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.

A drive into the Karamoja Region

July 30, 2026

road trip through the Karamoja Region, Uganda 2025

FEAR

Fear is part of life
We grow comfortable with it.
On any given day I fear that

I may be hit as I ride my bicycle (2009)
Rabid raccoons will come into my garden,(they are destructive)
My husband will leave me

When I lived in Uganda, my fears expanded to include more immediate situations such as
A man may try to break into my house to attempt sexual assault (2025)
A young man is brutally murdered outside my bedroom window (2025)
I will fall into a cistern of sewage (2025)
All of these events happened to me. Accidents occur, and I can’t stop the urges of those that surround me. Fortunately, I have a healthy amount of fear and prepare myself for the scenarios that I can imagine. Most importantly, I have learned that when I am thrown off-course, the best coping mechanism is to control the landing.

“Not to have felt pain is not to have been human.”

— The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel SE5

The Karamojong

My Ugandan counterparts warned against visiting Northeastern Uganda. I was told, that the Karamojong men steal cattle and they are armed. After experiencing significant health and safety incidents in three different regions of Uganda, fearing cattle rustlers wasn’t pertinent.
Instead, I was intrigued by the idea of visiting a region that is missed by most tourists, Uganda’s most rugged and least-populated sectors. I hired Kanzira, a guide, to drive me through Northeastern Uganda to Kidepo Valley National Park both for safety concerns and for efficiency’s sake. I only had a week’s holiday from work.
It’s a multi-day drive through the Karamoja Region to reach Kidepo NP. Karamoja pre-dates modern political boundaries. It encompasses the southeastern section of South Sudan, a bit of Southern Ethiopia, a large swath of Northwestern Kenya, and the Northeast corner of Uganda. Karamoja is a semi-arid, sparsely populated land that has supported pastoralists for 100s of years. Because of their remoteness and their unique cultural and political structures, the Karamojong people are generally misunderstood and disrespected by other ethnic groups. In actuality, the Karamojong pathways have sustained their regional resources up until the 21st century. Now, climate change, the discovery of minerals, and pressures from neighboring farmers that want their land rights will test Karamojong’s resolve to remain independent.

unmarried women dance late afternoon when the men return with their livestock

unmarried women dance, a chance to bond and have fun

My brief time in Karamoja has stayed with me and I plan to return to this beautiful, misrepresented region soon.

travel notes

Holiday in Karamoja, Northeastern Uganda

July 24, 2026

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

Holiday in Karamoja, Northeastern Uganda

July 24, 2026

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

July 24, 2026

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

Holiday in Karamoja, Northeastern Uganda

July 24, 2026

Heading North

I was on top of the world as we drove out of Mbale City early Sunday morning heading straight to Moroto. Away from the red mud and constant rain in the mountainous coffee growing region, where I lived. My house was in the village of Mufufu located in Manafwa District close to the border of Bududa District. The misty mountains of Bududa and Manafwa receive constant rain. Coffee plantations and cabbage farms had replaced the indigenous rain forest decades ago leaving the steep slopes prone to landslides. In fact, the road to Bududa could become so impassable during heavy rains, it was closed to all vehicular traffic at times.

Kanzira, on of the best Birders in Uganda!

White-headed buffalo weaver

Purple Roller, dry savannah

Red and Yellow Barbet, dry savannah

Purple Roller with 'tude

Ring-necked pigeon

Black-headed lapwing

Yellow-necked spurfowl

Silverbird (a flycatcher)

White-bellied go-away bird

White Crested Helmet Shrike, common but pretty

Black-throated seedeater

All that cold unstoppable rain was behind me for a week. By early afternoon my guide, Kanzira, and I were driving through the Pian Upe Game Reserve. Here the landscapes changed to open plains with the mountainous Kenyan border to the east of us. Our final destination would be Kidepo Valley National Park, Uganda’s northern most park. This is my first trip to Northern Uganda.

Village Tour

I was scheduled to spend the night in a Karamoja village outside of Moroto. Kara Tunga, a local travel agency, organized my stay. I was accompanied by a Karamojong woman in her late 20’s for the next 16 hours.

The livestock are well taken care of, I had not seen such beautiful chickens, cows, or goats anywhere else in Uganda.

Unmarried women dance and sing and interested suitors join in

There are many misconceptions, myths, and stories about the Karamojong people. As a visitor, it isn’t my place to judge or even try to interpret what is believable or not. I am simply curious about how people live together and how they care for the land that has always been home. The Karamoja region is absolutely stunning, and the Karamojong people, born of their environment, are custodians of their unique culture.

Women prepare millet beer, the drink that everyone enjoys

granary

Black Lives Matter in Karamoja

Karamoja men singing into the night.

Schedule:

Kanzira, an expert birding guide, spotted birds endemic to the region all afternoon
Late afternoon Karamojong village tour
Slept peacefully in my private mud hut
Kanzira picked me up early on Monday morning, continuing our trip to Kidepo Valley NP.

P was celebrating New Years with friends in Minnesota, a universe away from Northern Uganda. I couldn’t wait to tell him about my trip.

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

Mabamba Swamp Entebbe Kampala

June 16, 2025

Mabamba Swamp, a wetland of extreme importance and a designated RAMSAR site by the IUCN. Located close to the capital city, Mabamba Swamp is a testament to Ugandan’s commitment to conserve this biodiverse ecosystem.

Saturday Morning in Antsirabe

May 4, 2024

Diners line up at local hotely for breakfast

The stringy little boy nestles next to his granny under the tarp. Last night they set up behind a non-descript hotely on the side street around the corner from the Alliance Francaise complex. They were begging on the corner last night, well into the dark morning hours, as hundreds of bar-hopping revelers streamed past them without a glance. Popular neighborhood karaoke bars competed with the thumping speakers of the all-city block party held on the central boulevard, just past the Carrefour supermarket. The promise of an almighty hangover only seemed to extend the party until, finally, the generators run out of electricity.

When Joslyn arrives to open her hotely for breakfast, the revelers had just left a few hours ago. She recognizes the tiny, huddled frames under the tarp in the back. Her hotely is supported by a few odd boards with pieces of tin nailed together as a roof. As customers stream in and out of Joslyn’s place, she will set a bowl of white rice and weak coffee on the ground for the woman and child.

I walked by this scene every day, unprepared for their consistent schedule. Impossible to guess their ages, the boy underdeveloped due to his diet of rice and coffee, and the woman is prematurely aged for the same reason. I feel the intensity of their stares when I walk by.

There is little to be said.

Living with Wildlife requires community

February 21, 2024

With foresight and resources, we can address the ever-increasing incidents of human-wildlife interactions. Fortunately, there are inspirational stories of communities who choose co-habitation with wildlife instead of the destruction of it.

Father with young Indri Indri in the rainforest canopy

Association Mitsinjo a community-run protected area

October 30, 2023

During my brief visit I was moved by the beauty of Andasibe, the variety of wildlife and unusual botanicals was astounding.

Song of the Indri Indri

September 24, 2023

Sometimes I make plans well in advance. I consider every contingency and discuss options before finalizing the itinerary.

But I’ve changed and am able to accept surprise opportunities as they arise, because I’m comfortable with my judgement now. When a trip to central eastern Madagascar came together in a matter of a few weeks, I couldn’t believe my good fortune.

The Andasibe region of Madagascar has different types of protected areas creating a patchwork of wild spaces to be explored. The rock stars of the region are the Indri Indri lemurs. They are the largest lemurs of Madagascar and are found in certain rainforests of eastern Madagascar. Their vocalization is quite unique. Researchers have been recording and watching these lemurs for decades trying to piece together the evolution of song and communication.

Mitsinjo Reserve

A recent paper has confirmed that the Indri Indri have different vocalizations towards non-family members dependent if the other Indri Indri are local neighbors or strangers to their territory. These types of sophisticated social communication styles help Indri Indri warn of other lemurs, avoiding physical fighting. I think we can all agree that verbal discussion is the first step to solving disagreements.

The owners of Wild Madagascar arranged for my driver and lodge stays throughout my holiday in the Central-Eastern rainforest area of Madagascar.

Here is a link to a recording https://wildlife.org/watch-lemurs-have-rhythm/I

Featured

travel africa, Andasibe, Mitsinjo, indri indri, lemurs, biodiversity matters, Primate_Photography, Lemur Conservation, Community Conservation, Wild Madagascar

Association Mitsinjo a community-run protected area

travel africa, Andasibe, Mitsinjo, indri indri, lemurs, biodiversity matters, Primate_Photography, Lemur Conservation, Community Conservation, Wild Madagascar

During my brief visit I was moved by the beauty of Andasibe, the variety of wildlife and unusual botanicals was astounding.

travel africa, Andasibe, Mitsinjo, indri indri, lemurs, biodiversity matters, Primate_Photography, Lemur Conservation, Community Conservation, Wild Madagascar

lemurs, sifakas, Andasibe, Analamazaotra_National_Park, Travel Africa, biodiversity matters, Wild Madagascar, Lemur Conservation

Analamazaotra National Park, a holiday in the eastern rainforests of Madagascar

lemurs, sifakas, Andasibe, Analamazaotra_National_Park, Travel Africa, biodiversity matters, Wild Madagascar, Lemur Conservation

…I asked to arrive to Analamazaotra N.P. promptly at 6 AM the next morning, so eager to see what the forest had to offer…

lemurs, sifakas, Andasibe, Analamazaotra_National_Park, Travel Africa, biodiversity matters, Wild Madagascar, Lemur Conservation

le palmarium, ankanin'ny Nofy, Eastern Madagascar, village life, Eastern_Madagascar, Lake Ampitabe, Atsinanana Region, Pangalanes Canal, Wild Madagascar, lemurs, Lemur Conservation

Escape to Le Palmarium - Ankanin’ny Nofy

le palmarium, ankanin'ny Nofy, Eastern Madagascar, village life, Eastern_Madagascar, Lake Ampitabe, Atsinanana Region, Pangalanes Canal, Wild Madagascar, lemurs, Lemur Conservation

One Evening in Madagascar

September 30, 2022

Sweet flute music is playing, Sitraka is in the kitchen with her mother cooking, I am swimming in language books, notes, and very overwhelmed.

Some windows only have screens, the outward doors are unlatched. Yes, it’s cold. These are the Highlands of Madagascar. Rice patties interspersed with canals and a mélange of farm animals, mostly cows and poultry, are included in the patchwork. Homesteads hug the roadways, much like rural France where families live in accordance with their livelihoods.

The flute floats across the valley, lovely to the ear yet the reason for the performance may shock some not accustomed to such proximity to death. My family is not involved with this ancient Malagasy tradition, turning of the bones They don’t entertain these live performances to help pass the long damp winter. My wish will be to fall asleep to that sweet music tonight.

Everything has Changed

August 9, 2022

1975, my ninth year, was one of those critical life-assessment years. I was faced with the reality that my classmates and I would soon be experiencing puberty together. The indignities of adulthood would absolutely bear down on the sweet weightlessness of our childhood, everything would change.

Ms. Kurtz’s science class also had a big impact. She was a woman of the 70’s. Her square-toed wedges and poly blouses with geometric patterns reflected her upbeat and quirky attitude. That year she explained environmental degradation to us. Industrial outputs and individual consumption were changing the planet so quickly that our class would witness ecosystems collapsing, certainties emphasized by colorful forecasting charts. Many of my life decisions have been based on Ms. Kurtz’s 1975 lesson plans.

We see that the environmentalists and scientists of the 1970s were right to be alarmed. Open wild spaces are mortally threatened today, yet those are the areas that are critical to our psyche and our physical well-being. Conservationists work to protect planet Earth and her biodiversity; we make personal and professional choices with the future of the natural world in mind. Conservationists are generally optimistic but truthful too.

Spending the day outdoors, riding my bicycle, these activities allowed my passage through adolescence. As a 21rst century adult, the joy I experience in nature is still my steadying force. I am always thrilled to share my enthusiasm for wild spaces with friends or am happy to go it alone. Taking the opportunity to be outdoors for a day or maybe a fortnight, allowing yourself to be lost in nature, these experiences provide the balance our bodies crave. Try it you’ll like it. *

*Copy of 1970’s Alka Seltzer TV advertisement.

Himba Village in Northern Namibia

July 4, 2021

Soil is an organic matter

From an early age my father taught my brothers and I to appreciate good soil. I can hear his instruction now as we cupped soil samples from our organic gardens and orchard in our hands, “feel the texture of it, can you smell the living organisms in the soil?” Good soil takes effort, and the rewards are far greater than production and turnover rate, good soil is the heart of our environment.

soil, climate change, and farmer's field experience

I visited a Himba village in Northern Namibia in 2018, and as a soil aware person I was struck with how degraded the landscape was from overgrazing. I asked our local guide about the state of the landscape. He explained that the land was typically like this at the end of their dry period except that the normal rain systems were not arriving as they had in the past. I pressed him about possible solutions, he shrugged his shoulders.

I thought about this experience as I read my ecological systems assigned readings this week. One author briefly mentioned the possibility of making topsoil. The first step to reclaiming soil is testing and evaluation. I discovered that there is a group of European scientists who are working with Namibian farmers on soil degradation problems similar to I had seen (Prudat, et al., 2018). They recognize that previous reclamation efforts had not included local farmer’s field experience. The renewed approach includes creating a soil testing system that is relevant to the regional farmers by incorporating their local soil classification system and by recognizing all of the actors involved in the farming activities. Finally, a bottom-up approach to developing a soil testing system that could lead to a long-term soil management policy in which all stakeholders are invested in.

Prudat, B., Bloemertz, L., & Kuhn, N. J. (2018). Local soil quality assessment of north-central Namibia: integrating farmers' and technical knowledge. Soil, 4(1), 47–62. https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-4-47-2018, 2018.

Silliness has no Bounds

July 8, 2020

Are you a clever one

with just the right response?

You probably didn’t blurt out

“It’s just like ostrich sauce,”

Or tell your neighbor

“Have a gooey gooey day”

not one for sharp retorts

my native silliness

abounds.

Self Supported Camping in Namibia, Feb. 2018

March 7, 2019

Courtship with my current husband was a series of backpacking trips throughout Colorado during our first summer together. Peter took care of all of the details, even preparing freshly brewed coffee for me at first morning light. I was hooked. The novelty of sleeping out in a tent, waking up to the sounds of nature is something I look forward to every summer since.

Several years ago Peter upped the ante by signing us up for a two-week overland/camping trip in Botswana. I came back home talking of little else convincing my brother to consider travel to Africa. Self-driving tours of Southern Africa are amazingly easy to plan. There are many rental companies that provide fully equipped 4X4s so you simply show up and drive away. Ah, but then there is the question of a route!

My brother, Ethan, and I began planning a Namibian road trip in early 2017, obsessively reading blogs, watching YouTube, and making lists. He would be the driver and this directionally challenged cyclist would plan the route.

We planned to camp along the way and do our own cooking, mostly because we enjoy cooking outside but also not knowing if there would be restaurants along our rural explorations. Ethan’s girlfriend Chris gamely decided to join us a month before we left and she proved to be the best animal spotter in this group.

Other than Epupa Falls, located on the Northern border of Namibia, Ethan didn’t express much opinion of what he wanted to see. I decided to cover a lot of the country. We were undaunted by the distances being from the American Southwest the three of us are accustomed to long road trips.

Camping out in Namibia was an absolute blast. All of the campsites had flushing toilets, showers, drinkable tap water, and a braai area in which to cook. The Etosha NP campgrounds were the most trodden, much like the big campgrounds in Yellowstone USA, but the Namibian camp sites were exceptionally clean. We chose to camp at Etosha 2 nights and stay at a lodge 2 nights, our only lodge accommodation for the entire trip. The lodge options in Namibia cover a wide spectrum of experiences but we kept to the theme of a camping trip instead.

There was one day that I misnavigated our route. That was the day we punctured 2 tires and the campground was below our now elevated standard. But my travel companions were good sports, all of our other experiences made up for the one dud of a day. Seriously a not-so-perfect day in Namibia is a day offering a bit of adventure from home.

I feel confident that we will all return to Africa again. Next time I will be careful not to arrive with expectations but to just be ready to learn and perhaps strive to be more thoughtful. There is something to be said for the unknown to keep life interesting. When I have the opportunity to travel abroad I look forward to being outside of my comfort zone, which this trip did achieve. My lust for travel was re-ignited in Namibia, I don’t think I will wait 3 years for my next 2-week vacation.

Lodging and Campsites

Omatozu Lodge

Halali Camp, Eastern Etosha

Dolomite Camp, Western Etosha

Epupa Falls Camp

Hoada Campsite

Hauchabfontein Camping in Naukluft Mt.

Etosha Pan

Dolomite Camp

Quiver Trees

Siblings

sunset to stars

February 4, 2019

Yes, I alone directed the sky that night

galaxies above so bright

a humble camp bathed in magic and moonlight.

Venus winked through the stillness

she then turned her course for that far horizon

in the cold morning hour.

Sptizkoppe

December 5, 2018

The temperature started to rise as we headed inland from Swakopmund into the surreal landscape of the Erongo Mountain region. Herds of zebra, springbok, and ostrich sporadically watched us from the side of the road as we pushed onward to the Spitzkoppen Lodge, our beds for the night. The Spitzkoppen Lodge is nestled against mounds of giant granite boulders arranged by Mother Nature a millennium ago. The lodge grounds and chalets are artfully designed to blend with the natural environment providing an aura of sustainability and relaxation. Upon our arrival we were greeted with a tray of fresh juice, reviving us for an afternoon of landscape photography.

I had briefly traveled through this region once before and looked forward to my revisit with a camera. Unfortunately the light was dull this afternoon, the sky was heavy with clouds blocking the sun entirely. We waited and waited and waited and spent most of our time climbing boulders and socializing.

We ended our evening with a delightful multi-course meal comprised of local flavors. Delicious food and good company! I was a wee bit sad that we had to leave this oasis the next morning but we were expected at our next camp in the Damaraland.