Doreen has left the Clouds Family to pursue a wonderful opportunity that she has been presented with… to study overseas.  We wish her so much luck and success!

We have a new child!  About 4 weeks ago, Tamara found two little puppies abandoned near Room 3. They were in a terrible state, and unfortunately the one did not make it.  Shenzi however is now incredibly strong and healthy and a wonderful companion to Ringo.  We are completely convinced that all guests enjoy the dogs company more than ours!

Our Gorilla Family

We are very happy to report that our Nkuringo Group is doing well especially with the continued effort that UWA puts towards conservation.  We think that the one female is pregnant so we are all holding thumbs and hoping that we see another newborn baby again soon. We will keep you posted. Kisoro (silver back number 2) has moved away from the group and moved past the lodge. We sent a team of HUGO members out to try and chase him back to the forest but he was not interested. As for Kisoro we think he has found raiding farms more fun than living in the forest. We are trying to monitor his movements however resources and manpower are limited.

The twins are doing very well. We have not managed to get down there for some time to take pictures but some of our guests have had amazing viewing as they grow in size and confidence. The other day our Head Chef, Michael, managed to get a permit to go trekking for the first time! He came back glowing and loved the experience. It was really rewarding for us to see his appreciation at seeing them for the first time… he said that getting to see the gorillas was a wonderful experience and working on the top of the hill in the middle of nowhere is now worthwhile.

Tamara was also fortunate enough to be able and go and trek the new Nshongi Group that opened for tourism at the beginning of June (it’s a 45 min drive from the lodge). The group is larger than Nkuringo and is doing very well. The trekking is quite tough but very worthwhile.

Our Community

Things are developing in Nkuringo, in spite of tourism being a bit slow – the pressure of the economic situation is not helping. We are however seeing many small changes that really make our work worthwhile. The weavers are making some amazing baskets and we have three different groups (that increase in number daily!) that we are working with and developing. A few days ago we took a group of guests to meet with them and the guests ended up fighting over who bought what basket! It was so fulfilling to see how happy the women were!  One of the biggest struggles we have is to find markets for the baskets, but Virungan Artisans continue to support the weavers here, and we are just so grateful! The baskets are really beautiful and we are very proud to be able to create this small difference with the weavers.  Since we have been working with them, the quality has increased dramatically and the weavers are all beautiful women to work with.

The Ntungamo School Vegetable Project is doing well and it is so pleasing to see the children harvesting some veggies to prepare lunch for the teachers. We have 24 students that have entered a competition to grow a vegetable garden at home. It is fantastic to know that with this small project the diet of 24 families is improving – we are looking forward to this filtering to their neighbours. We have not yet managed to break the ground and start building the teacher’s accommodation but we are hoping to start some time this year. We have managed through the kindness of some guests to clear ground at another two schools to start vegetable gardens which we are very appreciative for.

Other great news is that one of our pigs gave birth around two weeks ago to 10 little piglets. The members of the Pig Project are so happy. We are really pleased that they are now starting to see the rewards for their hard work and dedication. We painted the NCDF office and craft shop to give it a bit of a face lift and now it really catches the visitors’ attention when they are at the UWA office for trekking. We are hoping that this will improve guest interaction at the NCDF shop and get more people interested in getting involved with our projects.

Nkuringo Orphans Group continues to amaze us with their passion and energy, and whether they entertain one guest or ten, their performance never fails to impress. The few sponsored children are doing very well at school. It is watching these children and seeing the slow but meaningful changes that make us realize just how important this lodge is for everyone.

We often wish things could move along faster but appreciate that things take time over here. It is because of our friends that have visited us at the Lodge that we are able to create a difference and for your support we are all eternally grateful.

Upcoming Plans

Well, I kept my promise and the Spa is now officially opened. Lydia has completed her massage training with 8 ladies and we have now recruited 3 ladies to join her team. It is very popular and almost all of the guests enjoy a good massage after a hard gorilla trek. A few guests have been able to see Colobus Monkeys during the massage, which make the experience even more special. It is in the most glorious setting, with views over the Albertine Rift Valley below and is surrounded by forest.

We have not constructed the hot tub as yet but hopefully will be able to do this really soon as I personally can’t think of anything better than sitting enjoying a good bottle wine overlooking the Great Rift Valley after a hard hike!

The lodge is looking great with Tophil and his team putting extra attention into the gardens and our mason reconstructing the walk ways with lava rock. Michael and his staff are doing a fantastic job in the kitchen where his culinary skills are being complemented with our productive veggie garden.

Recipe

We have decided to include a recipe in each of our newsletters, and to make a great impression we will start with the Famous Sticky Chocolate pudding!

(Makes 8 portions)

Ingredients:

Cake

• 200g  butter cut into small blocks
• 200 g dark chocolate roughly chopped
• 4 whole eggs
• 4 egg yolks
• 250mg sugar
• 125mg flour

Sauce

• 125ml milk
• 125ml sugar
• 125ml cocoa powder
• 100g dark chocolate roughly chopped

Method:

Cake

• Preheat the oven to 180*C
• Butter 8 Remikin dishes (small round oven proof dishes)
• Melt together the butter and chocolate in a double boiler
• Whisk together whole eggs, egg yolks and sugar until stiff peaks are formed
• Slowly mix in the chocolate sauce once cooled into the egg mixture
• Stir in the flour
• Pour into Remikins about 2/3 full
• Bake for 15 – 20 minutes – just till crusty but centers are still runny

Sauce

• Bring the milk, sugar & cocoa powder to the boil
• Remove from heat and add chocolate – stir until melted
• Turn out warm puddings onto individual plates and cover with warm chocolate sauce
• Garnish as you like!

We hope you enjoy the dessert and think of us in Nkuringo while you serve it at your dinner parties.

Gorilla Greetings,
Gary, Tamara and the Clouds Family

The local community had their ground breaking ceremony in March and over three and a half thousand people turned up for the celebration.

Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge, with the ultimate goal of protecting the natural habitat of the mountain gorilla, will also directly benefit the community of Nkuringo who have a significant stake in the venture.

Clouds is being built on Nteko Ridge, on the edge of the southern side of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. Buhoma Bwindi is on the northern side. You can walk between the two areas through Bwindi Impenetrable forest and it will take about 5 hours. Driving takes about the same amount of time, as you have to drive the long way around. We are a good 1,000 feet higher than Buhoma so you are looking down over Bwindi from the lodge.

From Kisoro, the road will then climb up towards Nkuringo, which offers excellent views including the triangular peaks of the Virunga Volcanoes of Rwanda and the Congo, the Western Rift Valley and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

We have built 10 Stone Cottages with 2 of these being double-roomed family units for people traveling together. The main building with reception, dining, shop and bar area will also have six fireplaces to keep it a cozy area throughout the day. Views from the main balcony area stretch across to Rwanda and the Virungas as well as all the way across the border towards Goma in the Congo.

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. Lions are common visitors these days and herds of elephants have currently taken up residence in the riverine forest. The lion pictured here is fondly known as “Mr. Clean” as he has no visible scarring or notches in his ears. He is a beautiful creature and has been seen regularly near the lodge and along the driveway.

Other excitement this month centered on an injured buffalo and the medical rescue performed by the Uganda Wildlife Authority veterinarian. The buffalo, which had a gaping wound on it’s neck, was successfully darted and treated with antibiotics and it’s progress has been monitored by rangers and lodge staff and we were very excited to see him with his mates looking scared but very healthy.

Semliki is also very excited about the discovery of a forest buffalo within the reserve. These buffaloes are a West African species so it is very rare to find them in East Africa, they do have the specific physical traits that distinguish forest buffaloes from their savannah counterparts: small stature when fully grown, lighter brown color and smaller horns.

For Bookings and more information on our Wildplaces properties, please contact:
info@wildplacesafrica.com

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!

The dry season brings out the best nightjar viewing in Semliki. The long-tailed and pennant-winged nightjar have been seen in the warm evenings, as the road surfaces attract these beautiful birds and are a regular sight on night game drives in Semliki.

Having spent the weekend at Semliki with some friends we had the most spectacular game viewing. Lion, Leopard, Forest Elephant and lots of Uganda Kob and their young were spotted on a Friday night game drive. In the morning on Lake Albert we found Shoebill, red-throated bee-eaters, African pygmy-geese and northern migrants. You don’t have to know a lot about birds or even twitcher to enjoy being on the lake. Semliki has had 100 percent success rate with the Shoebill sightings in 2007 and so far in 2008, long may it continue!

Apoka Safari Lodge

With the dry season in full swing in Kidepo, it has caused our game to concentrate around the water holes and the Narus River. Walking safaris have become much easier after huge amounts of burning, we have rediscovered forgotten areas, they had become restricted due to last years heavy rain’s and long grass. Herds of Elephants in the valley are happily gorging on the fruiting Desert Date trees.

The World Conservation Society team has been busy fitting GPS radio collars on six female Elephants, we hope to know where our Elephants migrate to and if they really go deep into the Sudan. WCS want to also research the crocodiles in Kidepo to discover more on why they are so small and how they have survived.

More babies for Kidepo, as we found one of Tim’s pride lioness has three, two month old cubs, also our Eland herd has a another addition so are now up to eleven.

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.

December has been a very good month for Pangolin and we were lucky enough to have two sightings of these elusive anteaters, both sightings were within a week and during daylight hours – a very exciting find!

Semliki Safari Lodge

Semliki Safari Lodge is currently participating in an elephant DNA study. Dung samples are being collected from around the reserve and given to the Uganda Wildlife Authority which is facilitating the study within Uganda. The dung provides valuable DNA information that will be used to create an international elephant DNA database to help wildlife officials combat the illegal trafficking of elephant tusks. Anti trafficking officials will soon be able to match the DNA from confiscated tusks to DNA in the database in order to determine the origin of the tusks and thus identify elephant populations in need of improved protection and better anti-trafficking measures.

Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge

We are really looking forward to the opening of our new Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. Opening mid to late 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.

The Lions have been magnificent with common sightings of as many as eight in a sausage tree! Romance ran high with Winston and his new lioness, they stayed for 3 days in a big sausage tree over looking the river.

Quite a sight to see a 450lb male lion in a tree. Huge herds of Cape Buffalo have also been making their way back through the park, we counted easily over 1,300 buffalo! We had a confirmed sighting of a Denham’s Bustard, a huge bird similar to the Kori Bustard. Both these birds are on the Kidepo bird list but have not been seen for a while. We also had a very quick sighting of a Caracal, one of our smaller cat species.

The Semliki Wildlife Reserve is currently at its most lush, providing ideal feeding grounds for its elephant and buffalo herds. With all of the acacia trees and flowering plants in bloom, the reserve is a perfect resting spot for numerous bird species travelling through as they migrate south for the winter.

A Primate Odyssey…

Semliki’s chimpanzee population is one of just a handful of dry habitat chimpanzees existing in the world today. Recently a group of primate researchers planning to study individual groups of chimpanzees throughout Uganda were so impressed with the uniqueness of Semliki’s chimps that they cancelled the remainder of their trip through Uganda to spend a full week with our chimpanzee group. The timing is excellent as Semliki chimpanzee sightings in recent months have never been better.

A proposal to return and study the chimpanzee vocalizations in Semliki is currently being submitted. A newly constructed waterhole is already attracting animals of all kinds looking for an easy drink. The waterhole is situated in the flat, grassy savannah in front of the lodge so that guests can enjoy wildlife sightings from their verandahs. The spot should become an even more popular destination during the upcoming dry season with regular visits from animals looking to quench their thirst.

Hyenas are making a comeback in Semliki! We recently found distinctive hyena tracks in the Western savannah area of the reserve. While there have been reports of hearing hyena calls in the reserve, this will be the first documented track sighting of a lone male hyena. Hopefully additional hyenas will follow to create a healthy population within the reserve.

We are still having rain with the area experiencing the most rain it has had in almost 35 years. But we are not letting it get us down. With spectacular sunny mornings we still get to experience the beauty of the park and its animals.

Our Kidepo Lions have been keeping us very entertained over the last two months, with lots of sightings of big cats up trees and resting on the big rocky outcrops in the park. They too are trying to escape the rains! On one drive we saw eight members of Tim’s pride high up in a Sausage Tree all on top of one another looking rather uncomfortable. You would think the lions would know by now that there are only so many good spots in a tree.

Three new male lion entered on the Kidepo scene a few months back. We were sure they were going to challenge Tim for his pride, but so far they have made their presence well known but have not encroached on to Tim’s pad. Tim is weary of them and hot on their heels with his regular patrols to show He is the ‘Lion King’. But three males are a strong team and often respond to Tim’s roars.

We have also finally agreed on some names for our new arrivals: Winston (Churchill), Napoleon and Wellington.

The snakes are amazing with all this rain. On our way back from a walk one morning we saw a glimpse of a big African Rock Python, it turned and slid back in to the long grass. After a short tug-of-war, Joe managed to pull the python back onto the road, so we could all see the sheer size of this beautiful four meter snake.

The Elephant are still on awol, traversing far since there is such an abundance of water and lush green grass. We still have the occasional family groups coming through the park and with the dry season fast approaching we await the return of many more. Just a few weeks ago, we were on a walk and spotted some elephant on the next ridge, moving down in our direction. We made our selves comfortable on a huge rock with coffee and one by one at least a hundred elephant walked below us.

Formerly of Hout Bay Manor in Capetown and Beanbag Bohemia in Durban, Shaun has already transformed the restaurant into an eclectic, buzzing ‘place to go’.

Shaun has been trawling the local markets, changing the menu regularly to use the best, freshest seasonal ingredients.

Semliki Safari Lodge was voted ‘Best safari Lodge in Uganda, 2005′ – thank you to Travel News and all their readers, we will endeavor to keep the prize next year!