I reported elsewhere on my "crashing and burning" in Uganda, but the safari itself is more worthy of comment!
A "new" African hunting destination is exciting; several AR guys have been to Uganda and reported, and I suspect a lot of us are interested!
Uganda is different. It's a very small country with (generally) good road networks, with too many people and limited room remaining for wildlife. It is also exceedingly beautiful and friendly. Winston Churchill didn't always get things right (as in the Gallipoli disaster), but he was dead right when he described Uganda as "the pearl of Africa." Despite its small size, game availability varies quite a bit from both north to south and east to west. There are currently five hunting outfitters, all pretty much fledgling operations; and there are definitely some good areas. With such a small industry, it would be sensible if the outfitters could get along--but there has been much disinformation promulgated by one operator or another about his competition. Rather than fall into that trap, I will restrict my comments to the outfitter I hunted with, Christian Weth of Uganda Wildlife Safaris; and the specific areas I hunted.
Despite suggestions to the contrary, Uganda Wildlife Safaris does have legal and viable hunting areas, both private land and public. My safari, with partner Bill Jones and led by veteran professional hunter Tony Moore, took place from March 8-March 24, 2011. We started in the Kafu River drainage, a vast area of private holdings about three hours north of Kampala. From there we went on north to the Aswa-Lolim area. This is a former game reserve, now private land, north of Murchison Falls National Park. While in this area we also went northwest to the Ajai Game Reserve, on the west bank of the Nile.
The Kafu River area is SUPERB. It holds hundreds of miles of papyrus-lined rivers with a limitless supply of sitatunga that have, literally, never been hunted. I am convinced this this is best place in Africa today to hunt sitatunga, and I'll be surprised if they don't pull out the world record East African sitatunga in short order. The variety of other game is not extreme, but what there is occurs in plenty. Nile bushbuck and East African bohor reedbuck wander about like goats. Oribi are legion, and there are lots of E.A. bush duiker.
The camp there was a tent camp, nothing fancy, but plenty comfortable and just fine. My partner, Bill Jones, got a lovely sitatunga there. I didn't hunt them--I have that variety and was watching my budget--but I would love to go back and look seriously for a monster sitatunga.
The Aswa-Lolim area has problems. Murchison Falls is a gorgeous National Park, almost certainly overstocked with every species present--but the hunting area to the north relies on game coming out of the park. This does happen. We got buffalo, Jackson's hartebeeste, and superb Uganda kob, so all went well. But Aswa-Lolim is very much a marginal buffalo area, and one cannot count on a lot of opportunity. On the other hand, these buffalo are very much within the boundaries established for Nile buffalo (north of the Victoria Nile, along the Albert Nile), which makes hunting them much more worth the risk than if they were the more common southern Cape buffalo. The outfitter had a beautiful camp sited on a ridge along the park boundary...but because of water and private land issues we had to sleep in an African guest house across the Albert Nile bridge. Accommodations were thus sub-standard, but food was consistently very good.
We took a day trip up to the Ajai Wildlife Reserve, on the west bank of the Albert Nile about two hours farther north. This area is a beautiful gallery forest with more colobus monkeys than I've ever seen...but as a hunting area it needs a whole lot of recovery. There are a few kob, waterbuck, and bushbuck, but Ajai is perhaps mostly famous as the site of Theodore Roosevelt's "Rhino Camp" in 1909!
My spin: Uganda Wildlife Safaris has unlimited potential for East African sitatunga and the general run of Uganda plains game. Nile buffalo are available, but far from certain, and that's probably where outfitter Christian Weth should focus his efforts.

Here are some of the first reports to come out of Uganda by AR member Don Hooker, aka 'ddrhook', whilst on safari with Steve "Shakari" Robinson of Kuduland Safaris:

Uganda Exploratory hunt: I dreamed of Africa

Bell’s Base Camp: The Greek River Area

Thanks for the report Craig, and happy to hear your doing OK. Very glad to see you posting here again...I guess the silver lining (mostly for us!) is that you have had to sit down long enough that you can play with us on the internet.

Thanks for the report and glad you are feeling well enough to post. Wishing you a full and speedy recovery.

Back at the keyboard, that's a wonderful sign!

Thanks for the Uganda summary and hope you're out amongst them soon enough.

Thanks for your hunt report and your honest assessment of the concessions you hunted and outfitter you hunted with. I echo the sentiments above and am glad you are feeling well enough to hit the PC!

Hey Craig, great to hear from you! Get better fast, ya got a lot more hunting to do.


Mad Dog

Congrats on your buffalo and Royal...that was outstanding! Glad your up to writing some, take care of yourself, David

Thanks for the report Craig. I am also glad to hear that you are recovering well and I hope you find yourself back in the bush hunting once again as soon as possible UBIQUE

You can't keep a good man down. Semper Fi

Welcome back, my friend.

Bill Quimby

Glad to hear you are feeling good enough to post a bit. Hope all is well and wish you the best.

At Dallas, you were thinking about Royal antelope in Ghana before Uganda. Did you connect?

Get well soon.

A 2-fer. You are getting well enough to write and your trip report is very welcome. Certainly appreciate your sharing your trip and look forward to the pics either here or on TAA.

Great to have ya back.

What a great adventure -- you get to report on a brand new safari hunting area -- what could be better than that? Can't wait to read more specific details.

Next thing you know, We'll be reading about your exploratory safari to Sudan, or even Libya. However I suggest you get your ticker back up to snuff before biting off these adventures. I'm afraid you might find a mild heart attack to be the least of you problems in either one of these safari locales!

There is one great trophy in Libya that I would truly love to bag, but I fear it's one of a kind, and somebody is likely to beat me to him! Especially now with my wings clipped back a bit!

I did go to Ghana enroute to Uganda. Steve Kobrine is the outfitter there. He has his stuff together! I got a fantastic royal antelope right off the bat, then a Maxwell's duiker. We spent the rest of the hunt looking for black duiker. They are there: Lots of tracks, two quick glimpses. Royal antelope and Maxwell's duiker are pretty reliable, and I'm sure somebody will get a black duiker pretty soon.
It's a very interesting hunt!
Cheers, Craig

Good to see your are feeling well enough to write a great hunt report! Thanks to all your wonderful articles, shows and DVDs I will be on my first safari in less than 100 days. I cannot wait to see where your next hunt report comes from. From one retired U.S. military man to another; thanks for your service sir!

Thanks for posting. If I can figure out how to work my DVD player I am going to start watching and studying your elephant dvd today.

Glad you are out of the hospital and doing well.

Thx for the report, craig. Would ove to see some pics!!
Glad to hear you are feeling well!

Craig:
Just received your Boddington on Lions and, as usual, a great job by all involved. Very informative, well narrated and some great visual scenes. brought back some memories.

Dutch

Thanks for the report sir, and please keep feeling better.

"limitless supply of sitatunga" - now you've gone and done it. Uganda just moved way up on my list.

Craig: Thanks for the Uganda report. It does take a lot to keep you down. I'm very glad you are feeling well enough to return to the key board and hopefully soon to the bush. MMP

if you like big number there are lots of record book animals in Uganda. Craig is a better judge of that than me Steve (shakari) Robinson and I talked about the numbers of record size animals we encountered while we where there. I'm Glad Craig made it this year I can't wait to see him in Dallas to swap stories about Uganda

Great report! Thanks and best wishes.

Craig, Great report. Even more happy to hear you are doing fine. I am sure you are getting a bit bored playing handball with the hospital jello by now. I am also sure Donna isnt going to let you do anything until you are 100%. You know they always have our best interests at heart even if we might not quite agree somtimes. Keep us posted and I would also like to hear some more about the little ones in Ghana.

Craig,

Glad but not surprised you had a great hunt but even more glad to hear you're on the road to recovery!

The other thing about Uganda that really takes my breath away is the incredibly beautiful scenery. I've seen many good looking parts of Africa but nothing at all comes close to the beauty of Uganda.

Uganda, seems to be the place to go if you want to see what is left of old Africa.

We had better all go soon, before it all disappears in front of our very eyes.

Sounds like a great experience, great to hear from you.

Craig. It is great to hear you are doing so well. The Ghana trip is on my list in the next couple years. I really want that Royal.
That trophy in Libya you mentioned might be an exciting trip but that full mount would be the ugliest thing in any trophy room.

one point of interest LANE was the second american to hunt the pian upe area of Uganda. as far as I know. and I was third meet Lane in camp a true gentleman

Glad you're feeling a bit better!