Uganda a Better Tourism Destination in Africa
When you plan your African Vacation, I know you got choices to take, these may refer to where you want to go, what you like to see, how long you would like to be there and this all base on to your budget. Amongst all the African regions, East Africa tends to be more friendly than any other part of the continent. But remember unless you got a big budget you will travel the whole region. For those people who have limited time for vacations and fund, a Uganda safari Vacation would be ultimate. Why? You got the whole Africa in it’s ” pearl”.
Starting with the people who live in the region with more than 50 tribes expect to have variations in the cultural set up of the people in Uganda and this will be interesting to see different people of different languages, community set ups, the dances and many more. They are not confined in one place but here you need to move from region to region to experience this.
Apart from the people, physical appearance to the country still differs from each region. In the eastern part of the country is where you will see the open flat lands extending many kilometers, and some few hilly places will be seen. This explains how much precipitation these areas will receive in terms of rain fall, and they are some of the dry areas in the country so they grow crops other than plantation. Unlike the western part of the country which is characterized with hilly areas where much of rains fall is received you will find plantation farming taking place.
Your visit to Uganda may not necessarily focus on the community set ups, you may read from several sites on the internet and look at the amazing creatures that are found in Africa, like the Rhinos, Cape Buffaloes, Forest Elephants, Giraffes, Hippos, Nile Crocodiles to mention. These are all found in Uganda, remember Uganda has got ten National Parks where these animals can be traced. So when you choose a Uganda Safari, you choose which animals you like to see and this will answer the question which parks you gonna visit and for how long you will be with us here in Uganda.
Read MoreUganda to Quadruple Tourist’s Numbers – new UTB boss
Uganda is one of the perfect destinations for budget and luxury gorilla safaris in Africa. Endowed with wildlife in national parks, birds, mountain gorillas and chimpanzee the primates, geographical features, the new executive director of Uganda Tourist Board (UTB) Steven Asiimwe has promised to take tourism to greater heights, boost the numbers of visitors, attract investors and brand Uganda across the globe.
“The onus is upon everyone to paint a rosy picture of Uganda as a destination,” said Asiimwe.
“I appreciate the outgoing team for attracting 1.2m visitor here annually. However, with the new team we intend to quadruple the figure.”
Asiimwe stressed that during his reign, he is going to engage the whole nation and work with regional partners, conservation groups, local government, cultural institutions and the media to implement the tourism master plan which is embedded in the country’s ambitious Vision2040.
Deputized by John Ssempebwa, Asiimwe has called upon private investors to exploit existing opportunities in tourism.
In his speech, Cuthbert Baguma thumped his chest with satisfaction while talking about his achievement and the hurdles he braved to earn numerous accolades from renowned tourism bibles.
“Somehow Uganda has stayed on the face of the world with source of the River Nile being declared one of the seven wonders of Africa, Kidepo Valley National Park was also named one of the best on the continent,” said Baguma.
“The Ishasha tree climbing lion won an award in the national geographic photo contest.”
“Besides that Uganda cannot be ignored when talking about 29, 200 available gorilla tracking permits per year,” stressed Baguma.
“This part of the world, endowed with 1050 different bird species was declared a bird watchers paradise.”
The Uganda Tourism Board chairman James Tumusiime said operating on a shoestring budget cripples any activity and leaves the staff without any motivation.
“Kenya put in sh74b to tell the world what they have. Tanzania comes close on their heels with sh12b. Rwanda trails with sh12b,” added the representative of Uganda tour operators.
“Uganda has stagnated at sh221m. The budget ought to be beefed up. And our products need a presence on the tourism maps.”
Cries are audible in the tourism circles for the $25b provided by the World Bank to be injected in marketing Uganda products.
A half of it has been allocated to renovating the Jinja School of tourism and human resources.
The weaknesses that were pointed out in tourism comprise; lack of a consistent global identity, double taxation of tourism facilities like hotels and community tourism packages.
Parading miss tourism, Harriet Nakito and Africa’s next top model Stacy Aamito, the minister of tourism and antiquities, Maria Mutagambwa observed that the new UTB team comes at a time when the continent is facing a crisis.
“Statistics have it that a rhino is killed by a poacher in every ten hours. This has left the continent with less than 3500. A whopping 25,000 elephants were poached in 2011 and 22,000 in 2012,” said Mutagambwa. “We have to jealously protect our wild life from this illicit trade.”
Meanwhile every effort is being done to check these extremes by Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA).
They have trained rangers and equipped them with modern crime bursting skills and equipment. But the poachers are fast getting more sophisticated and better armed. More than seven rangers have lost their lives on duty.
Africa needs the rest of world’s support in the fight against extinction of the rhino and the elephant.
UK recently announced $16m to tackle poaching and illegal wildlife trade.
“If we cannot save our elephants now,” said Mutagambwa. “We simply cannot wait – because if we do-it will be too late to save these iconic species in Uganda National Parks.”
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Fly 540 Lowers Fares Again for Regional Holidays
Information received from the Kampala office of Fly 540 confirms the buzz amongst travel agents and regular travelers to Nairobi that the fight for market share has just become a notch harsher and ‘specials’ are being put out by the airlines, and often superseded by yet better deals, just as soon as the ink on the promotional pamphlets has dried. Fly 540, which last week confirmed a fare of USD 268 return all inclusive has over the weekend lowered this to US Dollars 240, inclusive of all taxes and surcharges, applying pressure on their competitors Kenya Airways, which is facing renewed strike action if last ditch efforts to find a common basis with the Aviation and Allied Workers Union in Nairobi fail, but also vis a vis Air Uganda.
The latter recently introduced a third daily flight between Entebbe and Nairobi, going one up on Fly 540 – KQ operates 4 daily flights between the two airports – but from usually reliable sources it was learned that the flight occupancy was still needing more ‘work’ to meet expectations at this moment in time and U7 too was considering dropping fares in order to get extra passengers into their seats.
Air Uganda, according to another source, has offered a range of ‘specials’ for their flights between Entebbe, Mombasa and Zanzibar, indicating that market conditions are ‘tough’ and unless passengers can be found, and kept, the struggle for not just market share but also for financial viability is a steep uphill journey. To lure more passengers most especially leisure tourists who seek a safari in east Africa on this route they are presently offering a companion rebate of 50 percent on their US Dollars 319 fare (terms and conditions apply) for the second ticket, making this deal slightly cheaper than Fly 540 if traveling ‘in pairs’ and cheaper still with their ‘family fare’ which goes for US Dollars 959 for two adults and two children.
Meanwhile it was also learnt that Fly 540 had offered a special fare for weekend travelers from Uganda traveling to Nairobi for the African Cup of Nations qualifier at only US Dollars 210, to be also repeated again for the upcoming ‘half term’ holidays of local schools between 15th and 24th of October.
Uganda drew their match 0:0 with Kenya and presently tops their qualifying group to the joy of the ‘Cranes’ supporters who for long have waited to see Uganda return to the continental stages, leave alone of course making an appearance in a FIFA World Cup final for the first time ever.
Said one football fan traveler with 540 to this correspondent: ‘at 210 Dollars I could not refuse to fly with Fly 540 and instead of spending a hundred or so dollars more with others, that money saved I used for my tickets and transport in Nairobi. And they have a very good aircraft, very comfortable’.
Read MoreAnnual Sipi Falls Mountain Bike Race set for 08 and 09 December
Second annual Sipi Falls Mountain Bike Race set for 08 and 09 December, 2012
The second annual Sipi Falls mountain bike race will take place on Saturday 08 and Sunday 09 December 2012, in Kapchorwa, eastern Uganda. The event will be hosted by Sipi River Lodge.
The race itself is what we call an XC event – which stands for ‘Cross Country’ – this means the race includes both downhill sections and climbing sections. Said the host
The course we use for the race is 19km long and is truly an epic ride with amazing scenery passing waterfalls and cliffs along the way. We start and finish at the lodge, after 4km of tarmac we turn off for a fast section of single-track downhill before reaching the valley floor where we begin a mix of climbs and descents along murram roads, eventually meeting back up with the tarmac for a few more km’s to the finish line.
When asked about last year’s race, Sipi River Lodge team said The fastest event time recorded at last years race was 1hr 34mins. The fastest time not in an event is 1hr 25mins. We think these times can be smashed by some serious riders!!
The weekend is not just about the bike race. The weekend is a chance for us to showcase our activities in the mountains. We have half price rock climbing and abseiling all weekend. Trekking, fly fishing, tandem paragliding and coffee tours are all on offer. For the more mellow vibe why not just relax in our garden with a cup of freshly roasted coffee and wait for the riders to finish.
You can stay wherever you like in Sipi Falls, but at Sipi River Lodge we will allow camping for this weekend only at $10 a night as well as our other great accommodation – and we’ll be having a BBQ cooking all day with Burgers and Tasty food. The party after the event will be at the Lodge.
We hope this will be a great Festival atmosphere and we are looking forward to showing everyone what fun can be had in the mountains of Eastern Uganda!!
Further information about the Sipi Falls Mountain Bike Race, Sipi River Lodge or any of the activities around the area, email Sipi River Lodge on info@sipiriverlodge.com
You can also follow updates on the race by liking Sipi River Lodge Facebook page on www.facebook.com/SipiRiverLodge
Read MoreParagliding Comes to Uganda
Exploring Uganda’s varied Landscapes By Tandem Paragliding
Fly Mami Afrika is the first renowned firm in the adventure business to launch Tandem Paragliding flights in Uganda. Managing director Adam Robinson found time in his hectic schedule to talk to the Uganda Tourist about his company’s latest activity on Uganda’s adventure itinerary. “Exploration is the spice of life”
After paragliding in 13 different countries, the search was on for a new location to introduce paragliding. So far there have only been a handful of people to fly in Uganda over the years.
Uganda has many varied landscapes, this makes for interesting flight characteristics. Beautiful wildlife is abundant, the vistas awe inspiring. We fell in love!
When looking for a viable location for Tandem Paragliding, many factors play a part. Like baking a cake, without the proper recipe and ingredients, the result will be lackluster. Mt Wanale (visible upon entering Mbale 2hrs East of Jinja) is the logical first site for Tandem Paragliding.
Highways between Iganga and Mbale are some of the best in the country, and there are passable roads to the summit. The flying has great distance potential, with elevation gains equal to cloud level on a good day.
Paragliding has evolved immensely in terms of passive safety and performance since it’s conception in the 1960s.
Unlike parasailing, a paraglider is not a parachute pulled up behind a boat. A paraglider doesn’t have a rigid frame like a hang glider. An aerodynamic airfoil creates lift using the same principles as an airplane.
A paraglider uses soaring and thermal techniques identical to a large bird to gain elevation while flying. Soaring is a reference to air blowing at a mountain ridge and jumping off the top like a skateboarding ramp. We fly along the edge of the ridge where that air compresses. Thermals refer to air heated by the sun that releases vertically due to variable topographical features (ie trees, rocks, water, even buildings). When a stork ascends making circles, it’s found a thermal.
Imagine no mobile phones, or work deadlines, and no traffic! Just woven kevlar lines, industry ripstop nylon and mylar in the canopy, safety parachute, a harness that reclines into a chair, the feeling of weightlessness, and wind in your hair. This is paragliding!
Our pilots have CPR/First Aid training, Wilderness First Responder certifications, and the U.S. Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association’s T3 Tandem Instructor, Instructor, and P4 ratings.
The Package:
Fly Mami Afrika is currently offering combination packages including 2-3 night stay at the Sipi River Lodge after the tandem excursion in Mbale. FMA intends to expand by offering tandem flights in other locations throughout Uganda, individual paragliding instruction, and guided paragliding tours for established pilots.
The info:
To book a Paragliding flights with Fly Mami Afrika log on at www.flymamiAfrika.com | Call Tel: +256 (0)785 748719 |+256 (0)793 040238, email: info@flymamiafrika.com
Read MoreKazinga Channel View Resort opens in Queen Elizabeth National Park
Kazinga Channel View Resort in Queen Elizabeth National Park is now open for booking
Information reached us recently of the opening of Kazinga Channel View Resort, a new budget resort in Queen Elizabeth National Park located, in southwestern Uganda. The newly opened hotel is located in Katunguru area along Kazinga channel, 1kilometre within the game park. The Kazinga Channel which links two lakes – Lake George in the northeast to Lake Edward in the southwest is a dominant feature of Queen Elizabeth National Park trip as the area hosts a wide range of water bird species, hippos, elephant, buffalo, warthog and Nile crocodiles. Wild game can be seen right within the resort’s grounds.
Kazinga Channel View Resort offers accommodation in categories of singles, doubles and twin rooms and bandas for safari holidays, vacation rentals or temporary lodgings. The rooms are spacious and comfortable. Singles from US$76 and doubles from US$152. There is also secure camping grounds. The resort has own restaurant & bar.
Due to its prime location, Kazinga Channel View Resort offer guests a good base for activities like; boat launch trips, sport fishing and bird watching.
For more information about Kazinga Channel View Resort or to book your room.
Read MoreUganda’s Chimpanzee Population on the Rise
Our Guide said,”Jump here”. We stopped and had a look at the ground at the mass of bamboo twigs and leaves. “Why?”, I asked. After all it looked like any other part of the forest. “There may be a mine there”, was his reply. So we all obediently jumped at that point!! We were in the south of the Rwenzori Mountains surveying the forest for its chimpanzees.
This was the final forest in a four year census of the chimps of Uganda. The field teams had started in Bugoma Forest Reserve in June 1999 and walked over 4,600km through 20 forests in western Uganda, where chimps occur. Wherever we went we worked with people who knew the forest and could guide us through it particularly in places such as Rwenzoris and Semuliki Park.
This was the first effort to completely census the chimps population in Uganda. Previously scientists had guessed that there may be between 3000 – 4000 chimps but nobody knew for sure. The census was carried out by the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Jane Goodall Institute in collaboration with the Uganda Wildlife Authority and Forest Department. It is important to know how many chimps are in each forest because then we monitor their population overtime to see if the numbers are increasing or decreasing.
Chimps build a nest each night to sleep in and these are used to count over a three month period. From this you can calculate the density of chimpanzees in the forest. The results produced a total of 4,950 chimpanzees in the whole country.
Chimpanzees are globally recognized as an endangered species as their numbers are declining rapidly across the continent. Chimpanzees are our closest living relative, sharing 98% of our genes and in many ways resemble us in their behaviours. It is important that the few that remain in Uganda are protected. Mountain gorillas are well known tourist attraction in Uganda but chimpanzees are not promoted as much. Yet Uganda is the best country in the world to view chimpanzees, coupled with the fact that there are mountain gorillas and 18 other species of primate; should make Uganda the premier primate destination for tourists in Africa if not the world.
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