Rhinos, this is the closest “big game” to see in proximity to Kampala. An easy two and a half hour drive towards Murchison, we arrive at Amuka Lodge, in the heart of the rhino sanctuary. It is hot and the shade by the bar is most welcome. A quick change and a dip in the pool make my day.
The people in charge are doing amazing work at the sanctuary; having started from scratch they now have 19 rhinos, most born and raised here. It might be a sanctuary but make no mistake, the rhinos are most certainly wild, the area is huge and you have to drive through the bush to find the animals, if you are not lucky to see them when they stroll through the lodge area, push around “stuff” that lays around, and even enter the pool…
In the morning we start up with a well-deserved breakfast, we get briefed on the do’s and don’ts of rhino tracking…”don’t run”, “stay calm” and hide behind the trees…IF something happens, we take off for a short drive…
My eyes are everywhere, see there are not only rhinos here; warthogs, hippos, bush bucks, monkeys and birds… There are a number of leopards in the area as well. We spot the rangers and know the rhinos are close, yet surprisingly hard to spot.
The ones we see are a mother and young calf, eating grass, baby jumping around, and my camera goes as wild as the rhinos.