from her African trip in the late 80’s “miles and miles of bloody Africa”) Really really really bad roads and really crazy traffic…

Paradise at Kibale Forest Camp, our next home!

Chimps in Kibale Forest National Park

Today was the day for one of our long awaited treks, the “Chimpanzee habituation experience” and the pictures will speak for themselves, it was incredible! We applied for permits way back in January and it was worth the wait. The habituation program was started in 1992, and the chimps we saw were habituated back then (which means they get used to being in the presence of humans). They are a family of 120 individuals, so there was plenty to see. The four of us had a very knowledgeable guide who was a biologist, two porters and two guards, with guns, (there are elephants and other animals in the park, in addition to the chimpanzees) and we wore masks when close to the chimps for their safety, we wouldn’t want to share any of our germs with them. Chimpanzees have 98% of the same genes as we do, our closest relatives!

We were told we may have to trek up to an hour to see them so we were quite surprised when they were walking right in front of our truck as we were driving to the drop off spot. We got to start viewing right away and we learned so much about the chimps in the five hours we spent with them. They were so comfortable with humans they would walk within a foot of us, they really just carried on with their lives ignoring us for the most part. It was fascinating, their eyes gazing at you just a person would and the dexterity of their “hands” was unbelievable to watch.

The thinker?

Dogs of Uganda - Copa was the resident watchdog at our hotel and it was comforting to have her wondering around. Added to the already wonderful ambience at The Boma Hotel. Her little brother Scampi was a typical puppy, very sharp teeth! ❤️🐶❤️

Next Stop: Queen Elizabeth National Park, hopefully to see tree climbing lions 🦁 🦁🦁!

Long in the planning, we are finally on our way to see gorillas, chimpanzees, the wildebeests “Great Migration” and hopefully lots of other African animals. The best way to get there from home was through Dubai, so that was our starting point. Then we fly to Entebbe, Uganda, travel overland to Kigali, Rwanda, fly to and around Tanzania, finishing in Zanzibar. (Click on East Africa 2025 above to see the route)

Dean is so lucky to be traveling with his wife and two long time friends, Mary Moffatt and Carleen Hamdon…hence the title of the blog, better than Dean and his harem?

In many ways we have been fortunate to be part of the few who brave the 42 °C / 108 F temperatures of Dubai in the summer, no crowds, easy to get into sights and restaurants, and you get a very real sense of what the Bedouin’s endured with no air conditioning, sure how they survived. Water in the Arabian Sea is 32 °C / 90 F so you can’t go there to cool down, thank goodness for modern technology and air conditioning!

We stayed in an Airbnb on the Palm Jumeirah, Dubai’s most impressive landscaping project, this man-made palm tree shaped island added 56 km / 35 miles to Dubai’s coastline. It’s a very cool location - imagine living on a palm frond!

Our first day began with a tour of old Dubai. Thankfully, our guide, Pria owner of “Dubai By Foot”, suggested a driver so we could pop in and out of the air conditioning car to cool down periodically. We toured the historical neighborhood of Al Fahidi, built in the 1890s, which grew up around the pearl driving industry, the only item they could trade in the barren desert at the time. We saw many traditional buildings, a Bedouin tent, crafts and local artwork, smelled perfume, incense and spices in the souks and rode a wooden abra down the river.

A spice souk with lots of yummy things - we bought tea, saffron, figs, pistachios and turmeric:

We visited at gold souk and all tried on many things, I got a necklace with my name in Arabic:

The Museum of the Future is a marvel of architecture, a donut shaped ellipse constructed of stainless steel and decorated with Arabic calligraphy. The 6 story museum is inside the wider part of the donut…unreal! You were guided through the museum, which starts with a trip to space in 2071 on the sixth floor, then descending through the museum back to current times. It was very cool, both literally (we needed AC) and figuratively.

The DNA library was fascinating:

See the animals in each…gorillas anyone?

We had a wonderful supper at Ibn AlBahr Seafood Restaurant, stumbling distance from our apartment...emphasis on stumbling…sorry, no food pics! Clearly distracted! It was very good though, loved the ceviche, tabbouleh, calamari and mussels!

We had heard about an indoor ski hill in Dubai, so set up to find it at the Mall of the Emirates. Yep, a ski hill with a chair lift, poma lift, toboggan hill and luge track - inside a huge area kept at -2 °C / 28 F. You can rent all the clothing and gear, and ski in Dubai! The lift passes were $85 USD. We didn’t have time to give it a try, next trip!

The Aura Skypool is the highest 360° infinity pool in the world, at the 50th floor of a sky scraper. It is famous for its spectacular views over the Palm Jumeirah, unfortunately, with the heat and humidity it wasn’t super clear, but was still an amazing thing to swim around and enjoy the 360° views in the nice cool water. Great way to spend a hot day!

Afterwards we enjoyed supper at Sushi Samba, one more floor up.

Our last day in Dubai, we decided to tour the nearby city of Abu Dhabi. This is the capital of UAE and very different from Dubai, just a few skyscrapers and more of a cultural center with many fancy government buildings, museums and historical sites. Unlike Dubai, Abu Dhabi is built low and spread out. It is composed of many islands all joined by bridges, and is very bright and white. There is currently a version of the Louvre, a Museum of Natural History, and a Guggenheim museum under construction.

We visited the Sheik Zayid Grabd Mosque - stunning! The inlaid semiprecious stones and mother of pearl reminded me of the Taj Mahal in India.

You may notice our lovely attire….lets just make Dubai even hotter! Parking lot wardrobe change, a Muslim tailgate party?! Good thing Pria had a closet in the back.

Lunch after the visit to the mosque was incredible - way too much food!

Another gem in Abu Dhabi is the Qasr Al Watan (The Palace of the Nation), built primarily for hosting international guests. (Mary thought they meant her, and almost got us kicked out for her suggestive pose! Keep in mind that there are signs posted that talk about no public displays of personal affection, no hand gestures and many other rules to comply with. In all fairness to Mary, there was no sign to indicate that you could not lay down on the couch! Our guide Pria hid behind Dean in an effort to distance herself from our group!)

Last stop was the Abrahamic Family Houses, a unique complex built to symbolize UAE’s culture of tolerance, diversity and peaceful coexistence. It includes a practicing church, synagogue and mosque. Each is housed in a cube of the same size:

The Catholic Church:

The synagogue:

The mosque:

We ended our visit to Dubai with happy hour at “New” Atlantis resort, The Royal. At the top of Palm Jeremiah, it is completely over the top! (Chantel Ross, you would love it! Add it to your list!)

“Old Atlantis”

“New Atlantis Royal”

Dogs of Dubai ….hot dog!

We met Sal on a beach walk one early morning, only about 33 C / 91 °F at 6 AM! Reminded us of Tazer….❤️

At the museum of the future, we met a dog that doesn’t shed! Perfect for Dad and Sharon! 😊

NEXT STOP: Entebbe, Uganda. (Hoping for the best, but expect some connectivity challenges in Africa, so ...)