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!

Jonathan Wright, one of the owners of the new venture, named the hotel after one of the region’s most revered explorers. “We wanted a name that had historical relevance. Emin Pasha was a real character in the history of Uganda,” says Wright “he absolutely loved this part of the world. He felt at home here and had no interest in returning to Europe. He was a naturalist who had learned the cultures and languages of this country, had studied the wildlife and the plants, and had a real affinity for the region. When Stanley came to ‘rescue’ him, he had no desire to leave. As the governor of Equatoria, he was well respected both here and abroad. In turn, he deeply respected the Ugandans. He was very much against the slave trade and was, in fact, killed by slave-traders years later. We like what he stood for. And we like the sound of the name!”

The Emin Pasha Hotel also features areas open to the public, like the Fez Brasserie and Wine Bar. Fez Brasserie is a small restaurant with a varied menu offering the best of continental fusion cuisine. The Wine cellar will be stocked with wines found nowhere else in Uganda, specially imported for the Wine Bar. “We will still serve some of the standard wines that Kampala-based customers are used to, but we also want to be able to offer something completely different and exciting,” says Des’re Reck, the Food and Beverage Manager. “We have started with an initial list of good wines from South Africa. Some of our items on the menu have been devised to go with these specific wines. The menu will change every month and we will be constantly updating our wine list as well.”

The Emin Pasha Hotel will appeal to both tourists and business travelers. Tourists will like the ambience, the comfort and the sense of history, while business travelers will appreciate the internet connections in every room, the direct dial phones, the ideal location, and access to a small meeting room. And Kampala residents will enjoy the fact that there is a new great place to have a glass of wine with friends and enjoy a fabulous meal.

The Emin Pasha Hotel Fez Brasserie and Wine Bar 27 Akii Bua Road, Nakasero PO Box 23825, Kampala, Uganda 041 236 977/8/9.