Entebbe, Uganda
Upon landing at EBB, Irene, our VIP M&G liaison, escorted me through immigration to baggage claim and right out to meet Male and Lydia! It was seamless and easy. Irene provides arrival and departure VIP services at Entebbe (EBB) and you can request this at the time of booking confirmation or prior to final invoicing. Note: I did arrive on a regional flight from Nairobi, not a full plane from Europe so crowds were less.
After a short 10-15 min transfer to Hotel No. 5, Lydia gave me a briefing on the exploratory trip ahead of me and she and Male bid me farewell.
Hotel No. 5 has a central location convenient to the airport and sights within Entebbe. It is set within a neighborhood and would be considered a residential area boutique hotel. The hotel offers a full-service bar and two restaurants, massage room/spa and swimming pool. It is an upper-midrange hotel and as Entebbe has limited options it is one of the higher-end choices. Service was solid and the packed breakfast was very impressive. I stayed in one of the apartments and while it left a bit to be desired, it was adequate for the night and the mattress was comfortable and linens and towels were nice. The bathroom was the weak point with a partially functioning shower and damaged mirror.
Murchison Falls National Park
From No. 5 we headed North to Murchison Falls NP. Male picked me up and I met up with Phil Ward and Mel Gormley, co-founders of CAS, and we transferred about 30-40 mins to the Kajjansi airstrip just outside of Entebbe. Kajjansi is a small and comfortable air hanger that is home to KEA, one of Uganda’s private air carriers offering charter flights and flights within Uganda. After a long delay due to weather, we finally took off from Kajjansi bound for Bugungu airstrip in MFNP. The flight was scenic and thanks to clearing skies we didn’t have a lot of bumps!
Robert, CAS guide, met us at Bugungu and we continued by road to the new Papa’s Camp in a low use area of Murchison Falls NP, about two hours away on the Southern side of the Nile River. It is about 30 mins on paved road before you take the turn off to the honeymoon track and disappear out into proper bush. Papa’s Camp holds a special concession in a low use area of the park. Entrance is limited, closely monitored and concession fees apply.
Papa’s Camp is the creation of Wildplaces, a Ugandan group of lodges that you might recognize by their well-known Clouds Lodge in the Southern Sector of Bwindi / Nkuringo area. With just 5 tents, this is a casual and intimate bush camp set immediately on the banks of the raging Nile River (yes, you might want to bring ear plugs, for me it was the perfect lullaby of raging rapids. A main mess tent offers a comfortable and spacious sitting area, a communal dining area and full bar. Outside, a river-front braai area and safari chairs beckon. I could have just sat and watched the river forever. It was constantly changing…the waves rolling and crashing back on themselves. It would rain or the dam upstream would release water and the sound and texture of the water would morph again. It was amazing. I’m not kidding, the tents are right on the river and it is loud, but the noise is a display of the power of that river that makes its way diligently to the Mediterranean (it takes 6-8 weeks for the water from Uganda to make it to the sea).
The extra-large Meru-style tents at Papa’s are comfortable and have everything you need including an outdoor safari shower (we are anticipating that these will be upgraded to running hot water in the future), indoor sink (cold water) and flush toilet, plus writing desk, ample storage, very comfortable mozzie net ensconced bed with crisp linens. Delicious smelling bath amenities, flashlight, reading lights and a very classic safari style. Each tent has safari chairs and a table outside on the verandah. The camp is set to be upgraded with full running water - finalization date pending. There is currently no wifi / very limited signal at camp.
The food and drinks were very good with fresh ingredients carefully prepared. Nothing fancy, but very tasty and making good use of what you can access in a remote wilderness area. The bar selection was impressive, too. We had a great braai by the river complete with BBQ’d ribs and chicken.
With two nights at the camp, we were able to explore the area and get to know the wildlife. This is Big Cat country with zero other tourists around. It is VERY remote. The low use categorization means that you need to be staying at Papa’s Camp to enter the area and access the rich game viewing. In just two days we saw two prides of lion at close range, one is just minutes from camp, and one of the most picturesque cat sightings I’ve had in ages - a lion lounging on a boulder next to a sausage tree. Once again, just us! Plus huge buffalo herds, gobs and gobs of kob (sorry, couldn’t resist it), a journey of over 30 giraffe, hartebeest, mongoose, myriad bird species, and, of course, hippos.
In addition to day time game drives, we enjoyed night drives and fished in the Nile. This is a very special place. I would highly recommend three nights in the area. We do think it is a bit far to head down to the Falls for the day for boat trips (and there is no boating at Papa’s Camp, the water is far too rapid), so I would suggest a night at Nile Safari Lodge to complement the experience with a visit to the Top of the Falls, base of the Falls boat launch and Delta launch if birding is of interest.
From Papa’s Camp we headed to the Paraa area of the park for a unique experience walking with Bush Wanderers. Normally a 2 or 3 night program with morning and afternoon walks, they were able to accommodate our one night visit. Mel and I did a beautiful afternoon walk along (and through) the Nyamasika river bed and through the undulating hills around the camp. Accompanied by two armed rangers who were great wildlife guides, the owner of the company, Juraj . The camping kit is excellent, large dome tents with well appointed bush-amenities, a bucket shower and long-drop toilet, nice dining and relaxing areas. It was really well done. The settings for the walking were spectacular. Only down-side is the heat in Murchison can be oppressive and walking is best done very early and later in the day. Clients need to be adventurous and fit, and carry rehydration sachets, a wide-brimmed hat and lots of sunscreen and bug spray. That said, we really enjoyed it and the experience is well done.
Phil had an overnight at Nile Safari Lodge and reported delicious food, great service and the usual amazing views out of the wide, calm Nile just before it empties into Lake Albert. Nile Safari Lodge is a classic safari-style lodge with luxury amenities and provides easy access to the boat tours and top of the falls visit.