Latest News
Newsletter – June
Published: 4 Jul 2010
Semliki Safari Lodge
This lone male lion was hanging around the lodge this week. Here he was photographed just off the lodge driveway in the northern savannah where he relaxed in the shade for most of the day. Later on, he retreated to the car park where he continuously treated guests to a concert of roaring periodically throughout the night. He was still in the car park in the morning when the staff came to work, but eventually moved on down towards the river below the lodge. Read more about this story…
Newsletter – April 2010
Published: 4 Jul 2010
Semliki Safari Lodge
Too much about shoebills, I know, but I had to show off this shot anyway. Shoebills tend to overshadow the fact that a Semliki boat trip is spectacular for so many other species of birds. Marsh harriers, osprey, fish eagles, purple herons, purple gallinules, whistling ducks…the list goes on. After five years of boating on Lake Albert, I recently saw two things I have never witnessed before. One was this beautiful little Pygmy goose, a lifer for me. Then this open-billed stork with a meal hardly any other bird can manage, a fresh water mussel. The shape of its bill makes it the perfect tool to pop the shell open. Read more about this story…
Newsletter – February 2010
Published: 18 Mar 2010
Cyanometra, ironwood, is producing seed pods by the thousands in Semliki’s riparian forest valleys. Dry habitat chimpanzees love ironwood seeds , so that is where we have been finding them and have been able to spend quality time with them. Read more about this story…
Newsletter: January 2010
Published: 17 Mar 2010
Semliki is special for many reasons, but to quote writer Melanie Finn who visited several years ago: “Semliki allows you to give leave to your senses”. So in this spirit of letting go, let’s celebrate the smaller things that come to the forefront when you do indeed give leave to your senses. Ever wondered what makes that wonderfully comic, liquid ‘boink’ when you listen to the forest at night? It’s the Senegal Kassina, a tiny little tree frog. Despite the fact that these creatures are widely distributed throughout Africa, they are tremendously difficult to see…unless you know where their hiding spots are. Which we do! Read more about this story…
Newsletter – July 2009
Published: 20 Jul 2009
Greetings from a very dry Nkuringo! The days continue to roll into one another with quite a few highlights that we would love to share with you. We keep finding that we are running out of hours in the day as we continually engage in building the sustainability of our community and the people living on this fragile side of the Bwindi Forest. I am pleased to tell you all that Tamara has settled in well to our new home and although her body is adjusting to the 18 hour work days she loves every moment of it. The lodge is doing well. Not as busy as we want it to be but considering the pressures of the global crisis, we are doing better than most, for which we feel blessed. Read more about this story…
Newsletter – August 2008: Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge
Published: 2 Sep 2008
We are very excited with the opening of the community lodge; it’s the first of its kind in Uganda. The other bonus is the community has been given 6 permits a day to go with their community lodge. The Uganda Safari Company is building the Community lodge and has a 15 year management agreement with the local community. Read more about this story…
Semliki Safari Lodge – April 2008
Published: 15 May 2008
We have had an exciting month at Semliki with night time visitors, an animal rescue and the discovery of a new reserve species.
Since the lodge sits along the Wassa River, the dry weather has brought many animals into the camp as they search for water. Read more about this story…
Newsletter – February 2008
Published: 28 Apr 2008
Semliki Safari Lodge
Recent guests to Semliki Safari Lodge were treated to the unusual sight of watching a black chested snake eagle catch and then swallow a full grown puff adder. The snake eagle didn’t waste time chewing, but instead swallowed the large viper like spaghetti! Read more about this story…
Newsletter – January 2008
Published: 29 Jan 2008
Kidepo is baby booming at the moment, we found one of our Kidepo lionesses next to the road resting in the shade of a Sausage Tree with her 5 very small cubs and another mother and daughter are frequently coming to the lodge water hole for an afternoon drink. Along with these, 9 new very cute Warthog piglets and their watchful mum have been coming in for daily wallows. Our Giraffes are doing well, with two calves born in the past few months – bringing our population up to 18. We also have had good Eland sightings, having not seen them for a few months, and are delighted to see that the herd has also increased with 2 new calves pushing the herd up to ten heads. Read more about this story…
Newsletter – November 2007
Published: 29 Jan 2008
At long last the rain have subdued and October has treated us to some Kidepo sunshine. The warmer weather has attracted large herds of elephants to the water logged areas in the valley below. The buffalo mud bath and the fresh water hole in front of the lodge have enticed a remarkable number of waterbuck, buffalo and zebra & hartebeest . The other day we counted 22 zebra fighting for a quick drink in a hot afternoon sun. Read more about this story…
