Entebbe Gardens (second time) and Wildlife Education Centre

 

The weekend was relaxing. I am getting more comfortable taking the matatus around town, mostly because I know the prices generally so I hopefully do not get ripped off. After morning errands and reading at Rwenzori café over coffee and a sandwich, I later had Chinese food with Chris. He told me about his African bus trip to and from Nairobi, which rivaled my bus trip to Kigali in terms of discomfort and unexpected events.

 

 

  

Sarah has been having some logistical issues upon arrival which made mine seem like child’s play. She needed to get out of town as she put it. Chris, Sarah, and I went to Entebbe by matutu yesterday for a fun day of the Botanical Gardens and Wildlife Centre (essentially a zoo). For some reason at the Gardens, one of the men told me to be the guide since I had been there before. I think a big bus required all of their efforts. Plus, more people equal more tips. I took them on a tour and recalled as much as I could from my trip there three weekends ago. We saw/did the highlights including vervet monkeys, Tarzan vine swinging, the sacred coffee bush, and the aromatic bark of the cinnamon tree. We tried to seek out a restaurant run by expats from Laos, but we could not find it and settled for another meal.

 

The Wildlife Education Centre is more an animal orphanage than a zoo, though by appearance one would think only zoo. It is essentially a sanctuary for animals that were harmed by predators, poachers, or were injured. Chris pet one of the vervet monkeys. We saw river otters, warthogs, water buffalo, snakes, zebras, a lion, rhinos, crocodiles, chimpanzees (fascinating mammals), a python, and yes, a donkey. Enjoy some pictures below. The best part was watching Ugandan families have so much fun there. Kids and parents were saying “Pumba!” “Simba!” “Mufasaaa.” They even had an Elder Tree on the site – home of Rafiki.

Chimps at WECLion at WEC

 

 

River otter - WEC

 

 

Vervet monkey up close and personal - WEC

Shoebill stork

Crested crane - WEC