Diary of Nile river trip: Part II

A team of white water rafters and explorers are travelling the length of the Nile, from Uganda to the Mediterranean - the first such attempt in more than 30 years.

With the help of aid organisation Care International they will learn about the challenges facing people living along the river and what can be done to improve their lives.

The core team set off on their adventure from Lake Victoria on 17 January.

They have met people displaced by civil war in northern Uganda, endured leeches, and visited Care-backed projects. They have completed the first 1,300 kilometres of their journey.

Natalie McComb, a ground crew member of the 'Settle the Nile' expedition, charts their progress in an occasional diary.

6 February: Murchison Falls National Park

We are still moving through the Murchison Falls National Park in Uganda.

We catch fitful snatches of sleep between rowing shifts

As we camp, we suddenly hear a herd of elephant crashing around in the bush behind us - they are trumpeting but they are not angry!

All night the frogs make a tremendous racket in the reeds, the hippos honk and the elephants are still around.

7 February: Leopards and Lake Albert

I awake suddenly with heart thumping - is it paranoia or did I hear a leopard's rasping cough very near? I hear it again! I try to stealthily control my heartbeat and breathing. That strange low grunt-cough comes again - so close! The leopard moves stealthily around our camp.

I eventually fall back asleep and the leopard leaves us in peace.

In the morning two huge hippos are fighting only metres from us.

Their sheer power is frightening. We reach Lake Albert. Sun sets and we camp under a huge spreading tree. The view is looking straight up the lake northwards and there are Borassis Palms silhouetted against the rising moon.

9 February: Rebel worries

We leave at 5am, the moon is very full and the stars are out. There is an odd haze in the air which makes it hard to see far but by the time the sun rises we spot Pakuba Lodge, the sister to Chobe ( see previous diary entry) and it, too, is derelict.

We hike the kilometre or so up to if from the river, giving the game rangers a surprise . We explore the lodge a bit - this place must have been absolutely stunning in its day.

Back on the water and the lake becomes a river and we get Pakwach town in sight on the left and a lovely herd of elephant with their young on the right.

We are unsure of the stability of the region because of rebels.

We decide to row through the night - a good couple of hundred kilometres to the border.

The mozzies are horrid. We catch fitful snatches of sleep between rowing shifts.

10 February: Rowing marathon

The sun comes up and we are in great spirits. We try to find a camp, however the papyrus and hyacinth banks are so thick that there is no chance.

On through heat of the day we row. Early evening we stop for dinner. Then four hours later we set off again, keeping on going.

11 February: Luxury time

The team take time out at Arra Lodge

Early morning a hippo shoots out of the water beside us - more shocked than we are!

In the end we row for 48 hours straight.

We arrive at Arra Lodge at Adjumani, a luxury holiday lodge for keen fishermen.

It's location is idyllic, under the rock massif that separates Uganda and Sudan, and looks across a beautiful bay.

12 February: Chill out

After a day of lazing about, I was sorry to say goodbye to the luxury of Arra Lodge, which is a holiday fishing lodge. We take to the river and row into the evening. We get to Dufile Fort landing site and camp.

13 February: Meet the rebels

Dufile Fort was built for Emin Pasha. (He was a governor of Egyptian Sudan towards the end of the nineteenth century. ) It's pretty derelict. We spend some time exploring the area and find three graves and a ship's boiler.

The is absolutely nowhere to pull over and we are moving quickly downs towards the Fola Falls

I make contact with James of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM). We are only about 15 kilometres away from the Sudan border.

We soon hit a hairpin bend in the river. Suddenly two gun-wielding men step out of the papyrus on the right bank of the river.

They are shouting at me. I shout back in Swahili that I can't speak great Swahili!

There is absolutely nowhere to pull over and we are moving quickly down towards the Fola Falls.

Finally we manage to anchor up.

We are now wondering if we have inadvertently passed the border.

Finally they manage to anchor up

A couple of quiet hours pass then all of a sudden there are armed men everywhere.

We sit tight and soon a vehicle arrives with Hendri and Maddy, Bingo and Marcus in it.

They have got James from the SPLM with them!

We have really upset everyone by shooting through the border post. We explain what happened and everyone relaxes.

We have a great ride in on the back of a pickup with armed Sudanese all around us.

The people are amazing! They speak fluent English and are very friendly.

We learn how to handle an AKM gun. There was no problem with literally just handing a weapon to us.

I am fascinated by it all.

We spend a lovely night enjoying the stories of various men from differing tribes, Dinka and Acholi for example. The Dinka men have wonderful scarification on their foreheads.

14 February: Tales of atrocities

One child says she was forced to carry ammunition for the Lord's Resistance Army through the bush after they had killed her parents. (They) shot her friend on the side of the road.

We visit an orphanage that houses around 40 kids - from toddlers to mid teens.

They are singing beautifully in church when we arrive.

We sit and talk to them and it doesn't take long before the stories of the atrocities come out.

Rape, slavery, famine, torture. One child says she was forced to carry ammunition for the Lord's Resistance Army through the bush after they had killed her parents.

Her friend needed to rest. So they shot her on the side of the road.

Stories of people having their eyes, ears, noses, breasts and lips cut off with knives if it was thought they had betrayed the rebels.

My heart goes out to these lovely people, who despite all have been fun and jovial, courteous and extremely hospitable.

Two soldiers from the SPLM, Abraham and Charles, will be our guides.

15 February: Roast dinner

An early start and we are keeping a close eye out for trouble.

We don't know what tomorrow will hold for us but for today at least we are finding Sudan to be a beautiful uninhabited wonder.

Late afternoon we arrive at Kapeta . A villager arrives in our camp with a couple of fresh haunches of warthog meat!

Delight! Despite the flies on it, the rather large bullet hole, we marinade it and cook it whole.

16 February: Weapons

Charles, our guard, lets me have a shot of his gun.

Yep it works alright. When I really thought about what it must be like to be in a gunfight the cold shivers of reality hit me.

Parrots and birds of brilliant colour flit in and out of the foliage. We are now moving through paradise.

Charles has a bullet wound in his stomach, right leg and hand. We ask Charles what he will do when peace comes. He says he will stay in the army.

I suppose it will take a very long time before a semblance of normality will return to this area.

17 February: "Border" crossing

We say goodbye to our guides and move off into a no-man's area between the territories controlled by the SPLM and the Sudanese government.

Small islands dot the course of the Nile and they are covered in massive mango tree, cluster figs and vines and creepers dangling down into the water.

We have language problems, but luckily the Captain has an Arab-English dictionary

The odd palm tree throws in an appearance. Parrots and birds of brilliant colour flit in and out of the foliage.

We are now moving through paradise.

Then we spot a cluster of yellow thatched huts on the right bank and a soldier standing at the waters edge. The soldier is of Arab appearance and we know we have reached the Government of Sudan garrison at Lobojo.

We are greeted with enthusiasm and given cold orange juice, dates and a chat with the Captain.

We have language problems, but luckily the Captain has an Arab-English dictionary. They knew we were coming, as they'd been listening to the BBC World Service radio broadcasts!

These are pleasant people, notwithstanding the rocket-propelled grenade launchers, machine-guns, trenches and foxholes around the place.

They are also anticipating peace soon in one of Africa's longest running civil wars. It's lasted 20 years.

We move on toward Juba . It is deserted. It's an eerie feeling when we think that this is probably an area where a "scorched earth" policy has been implemented.

18 February: Guarded

The scenery remains stunning, but we are all keen to arrive in Juba.

We reach a bridge that is very obviously the main crossing point from east to west. We pull into the shade of mango trees and a military man arrives to tell us to come check in at the command post.

The women are dressed in the most beautiful karosses; they are brilliant butterflies against the dust and flies.

People give us cigarettes and test out their English.

In the early evening we are taken to a supermarket and told to help ourselves to whatever we wanted, without paying!

It appears that this is the Sudanese hospitality we had heard about and they really won't let us pay!

Soon we are taken to a house in the middle of the town. It belongs to a major. Like this place better and better. The town itself isn't much, very dirty, broken down and rusted out cars everywhere.

The women are dressed in the most beautiful karosses; they are brilliant butterflies against the dust and flies.

We are not allowed to wander around and are kept firmly under guard at all times.

But we are treated really well. The military provide all our transport, food, accommodation, guides and translators.

19 February

I get up very early. Hendri and I go out for a stroll. It is quite lovely to escape the watchful eye of our friendly guards and wander around.

We decide to visit the United Nations offices, the hospital and the markets.

We have a wonderful lunch in the markets, all sorts of strange dishes, but extremely tasty.

We then find the UN and speak with a lovely man called Ian. He's offered to take us visit a refugee camp on the other side of the bridge tomorrow.

We see a Mandari tribesman complete with forehead scarification and a more traditional style of dress. We definitely want to visit these people.

19 February: Safe

We are safe, happy and well, and have so far successfully avoided any rebels, much to everyone's surprise. And we have found everyone wishing hard for a peaceful future.

Diary Part I