Having been awakened at 0600 my tea was outside my tent, I jumped out of bed and sat in the canvas chair enjoying the early African light, eavesdropping on the river passing by. Usually a small creek with sandbanks, hippos and elephants crossing, feeling an African touch! The river had now become a full flood after the deluge of rain a few days ago. This was the rainy season. My bush shower had previously been elevated, so after enjoying the morning light I headed back to my tent for a quick hot shower before waking up more awake for a safari in this section of Ishasha, famous for its lions. tree climbers.

After a cup of coffee, we set off on the short trek to the top of the ridge to listen to the African morning ensemble – a medley of birdsong as the sun tried to break through the morning mist. It was overwhelming, all the different tweets and beeps and coos and clicks (which Ronald pointed out to us every time we heard a new sound) as the mists lifted from the valleys and the light changed and turned into day. The night before it had rained and cleared the air so we had a stunning view of the snow capped Rwenezori mountains in one direction and volcanoes in Uganda, Rwanda and Congo in the other. Below us were herds of elephants in the distance which we watched over coffee before our guide (and host) said “we should go to the fig trees, it looks like the lions are still in the fig tree and we don’t want to miss them” . We were so excited to hear this and we couldn’t wait!

The camp is comparatively close to the fig tree in which we had found the lions the day before when we entered Ishasha (the southern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park) and when we got there we found 8 lions resting on the large horizontal branches of the fig tree. The day before when we had entered the park, 5 females were on an acacia and the 4 males on the fig tree we were now parked next to. The females had joined the rest of the herd overnight and we waited for that golden glow from the morning sun so we could take some good photos. Leaving the lions, we headed across the plain on the northern circuit and must have passed a thousand kob, constantly grazing and moving as one great herd.

Topis and buffaloes also abounded, ring-necked turtle doves, colorful European bee-eaters still perched in the trees, coucales with their feathers puffed up for warmth, and francolins running in front of the vehicle before taking off with their idiosyncratic ke-ke. -ke-kekeke kuh call. On the other side of the plain the vegetation is thicker with more scrub and scrub. Suddenly, Ronald stopped and motioned for us to shut up as he whispered “Leopard, in the tree!” Quite convinced, not more than 50 meters from the road was a brave leopard in an acacia. He had already listened to us and before long he was elegantly coming down from the tree (unlike the clumsy lions that seem to fall). Soon we all could see the feathery white tip of its tail and it disappeared into the tall grass. Wish I could stay longer! We were happy about this, but very sad to see it go away…

After this memorable morning game drive, we return to the Wilderness Camp for breakfast. We headed along the ridge and saw more buffalo wallowing in mud puddles, Kob and Topi, then down to the river plain before heading into the forest that borders the river bank where the camp is hidden. The Ishasha Wilderness Camp sits at a bend in the Ntungwe River and the main dining and living room tent is centrally located right next to the river. The tables were already set with fresh fruits and juice upon our arrival.

George the head waiter came and took our main breakfast mid morning order. Do we want eggs, beans, sausage and sandwiches? No menu but everything for a full English breakfast was available including mushrooms. They brought out hot toast and I was delighted to see that it had nice yellow scrambled eggs instead of the white ones you find in town – so tasty!

They can also make pancakes and have excellent homemade crunchy toasted muesli with honey and real coffee; just ask them to make it stronger if it’s too weak for your liking.

After a long breakfast I headed back to my tent, found my book and enjoyed the comfort of my hammock that every tent has on one side. I was disturbed by a huge splash of water and found that the bank had eroded so much that a tree from the bank had fallen into the river. Paul told us that when the river is low, lunch and dinner are sometimes served on the sandbars by the creek. Lunch was served in the same place as breakfast: the creek had turned into the Congo, the tree-studded brown muddy water washed away by the torrent. Once again, there is no menu for lunch, but different food every day: salad, homemade rolls, mousaka, cold cuts and cheese. It is not gourmet food, but it is very rich, healthy and homemade. We then retreat to the sitting room where there is a tea buffet and coffee table with great homemade cookies and chocolate chip cookies to snack on while we play gammon. This is also a good time to charge the camera batteries if the generator is running.

The camp has eight tents in total, each with twin beds, solar lighting, shelves for your clothes and a separate en-suite shower and small bathroom with sink and eco-friendly ‘night’ toilet at the rear. You can roll up the tarp so that three sides of your tent are open and let the breeze blow while you enjoy the sounds of forest life outside. Ishasha really is in the middle of nowhere and you can’t hear the traffic and barely have a cell phone signal. The camp does not pretend to be flashy (no wireless internet, no spa, no air conditioning, no pool, no spa treatment, and no fine wine cellar.) but it is comfortable and practical.

The rooms are not lavishly decorated in grand 1920’s campaign style or classic safari camp antiques, but it has all the amenities you need – hot showers, hot and cold water by the sink, and bottled water for brushing teeth and lots of privacy between the tents. . The tents do not have thatched roofs, but take advantage of the natural shade of the trees and blend in with the environment. I especially like the flush “day” toilet that is away from the river and open to the view of the forest. There is nothing better than a bath with a view and if you are a bird watcher I recommend taking your binoculars to see the hornbills as they swoosh through the trees as well as all the other bird species in the trees.

In the late afternoon we went on another safari, first to the Kob lek (breeding ground) which was covered in dancing crested cranes, warthogs and kobs and enjoyed a gin and tonic, beers, nuts and popcorn as the light faded. vanished before returning. for an early dinner. Dinner is a four-course candlelit affair. A starter, soup, main course and dessert. Soups were excellent – cucumber, tomato and basil, pumpkin and sweet potato, varied mains each night – chicken, fish or beef with crispy vegetables including broccoli and cauliflower (a rarity in the jungle), and one night amazingly rich chocolate. dessert. The food is unpretentious, as are the wines but tasty. After dinner, we sat around the fire for coffee before retiring early to bed after an amazing day with nature.

We were unlucky not to see the Shoebill Stork on our trip to Lake George Apartments but all in all considering it was the rainy season we had an amazing time, we did see the splendid Shoebill Stork and one morning we saw more than 200 elephants some with huge tusks, I found a dead lion and saw amazing bird life especially all kinds of birds of prey including an Amur falcon. There is something magical about watching games in Uganda, especially in Ishasha. There are so few other tourists that when you do see game it is largely in untouched surroundings. There is no whistling radio in his car and twenty other vehicles watching the leopard. Not everyone sees the famous tree lions, but that’s what makes it even more special if you do.

Ishasha Wildness Campground is the only campground to stay in Ishasha unless you camp at the campground near the park headquarters. The camp is eco-friendly and works with the Kazinga-Bukorwe Community Trust, which offers tourists alternatives to safaris, such as how the local community is tackling problems like elephants attacking crops. It’s a long ten hour drive to get there, but once you get there, it’s worth it, especially if you’re on your way to or from the gorilla viewing. Forget your phone and internet – get back to nature and spend a couple of nights in this amazing corner of Africa – so magnificent!