An African Adventure – Peter & Jane D’Olier

We have just returned from 4½ weeks travelling through Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Uganda and what a wonderful journey we had! We spent 15 days in Ethiopia experiencing the cultural side of this very ancient country and peoples. Firstly, we visited a number of tribal villages in the Omo Valley to experience these ethnic groups in their traditional village settings and were even invited to join in weddings and other ceremonies taking place at the time. Visiting the tribes was amazing.

The second part of our Ethiopian journey to the north of the country was totally different where we visited Gondor, the ancient capital of Ethiopia from the 17th to 19th centuries, with its wonderfully preserved imperial castles and palaces, and the Semien Mountains with its extraordinary scenery and troupes of gelada monkeys. Whilst in the north we also visited the famous 12th–13th century orthodox Christian churches carved out of the rock around Lalibela. An amazing experience of very early Christianity and its ongoing influence on Ethiopia today.

To avoid the rainy season, the best time to visit these countries is the dry period, which meant Ethiopia was very dry and dusty, but the next part of our travels through Rwanda and Uganda were a complete contrast with their equatorial forests and savannah plains.

Visiting Rwanda and Uganda means you also have to confront their recent distressing pasts which may still be bubbling below the surface, but unfortunately this is the reality of this part of the world. We were in Rwanda to see the golden monkeys and the famous mountain gorillas. This involved treks through farmlands and forests for an hour or more, but what an experience when you find them! Imagine being in the middle of a troupe of 25 giant gorillas in the middle of their jungle with them moving around you and even coming up to touch you. This was unforgettable and well worth the cost. It was the reason for being there.

We then crossed the border into Uganda for the final 10 days of our journey. We stayed at a number of national parks where we drove on early morning and afternoon safaris to see birds and all sorts of game from small to huge. Imagine elephants coming up to the door of your 4-wheel drive and standing within metres of rhinoceros. The good thing about safaris in Uganda is that you are in national parks that are not crowded compared to other parts of Africa with their game reserves and hordes of tourists.

The other highlights of Uganda were the Murchison Falls National Park with its wildlife and birds along the banks of the Victoria Nile River and our arrival at the base of the magnificent Murchison Falls. There was also birdwatching in the Mambaba wetlands on Lake Victoria, culminating with finding the shoebill stork which looks like something from the age of the dinosaur.