How do the trackers know where the gorillas are? Gorillas are basically very lazy. They go to sleep around 5:00pm and wake up around 8:00am in the morning. That’s when they start moving, eating for hours, take some naps, eat some more and go back to sleep. (Sounds like a good life to me.) There [...]
“Travel Tips & Advice on Uganda & Rwanda”
More Time With The Amahoro Gorillas of Rwanda
February 4th, 2007 
Sheila Simkin Gorillas share 95% of our genes and are susceptible to the same viruses as us. Francois filled us in on even more details: – In the entire world, there are approximately 625 gorillas in the wild, entirely in Rwanda, Uganda and the Congo. – Females have the same gestation period as humans – 9 months, [...]
At Last – The Rwanda Amahoro Gorillas
February 3rd, 2007 Sheila Simkin Now it was getting serious. Through the bamboo forest, stinging nettles, narrow, muddy, slippery trails…holding on to bamboos trying not to fall…watching out for vines that would get entangled around our legs…one after anothe in single file…with ex-Marine and myself in the front (I guess we were the oldest). It was around 8:15am when we [...]
Rwanda Mountain Gorillas, The Amahoro Group
February 2nd, 2007 Sheila Simkin This long awaited day had finally arrived and we were nervous and excited. Dressed in a lightweight fleece top, long pants, gaiters and boots, we were ready to eat breakfast and leave. Arriving at Volcanoes National Park, everyone was amazed to see the goings-on. Various tour groups, guides, park rangers running around, registering people, drinking [...]
Posted in Africa, Uganda & Rwanda 
Tags: adventure, africa, destination, event, events, information, landmark, log, mountain gorillas, nature, Rwanda, sightseeing, travel, Volcanoes National Park 
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Over The Border Into Rwanda to Visit The Endangered Mountain Gorillas
February 1st, 2007 Sheila Simkin Our first impression of Travelers Rest Hotel? Great food! (You can tell I really travel on my stomach.) Too bad we can’t savor it…Pat is so tightly wound that you can almost feel the vibrations coming off him. For good reason. We had to get to the Rwanda border before it closed for the night [...]
Heading From Uganda to Rwanda for Long-Awaited Mountain Gorillas
January 31st, 2007 Sheila Simkin This day should really be called…”The big mudhole day.” We knew it was going to be a long ride over not-so-good roads but no one ever expected the sequence of events that followed. Out of Ishaha Tented Camp, goodbye to my leopard on the prowl, and fabulous tree-climbing lions. No more savannas, instead hilly terrain [...]
Posted in Africa, Uganda & Rwanda Tags: adventure, africa, cruise on channel, destination, event, events, information, landmark, log, mountain gorillas, nature, Rwanda, sightseeing, travel, Uganda No Comments »
The Most Unusual Tree Climbing Lions of Uganda
January 30th, 2007 Sheila Simkin I awoke several times during the night hearing unusual sounds (other than ex-Marine’s snoring). The leopard made his rounds and thanks to Pat’s detailed explanation and demonstration of leopard vocalization, I was positive it was a leopard I was hearing. The sounds came from right by our tent and even though we were zipped in [...]
Posted in Africa, Uganda & Rwanda Tags: adventure, africa, cruise on channel, destination, event, events, information, Ishasha Tented Camp, landmark, lions, log, nature, Queen Elizabeth National Park, sightseeing, travel, Uganda No Comments »
Fantastic Ishasha Tented Camp, Uganda
January 29th, 2007 Sheila Simkin Queen Elizabeth National Park was originally called the Lake George and Lake Edward Game Reserves and renamed in 1954. There are 10 crater lakes, 10 primate species and 20 predators within the Park boundaries. And we finally arrived at Ishasha Tented Camp…View image. Ishasha has six East African-style luxury tents, again with its own private [...]
Queen Elizabeth Nat’l Park, South and Ishasha, Uganda
January 28th, 2007 Sheila Simkin Breakfast and off to the south end of Queen Elizabeth National Park. The roof covers were flipped open on our 4WD’s, all the better for game-viewing during the ride. Today’s destination was Ishasha Tented Camp for two nights and Pat filled us in on a few new facts while driving: – The highest mountain in [...]
Cape Buffalos, Birds and More Mweya Lodge in Uganda
January 27th, 2007 Sheila Simkin At one time there were 15,000 Hippos in Lake Edward but a mass slaughter took place during the ’60′s for meat and there are now approximately 4,000. Eighty percent of Lake Edward is in the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo). Nile crocodiles were reintroduced into Lake Edward during the ’80′s. We certainly saw enough Hippos, [...]
