In every direction game was on the move, tens of thousands of Uganda kob bounded out of our way, often leaping metres in the air. Tiny oribi (a much smaller antelope) that humbles the performance of any human gymnast, leapt repeatedly in the air, momentarily holding a poise with their back legs parallel the ground below, then bounded off for cover. Hundreds of warthog, mostly youngsters, trotted out of our way with their tails erect and a couple of shy young male lions also made for cover. Most impressive of all, however, were the giraffe. As if moving in slow motion, over thirty of them led our small convoy of vehicles across the plain, slowing when we did and gliding gracefully across the burnt grassland as we picked up speed. As if escorting us through this new territory, it was the most magnificent sight and one I hope you will have the chance to share.

I had often revisited the images in my mind of vast herds of game running across the vast plains of East Africa reminiscent of Karen Blixen’s tales. In recent times, I had discounted these views to what you might see from a balloon, or from a low flying aircraft and I had seen just this on my first visit to Murchison Falls National Park in 1996. The scene I describe above was last week in Murchison Falls National Park where we have just spent 10-days working with UWA (Uganda Wildlife Authority) to re-open roads, some of which haven’t been used for forty years. Using a 1964 map of the park, detailed topographical maps from the same era, a GPS and two rangers on the roof of the car we were able to negotiate old roads to the top of Murchison Falls from the North Bank of the Nile, and other access points along the river in the park. From their elevated position on the roof of the car, Niko and George could detect the subtle differences that marked the old road; different varieties of grass growing in the hardened road base or groupings of younger trees that had grown only since the road was neglected.

For decades, these areas have been too dangerous to visit as a result of a string of civil wars culminating in the LRA (Lords Resistance Army) presence in the park as recently as 2006. Their atrocities often made the world headlines but what is seldom recognised is the effect their presence had on game. Relatively small numbers of rebel soldiers lived in the park poaching game for their immediate needs. They murdered and terrified the local communities and kept other poachers, the military and even UWA rangers at a distance. The result was an explosion in population of plains game in the area. This is most noticeable in the huge populations of Uganda kob, buffalo, giraffe, warthog, elephant, Jackson’s hartebeest, lion and oribi. The re-opening of these roads will give visitors to Murchison Falls National Park one of the best wildlife experiences anywhere on the continent. Remember that your presence, in what are now little visited areas will help in our battle to conserve them. Poachers targeting buffalo, hippo and fish primarily find it more difficult to operate under cover, increased tourism brings more jobs for local communities, injects income directly into the areas surrounding the parks and helps the communities see as much value in conservation as we do.

This article appeared in The Eye Magazine of April – May 2010
Link to the original article

For a moment, I envisaged him riding my bike but made it clear that he was to carry it. He smiled again, hoisted my bike over his head upside down and sat his bag on the crown of his head so the wheels were high in the air. I could see him for miles, like a Bugisu pied piper, he walked off up the trail with dozens of kids running behind him.

Growing up in New Zealand, I had done most of my mountain biking in the Southern Alps and yearned for some more challenging trails. The Mudangi cliffs, however, are a bit too much. The Sasa route on Mt. Elgon begins with a walk through community land. In one of the country’s most densely populated areas, arabica coffee and onions give way soon enough to the National Park and the Mudangi cliffs. The trail zig zags up them in a series of ramps and rock climbs that are too steep to ride, and soon we were rewarded with magnificent views across the foothills of Mt. Elgon and the plains of Soroti. A few metres on from here, I dumped the bottled water from my camel back and refilled it from a small stream. There is nothing quite like the taste of mountain water.

I hadn’t really been prepared for riding the first day and buried my biking shoes and helmet deep in one of the porter loads. I did ride awkwardly in my heavy hiking boots, stopping to listen to the Ross’ turaco or catch a glimpse of the elusive black and white colobus. However, it was on the second day between Sasa River Camp (2800m) and Mude Cave Camp (3500m) that the mountain biking really became world class. The day began in the forest and despite the relatively dry conditions, there were a couple of steep muddy sections, a few hefty tree roots and several places I had to walk; I don’t like getting off my bike. I was very pleased with myself on a number of occasions, however, cranking on my pedals courageously and jumping the bike over large roots; something possible only when clipped into your pedals.

Near Sasa Patrol Hut (3300m), the vegetation opens to moor land and the view of the peaks become inspiring and the track is almost entirely rideable. You can expect to be very short of breath (due to altitude) and I took many occasions to soak in the view. One can ride, through surreal landscape, most of the way to Wagagi ummit (3421m). Heather forest gives way to giant senecias (groundsels), peaks of the immense crater peep from the swirling clouds, flocks of swifts ride the air currents and you can fall off your bike into soft moss and lichen as much as you like. Chances are the embarrassment is only yours and anyone who happens to be looking from above. Best of all is the downhill. From Mude Cave Camp (3500m) to Wagagi Summit (3421m) takes anywhere between 1.1/2 and 4 hours to climb on foot and only 45 minutes of sheer exhilaration to descend on a mountain bike!

It had rained very heavily the afternoon before and we had erected our tent in the rain, slightly anxious that the downpour might not stop before dark.  Bare topped and soon drenched the skin, we used several towels to mop the inside of the tent.  The thunderstorms had performed their wild dance across the hills of the Congo and had cleared the air. In the soft light of a new day, the ‘Snows of the Nile’ peeked very briefly from huge thunderheads that still threatened and in the foreground the Kazinga channel glistened, a silver ribbon between Lakes George and Edward.  Hippos snorted noisily from Lake Chibwera several hundred metres away and looking directly into the new sunrise, thousands of pink flamingos danced across Lake Nsenyi.

I could not think of a more enchanting site for a tented camp.  Brad and I wandered along the ridge marking sites for the new Adrift tented camp, ecstatic at the possibilities. Adrift have signed a concession agreement with Uganda Wildlife Authority to build a permanent tented camp on a ridge between two stunning crater lakes and we were working on the site plan.  We commented on a dozen or so Uganda Kob grazing nonchalantly at the base of the hill not more than one hundred metres from where we stood.  As I pressed the screen to mark the waypoint on my GPS, a shrill alarm whistle erupted from the grazing kobs and they scattered, running away from us.  I spilt some coffee and looked up to notice one of the kobs was entrapped by what I initially thought to be a poachers snare.  It had been widely discussed that our planned presence at Lake Chibwera would reduce small-time ‘bush-meat’ poaching.

Brad and I both looked in astonishment, sympathising with the kob’s predicament and wondering what on earth had ‘snared’ the kob.  A substantial flash of white underbelly and Brad said ‘…it’s a python’.  I spilt the rest of my coffee, ran along the ridge line to get Arch and Bay and witness one of Africa’s most remarkable hunters finish the job.  There was no way the big snake was letting go despite the powerful kicks of both rear legs, and the kob bleated for no more than ninety seconds before she was asphyxiated to death.

The python had struck from a small clump of long grass, probably tempted from the swamps of Lake Nsyeni by the wet grass and moist conditions.  The initial strike had given the giant Central African Rock Python, a firm grip of both rear legs of the kob (they usually go for the head or neck).  Renown for their vicious attacks, this fortunately keeps them in little demand for the western pet trade but makes them a significant predator of the kob, Uganda’s most prolific medium-sized antelope.  We estimate that the mighty serpent weighed over 100kgs and measured about 3.5 metres in length (unconfirmed reports suggest they may get as large as 7.5 metres in length!).  While I may not see this again for some time, the remotest possibility of witnessing another python attack are a huge incentive to go back to our Chibwera site and begin work on that tented camp.  We hope to have most of the camp completed by the end of this year so the occupants of tent no.7 can sip chilled gin and tonic in comfort while they wait for a repeat performance.

Wishing you all a very warm, wet and wild festive season

THE ADRIFT TEAM

Henry began his career with Adrift by carrying rafts to and from the river after being introduced to Adrift by a friend. He learnt to swim in the sandy ponds near his village and it is for this reason, he believes, he was selected to train as a safety kayaker. He paddles each rapid ahead of the rafts and his primary job is to collect swimmers from the rafts at the base of the large rapids, to comfort them and help them back to their rafts.

‘I love working with Adrift’ largely because he gets to meet so many interesting and different people from all walks of life. He is especially interested in the teambuilding programmes where he can meet Ugandans from the city. They have very different jobs and responsibilities to his own. Adrift has taught him First Aid and CPR as part of his training and introduced him to competing in triathlons, which he now really enjoys.

Henry’s Aunt introduced him to his 19-year old wife with whom he now has a young daughter. His wife cost him ‘dowry and bride price which included a cow’ but he thoroughly enjoys his marriage and spends much of his free time teaching his young daughter to walk and bottle feeding her. When he is not with his family, he enjoys playing football and supporting Arsenal.

One of Henry’s worst experiences was swimming from his kayak in the ‘G-spot’ while learning to paddle. He rates this alongside the sad news surrounding construction of the Bujagali dam. However, he now realizes that while the Bujagali Dam will drown some of the rapids on the river forever, it will not be the end of whitewater rafting. He is very excited about Adrift’s plans to re-locate to Kalagala and to establish that area as the centre for tourism on the Nile.

One of the high points of Henry’s life was to be able to buy a plot of land for his family near Bujagali Falls and to be able to afford his introduction ceremony and his wife. He hopes to open a small kiosk for his wife to sell airtime cards and ‘bogoyas’ (sweet bananas) so she may be able to earn a living for herself.

The trouble started when the Kabaka (traditional King of Buganda) planned a visit to the town of Kayunga (about an 1.1/2 hours). A self-styled clan leader (from the Buganda people) stood up in Kayunga and said that the Kabaka must ask permission from him to visit the town. At this point President Museveni’s government sensed trouble and stepped in preventing the Kabaka from travelling.

Tens of thousands of young men rise from uncomfortable nights on dirt floors in the capital, pull on trousers and shirts (probably the same ones they wore the night before) and wander aimlessly into old Kampala. Most have not had breakfast, have migrated from rural areas with a poor education and are jobless. Some find work as ‘turn-boys’ on the ‘matatus’ (mini-buses), some ride ‘boda-bodas’ (passenger carrying bicycles) and others trade commodities in the markets. However, most have nothing to do and what is worse, they are very unlikely to find anything to do.

Given any excuse, they will vent their frustrations in noisy protests that can results in riots and wholesale looting. This is what happened when the Kabaka was prevented from travelling to Kayunga. While President Museveni (and other successful African leaders) have managed to keep tribalism from politics, this stand against the Buganda king was a catalyst for trouble. The security forces were caught off-guard and soon there was wholesale looting, burning of vehicles and stores. Unemployed young men smashed windows, helped themselves to others property and saw it as an opportunity to make some money – they know of no other means that is as easy.

The problem was accentuated by hordes of people who flocked to see the riots, crowded into first floor balcony’s and witnessed the shambles at street level from what they thought was a safe position. Most of the killings were from security forces firing in the air in panic and hitting those in high buildings.

Hordes of uneducated, unemployed young men will continue to be a major challenge for sub-Saharan Africa. However, the good news for Uganda is that the security forces came down hard and made it clear this sort of behaviour would not be tolerated. A few days ago, the Kabaka and a delegation of powerful representatives from his kingdom meet the President at State House for the first time in 4-years. The catalyst to the problem is being addressed, and there is every indication that things will not be allowed to deteriorate to this level again.

In an exciting initiative driven by Adrift, dozens of mid-river islands at the Victorian source of the Nile will be protected for future generations to enjoy. Since Adrift introduced commercial rafting to Uganda in 1996, the company has witnessed accelerated degradation of the river banks and islands along the Nile between lakes Victoria and Kyoga. Despite statutory protection through NEMA (National Environmental Management Association) steep river banks have been completely degraded with virgin tropical forest replaced by maize and cassava. In many cases, the land adjacent to the river is so steep that topsoil has been washed away in the rains after only one or two seasons and the dramatically degraded soils are left to support whatever they can.

The innovative Wildwaters Reserve project has already led to thousands of indigenous musisi, mvule and ficus trees replanted on the islands. Local farmers, who previously cut giant hardwood trees for charcoal and cultivated food crops on the islands, have been compensated in cash for the loss of their land and given alternative land on the mainland in lieu of the land they used to cultivate on the islands. In addition to the short-term benefits outlined, the project will ensure that the local communities benefit directly from the conservation project on a long-term basis. At the heart of the project, eco-friendly tourist accommodation will focus on training and employing staff from the adjacent communities. Volunteer groups will continue to support community projects and cultural centres built on either side of the river will help empower the families in these rural areas to benefit directly from increasing visitor numbers to the area.

A ‘green levy’ to be introduced for river users will help to support Wildwaters Reserve financially and ensure that those benefiting from the incredible scenery on the Victoria source of the Nile contribute directly to it’s preservation. The Nile continues to thunder amidst the heavily forested islands that mark some of the largest commercially rafted rapids in the world. Wildwaters Reserve will ensure that where the mist of the Nile now drifts over severely eroded rocks, the stumps of giant hardwood trees and sick looking maize, once again indigenous forest will take hold and provide a refuge for the incredible avian fauna for which the Nile is famous.