Tanya in Uganda – Chimpanzee trekking, savannah storms and farewells

With Tanya back in the UK and reflecting on two incredible weeks, we have the final update from her last few days in Uganda.

With all the clinics now completed, it was a chance for Tanya and the rest of the SmileStar team to experience some of Uganda’s most stunning and extraordinary natural beauty.

Day 12

We had an early start to catch the animals in the morning as they woke up and did their morning hunt. Almost straight away we saw a leopard in a cactus tree! Rangers and Jeep drivers talk to each other constantly and we heard of a lion and a lioness who were near a road and so headed in that direction. There were four other trucks all parked up quietly watching as a lioness walked towards us down the road with a lion following. They stopped right by one of the Jeeps and had a drink in a puddle. It was an incredibly powerful moment as they completely ignored our vans and wandered off, the lioness leading and the lion following into the distance.

We also got to see the Ugandan Kob which is a national symbol of Uganda as well as a Palm Nut Eagle. After a three hour or so safari and a visit to the local shops selling crafts, we moved on to a boat trip on Lake Edward. We saw colonies of white kingfishers, as well as malachite kingfishers. There were groups of hippopotamuses (apparently known as a bloat!) and buffalo in the water, as well as elephants along the water’s edge. We even saw a couple of crocodiles and monitor lizard.

We ended the day with another visit to the safari park to see our now familiar leopard and elephants. Sadly everything else had gone into hiding, but I think we were all tired by that point so I don’t blame them.

Day 13

Today, Thursday, was another 5am alarm to go chimpanzee trekking. The part we went to was very near so it didn’t take long to get there thankfully. Again, we were assigned a porter each and a picked up a guide the trackers had left earlier that morning to find the chimps.

The forest was beautiful. It started off as secondary and then turned into primary rainforest. It was alive with the sound of birds and crickets. Being under the canopy was just amazing especially when the sun shone through occasionally.

After about an hour or so we found our first chimps. Their call can carry for up 2km! We changed direction as the trackers had said the chimps they were following had moved and in no time we were upon the group, though it took us a while to find them in the canopy. They don’t like to be looked at and so they throw fruit at you and sometimes worse! Apparently, there were about 50 in this family, but we could not see all of them as they’re so high up and move so fast. We did get to watch a baby and her mum for a really long time which was amazing, just hanging in the tree playing with a stick and generally being a child!

On the walk back we saw some black-and-white monkeys and then as the forest began to open up, it became alive with butterflies. We were then back at the lodge for 1pm for lunch and a little downtime. Another amazing morning full of incredible experiences is that I will never forget.

Just about enough time for a shower and a dip in the pool overlooking the savannah, then we went for sundowners between twin volcanic lakes. A special event had been arranged to celebrate Lee and Claire’s 40th wedding anniversary. A local school came and sang and put on a ‘skit’ for us. The whole time they were performing a rainstorm was brewing behind us and the wind was building. All the chairs were blown over and all the tablecloths were sending glasses flying! The poor kids battled on, faces in to the wind. They were so resilient, with the dust flying straight into their faces. Eventually it died down suddenly and the kids dragged people up to dance with them and it turned into a real party.

Reading their expressions as they performed was like watching a performance at my kid’s school, you could see those that loved the limelight and those that were really not impressed and were performing under duress! It was a completely bizarre experience, dancing on the edge of a volcano in a storm with lightning and a beautiful sunset.

Finally, the rain came and we all ran for the jeeps and headed back to the hotel for dinner and some drinks.

Day 14 & 15

Friday was spent mostly in the Jeep however, I was determined to see elephants from my balcony in the morning before we left the Queen Elizabeth National Park, and after much searching I finally saw a herd very close by. I was able to watch them saunter off towards the forest over breakfast. What a way to end our incredible stay there.

We then started the 10-hour drive back to Kampala. In the village close to the hotel was Kataara Women’s Group Handicraft Centre. This was a cooperative set up to support the local women, the elephants and the local environment by working and through education. Magdalena arranged for us to stop there on our way out this morning, which turned into a rampage as we bought nearly everything they had on offer! They sold such beautiful things, all made locally. There was paper made from elephant dung, as well as jewellery and woven baskets and you could see the press and the framed screens they used to make the paper.

We arrived in Kampala at around 8 in the evening and all ran for the showers! Saturday was our last day in Uganda. We had a leisurely breakfast which we all had great plans for, but in an end in the end just sat talking to each other and reliving the last two weeks. Mitesh took us to a restaurant, Izumi, owned by his cousin In Kampala. What an absolute treat the food and surroundings were incredible. Even better, Hussain who ran the GoWild Forever Journeys safari company that looked after us in the second week brought his wife and baby along. Luckily baby Ivory was very happy to be passed around to everybody and had us all chuckling along with him!

Finally, it was time to leave and we headed back to the hotel to collect our bags and load into the Jeeps one last time. Uganda was a beautiful and surprising country and I loved every minute, both the country itself and its people who only ever showed joy and kindness to us. I feel very privileged to have been given this opportunity to be part of this amazing outreach program and provide care for those who cannot access treatment and it has increased my appreciation of everything I have in my life and made me want to do it all over again. I thank everybody on the trip, you’re all very special people and I look forward to doing this again with you in the future.

With 40 outreach programmes completed already and many more already planned for 2026, 2027 and beyond, find out how you can volunteer or donate to fund the outreach programmes by visiting www.smilestarcharity.com.