Wetlands: lakes and rivers of western Uganda

There are numerous wetlands of various kinds in this region. They range from small montane swamps and lakes, to large, papyrus-fringed lakes, to the River Nile itself - not forgetting Lake Victoria itself!

All support a good range of aquatic birds. African Finfoot was perhaps the most sought-after on our trip, but not far behind was the near-mythical Shoebill. We saw one in a swamp on our first day in Uganda, and later had great views of two circling over the Nile at Murchison Falls - sadly, we never got really good close-up views of a wild Shoebill - you can't win them all.

Crocodiles, hippos and in one case a small African Rock Python kept us on our toes during three boat rides. As ever, tropical boat trips provide stacks of great wildlife at a nice slow pace - an excellent change from hours in the Landcruiser!

Full blow-by-blow
trip report

Continue to Murchison Falls