I got tired of chasing national parks

The title calls for an explanation, I know. It is hard for me to say where to begin, but I will summarize a few observations:
-- in Bwindi NP hiking costs 70$, plus extra for the guides, but the village next to it does not have electricity.
-- local "pygmies" were evicted from the national park, so left without a livelihood; but as compensation their lifestyle, on the border of the national park, has been made a tourist attraction, on which profits they now depend.
-- most locals in volcanoes NP or Bwindi (from talking) never see a gorilla, monkeys, or whatnot, you only see white tourists visiting here to spend inordinate amounts (1500$/750$) for visiting gorillas. I was the only one doing a "nature walk" which costs $70 atminimum.

Visiting National Parks feels like a travesty to me: everything of the culture you experience is distilled, blended with what tourists will want to see, and tuned to tourists' desires. Then again, it is the only place to see any nature where there are no people everywhere (and I mean everywhere); I guess I just wanted to relax without chasing tourist attractions for a bit. I did do some birdwatching in Bwindi, where I saw around 20-30 different kinds of birds I have never seen before.

Ok with that rambling out of the way, let's look at some nice pictures of nature here, shall we?

I went back to Rwanda for a week, hanging out with some people I met in Musanze city. Now I am in Uganda again, again on my way to another national park.Read more