The Essence of the Journey!

Kibale to Ziwa: In Search of Specials

By: Celeste

 

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One of those places we have been looking forward to, especially Marcelo who was out to seek the very special, very elusive Green-breasted Pitta. Heading northwards, we crossed the Equator, stopping for the obligatory photographs, holding up the zero and celebrating with an Equator party – okay, well, joghurt and biscuits. It’s not what you have but what you make of it!

 

We didn’t know where we would stay exactly(Nicolai’s favourite word at the moment) considering our first choice of camping at the Kibale National Park headquarters would have attracted the usual high park fees. Everything is additional and extra: entrance per person per day plus camping fees plus entry for a foreign registered vehicle.

So we opted, not under too much duress, to rather stay at the highly acclaimed Ndali Lodge perched on the rim of the Nyinambuga Crater Lake – featured on the Ugandan 50 000 shilling note. Welcoming us was amassive Natal Fig (Ficus Natalensis) abuzz with a colony of Vieillot’s Black Weavers.

 

The Ndali Estate is owned by the Price and Sturdy families whose involvement in Uganda dates back to the 1920’s, when Major Trevor Price arrived from England to pioneer tea growing in the Fort Portal area. During the 1970’s, Idi Amin confiscated foreign owned land in Uganda, including Ndali. The Major died in 1977 and when President Yoweri Museveni invited dispossessed landowners to return to Uganda, it fell to his son, Captain Mark Price, to reclaim the family’s property.

Exploring his father’s overgrown estate in 1994, Mark discovered the fabulous viewpoint on the rim of the Nyinambuga Crater Lake and conceived of the idea of Ndali Lodge. In due course, Captain Mark Araali, as he was fondly known by the Toro people for whom he built churches, clinics and schools, built the lodge, which opened in 1996. Sadly, he died in September 1998, only two years later. Since then, Ndali has been run by family and friends including Mark’s sister Caroline, his niece Lulu Sturdy, who now produces Ndali Fair Trade vanilla, his son Aubrey, and family friend Becky Holt. Aubrey settled in Ndali permanently in 2002 and lives there happily with his Ugandan wife Clare, continuing in his father’s tradition of upliftment of the community.

 

Ushered past the lawn and pool to our family cottage we

descended upon the bathroom with HOT water and a BATH as dusty travellers and exited renewed with fresh energy. Quiet time on our veranda afforded us a tremendous view over the forested valley with Great Blue Turacos competing noisily with Eastern Grey Plaintain Eaters and Angolan Black-and-white Colobus for ripe fruit. Dinner was served by candlelight on a white, damask tablecloth with old silverware, old crystal glasses and old bone-handled knives: tomato soup; chicken and vegetables and a delicious lemon cake.

 

The morning 3 hour farm walk was through natural vegetation then through banana plantations where we learnt how to wrap and tie a gift parcel in banana leaves. The avocado-seeking dogs accompanied us, flushing out colobus and blue monkeys. Danica took to weaving with raphia palm leaves – soon we all had new bookmarks. The vanilla crop was a thing of wonder – under the fair trade umbrella, 1000 farmers and their families are accredited by this label – a powerful trade certification for quality and method. Originally from Central America, this orchid vine-form is trained on the Jitrophy tree stands, mulched and hand-pollinated (can you imagine!), requiring a high rainfall and mixed sun-shade, taking 5-7 years to produce it’s first crop. The pod takes 11 months to mature which are then hand-picked into baskets. The pods are placed into barrels that are soaked in 60-63 degree C water for three minutes. Then the pods are wrapped in blankets and taken to large wooden boxes to sweat. Each worker is given a blanket and takes it out every day to sun dry on racks for about 2-3 months and hand sorted. The repeated exposure to hot sunshine encourages the breakdown of gluco-vanillin into vanillin through fermentation.

Once the vanilla is dry it will start forming crystals. It is then meticulously sorted, graded and kept in tightly sealed boxes to continue to mature. Vanilla is then extracted through cold pressing, filtered, bottled and packaged. The factory tour was a treat in itself despite not getting a little taste at the end, but understandable as all the Ndali vanilla is retailed in the U.K. or snapped up by the U.S.A. Tom and Jerry ice-cream makers. Hats off to Lulu and her incredible Ugandan Mountains of the Moon team!

 

Marcelo left to explore the true Kibale forest in the dark hour of 4am the following morning having previously arranged a birding guide. We three did a crater walk with Steven and three of the farm dogs. On our return we had an excellent sighting of a Western Nicator showing off its yellow spots and bum, and calling repeatedly and loudly- a fine display in front of the yoga platform. That little Green-breasted Pitta turned out to be a little too elusive although Marcelo did hear him. His first sighting of the White-Spotted Flufftail in the Bigodi Swamp made up for that disappointment, Him seeing the Grey-Cheeked Mangabey made Danica simply green with envy.

 

We left the hospitality and spoil of Ndali after breakfasting with a wonderfully knowledgeable and entertaining group of professors and doctors – their high level of banter a welcome respite from the “put your napkin on your lap” and “no you may not yet leave the table to play darts” variety of conversation. They were thrilled to view Danica’s photograph of the highly poisonous Forest Vine Snake which we had sighted swiftly moving across the road and up a tree at a considerable speed within the forest. A delight for us, I am sure! May the sun always shine upon your faces and the wind be always at your backs, kind sirs.

 

Hats off to our next team of heroes for rhinos – Angie and Johan Genade – ex South Africans who took over Ziwa Sactuary some 150kms north of Kampala about four years ago. These 12 rhinos are now the only rhinos in Uganda ( apart from two in a ‘zoo’), brought in after they had become locally extinct in 1986 due to poaching. We were treated to a tracking walk with these gentle beasts.

The first family group we came across was the dominant male Taleo who has sired all six of their calves, and the lovely Bella (fat is really beautiful!) who bum-rubbed and then sharpened her horn on a tree. This exact behaviour was then repeated by their 7-month old Bella-Donna. Say NO to de-horning!

 

As if watching from a mere 30m distance wasn’t enough, a second group lumbered by consisting of the fat mama Kori accompanied by her 7 month old Laloyo (meaning Victory in the local Ancholi language) and her older two-and-a-half year old male calf, Justice. These precious animals were in their element, gazing peacefully, oblivious of their 24 hour guards, exuding an aura of bliss.

 

Taleo had a small injury just above his horn from a fight with Moja, the second-in-command despite his name meaning ‘number one’. However, it is invariably the third bull Hasani who ends up injured as his bravery outweighs his dominance. Bulls’ dominance is certainly (as Nicolai says – certaintly) problematic here, as elsewhere where captivity, territory and rhinos are in the same conservation equation.

 

We did not get to meet Obama (thus named i

n honour of his American mother Nandi and Kenyan Father, Taleo) now three years old, nor little Malaika, meaning angel.

 

Thank you to our amazing hosts for the excellent braai and generous hospitality. Dit was lekker kuier!

 

We were so impressed by Angie’s 24/7 dedication to these rhinos. Listening to the trials and tribulation she has undergone on their behalf to achieve their protection and successful breeding is inspiring. In turn, she was encouraged by how the rhino rescue project could assist them and would strongly recommend adopting it as an additional tool for their protection to the Rhino Fund Ugandan Board overseeing Ziwa.

 

 

It will be another victory to have all of Uganda’s rhinos protected by rhino rescue project technology thus further diminishing the threat of poaching. When these rhinos are released back into Uganda’s National Parks, having treated horns with tracking devices will be a huge asset to their survival.

 

You can PLEASE assist with funding for this worthy cause through our donations page on this website. Make a difference – treat a rhino!