Akagera

Today had safari #2 on the docket.  A true safari in comparison to visiting the golden monkeys, we boarded our safari bus at 4:00 AM again this morning and headed to Akagera National Park on the eastern border of Rwanda (by Tanzania).  We once again had Claude the bus driver as well, but this time neither vehicle had a flat (we split ourselves into two groups, and the other group had a flat early in the trip on Friday).  And for those keeping track at home, I have now been to the northern border of the country (Volcanoes National Park), western border of the country (Lake Kivu), and eastern border of the country (Akagera National Park).  Of the three directions we’ve traveled, I’d say this area came across as the poorest, and I noticed that a number of the kids outright held out their hands in a sort of begging gesture rather than waved. (With a mass of kids waving as we pass everywhere we go, it’s likely that a number of them do so in hopes that we’ll stop and give them something, but up to this point begging has been mostly reserved for when we’re walking by some children). 

Anyway, the park is quite large, and it took us 7 hours to get from the southern section to the northern section (a whole lot longer than the golden monkey expedition, which cost twice as much).   From the outset, the safari actually seemed promising.  We saw a bat hanging from the welcome center building, and we saw some baboons, monkeys, and monster storks early on in the trek... and then came the flies.  Two hours of flies.  Constant bombardment of flies.  Biting, blood sucking flies.  We saw a couple fish eagles and some warthogs in what I’ll call the “fly zone,” but it was mostly flies.  These flies could bite through clothes.  These flies also could survive kill shot after kill shot.  They also seemed to revel in the smell of DEET. I was twitchy the whole ride home anytime I thought I felt something, so let’s hope there’s no long-lasting trauma.

After the fly zone, we finally started finding some animals.  We had been warned ahead of time that many of the animals had likely migrated toward the northern end of the park where more water was available (it’s the dry season here), and that seemed to be the case.  Early on in the “animal zone” we saw a number of hippos, water buffalo, and impalas.  The impalas then carried on for the rest of the park (they’re everywhere), and we stopped at a distance from a lake where we could see some elephants through binoculars.  Zebras were another animal in large supply (also everywhere), and we reached a plain with a number of giraffes as well.  Overall, it was a good time, and I was able to borrow someone’s point-and-shoot camera to get a few shots (although they were spread over two SD cards, and my computer seems to only read one of them).  With that said, I’ve decided to share a few pics along with some wikitrivia (I’m going to force you non-clickers to learn something today). 

-Scott

Impalas: The breeding season of impalas, also called rutting, begins toward the end of the wet  season  in May.  The entire affair typically lasts approximately three weeks.  While young are usually born after 6-7 months, the mother has the ability to delay giving birth for an additional month if conditions are harsh.  When giving birth, a female impala will isolate herself from the herd, despite numerous attempts by the male to keep her in his territory.

Zebras: Zebras have excellent eyesight.  It is believed that they can see in color.  Like most ungulates, the zerba has its eyes on the sides of its head, giving it a wide field of view.  Zebras also have night vision, although not as advanced as that of most of their predators.

Giraffes: Old males are sometimes nicknamed "stink bulls."  There are at least eleven main aromatic chemicals in the fur, although indole and 3-methylindole are responsible for most of their smell.  Because the males have a stronger odor than the females, it is also suspected that it has a sexual function.