A one man's Safari through Uganda and Rwanda Respectively.

Arriving in Kampala, Uganda, one of the first things I noticed were sign posts everywhere referring to "CHOGM." The city had recently hosted the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, and many hoped it would put Uganda on the map. The overriding question around town had been "Are you ready for CHOGM?"

After a couple of days in Kampala, where I was starting to feel at home, I set off on a three-day organized trip to Murchison Falls National Park. Heading next to Jinja, 90 minutes outside Kampala, White water rafting along the Nile was fun, and you must not miss this while in Uganda. Our instructor tells us confidently "if you end up in the water, just hold your breath and wait until you surface." Well, I can vouch for this being true, although it seemed to take forever (in reality a few seconds). I wholeheartedly recommend this adrenalin-filled adventure. While in Jinja i got a bike traveled through villages that rarely see Mzungos. This is Swahili for "white person," and a jovial word you hear from excited children as they wave.

The highlight of the game drive was seeing a lioness with her cubs, while the Nile boat trip afforded many chances to see hippos and the formidable Nile crocodile, which can grow to six meters! The falls themselves are spectacular, and even more so because they have not been turned into a tourist haven. No barriers or ice cream trucks here. Our accommodation was fixed tents in an open camp, so nipping to the washroom during the night required a quick check to see if any hippos were around, because they "like their space" and I wouldn't argue with that.

Traveling to Rwanda.

I traveled independently using public transport. Buses are regular, cheap and comfortable enough. The driving is always fast, and accidents do happen. Many tourists opt to rent cars, but I wouldn't miss the opportunity to mix with locals.

Finally, it was time to head southwest into Rwanda's capital city of Kigali.

Rwanda isn't called "Land of a Thousand Hills" for nothing, in fact streets here in Rwanda are clean, traffic orderly, roads excellent and speed limits are even obeyed not like the craziness of Kampala. The Genocide Memorial is a powerful sight and should be on the list of all visitors. Then the excitement of looking forward to the Gorilla tracking trip that was booked months earlier was at a peak. After a morning trek, the first gorilla came into view, and seeing these creatures in their own habitat and watching their everyday behavior is a huge privilege.

While with the gorillas we felt safe and comfortable since they first showed little interest in us then we got a chance to see silver backs which are so huge.

Following a wonderful stay on beautiful Country Rwanda, i returned to Uganda spent more two nights on Lake Bunyonyi which is the deepest Crater Lake in Africa.