Safari!

It was the day of our safari! The energy was up, and everyone was excited all morning. We couldn’t wait until the afternoon! Most visitors to Murchison Falls National Park were going early in the morning because some people say more animals are out, but we’d planned our safari for the afternoon because it would be rather hard to watch for lions half-asleep! Anyway it came through, early or late in the day, we were ready… ready for a trip on the African Savannah.

After lunch that day we headed to the ferry that was going to take us across the Nile River where we were going to start our safari. It was pouring rain as we waited. It wasn’t very fun to get wet and seemed like a bad omen. Luckily for us, the rain passed over just in time for us to board the ferry. We stared down at the murky water as we passed over the Nile, and I couldn’t help but feel just a twinge of fear knowing crocodiles could lie just below the surface.

This feeling completely disappeared, though, when we saw the amazing safari vehicle on the other side that was awaiting us. It was so cool! Its height easily allowed us to look over the tall grasses. This also made it both literally and figuratively ‘a step up’ from our own tiny car.

The vehicle, of course, wasn’t the coolest part. The animals were what made the safari! The first animals we saw were Jackson hartebeests which are tan colored deer-like creatures with hooves and tall antlers that go straight up. As the trip went on, we saw things like elephants and Rothschild’s giraffe, a very endangered type of giraffe. Up in a tree we also saw something very rare – a leopard! It was even moving, climbing down the tree! To my great displeasure, though, Murchison Falls didn’t have zebras. We did see herds of water buffaloes, as well as some beautiful brightly colored birds, such as a Red Bishop and a type of Bee-eater bird. We also saw some not-so-pretty birds such as the vultures we saw perched up in a tree. Towards the end as we passed the Nile, we even saw some hippopotamuses. The only disappointment was that we didn’t see any lions, but all-in-all it was a successful safari. It was so amazing to see animals in the wild. Most zoos try to replicate this, but nothing can beat free and in the wild!

When the safari was over, we missed the ferry but got a small motorboat to take us back. It was a great way to reflect on all that we had seen. It was so peaceful staring over at the sunset over the Nile. Now as I look back and think of what it means for an animal to be free, I realize we all must work to continue this fragile but wonderful circle of life. Look outside, look around you, there is so much we can preserve for the many generations to come in the future.