"Don't move!"

"What is it?"

"I can see him. This might hurt a little."

"Wha……."

Thwack! I got the tsetse!

You have to take him between your fingers and actually crash it to death. A simply slap will do nothing to this menace, and scourge, of bush travelers anywhere.

"Thanks, but that hurt!"

"Better that than if he bit you!"

Tsetse flies have a bite that feels like you have been pricked by a large sharp needle! Fabled Murchinson Falls National Park, arguably the jewel in Uganda's National Park crown. It is just Bwindi's gorillas that make it far more popular. But the north of Uganda has long been a conflict zone. When the British eventually brought their considerable colonial administrative prowess to bear, they decided that the north would do without the necessary resources to help "develop" it. Impoverished men would be more willing to join the armed forces or become labourers. It was simply a policy of creating, and sustaining a suppy and demand. Only that it was measured in poverty and greed and human suffering was the grease that made the machine's wheels turn. It is from here that the infamous Milton Obete and Idi Amin came from. It is also where the Lord's Resistance Army has been operating for years. It was also the base for the now mainstream political party's guerilla army of the National Resistance Movement.

The region further north of Murchison Falls has seen even greater instability. The borders between Uganda, Sudan, Ethiopia and the DRC are just drawings on a map. Out there, it is how is actually holding the ground that determines the politics out there. The Ugandan People's Defence Force has done much to bring law and order, or at least a stable regime to the region. But with the discovery of massive oil deposits under Lake Albert, this could all change again.

But for now Murchinson Falls NP seems a haven of peace. The park is divided into the north and south and both sides are completely distinct from each other. The south is closer to humans and is without wildlife. That which you see is fleeting, and but a flash of colour that disappears into the long green grass. Even the baboons are extremely shy and edgy. Perhaps poaching is more rife than anybody cares to mention. Or is really bothered about. It is only the tsetse flies that act with impunity. These b*****s are as long as the first digit on your finger and need to be crushed to death to reduce their numbers. They are also the vectors for "sleeping sickness" in humans and livestock a like. Here in MFNP, they tend to stick to the southern sector of the park. Thankfully. Besides the massive Budongo Forest reserve, home to the last remainng wild chimp troupes in Uganda, the southern sector feels very empty.

Once you cross the Nile, you are in a different country. Rolling savannah plains stocked thick with wildlife. Ugandan kob, elephant, buffalo and giraffe are plentiful here. Where further south in Africa, a landscape like this would have baobabs dotted around, this landscape has date nut palms. Until you get used to it, you feel that something is not quite right. Palms are not just for the beach! To get anywhere in Uganda, you need to go by road. And those roads are not in good condition. So getting around is part and parcel of any trip, anywhere. After two days of long drives, one river crossing, ever changing landscapes and much wildlife later we made camp.

What a place. Across the lake was the Congo. Earlier that day we had been to see the eerie bomb out ruins of what was a famous hotel overlooking the lake. Congo militias come across the lake and did what we saw. Nothing but snakes and leopards use it now. It was nearby that we picked up our armed ranger, for our protection. Naturally. The next day was back to the Nile and trip up the river to the park's namesake. As you get closer, the more churned up froth becomes evident. This froth is like icebergs that break off the main sheet and slowly drift out to sea. Here the froth flows downriver and the closer you get to the Falls the more dense the froth becomes. You hear the dull roar before you see the Falls. Even though you may know the facts and figures. It is still and awe inspiring sight. The entire portion of the Victoria Nile flows through a cleft 6m wide and falls 44m to the valley below. It does this in 42m. The effect on the landscape is dramatic and profound. It is like a very sudden step change for the river. It falls and crashed through the gap with what might be malevolent anger at this puny obstacle on its path. Who dares to impede this might river's seaward journey! Superlatives can not describe the might and power of this volume of water undergoing this step change. It is truly awesome and mesmerizing. You could stand and watch the water fall through this gap for hours at a time.

Just like Victoria Falls far to the south, it also throws up a cloud of ever present mists and so the surrounding ecology has adapted to this permanently wet environment. Not far away was our campsite. Falling a sleep to the snorts and grunts of the resident hippos and the roar and thunder of the falling water was incredibly special! Another top place in Africa!