Edition 45: Winter 2008/9

Taking time out to drive through Africa in your own 4WD may sound an impossible dream, but in her regular column on self-drive, Mary Askew describes how to achieve it. In this edition she offers advice on keeping your memories safe.

I’m sitting at my desk in North Yorkshire smiling at a photograph. It’s not technically brilliant, but it captures a moment in time perfectly.

We had broken down on the road again. Our brakes had failed just a few miles outside Uganda’s capital, Kampala. While we waited for the mechanic to fix them, cattle trucks crammed with people motored past, the women joyfully ululating, on their way to an annual rally held to celebrate Ugandan independence. We waved cheerfully as the trucks’ mud-flaps, emblazoned with slogans such as “In God I trust” and “Without God there is no life” disappeared into the distance. When I took a picture of the scene, storm clouds were gathering and the heavy smell of damp earth was being carried on the wind – a sure sign that rain was on its way. That night, lured by a billboard promising beer brewed at the source of the Nile, we stayed at a campsite close-by. We were able to pitch our tent right on the edge of the river and at night could hear the roar of the water and see the rapids glint in the moonlight. Photographs become incredibly important when you are on a long overland trip through Africa. Invariably, it is a holiday of a lifetime and you want pictures that will be framed on your wall for many years to come. In addition, there is little room in your vehicle for traditional souvenirs, so photographs become your main keepsakes.

When I realised I was going to be writing about Uganda this month I reached for my photo album and for my diary, as it’s amazing how even the most vibrant memories have dulled with a short space of time. Happily, the photos and my journal help recall it all.

For instance, although I frequently talk about tracking gorillas in Mgahinga National Park, I had completely forgotten that we also visited Uganda’s Queen Elizabeth National Park. We went after reading in a local magazine that the lions there had taken to climbing fig trees to escape from mosquitoes. I was really keen to photograph such unusual behaviour. After all, many people get the chance to photograph lions but few arrive home with shots of lions up trees.

Our journey to the park was spectacular, taking us past a series of small dormant volcanoes, their sides cultivated right up to the craters in hundreds of bright green terraces. We shared the road with villagers cycling to market, their bicycles laden with bananas; and millions of tiny amber butterflies, feasting on salts that had leeched to the surface of the dirt track. Ironically, that night I wrote in my diary, “a day I won’t forget…. this is possibly my favourite campsite in Africa”.

I do remember now. We were camped on the banks of the Ishasha River, the border with the Congo. The river was full of noisy hippos, which floated past at a surprising speed as we had our tea. When the light faded we found ourselves surrounded by thousands of fireflies. We watched their magical display for half an hour before retreating to our tent, when one of the hippos climbed out of the water to graze.

A picture taken the next morning shows us diligently checking our brakes again before we set off in search of the climbing lions. But it’s the following photographs that make me smile again. That night we camped further into the park at Mweya. Our pitch was in a stunning location, perched on top of a cliff overlooking Lake Edward. Looking closely at the photograph I took there, I can see rocks jammed behind the 4WD’s wheels – we were obviously still unhappy with our brakes but couldn’t resist parking up in such a spectacular spot.

Noticeably there is not a single shot of a tree-climbing lion in my collection. We searched for hours, my companion complaining that he didn’t see what the big deal was. “Don’t all cats climb trees?” he repeatedly said. After three days we’d seen elephant, topi, warthog, baboons, Ugandan kob, waterbuck and the lovely crested crane which is Uganda’s emblem. But no tree-climbing lions. It goes to show that it is rarely the photographs you expect to treasure that end up being the ones that give you a lifetime of pleasure.  

Highlights of the Ugandan road

• Gorilla trekking. If your schedule isn’t tight you may be able to save money by waiting for returned unwanted permits. Contact Uganda Wildlife Authority in Kampala for more information. Most people opt to go to Bwindi as the park has four groups of habituated gorillas. However, don’t rule out visiting the single-family group at Mgahinga – it is quieter, the drive from Kampala is fascinating and its basic community campsite is in a wonderful setting. www.uwa.or.ug
• Both Explorers and Speke Camp at Bujagali Falls have great views and offer rafting on the Nile.
• It’s worth stopping off at Sipi Falls if you are heading to the Kenyan border. Crows Nest Campsite is friendly, with good meals.
• Queen Elizabeth National Park doesn’t offer vast concentrations of wildlife, but you’re unlikely to see anyone else on your morning game drive and the camping is fabulous. Treat yourself to lunch or breakfast at Mweya Lodge, which couldn’t be in a more scenic spot. You can now go chimpanzee trekking in the Kyambura Gorge.
• Lake Bunyoni Overland Camp gets rave reviews. www.bunyonyioverland.com

Keeping your memories safe

• The digital age has been a boon for self-drivers. We no longer have to worry about keeping our film cool and finding somewhere reliable to develop it. On the downside however, digital cameras are particularly susceptible to the fine dust that vehicles kick up on dirt tracks. Within days this can work its way into the furthest reaches of your car – and your camera.
• There are a number of things you can do to protect your kit. Firstly, invest in an airtight Peli case. It’s worth having the foam interior designed especially to cushion all your sensitive electrical gear. As extra-protection against dust I store my spare lenses and camera in zip-up plastic wallets inside mine.
• Obviously there are times, such as game drives, when it makes sense to keep your camera close at hand, usually on your knee. On these occasions wrap your camera in a cotton pillowcase. When you switch lenses on your SLR, do so inside the pillowcase to minimise the chances of dirt getting on your sensors.
• The best possible photographic accessory you can have with you is a beanbag. I make my own by cutting off the bottom 45cm of an old trouser leg, filling it with rice and then sewing up both ends. When full, the bag fits over the window ledge of your vehicle, making a great support for your camera.
• For storing digital pictures you will need somewhere to download your memory cards – either a laptop or a portable storage device. On long trips I periodically burn some DVDs of all the pictures I have taken. I send one set home and keep two backup copies in the car, dispensing with one backup set when the shipment has arrived back in the UK.