Murchison Falls

Murchison Falls National Park is one of the most beautiful places in Uganda. It is covered in savannah grassland and savannah woodland, and it houses thousands of wild animals. Five of us traveled to Murchison, spending 3 days and 2 nights in the Sambiya Lodge. We stayed in three lovely cottages—circular stone huts—which were great.

Highlights of the trip:
*Riding atop our car—a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado—in order to see the landscape and animals more clearly




Holly, and I, then Jonathan, Holly, and I.












*Seeing tons of animals: giraffes (my favorite!), lions, elephants, monkeys, hippos, crocodiles, antelope, the Ugandan Kob, water buffalo, warthogs, and more. It was absolutely amazing! There is nothing like watching a line of giraffes casually walk across the road or stand eating right next to you!


































*We came across a female lion and her cubs right after the female had killed a small kob (an animal like a gazelle). We drove our vehicle within five feet of them as they were lying in the grass, eating their breakfast! I was sitting on top of the car with two of my friends, and it was so crazy that we could get so close!















*Murchison Falls: This park has a gorgeous waterfall. The water of the Nile river rushes over the falls with such force, spraying huge amounts of mist up into the air. It is a beautiful and awesome sight. I was able to stand in a spot so that it felt like I was almost in the midst of the waterfall—it was coming over some rocks right near me, but it didn’t reach where I was standing.










Megan, Holly, and I in front of the Falls















Murchison Falls as seen during the boat tour I took.








*I was able to watch the last sunset of 2007 and the first sunrise of 2008!

This is where I rang in the New Year. My friends and I all drank sparkling peach and apple cider as the clock struck midnight. I didn’t get to see the ball drop in Times Square or bang pots and pans (as is my family’s tradition ☺). Instead, I was outside, with amazing stars and fireflies for company.
Happy 2008!