Lutembe, the threatened bird paradise, Mabamba bay wetland birding places in Uganda

LUTEMBE – Numbering millions, they fly at once in patterns, blocking light from the sky. In a mind-boggling

A mixed flock of gulls make for interesting watching at the site.

It is baffling how they do not knock each other while in flight or why they can never be hit if one lobbed a stone in their midst.

Experts say they have a complicated navigation system that enables some of them to fly from as far away as Siberia non-stop to Lutembe Bay on the shores of Lake Victoria in Uganda. And these are not stealth bombers. They are terns — migratory birds.

For centuries, Lutembe Bay has been hosting both native and millions of Palearctic migrant birds. They come mainly from the arctic region that includes mainland Europe, Scandinavian countries and as far away as Russia.

They live nine months of the year here and only go back to Europe to breed. Some fly non-stop to and from the Caspian Sea. However, this allure at Lutembe Bay, one of the biggest breeding sanctuaries for migratory birds, is now threatened by human activity if nothing is urgently done.

Achilles Byaruhanga, the executive director of Nature Uganda, says toxic agrochemicals suspected to have leached from the nearby flower farms have been detected in the waters around this Ramsar Site – wetland of international importance.

Byaruhanga says Lutembe Bay is threatened first, by water abstraction – a process where large quantities of water is drawn to water the flower farms.

“Because of this draining, the marshy water at the bay will become muddy, leading to other vegetation to colonize the area, thus reducing not only the habitat and the feeding area for the birds, but also their roosting space,” Byaruhanga says.

Secondly, he says following a 16-year study, agro-chemicals have now been detected in the waters at the bay. This when not controlled, he says, will pollute the waters and not only threaten the fish stocks, but human beings as well.

Lutembe Bay hosts over 70% of the global population of white-winged black terns (Chlidonias leucopterus), large numbers of the grey-headed gulls (Larus cirrocepharus), black-headed gulls (Larus ridibundus) and gull-billed terns (Sterna nilotica).

In 2000, Lutembe hosted almost the entire population of the white-winged black terns — over 3.5 million birds. The birds start coming from September to October every year and go back between February and March.

In Europe, they are again seen between May and June. Every year, the birds come with their young, hatched the previous season.

The hatchlings are left behind to practice breeding. At this stage, their all–white colour changes to black. Others only have their heads change to black. This change of colour is called breeding plumage.

When it is time to go back and breed, the young ones fly as black birds, breed and come back to Lutembe when they are white. The cycle has been going on for centuries.

“If Lutembe is affected, tourism would suffer not only in Uganda, but also in Europe as the breeding pattern of the birds would be destroyed. If they do not get places like Lutembe, they will not breed. These birds must be given an opportunity to practice breeding,’’ Byaruhanga argues.

He says Uganda receives the biggest share of all Palearctic birds in Africa due to the country’s big and fresh water masses.

Other areas in the country that attract migratory birds include the Kazinga Channel and Musambwa Island. The birds feed on insects and small fish.

Records from Nature Uganda show that Uganda earns over $6m (sh15.3b) from birding tourism, doubling earnings from gorilla tracking. Birding is a high-end tourism product, where birders stay long, leaving more money in the country.

The tourism sector is the second largest foreign exchange earner and generated $805m (about sh2.1 trillion) in foreign exchange earnings in the fiscal year 2011/2012. In particular, the sector’s total contribution to GDP is estimated at $1.4b (about sh3.5 trillion), representing 7.6% of GDP; in the year 2011, trailing only remittances from abroad.

Uganda was recently declared a preferred bird watching destination 2013/2014, a development expected to uphold the country as a birder’s paradise.

About half of all bird species in Africa can be found in Uganda. The country supports more than 1,000 bird species, representing about 50% of the bird species in Africa and 11% of the birds’ global population.

Lutembe is home to 280 species of both water and non-water birds. Apart from Palearctic migrant birds, Lutembe is also home to seven globally threatened species like papyrus yellow warbler, papyrus gonolek, shoebill, African skimmer great snipe and Madagascar Squacco, among others.

A team from Nature Uganda spotted a new migrant species, the great knot, in 2010. The site also hosts hundreds of Palearctic ducks like the garganey (Anas querquedula).

At an altitude of 1,130 metres, covering an area of about 800 hectares, Lutembe Bay is shallow, papyrus-fringed, and almost completely cut off from the main body of Lake Victoria by two papyrus islands.

The biggest congregations of the European birds at Lutembe are gulls and terns, which roost on islets when the water level is low, between September and March.

En-route to Uganda, the terns have stop-over in Sudan and Egypt along the River Nile while the gulls can fly from the Caspian Sea to Lutembe non-stop.

Cheap, Budget and Discounted Uganda Safari

Book a 7 Day Uganda Flying Safari with luxury nights, combine it with discounted gorilla permits - US$350 instead of US$500 - and you will have the perfect last minute unforgettable adventure in Uganda!

This safari offers three nights at our award-winning Mweya safari lodge or Katara Lodge and three nights at the authentic and atmospheric Mahogany springs, so close to the forest with gorilla families regularly visited! 

Uganda 7 Day Flying Safari with luxury nights starts from US$ 4,300 per person with a saving of over US$ 800! 

                                                          OR

Uganda 7 Day Ground Transportation with luxury nights starts from US$ 3,700 per person with a saving of over US$ 1,000!  

The package is based on luxury lodges on group of 6 pax

Offers valid for travel in 1^st-April up to 31^st-May 2013 and every year we update this package, Prices include accommodation, all meals and drinks, all activities in the itinerary, return flights from Entebbe and your own expert Nature Adventure Safaris guide and vehicle.

Proposed itinerary

Day 1: Entebbe Fly to Queen Elizabeth National Park

Arrive at Entebbe airport and transfer to your 08:30 am or 12:30 pm flight to Kasese. Once there you will be welcomed by your expert guide who will provide knowledge and assistance throughout your journey. Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park and the contemporary Kyambura Gorge Lodge. Enjoy pre-dinner drinks on the veranda that overlooks the savannah plains with the magnificent Rwenzori Mountains in the distance.
O/N: Mweya Safari Lodge or Katara Lodge (L, D)

Day 2: Game drive & Visit Craters

Taking an early morning or evening drive, and resting during the heat of the day, provides the best opportunity to see game. What you see depends on the season, but the Kasenyi plains are excellent for sighting lion and large herds of Uganda Kob. The Mweya peninsula offers excellent game drives with magnificent views across the water to the Rwenzori Mountains. Mweya is one of the best places to look for leopard, which live in the dense, scrubby thickets. Time permitting visit the craters O/N: Mweya Safari Lodge or Katara Lodge (B, L, D)

Day 3: Kyambura Gorge Chimp Walk & Boat Cruise

The Kyambura Gorge is an extraordinary natural environment and forms a stark contrast to the surrounding grasslands. Here you can track one of our closest animal relatives, the chimpanzee. The chimp population is quite mobile and viewing can be unpredictable but the walk itself is enchanting. In the afternoon take a cruise on the Kazinga Channel, which flows between Lakes Edward and George,  Kazinga is home to one of the greatest concentration of hippo in Africa and herds of elephant, buffalo and other animals come to drink at the water edge. The channel is a magnet for water birds, with great flocks of pelicans and others birds on the shore, and a great spot to see African fish eagle.
O/N: Mweya Safari Lodge or Katara Lodge (B, L, D)

Day 4: Queen Elizabeth National Park-Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Your safari now continues to the primeval Bwindi forest. Travelling via Ishasha - subject to road conditions - you can observe the unusual behavior exhibited by the tree-climbing lions. The long journey through the rapidly changing landscape takes you to Mahogany springs Lodge, which looks across to the towering trees of the forest. Depending on when you arrive, there may be time to explore the lodge grounds with its clear mountain stream. O/N: Mahogany Springs (B, L, D)

Day 5: Gorilla Trekking Adventure

After enjoying an early breakfast, you set off gorilla trekking. Trekking through the steep, densely forested hills and then finally coming across the gorillas camouflaged in the vegetation is an inspiring and privileged moment. Tracking in the Bwindi forest requires stamina and can often take most of the day. Alternatively there are other activities and excursions on offer in and around the national park: Take a guided walk in the rainforest, home to several endemic bird species, clouds of butterflies and rare plant life. This walk offers excellent photographic opportunities and the knowledgeable guide will provide a great insight into this globally important habitat. Return to park office for gorilla trekking certificate, return to lodge for your dinner and overnight. Meal plan: Full-Board

Day 6: Uganda Community Tourism

Early breakfast, after walk through the local village, and learn about community projects, such as Bwindi Community Hospital which started as a health clinic under a tree and now provides vital medical and educational services to over 60,000 people.  Discover the traditions of the Batwa Pygmies, and learn about the native tribal inhabitants of the forest. The indigenous people of Bwindi forest, though no longer resident in the forest, still practice many of their traditional hunter-gatherer skills.
O/N: Mahogany Springs (B, L, D)

Day 7: Transfer To Kihihi Airstrip Return to Entebbe

Leave with the 10:55 am or 14:55 pm return flight to Entebbe, arriving at 11:55 am and connect in time for your return flight.  (B)

The package includes:

Domestic flight fares with aero link Uganda

Accommodation and meals as per itinerary

Game drives

Kyambura gorge chimp walk

Visit craters

Boat cruise

Gorilla trekking permit

Visit local communities

Ground transportation in parks

English speaking guide

Mineral water on board

Exclude includes:

The expenses of personal nature like: Air fare, Visa, Luxury drinks, laundry, tips to local guides, telephone, and porter fee while trekking, personal insurance, personal shopping bills. Book your trip:

info@ugandantour.com

Lost in nature’s richness at Kyambura

A bird that does not fly will never know where the millet is ready, goes a local saying. If you have not visited the Kyambura Gorge and Kazinga Channel in western Uganda, you do not know how much you are missing.  Lawrence braved the six-hour journey and long trek in the valley and gives you a feel of the memorable adventure.

Part of the gorge through which a river flows, It is one of the most beautiful scenes in Kyambura.

As an artist, I have always thought of a woman’s body as God’s most beautiful creation. But that was before last month when I joined eight tourists on Nature Adventure Tours & Safaris that turned out to be the most exhilarating adventure at Kyambura Gorge and the Kazinga Channel.

Both are situated in the western Rift Valley of Uganda, which stretches through Queen Elizabeth National Park. At these two spots, I got the real feel of perfection in beauty.

We took an exhausting six-hour drive from Kampala along the Bushenyi-Kasese highway under the scorching African sun. After that, nothing sounded so sweet and relieving like the sound of “we’re finally here!’ as said in the husky voice of Samuel, our driver, who also doubled as our guide. We were 38km away from the Congo border.

One after another, we stepped out of the tour taxi setting our feet on the rich soils of Kyambura that was densely covered by dark green grass. Naturally, it was not long before most of us punched the air in triumph as we were fuelled by the excitement of having arrived safe and sound.

Mysterious Kyambura Gorge

Suddenly, our attention was stolen by the roaring sound of a waterfall. However, it was confusing to discover that even with all-round turns of 180 degrees, our eyes could not see any falls. It then dawned on us that the roar was coming from a river down in Kyambura Gorge.

From what I saw, I can define a gorge as a sunken forest in a wide valley. In the particular case of Kyambura, the valley was 100 metres deep, the reason our eyes could not sight the waterfall we were hearing.

Being the coward I am, I kept my distance from the gorge’s elevated viewpoint which was situated on the edge of the land.

But I guess I have little regrets over this decision because those who dared to go there seemed to develop cold feet immediately. They deserted the place as soon as Bayer Anyesiga, the Kyambura guide who would take us for chimpanzee tracking, appeared.

Chimp tracking is one of those activities that Uganda is famous for and it was something I looked forward to doing.

However, the fact that Anyesiga armed himself with a panga before the tracking began almost made me reconsider trying it out. To me, this was a clear signal that ahead of us lay immense danger.

Luckily, 10 minutes into the tracking, I discovered that his only reason for carrying the panga was to trim off the branches of the wild thickets to open a path on our way into the dense forest.

That is when my speedily pounding heart normalised as I took a deep sigh. My gaze kept dropping on every tree branch we approached because my heart was quivering with immense anticipation.

To see the subtle primates, we calculatedly walked down the slippery slopes into the dense tropical rainforest that covers the gorge’s floor. Anyesiga advised us to resort to whispering if we found it impossible to keep mute because the primates often turn violent if their peace is disturbed with noise.

Save for the roar of Kyambura River and the tweeting of crickets, it was absolute silence down there, probably more silent than a grave.

When all my attention was inclined upwards, having heard the sound of a chimp, I felt a smooth creature as cold as a snake slither up my legs. In micro seconds, my knees began wobbling dangerously and I found myself yelling my grandmother’s name.

In a flash, I was already three feet up the huge mahogany tree before me, only to discover that it was a prank that Otim, another tourist, had pulled off.

He had come up with the brilliant idea of sliding a wet shoe lace around my legs and got the effect he was looking for.

Yes, I felt like sinking my fist into his head. In fact, I folded my fists like I was going to knock him down, but my fists just froze in space before I painfully chickened out because the chap was almost three times my height and weight.

Chimp sighting

Minutes after I had composed myself, the guide pointed us to a family of five chimps nestled in a tree branch about 180m from our track.

“That is Brutus, the leader of the chimps with his family,” Anyesiga explained. “They are part of over 25 chimpanzees that live here.”

It should not matter, but there was something about the way Brutus tilted his eyes sideways and flashed a smile at us that I found fascinating.

“Brutus, together with his team, prefers living in the corridors of the gorge in fear of being confronted by other wildlife like leopards and lions, which live on the Savanna grassland surrounding the gorge,” Anyesiga continued.

It soon dawned on me that there is a lot more to see in the gorge than just chimpanzees. Such included gigantic tropical trees, beautiful flowers, unique chains of spider webs, a variety of birds, colourful butterflies and different species of monkeys.

Fortunately, everything about the tracking was happening so fast. While I expected to spend hours walking and straining to see the chimps in vain, here I was getting a better feel of the forest with every tick of the clock.

I was also swept off my feet by the rays of sunlight that filtered through the forest canopy. In effect, my camera clicked more than once as it took pictures to retain memories of the visit to the unforgettable gorge.

Content with what we had witnessed, we soon found our way out of the forest and headed for our next destination — Kazinga Channel, a 30-minute drive away.

Kazinga Channel

After a brief by our guide, whose name I might have forgotten as soon as it was mentioned, the tour boat was ignited to flag off our trip along Kazinga Channel to the mouth of Lake Edward.

On the map of Uganda, Kazinga Channel is that thin strip of water that connects Lake Edward and Lake George. As the boat made its way through the tranquil channel, I climbed up the upper deck, joining nine tourists there to get a clearer view of the wildlife on either side of the boat.

Birds and game

We espied a kingfisher that had successfully hunted out a medium sized tilapia fish, which it swiftly ferried onto the nearest branch of a whistling acacia tree by the water banks.

What a pity it was to witness the helpless fish poked lifeless like it was its predator’s last meal for months.

Thankfully, it was not long before my spirits were fired up again upon the sight of elephants mating in the open as some white egrets kept flying above them. If my guess is right, they must have enjoyed every bit of the uncensored act by the elephants.

It was also a blessing to discover that while some tourists spend hours and hours peering in vain for game, we were fortunate to experience lots of wildlife after another, especially along the banks as the boat sailed on; all courtesy of the good schedule of the boat ride, which takes place at 5:00pm when most animals are relaxing by the banks as they enjoy the warmth of the golden brown sun as it buries itself in the horizon.

Some of the game to be seen here include water bucks, elephants, antelopes, a school of 12 hippos, crocodiles, birds and monkeys.

Like most of the bird lovers aboard, I cheered aloud as I relished over 150 bird species of 319 in the park. However, this excitement was soon tamed when an ugly black and white vulture flew slightly above my head and dropped its watery droppings on my nose.

Fellow tourists could not resist laughing at me and staring like I was another wildlife creature aboard the boat. Most annoying, some did not hesitate to click their cameras at me.

At the end of such a fulfilling exploratory day, nothing felt as good as devouring lunch at Simba Safari camp. We watched the calm waters of Lake George and listened to waves gently brush the branches of the trees surrounding the place

The icing on the cake was the different species of birds that soon conquered these trees and put up energetic aerobic performances as they whistled different sweet melodies that pierced my heart with the sharp end of their vocals.