The much anticipated Garden of Eden. Southwestern Uganda.

Before arriving in Fort Portal I was told by quite a few local people that Fort Portal is "different" from here -"here" referring to small small shit hole town in the middle of nowhere. When I asked what "different" meant, they described the plethora of hotels and buildings, lots of tourists, "things like that". OK, so I half expected Fort Portal to actually be different. Of course I was disappointed when I found out that Fort Portal is like every other shit hole Ugandan town, just bigger and they kind of know how to acommodate tourists (i.e. by over charging, serving pizza and having tour signs on every block corner). Having moved south of Fort Portal I have actually seen something different from the rest of Uganda. l finally reached the ecosystems I've been waiting for this entire trip! Forest forest forest. Kibale National Park did not dissapoint. I saw Red Colobus, Red Tail monkeys, Blue Monkeys, L'Hoest Monkeys, Black and White Colobus, Baboons, Galagos (although just eye-shine) and Mangbeys! That's 8 species of non-human primate is 2 days folks. I saw five species within the first 3 hours of stepping foot in the park. Although I'm leaning away from primatology (the study of primates), the sheer diversity and prominence of primates in Kibale is outstanding, perhaps why it is known as the world's primate capital. I heard chimpanzees nearby, but was not lucky enough to spot the elusive creatures. Probably why it costs hundreds of dollars to follow guides to get you close to the chimps.

Among primates I was able to view a number of bird species including the Turaco, although I still have not managed to obtain a bird book, so I'm sadly not able to report what species of Turaco nor any other species for you. There were lots. I did see, however, the black and white hornbill! Because the forest canopy is pretty tall and I arrived at the beginning of the wet season when everything is pretty misty, bird spotting was relatively challenging compared to what I've experienced on Lake Victoria and in other tropical areas like Costa Rica and Brazil. Nonetheless, the bird life is extensive in Kibale and worth a visit if you're a birder. 

Kibale National Park is a saving grace. Any unprotected area in this country is raped and devoured before you can blink. In fact, even after the park was gazetted in the 90's, local people claimed they could not dissern the park boundaries, so went upon their business of encroachment. Since then, UWA (Uganda Wildlife Authority) has had to plant eucaliptos to indicate a boundary,  common timber plant here.

I'm writting this blog post from one of the crater lakes in the Kabarole District just south of Fort Portal and west of Kibale NP. This place is magical and ridiculously relaxing. I was supposed to stay one night, I spent one night at the Lake Nkaruba campsite and this will be my third night at a nearby lake where some Polish dude has been living for 7 years and building up a simple campsite. If you're visiting the area, his place is a must-visit. Feel at home with beds, kitchen (with real gas stove, not charcoal burning!) and stunning views of the lake and the Rwenzoris in the background. He's an ex-guide for numerous parks in Uganda and Kenya, so has plenty of stories to tell and has shown me amazing pictures of crazy insects lying about his place as well as pictures of his treck to the Rwenzoris. This mountain range is top on my list when I return to this continent, they sound and look incredible. Comparable to the Rockies, but substitute vast evergreen forest and scree slopes with prehistoric plants and an unbelievable amount of water. River, waterfalls, rivers and waterfalls. Rain, rain, rain and flash floods. Rivers can be humble streams on your way up and impassable ranging rivers on your way down. Sounds like my cup of tea, sign me up! I'll be there next year, so stay tuned. Oh yeah, and your reward at the top are cravas-filled glaciers. Good thing the guides have pretty much lived on these mountains to direct you on the safest path possible, while you're tied to one another of course, just in case :)

This post is much more positive than the last. I don't think I need to write much more, the following pictures should give you a pretty good idea about how relaxed and fulfilling these last few days have been.

Fig tree in Kibale NP. One of many.

Sign of elephant presence :) They often visit camp. Didn't see any though. I guess that's a good thing since they're pretty dangerous when you're on foot!

Black and white colobus monkey.

Mangabeys. It's difficult t get good photos of monkeys in trees, so backlit, and especially when all you have is an ipad.

Take a look at this video for footage of red colobus running on the ground: http://vimeo.com/89409863!

Luscious vegetation surrounding good trails.

Beautiful and diverse array of butterflies. Try to spot the black and white one in this photo.

Awesome ant!

Butterfly wtih fungus looking "tails" on elephant poop.

My favourite butterfly I saw in Kibale NP.

Nice millepede.

Close up butterfly.

Thee are tons of butterflies in the park. Here's a tiny sample. Research on butterflies in Kibale has been going on for about 15 years  and is deadly coming to an end. This research is so important to science and should be ongoing. Much of it is similar to research done by Dan Janzen in the Àrea de Consevaciòn Guanacasta in Costa Rica. 

For an idea on how many butterflies can be spotted at a time, see this video http://vimeo.com/89426832.

A bookshelf full of The Canadian Entomologist...why? I'm not sure. It is hardly relevant. You should see the library. I must say much more organized than that of Santa Rosa research station in Costa Rica, but what a random selection of books. There are some mycology volumes from 1923. 

Fruit bats in the bat researcher's quarters. Very big cute eyes. Too bad this was the only decent shot I could get. I had the privaledge of following a bat/primate/virologist in the forest. We surveyed various insectivorous bat roosts! Very fun looking up the trunk of hollow fig trees mostly while wearing a mask so as to not inhale the deadly toxins of the fungus that can grow on bat feces. Yay!

Can you see it?!

A newly emerged cicada on the porch.

Cool fungus on a log.

The afternoon I was leaving Kibale I finally got some good monkey shots. The black and white colobus came down to enjoy   so scrumptious meal of soil.

Look at him run...

Sad to leave, but $40 a day can keep a tourist at bay :)

The road up to lake Nkaruba was narrow, filled with ruts and slick with tall grass on either side at times, like depicted in this photo. Overall it was a gorgeous climb on a road with almost zero traffic with awesome views of crater lakes and valleys below.

Lake. Nkaruba

Camp set up next to the lake. Lake Nkaruba campsite is pretty amazing in that this is the only lake with a nature reserve around it, meaning swimming in the lake is private and scenic rather than surrounded by agriculture  and resorts like a lot of the other lakes. This campsite has been around for 17 years and proceedes go to the neighbouring orphanage. A really good cause. Village people see the money first hand, it's really great!

Sweet view of the Rwenzoris on the other side of the campground.

Another of the +45 crater lakes in the Kabarole region on the way from Lake Nkaruba campsite to Yasiu's, the polish dude's, site.

View of lake Loyantonde from Yasiu's place.

Poor thing flew into a window. Recovered and flew away within half an hour. 

View of the Rwenzoris from Yasiu's place. Even better at night with the full moon lighting up the sky! The range is cloudless a lot of the time at night. It's spectacular.

The tree I panted! *Cola gigantea*. Yasiu has an amazing thing going on where he is trying to reforest the area around the lake. He has planted thousands of trees and the lake looks like it's surrounded by a forest! Had you seen the lake 7 years ago, prior to Yasiu's arrival, you would have seen grasses and heavily cultivated land. The crater lakes in the area have been greatly affected by agriculture due to soil erosion and climate change. Water levels vary drastically overtime as well as acidity, salinity, etc. it's very scary how fast these environments have been altered by humans. None of the +45 are unaffected. More research is needed.

I don't think I've ever spent some much time planted a single tree...I think this tree took me a whole 5 minutes to plant!

To the Mweya peninsula in Quen Elizabeth. NP where a boat will take me to see elephants, hippos and crocodiles! The fun continues!