Hippos, Chimps and Blue Turacos: A Uganda Recce

06.03.2026

Ninian and I went for a quick recce to look at new camps on the Kazinga Channel in Uganda, and to check out some roads that Ninian hadn’t driven in decades.

The River Station and Honey Bear were lovely – literally surrounded by hippos, so it was very, very noisy at night! Lions walked through the middle of camp roaring, and large herds of elephants came down to drink in the heat of the day. The boats were great and the birdwatching on the edge of the water was fantastic. They are the only camps in the Kyambura Game Reserve, which meant we didn’t see a single other tourist on our game drives.

We drove from Kyambura to Bwindi along the road that goes past the western side of the Maramagambo Forest and down to the Ishasha sector. The road was much improved from the state it was in 30 years ago, and it was such a treat for us to drive through all of the different ecosystems again. We saw so many different habitats with a huge variety of plants, birds, and primates. We got to do some chimp trekking too, in Kalinzu and Kyambura. A few snaps below, including my favourite moment of the trip: finding a teenage chimp stuffing his face with ripe figs. Gluttony personified!