Chimpanzees...

This morning after breakfast overlooking the amazing view, we drove about an hour to Kibale National Park. In the morning, we did a walk through the marsh where we saw numerous bird species including the Great Blue Turaco, which is fairly rare. We also saw two other species of monkeys: the grey cheeked mangabey and the red colobus. We then had a traditional Ugandan meal at a place called Tinka’s. We ate sitting on the floor on woven mats. The meal started with some of the local tea flavored with a bark that had a cinnamon-like taste. The bulk of the meal included cassava, squash, rice, boiled green mashed bananas, spinach and carrots, beans, corn meal wedges with peanut sauce and sesame sauce. It was very good and very filling. After digesting for a short while, we went for to see the chimpanzees that this area is known for. We walked briskly through the forest, which was flatter and less dense than at Bwindi, and found a group of about twenty chimpanzees eating in a fig tree. Unfortunately, they did not come down from the tree so we just caught glimpses of them in between the leaves. There was a baby that was clearly interested in us and kept peering down at us. It was wonderful to see them. Afterwards, we returned to Ndali, where we showered and are packing in preparation for part two of our journey.

-Karen