Kidepo Valley National Park wildlife

September 29, 2026

Jackson’s Hartebeest is very relaxed on the savannah

Ungulates and Birds

Kidepo Valley is the first National Park I visited in Uganda. It was over New Year’s 2025. There I met tourists from EU countries like Greece and England, Ugandan families from Kampala, but no-one from the U.S.
I understand why. Kidepo doesn’t support the wildlife diversity that tourists will find in the national parks of Southern Africa or other East African countries. Historically lions and cheetahs used to be sighted in Kidepo, but not in 2025.
Situations can change in national parks if the national wildlife authority renews its interest in a particular region and if non-profit conservation groups begin to work with the federal and local governments. Perhaps positive changes have already occurred since white rhinos were introduced to the park in 2026.

My favourite sightings

I enjoyed my stay at Kidepo, despite the absence of predators. The ecosystem there is an extension of South Sudan and Western Kenya environment which includes vast savannahs, mountains, and open vistas.

elephants

The small herd of elephants have probably suffered from poaching. The herd was nervous and avoided our truck all morning.

Giraffe

I enjoyed spending a few minutes with a small herd of Nubian Giraffe. As I was watching these critically endangered giraffe a minibus of tourists drove up. They disembarked to take selfies and the giraffe herd quickly ran away. It was a one-off giraffe sighting during my stay at Kidepo.

Ungulates

I saw many Ugandan Kob, buffalo, and other ungulates, so there is plenty of food for predators. I hope lions return to this rugged and remote park.

birds

Common Bulbul

White-browed Coucal

Silverbird

Croaking Cisticola

Whinchat

Malachite Sunbird

Scarlet Chested Sunbird

Speckled Pigeon

Flappet Lark

Rufous-naped Lark

Grey-backed Fiscal

Swallow-tailed Bee-eater

Purple Warbler

Abyssinian Roller

White-browed Coucal

Red-fronted Barbet

D'Arnaud's Barbet

Stout Cisticola

Mustached Grass Warbler

Yellow-throated Longclaw

Black-crowned Tchagra

Spot-flanked Barbet

Black Crake

Yellow-billed Shrike

Greater Painted Snipe

Black-crowned Night Heron Juvinile

Malachite Kingfisher

Red-cheeked Cordonbleu

White-crested Helmet Shrike

Abyssinian Ground Hornbill

Jackson's Hornbill

Red-necked Spurfowl

Crested Francolin

Helmeted Guineafowl

Speckled Mousebird (??)

Yellow-throated Longclaw

Pearl-spotted Owlet

I stayed at Kidepo Savannah Lodge, part of a larger chain of lodges located around all of Uganda’s national parks. The staff were lovely, and my private room looked out across the plains. Beautiful.

travel notes

travel africa, Karamojong, Pastoralists, Karamoja

A drive into the Karamoja Region

travel africa, Karamojong, Pastoralists, Karamoja

Karamojong, Karamoja, travel africa, Pastoralists, African Agriculture, Uganda Birds, Twitchers

Holiday in Karamoja, Northeastern Uganda

Karamojong, Karamoja, travel africa, Pastoralists, African Agriculture, Uganda Birds, Twitchers

Birds and Squirrels - Semliki National

August 4, 2026

Semliki National Park (but sometimes spelled Semuliki?)

I have been intrigued, ever since I heard Madame Reiss coo about her time in the Congo. She and her husband lived there with their young children to film footage for French documentaries. They would have been in the 1970s. I allowed Madame Reiss to freely reminisce, my French wasn’t sufficient to ask questions. It was evident that the Congo deeply impacted her and her husband. She yearned to visit, though by this time she was blind and frail of body. We both knew that a return trip to Africa was only but a dream.

I thought of her again recently, some 20 years after our meeting. We had stayed in her flat on our first visit to Nice in the early 2000s. Madame Reiss was a marvelous hostess. She made sure we knew our way around her neighborhood and shared a glass of sherry with us when we returned from a day of bicycle riding. Now I was living alone in Uganda as an American volunteer, somewhat overwhelmed by loneliness and the lack of natural space. I often wonder what Madame Reiss do in my place.

I contacted a travel company in Kampala to arrange a tour of Ugandan national parks. Since Semuliki National Park is the westernmost park, I added it to the itinerary. Semuliki is located in the Congo Basin. The Rwenzori mountains isolate Semuliki from the rest of Uganda, so the environment and its citizens have more in common with the DRC than with the rest of Uganda. Madame Reiss would approve of this choice.

Morning drive through the Rwenzori Mountains

The road from Fort Portal goes through the Rwenzori Mountains to Semliki National Park.

Brown-breasted Kingfisher, Semuliki NP

Scarlet-chested Sunbird in Semuliki NP

Grey Headed Kingfisher, Semuliki NP

Semliki National Park is known for its diverse birdlife, flying squirrels, and hot springs.

Great Blue Turaco

Black-casqued Hornbill

What I learned in Semuliki National Park

Be prepared for all weather. It was very hot and sticky under the thick canopy of the rainforest. Later that afternoon the weather turned wet and chilly.
Mornings are best, birds will be singing and the soft light will enhance your photography.

A word about Semliki

Semliki Vally is in the Congo Basin in a very remote area of Western Uganda

Sometimes Semliki is spelled Semuliki
The Toro-Semliki Wildlife Reserve is on Lake Albert. It includes vast savannah and riverine ecosystems. It is a very different environment than Semliki National Park
Semliki National Park is a difficult 90 minute drive from Toro-Semliki Wildlife Reserve
Semliki National Park is a twitcher’s paradise, bring an expert birding guide!

Don’t do an injustice to this interesting area of Uganda by rushing through it. Too often Ugandan travel guides organize a visit to Semliki Valley as a day drive from Fort Portal. That won’t be enough time.

Sunbird Hill, a rewilding and wildlife monitoring site

May 5, 2026

Link Bus Line - Regional Travel

All eyes were on me as I stood in the aisle en route to Fort Portal Jan 3, 2026. A much preferred position than sitting on an old bus seat that had been flattened by hundreds of passenger’s asses until it is little more than bits of ripped vinyl stretched over a metal frame.

I breathed a sigh of relief when we arrived at Fort Portal that afternoon. Located in the foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains, Fort Portal is one of Uganda’s prettiest cities. After a bit of site seeing, I was introduced to a driver who could take me to Sunbird Hill Monitoring and Rewinding Site (Sunbird Hill), my next destination. We left Fort Portal and motored through lush agricultural landscapes, towards Kibale National Park.

Sunbird Hill

Sunbird Hill is primarily a research facility that abuts Kibale National Park, one of my favorite national parks in Uganda. I was eager to learn more about their story of land reclamation, rewilding, and community involvement.

Upon arrival I was escorted to my treehouse feeling quite grand as I sat on my private veranda watching the birds and monkeys in the trees around me.

Sunbird Hill offers an entirely different experience than a typical lodge. Here I was staying right smack dab in privately-held forest with three acres of trails winding through the trees and swamps around me. I was immersed by nature and the possibilities for discovery.

The unmistakable call of chimpanzees started later that evening. Rushing down the treehouse steps, I followed the path into the forest and soon found a chimpanzee casually eating leaves in a tree along the property line between Sunbird Hill and Kibale. I watched him as he carefully plucked the choicest leaves. He was thoroughly comfortable with my presence.

The next morning, before daybreak, I woke to chimpanzees calling. Different groups were vocalizing from the forest around me. Dressing quickly, I walked down to the camp’s open kitchen to boil water for my coffee. It was still too dark to find chimps in the forest but I spotted elephant tracks everywhere. Forest elephants had stomped through camp to eat the Bird of Paradise flowers that were planted adjacent to the reception area. I had slept so soundly that I didn’t hear a sound the entire night!

Elephant food

Yellow Crested Wookpecker

After breakfast two Sunbird researchers came to take me on a guided forest walk. With them I saw the forest in an entirely different light. We observed insects, butterflies, birds, and four different types of primate species. The researchers are knowledgeable about all aspects of the local ecosystem and are a lot of fun to hang out with.

cicada

In the cool evening hour, I sprawled out on the couch and listened to the forest from my veranda as I sipped small glasses of whiskey. Although there are different lodging options at Sunbird Hill, plan to stay in a treehouse. Mine had a king-sized bed, a double, and a single sized futon, easily accommodating 4-5 people.

As comfortable as my treehouse was the surrounding forest was far too intriguing for me to stay put. On one of my solo afternoon walks several researchers from Kibale, with an armed ranger, walked over the property line ignoring me as they made their way towards the Sunbird Hill reception area. Thinking to myself “they are tracking chimpanzees!” I quietly sat behind a tree to watch the path. Soon four mother chimpanzees emerged from the bushes and crossed back into the Kibale forest with their young babies. Not making a sound, I watched until this small group of chimps disappeared into the shadows. They moved together so quietly, keeping one step ahead of the Kibale researchers.

Guests at Sunbird tailor their own experience, perhaps you want to visit the local community to learn about their culture. Perhaps you want to go bird watching, or learn about parrot introduction, or help inventory butterflies. Me? I just needed to chase monkeys and sleep in the forest canopy for a few nights. I reignited my sense of wonder at Sunbird Hill.

Spectacled Weaver

Black-headed Paradise Flycatcher

Vieillot's Black Weaver

Speckled Tinkerbird

Logistics of Camp

Sunbird Hill is a true eco-friendly compound. Expect bucket showers, HOT water is provided! Rooms do not have electricity; there will be solar-charged lanterns in your room; and a charging station is in the reception area.

Catered meals cost extra. I ordered breakfasts and suppers from the kitchen, though guests can request to cook their own meals too. Another option is to hire a boda boda driver to motor you to a restaurant in town. Any of these meal options should be organized in advance due to Sunbird Hill’s remote location.

If you are traveling to Kibale National Park I encourage you to spend a bit of time at Sunbird Hill either to learn more about the area’s ecosystem or to reignite your own sense of wonder in this beautiful corner of Uganda.

Photographing Insects… it’s really fun with like-minded hosts!

Kazinga Channel Uganda

August 18, 2025

Our private boat ride on the Kazinga Channel began well after sunrise. Our expectations were high after reading reviews from other photographers describing the abundance of wildlife along the banks and in the channel. Photographers recommended hiring our private boat so we could take our time at sitings to compose photographs at our pace.

Expectations Adjusted

It was a very bright and sunny day to start with, well after the glow of early morning hours had burned away. We waited for our skipper to ready the vessel then off we went into the sun. Peter and I gamely kept our spirits optimistic during the boat ride but the little wildlife we saw sat stoically still, watching us closely as we floated past. We did not encounter the herds of wildlife that so many other photographers have posted from the very same boat ride.

Our private Kazinga Channel experience was simply a birding exhibition. Birds’ common to swamps across Africa such as herons, skimmers, and stilts. We were disappointed at the time but did realize no one can choreograph herds of zebra, antelope, or elephant.

Palm Nut Vulture

Wahlberg's Eagle

By definition, wildlife are wild creatures. They move and migrate throughout Queen Elizabeth National Park. We were lucky for the opportunity to boat on the Kazinga Channel together surrounded by birds and with the knowledge that this is a special place in Uganda. We never know what will happen in nature.

Grey-headed Kingfisher

Blue-Cheeked Bee-eater

Pied Kingfisher

Whattled Lapwing

Great (white-breasted) Cormorant

African Skimmers

Featured

August 17, 2025

Black-lored Babbler

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African Green Pigeons

August 17, 2025

Finally got a shot of the African Green Pigeon species

August 17, 2025

Lugogo Swamp

August 9, 2025

African Green Pigeon

Hadaba Ibis

Speckled Mousebird

These were long shots for my 400 lens, but chasing birds is still loads of fun.

An early morning boat ride through the Lugogo Swamp is what I was sold. Instead we walked on a brand new tarred road that has efficiently dissected the Lugogo Swamp into two. All signs of shoebill storks have evaporated.

I did see new bird species on the walk but was greatly disappointed since I was expecting an in-tact swamp ecosystem, so very rare.

Black Crakes walking on water as they do

White Crested Turaco, a notable species that is known to frequent Lugogo Swamp

Purple Breasted Sunbirds

Spectacled Weavers

Birds of Florida

April 10, 2019

Indulging Peter of his thrill for birding I accompanied him to Florida’s Gulf Coast for the Thanksgiving Weekend. Florida’s Caribbean environment was humid and buggy, just perfect for bird life! We spent most of our time on Sanibel Island exploring the JN Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge. Not your typical beach vacation but I kayaked for the first time and shot a lot of birds I’d never seen before.