Month: June 2023

What is the best time to visit Murchison Falls National Park?

Murchison Falls National Park is the obvious choice of park to visit if planning a safari trip to experience the savannah and see lots of wildlife in Uganda. The Murchison is Uganda’s largest park, located along the River Nile on which is found the world’s strongest waterfalls – the Murchison Falls. Safari drives on the northern bank of the River Nile and the boat cruise along the River Nile provide excellent opportunities to see plenty of animals such as elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, lions, antelopes, leopards, monkeys, baboons, hippos, crocodiles, etc…

How much time do you need for a trip to Murchison Falls National Park? You need 2 to 3 days to visit and experience Murchison Falls National Park. A day trip to Murchison Falls is not possible as the park is about 6 hours drive from Kampala to Entebbe.

Wondering when is the best time to visit and see animals in Murchison Falls National Park? Well, you can see animals all year round. You can therefore visit the park any time of the year. However different times may be more favorable depending on the kind of safari experience you want to have in Murchison Falls National Park.

Factors to consider when determining the best time to visit Murchison Falls Park

Weather – wet season vs dry season

The weather may determine when you want to visit Murchison Falls National Park. You will visit Murchison Falls National Park either during the dry season or wet season, the two weather seasons of Uganda.

The dry season from June to August, and December to February, is perhaps the best time for a safari in Murchison Falls National Park because it is mostly sunny and dry so it easier to navigate through the park and reach every trail of the park without worry of getting stuck in the mud. Meanwhile, during the wet season (March to May, and late September to November) some parts of the park may be unreachable due to flooding of some drive trails hence limiting your chances to see more wildlife. If must use a study 4X4 tour car if you have to go to Murchison Falls Park during the wet season. Another reason why the safari experience may be better during the dry season is that the grass is shorter and therefore better visibility of wildlife, especially the not-so-big animals such as warthogs, leopards, foxes, etc.. While during the wet season the bushes and grass are thicker and taller, so you would need the bigger raised 4X4s for better views…

However, visiting Murchison Falls National Park during the wet season has some benefits too. The scenery is at its best during this time as the grass is all lush green. The temperatures can be unbearably high/hot during the dry season causing sunburn to sensitive skin, but the wet season brings such a cool and soothing temperature. Also, the best experience of the Murchison Falls is during the wet season when the volume of water in the Nile increases leading to more powerful and explosive Murchison Falls. If your dream is to witness these mighty falls, you will get the best treat of the falls during the wet season.

Crowds or better weather?

If you prefer a time of safari in Murchison Falls with less crowds, the wet season offers this time as less people visit the park this time (March to May, late September to November). However, be prepared for a rainy day with 4X4 car.

Special offers/discounts/groups

If you like to travel on a budget the low season (wet season) normally has discounted prices by a number of accommodations in the park. So, this the time to advantage of low cost of accommodation and have a cheaper tour.

On the other hand, the high season provides better chances to join a group to reduce the cost of the tour. If you are into group tours to share costs, you have better chances of finding a group tour to Murchison Falls National Park.

Is there a time one should avoid Murchison Falls National Park?

There should not be any time one has to avoid the park, the park provides a beautiful safari any time.

However, the park is wettest during April & November, and if extreme wet weather is a put off then you should avoid the park during this time. On the other hand, the park is quite hot during late August to early September, and so if too much sun causes you great discomfort, then you are better off not visiting during this time.

How strong is a gorilla?

It is common knowledge that the gorilla is the strongest of the primates. “But how strong is the gorilla?”, a lot of people wonder. And, what is the gorilla’s strength compared to other great apes such as the humans and chimpanzees? Finding out the incredible strength of the gorilla is a thing of curiosity! Perhaps this curiosity is largely driven by the fictional movies in which the gorilla “King Kong” is portrayed as an incredibly powerful beast strong enough to slap a helicopter out of the sky!

The question of strength of a gorilla is also asked by people planning for the gorilla trekking adventure in Rwanda or Uganda, “fantasizing” what their chances would be if faced with a rough a encounter with a gorilla in the jungle.

Well, here is the answer…

 

A full grown adult male gorilla (13+ years), that is called the Silverback gorilla, is the epitome of gorilla strength. Silverback gorilla can reach a standing height of over 5 feet (1.5 meters) and weigh up to 450 pounds (204kg).

The Silverback gorilla is of incredible strength, being able to lift load of over 1700 pounds (up to 800kg).

Man vs gorilla strength

The adult male gorilla’s strength compared to an adult man is told that, one adult male gorilla equals to 8 healthy men.

One male gorilla strength is therefore equivalent to an 8-man rugby pack.

Chimpanzee vs gorilla strength

The chimpanzee is a very powerful primate but its strength is not close to the gorilla’s strength. The strength of one adult male gorilla is said to be equivalent to the strength of about five chimpanzees.

Are gorillas aggressive/violent?

As the saying goes, “with great power come great responsibility”. The gorillas’ sheer strength and huge size is a contrast to their character. Gorillas are very gentle animals. For gorillas, their emotional well -being is everything and it is  important for their survival. So they will avoid any hostile environment and encounter. Only when they are really threatened will they take on the attacker or hostile element. And the work of fighting for the group is left to the all-powerful Silverback! The females will mostly scamper away into the bushes.

In fact, the gorillas mostly use this strength to put down trees and tear/break branches of trees to reach fruits.

How do gorillas fight?

In movies the gorilla is depicted using his powerful arms whacking or slapping. On the contrary during a fight gorillas mostly rely on their powerful jaws to give a nasty bite. The gorilla has a bite force twice that of a lion.

They will also drag and throw.

Uganda’s anti-homosexuality law – is it safe for gay tourists to visit Uganda?

Uganda has passed the “anti-homosexuality law” that criminalizes same sex relationships and the promotion of gay activities in Uganda. The law is said to be one of the toughest anti-LGBTQ laws in the world that includes the death penalty for aggravated homosexuality, and up to 20 years in prison for promoting homosexuality.

The Uganda anti-homosexuality/anti-gay/anti-LGBT law has drawn strong condemnation from local and international human rights organizations and more importantly from world leaders of countries such as the USA President Biden, that uphold and promote the rights of the LGBT persons.

The consequences of the law are starting to bite! The international gay/LGBT rights lobby is already up in arms promoting a boycott of travel to Uganda to discourage tourists from visiting Uganda, the famed Pearl of Africa, that is included on African vacations mostly for the gorilla trekking, in addition to other popular Uganda tours include the chimpanzee trekking, trip to Murchison falls national park – home to the world’s strongest waterfalls and lots of animals, and Mabamba wetlands for the Shoebill bird, among others.

So what is the mood and intention of the law and is it still safe for LGBT/gay people to consider Uganda for a safari?

How popular is the anti-gay law in Uganda?

The above law has been passed on a moralist ground, or call it an excuse, of protecting the cultures and values of the local population. Homosexuality is looked at as a foreign vice that is against what is regarded as normal traditionally. This sentiment is carried and believed by most societies in sub-Saharan Africa.

Uganda is also a highly religious country, with more than 70% of the population identifying as Christians and a big percentage of the rest being Moslems. The law has therefore had a big backing from the ultra religious community that believe homosexuality is one of the worst sins and should therefore be fought in whatever way possible to save Uganda from the fate of the biblical “Sodom and Gomorra”.

A law of convenience for the time?

Drawing from the strong cultural and religious feelings of the local population, the law may seem like a perfect scapegoat the government really needed to sway the public away from its failures! From the assassinations and shootings that had become rampant, to corruption scandals by top government officials making the news every day, and to a total breakdown in the infrastructure of the capital Kampala, are among a sea of problems the country is drowning in. The government had attained such an image of incompetence among the population.

The anti-gay card had always worked whenever the government found itself in such a dilemma and it has not been any different this time. After finally passing and signing the ant-gay law the president has been praised as messiah of sorts for saving the “African values”. Finally the government has managed to sway the public attention from the many crises and temporarily attained some much needed public approval for this time.

A politically motivated law?

Another reasoning behind the motivation for the government to make the anti-gay law is that there is an assumption that gay rights group in the west have been heavily facilitating local organizations and political formations that are hostile to the Ugandan government. By this law, the organizations in Uganda that are found or are thought to be promoting rights of the LGBT in Uganda are sanctioned and prosecuted accordingly.

There is also a fear that the law could be used to set up and falsely accuse political opposition as gay or collaborators of promoters and persecute them. Because of the feelings of the local population about homosexuality, this would be an easy scapegoat of a law for government to use to stifle opposition.

However, experience has shown, politically motivated laws in Uganda only service a political purpose during the political season.

Why LGBT/gay persons can still visit Uganda albeit the anti-gay law

The president of Uganda clarified that the law is not intended criminalize suspected homosexuals or those that identify as gay. So there is no hunt for gay people.

Also important to note is that, as much as Ugandans want to feel strongly about their cultures and religious beliefs, Ugandans are some of the most welcoming and accommodating people irrespective of ones differences. As a gay person, no one will be interested in your sexuality as no one will ask about you, but rather everyone will want to see that you are comfortable as a visitor.

Female gorilla

The gorilla is the biggest of the primates, and as wildlife tourism has become ever more popular, the gorilla has become one of the favorite animals to see during wildlife tours. Uganda and Rwanda are two destinations that provide an up-close and personal experience through a gorilla trekking/tracking adventure that allows tourists to trek in the jungles and come face to face with the gorillas in their natural home without any barrier – such an epic experience!

The gorillas live in families of different individuals that include infants, adult females, and the adult male(s). Visiting tourists are ever looking forward to seeing the different individuals of the gorilla families, however the outstanding gorilla individual everyone wants to see is the silverback gorilla, a fully grown mature male which is also the leader of the gorilla family.

In terms of popularity the female gorilla lingers in the shadow of the iconic silverback gorilla, and yet the females make up the most numbers in the gorilla family.

Everyone wants a peace of the Silverback Gorilla

In this article we share some interesting facts about the female gorilla.

What are differences between female and male gorillas?

Adult female and male gorillas are quite distinctive in appearance, and below are the visible differences

Size: the adult female gorillas are way smaller than the adult males. They are nearly half the adult males who grow to more than 5 feet in height and weighing up to 450 pounds.

No silver: adult females have black fur all through their lives, while the adult males develop the distinctive slivery grey on their backs.

Roles of female gorillas in the gorilla family

First and foremost, the female gorillas make up the biggest number of the individuals in the gorilla family. In rare cases will there be more adult males than adult females in a gorilla family. Essentially it is the females (and young gorillas) that make up the family that the adult male gorilla leads. Unlike adult males that can live solitary lives in the jungles, do not live solitary lives but live in families where they are protected by the silverback gorilla.

Perhaps the most important role, the adult female gorillas mate with the dominant silverback gorilla and make him children.

The mother gorillas take care of their new born babies till the time of weaning them. The mother gorilla starts weaning the baby starting from about year.

The mother gorilla also prepares the next silverback leader by delaying weaning of her son to increase her chances. This helps the young male gorilla develop into a stronger adult male that can ably challenge for leadership.

Organization of female gorillas in a group.

Do female gorillas lead groups?

No female gorillas do not lead groups. This role is exclusive to the powerful adult male gorillas, the silverbacks.