Uganda Safaris News: Mountain Gorilla Trekking Tours, Wildlife Safari, Primates Tour

By Nakiboneka Halimah
Uganda Safari and Travel News Reporter
Kampala Uganda

British Airways (BA), one of the world’s leading airlines has got strong plans of promoting Tanzania’s tourism sector by launching a new route to Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA).

The BA Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr. Willie Walsh, said has that due to the increasing number of tourists in
Kilimanjaro and Arusha regions, plans are in the pipeline for the airline to start a direct flight to the region, blessed to have the highest mountain in Africa, Kilimanjaro.

He further explained that introducing a direct flight to Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA) will give them an opportunity to promote Tanzania’s tourism in the world, since there is a high tourist demand in Kilimanjaro. This will not only promote Tanzania’s tourism sector but also other East African countries including Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda.

This will help promote tourism in East Africa as well  beacuse tour operators especially those in Uganda for example Abacus African Vacations and Adventure Trails Limited offer combined safaris to their toursits which include visiting the  tourist sites such as national parks, game reserves, mountains for example Mt. Elgon, Mt.Rwenzori, Mt. Kilimanjaro and the Virungas Mountain.

Currently, the Dutch airline, KLM flies daily to Kilimanjaro International Airport en route to Dar es Salaam. Another airline, which flies into KIA, is Ethiopian Airline.The new route will also help to lift flowers from Kilimanjaro and Arusha to the European Union (EU). Today, stakeholders in the flower sub-sector export flowers to the EU markets via Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi, Kenya.

Meanwhile, Walsh who was in Tanzania also commended the ‘Change for Good’ programme in Tanzania for bringing a positive impact on the communities in the areas where it has been implemented. He was in the country to mark the 14th anniversary of the programme, which was launched in partnership with British Airways and UNICEF way back in 1994. The celebrations were also attended by UNICEF’s UK executive director, David Bull.

Since its inauguration, the programme has collected 25 million pound sterling (Tsh55 billion), which has been used to fund vital UNICEF projects in 55 countries worldwide and under the programme, passengers aboard BA planes donate small amounts of money (change), which is used to fund projects initiated by UNICEF. 

By Nakiboneka Halimah
Uganda Safari and Travel News reporter
Kampala Uganda

Amoropii hot spring is found in northern Uganda and it is believed to do miracles for it’s visitors. This is another hot spring found in Uganda which is believed to have divine powers, has miracles and it is worshipped by people just like Sempaya hot springs found in  Semuliki National Park. Amoropii hot spring got it’s name from an Alur word meaning hot water. Amoro means hot and pii stands for water.

It is believed that barren women bathe in the hot spring as well those in need of a fairer and tender skin.  Before visiting these hot springs, one must first get blessings from the Prime Minister Nyipir Onen.  “Once, two white men ignored me. They set off for Amoropii on their own. They didn’t get there. A snake bit one of them,” Nyipir boasts.

The prime minister said that one day, a cow fell into the heart of Amoropii. In a couple of minutes, the whole of it had been cooked and was ready for eating the village had a party.

Amoropii likes meat too, it is said that every six months, they slaughter a big sheep as a sacrifice to the gods of Amoropii. The meat is left in the open and the following day, it’s gone. It is believed that the gods of Amoropii take it.

Amoropii has many wonders. Any woman who wants to bleach her skin goes there and comes back with a light skin. Not only does her skin become lighter but it also becomes tender. Like a newly born baby’s skin said the prime minister.

The prime minister charges sh50, 000 to escort anybody to Amoropii. It is cheaper to pay him bearing in mind the story of the white men.

Nyipir is the prime minister of Ker Kwonga chiefdom in Panyimur Sub-county in Nebbi District on the shores of Lake Albert. The soft-spoken Nyipir lives about a kilometer away from Amoropii in his grass-thatched homestead. His home is the last place visitors bound for Amoropii park their vehicles. On hearing the cars being parked in his compound, he comes out and greets the strangers after which he asks them where they are going.

Nyipir is an elderly man. He wears gumboots and moves about with a walking stick. The stick is more of a ceremonial symbol than something he uses for support.

Nyipir is a very soft spoken man and is eager to teach visitors as much as they need to know about his major inheritance of Amoropii. However Nyipir does not speak English. Therefore, there is always a guide who comes in handy as an interpreter.

Amoropii hot spring is located about three kilometers from Panyimur fishing village on the western shores of Lake Albert. Near the hot spring, is a grass-thatched shelter, where the area traditional chiefs converge when they are due to make sacrifices to the gods.

The hot spring consists of a stream whose water gets heated when it flows through a certain pool on its way into the bushes. A distance away in the middle of a swamp is a crater-like pool with very hot water. It measures about two metres in diameter.

The locals call it “the tank”. Located in an overgrown swamp, it is very hard to reach; you could drown trying. You can only see it after climbing up a nearby hill.

But according to Nyipir, it was in this ‘tank’ that a cow fell and the village feasted.

The only accessible hot spring is the pool in the stream. Nyipir says that a woman who has ever given birth becomes barren when she bathes in the hot spring without consulting him and those who are barren can conceive if they go to the hot spring after through me.

He says you can get misfortunes if you decide to visit the hot springs without first talking to him. Apart from the white men (foreign tourists), Nyipir has more chilling stories.

He said that a certain man went to the hot spring alone and met a ghost. He ran back and his wife got three miscarriages.
Eventually he came to him. They appeased the gods by burning his underwear and sacrificing a sheep. Now he has two children. Nyipir continues to tell his horror story that two pupils went to the spring one day around lunchtime and saw a ghost in form of a man bathing when they went home the following day, their skins started peeling off. I had to be called to cure them.

Nyipir says he brought them back to the hot springs and asked them where they had seen the ghost. After pinpointing the spot he left a goat there after talking to the gods. When he went to the spring the following day, the gods had taken away goat. Nyipir says that the gods only listen to him but they do not talk back.

According to him, the hot spring cures many ailments, including impotence. He says the water can cure impotence among men only if it was caused by the gods of Amoropii.“If the powers of the gods from the hot spring are responsible for causing the impotence, I can cure the victim. If the cause is different, I cannot do much,” he claims.
“You can always find the women in the hot springs. It works. Even their skins become tender,” he concludes.

Scientists describe a hot spring as a spring produced by the emergence of geothermally-heated groundwater from the earth’s crust. There are hot springs on every continent and even under the oceans and seas. Geothermal heat is the hot temperature from the earth’s interior. The temperature of rocks within the earth increases with depth. If water percolates deeply enough into the crust, it will be heated as it comes into contact with hot rocks.

The water from hot springs in non-volcanic areas is heated by geothermal heat. In volcanic zones, the water may be heated by coming into contact with magma (molten rock).The high temperature gradient near magma may cause water to be heated enough that it boils or becomes superheated. If the water becomes so hot that it builds steam pressure and erupts in a jet above the surface of the earth, it is called a geyser.

The term geyser is derived from some hot springs in Iceland which gush from the ground as a jet of hot water.
However, if the water only reaches the surface in the form of steam, it is called a fumarole. If the water is mixed with mud and clay, it is called a mud pot. Hot springs in volcanic areas are often at or near the boiling point of water.Warm springs are sometimes the result of hot and cold springs mixing but may also occur outside of volcanic areas. The pool in the stream at Amoropii is a warm water spring. It’s near-hot.

Communities living near hot springs in Uganda usually have both spiritual and superstitious attachments to hot springs. Hot springs are believed to cure various ailments and they are frequented by many people with different ailments.
Because heated water can hold more dissolved solids, warm and especially hot springs also often have a very high mineral content, containing everything from simple calcium to lithium, and even radium.

Because of both the folklore and the claimed medical value some of these springs have, these are often popular tourist destinations and locations for rehabilitation clinics for those with disabilities.
Though bathing in hot springs is popular with people suffering from various ailments, hot springs can create ideal conditions to spread infections.

For example, among others, Naegleria fowleri, an amoeba, lives in warm waters and soils worldwide and can be a cause of meningitis. Scientists have also collected viruses from very extreme environments, of hot springs with temperatures of up to 87 degrees Celsius.

Unlike in other developed countries, in Uganda, hot springs barely bring in any economical benefits to the communities because of the taboos and superstitions associated with them.
On the other hand, it is taboo to take water away from the hot springs in Uganda, lest you drop dead or run mad. Consequently, hot springs are venues for cultural and superstitious rituals in Uganda. Some hot springs have also been taken over by oracles.

By Nakiboneka Halimah
Uganda Safari and Travel News reporter
Kampala Uganda

The Office of Tourism and National Parks in Rwanda (ORTPN) is ready to spend US$570,370 to support community development projects around the national parks. An initiative that will help promote tourism in Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.

This is part of its revenue sharing policy where it will collect 5% of the total revenues and give them to community development projects.

 Under the initiative, ORTPN unveiled 21 community projects estimated at $266,666 in the country’s eastern province surrounding the Akagera national park.  

 The ORTPN director general, Ms. Rosette Rugamba said that the projects were realized through the ORTPN revenue sharing policy where 5% of tourism revenues are allocated to community projects. Since 2005 to date, 54 community projects worth $963,703 have been funded.

Among them there are 11 schools with 47 classrooms, three hospitals, two community curio shops, 15 communal water taps and 10 water harvesting tanks as well as seven bridges. It has also funded income generating activities such as bee keeping, mushroom growing and energy saving stones.  

Tourism was ranked the first foreign exchange earner in 2007 registering $137million.

The sector has contributed 3.7% to the country’s GDP and this year, tourism expects to collect $148million from 884,220 tourists.

By Nakiboneka Halimah
Uganda Safari and Travel News Reporter
Kampala Uganda

Conservationists have called upon the Ugandan government to tighten the laws guiding conservation forests in Uganda. This was revealed by the trustees of the National Forestry Authority (NFA). During the press conference it was revealed that Uganda’s total forest cover has halved in the last two decades. In 1988, 26% of the country was covered by forests. This has reduced to 13% in 2008, says John Diisi, NFA’s coordinator for Global Information Systems and Mapping. The country loses an average of 86,000 hectares of trees per year. Most of the destruction is taking place on private land, outside government-protected areas, according to NFA.

The trustees also revealed that politics is accountable to the dilapidating forests in Uganda. During campaigns, politicians coin slogans like ‘trees do not vote’. Politicians who cooperate with environmental bodies have ended up with a bitter taste in their mouth. “I wanted to reclaim my seat in Rakai, but it became impossible because people thought I had not done enough to silence conservation bodies seeking to evict them from areas they are encroaching,” says Matovu.

Diisi added on that over half of the 240,000 encroachers countrywide are found in Rakai, Masaka and Sembabule.

As a measure to protect the existing forests, Conservationists called upon the Ugandan government to write off parts of forests reserves it cannot secure from encroachers. At the same time, hilly and mountainous areas should be gazetted and accorded protection status of forest reserves.The destruction of forests in Uganda has severe impact on tourism and economic development. In the past years, Uganda has become one of the best safari destinations in Africa given its evergreen forests that protect rare and endangered species that cannpt be aesily found else where in the world.

Notable forests with rare species in Uganda include Bwindi Impenetrable forest and Mgahinga Gorilla Forest prominent for gorilla safaris, Kibale Forest an important forest for chimpanzee tracking and several ecotourism sites that include Mabira forest, Mpanga Forest, Kaniyo Pabidi Forest among others.

By Nakiboneka Halimah
Uganda Safari and Travel news reporter
Kampala Uganda

Tanzania expects to earn US$1.35 billion from tourism in 2009. This will be an increase from a projected $1.2 billion in 2008, helped by increased marketing in North America and Europe. Last year Tanzania received 719,030 tourists, fetching just over $1 billion, making the sector the leading foreign exchange earner.

Tanzania’s main tourist markets are the same as Uganda’s and these include Britain, Germany, US, Italy, France, Spain and the Scandinavian countries. Tanzania also receives a sizeable number of tourists from South Africa and Kenya.
Tourism employs around 200,000 Tanzanians directly and accounts for around a quarter of the country’s total foreign exchange inflows.

In order for Tanzania to develop tourism industry its major attention should now be directed to other forms of tourism. Take an example of Uganda’s tourism industry, there are different forms of tourism such as wildlife tourism mainly done in Uganda national parks and this includes chimpanzee trekking, gorilla trekking, and honeymoon tourism for honey mooners who at times opt to go for wildlife tourism too, fishing tourism, birding tourism

Tanzania has been largely promoting national parks tourism forgetting other areas which also have great potential. The government and other stakeholders should now encourage tourists to spend time in the country, not only to rush from one park to the other. Tanzania has perfect climate, very nice people and good food. There is need to promote lifestyle tourism. With more than 900 km of coastline, tourists could even buy their own houses and come and spend their winter time here, bringing investment and cash. The same is true for the mainland in places like Iringa, Mwanza, and Bukoba.

According to Ryen, local bed and breakfast should be promoted by allowing people to start their own business as it happens in South Africa, but regulation must be simple and easy, otherwise all investors, foreigners and locals will be discouraged.He said Tanzania has a lot of potential which needed to be fully utilized by both local and foreign tourists, from the coastline beaches, with all connected activities, such as diving, snorkeling, surfing, sport fishing and visiting historical sites such as Kilwa.

Ryen said other countries especially in Africa have managed to promote other types of tourism, which led to increased foreign earnings. Citing South Africa as an example, he said apart from animal viewing in national parks, more than 90% of tourists in the country visited other tourist attractions. Tourists’ arrival in South Africa currently stands at 6 million per annum. According to Mr Ryen, his company plans to develop untapped tourism potential in the southern circuit of Tanzania this year.

Experience shows that southern parks and reserves including Mikumi, Udzungwa Mountains, Selous, Ruaha and Katavi receive very few visitors compared to their northern counterparts and offer a unique African wilderness experience.

The company in collaboration with the Rufiji District Council, is in the process to develop Lake Utunge Photographic Project which would be used for tourism activities. The project was authorized last year.

Once started the project would help villagers around to get employment, increase revenue, construction of two camping sites and rehabilitation of airstrip. The project would also help to reduce poaching and illegal logging since the area would be under surveillance.

Utunge area which covers 350 sq. km is a home of various species of animals, including elephants, buffalo, wildebeest, zebra, impala, lions, leopards and the very rare wild dogs.

 Experts in the tourism industry are optimistic that cultural tourism resources will continue to serve as a base for Tanzania’s tourism industry.

By Nakiboneka Halimah
Uganda Safari and Travel News Reporter
Kampala Uganda

The Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC) is going to host well-wishers to a lavish birthday party on Friday which has not been seen in the recent past.

This birthday party is for Zakayo, the oldest chimp at UWEC which will be turning 44.

Zakayo the alpha male is one of our flagship animals at the centre. UWEC has organised to celebrate his birthday with a couple of activities which will include a lot of entertainment and also people will get an opportunity  to see the different animals that are kept at the zoo which will be fun for both the young and old.
Zakayo is said to be a favourite to visitors at the Centre and is a historical member of the centre who deserves a celebrated birthday with the public. Similar occasions organised in the past saw school children line up to witness the birthday celebration, participate in a quiz competition and question-answer session, organised by the zoo authorities on the occasion in a bid to spread the conservation message.

According to UWEC, Zakayo was found in June 1972 at Semuliki in Bundibugyo and was hand-raised. The chimp was later surrendered to the Entebbe Zoo on June 10, 1976. The chimp is said to be very fatherly.

Chimpanzees are also found in different national parks of Uganda. These include Kibale National Park, Kyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Budongo Forest in Murchison Falls National Park and Ngamba Sanctuary where chimpanzee tracking activities are done by tourists who usually visit those national parks.
Other activities are also done in the national parks such as game drives, boat trips and forest walks.

According to UWEC, Zakayo has sired eight off springs and is very protective towards the younger chimps. He is always the last to go out in the mornings and the last to get inside in the evenings.

UWEC appealed to the public to continue supporting the centre. Tourism was declared Uganda’s second largest income earner last year

By Nakiboneka Halimah
Uganda Safari Guide
Kampala Uganda

Africa’s travel experts’ Abacus African Vacations has launched three new websites for Abacus Uganda Safaris, a department dedicated towards organizing quality Uganda Safaris. These sites are dedicated towards offering different Uganda Safaris and specialty tour packages that include Uganda Gorilla Tours, Uganda wildlife Safaris, cultural safaris, hiking safaris, chimp tours and birding trips to the Pearl of Africa. The tour packages sold by these sites accommodate all the needs of today’s travellers and include budget tour packages as well as luxury tour packages. The new sites that that have been launched include www.ugandansafaris.com , www.ugandansafari.com or www.ugandan-safari.com

In a bid to promote local community participation in Uganda, Abacus Uganda Safaris has set aside 10% of the funds from each tour booked on these 3 sites towards training different safari guides from Uganda’s local communities neighbouring the different protected areas in Uganda.

These sites will feature news articles too about tourism and travel in Uganda and all the different aspects of the tour industry and they are also aimed at providing updated news on travel in Uganda with an aim of providing onetime information on the Uganda’s tourism industry as well as the latest safari events.

By Nakiboneka Halimah
Uganda Safari and Travel news Reporter
Kampala Uganda

Rwanda’s blossoming and lush jungle forests, mountain gorillas, endemic bird species, beautiful lakes and a stable growing economy have made it rise in the tourism industry just like Uganda though people have not yet realized the beautiful trend.
Tourists who visit Rwanda however benefit from the efforts of the Rwandan Tourism Board (ORTPN), which has dedicated itself so much to the development and promotion of sustainable eco-tourism and conservation. Rwanda has made effort to protect the mountain gorillas which have for long been the country’s major tourist attractions found mainly in Parc National des Volcanoes and in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park.
Rwanda also boasts of a wide range of bird species. It boosts the highest concentration of different bird species in Africa with high levels of endemism, hosting champions such as the much sought after Shoebill Stork and Albertine Rift endemics.
In 2007, ORTPN committed itself to the development of its birding product so that travelers worldwide could benefit from Rwanda’s birds. In April 2008, the Rwanda Birding Association (RBA) was formed in order to support the ORTPN avitourism efforts. Together, ORTPN and RBA are building a world-class avitourism destination.
Avitourism is a rare form of tourism found in very few areas; this is done in places where birds occur. In Uganda, avitourism is conducted in Mabira Forest, Ruhija, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Mabamba, Lake Mburo National Park, and Murchison Falls National Park.
In Rwanda, ORTPN believes that avitourism has the potential to financially impact even the most off-the-beaten path areas of Rwanda, areas that currently never see tourists.
Currently, ORTPN and RBA are working to develop birding routes-branded walking paths offering birders friendly establishments, and have access to highly skilled birding guides and trekkers – as a way to bring tourism to Rwanda’s most remote regions.
With this effort, Rwanda could become the next stop for the avid birder, and tap into currently $7 billion industry. It has got birds, it has the variety, and perhaps most importantly, it has easy access.

By Nakiboneka Halimah
Uganda Safari and Travel News Reporter
Kampala Uganda

The 11th annual Rwanda International Trade Fair (RITF2008) that brings together local and foreign exhibitors from all countries especially the East African Countries which include Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya. This trade fair will kick off from August 28 to September 8 in Kigali. The event is organised by Rwanda Private Sector together with the Ministry of trade and industry.
Exhibition and Events Organizers is Kenyan based firm that has been hired to manage the 12 day event expected to entice shoppers to Rwanda’s capital Kigali.  This exhibition aims at bringing business people together in order for them to interact, network and also for the Rwandese people to be able to come and see what the business community is doing. The event too is a very good opportunity for the companies to launch new products and get new customers. Registration started early May and as of last week, out of 500 stands available, 320 had been booked, majority being occupied by local companies. Last year, the fair attracted an average of 323 companies in which 227 were local, 96 international.
The event manager said they had sent out over 5, 000 invitations meanwhile, as of last week, foreign companies from Kenya, Uganda, Egypt, Ghana and South Africa had confirmed their participation. The fair will be held in two big tents capable of hosting 400 stands placed on a dust free ground, covered with grass contrary to the previous exhibitions.
Ephraim Karangwa, the Trade fairs and Promotion Manager at Rwanda Private Sector Federation (PSF), said that the importation of the two tents increased the total cost for the event from Rwf300m (close to $545,454) to Rwf400m (close to $727,272). The PSF is also working on a project to set up a permanent expo building likely to cost Euro60million.
The exhibitors will be grouped in six ‘sectoral villages’ ranging from ICTs, International pavilion, industrial, services, general trading and small and medium enterprises. The industrial pavilion has attracted many exhibitors, according to Wambua. The organizers have also secured spaces for motor vehicle dealers, fun fairs, restaurants and bars and one to one meetings.

By Nakiboneka Halimah
Uganda Safari News Reporter
Kampala Uganda

Heathrow’s Terminal 5 is preparing for a busy summer ahead as it celebrates 100 days since it opened in March.
Since it opening, British Airways has handled about 5 million travellers through the terminal and has handled more than 38,000 flights, a statement issued by the airline said.
The Chief executive officer said that everyday he gets emails, letters or comments from travellers all over the world telling him how much they enjoy using the new terminal. When the terminal opened, it was handling around 40,000 customers a day. As the summer holidays approach, passenger numbers are expected to rise from an average 57,000 a day at present to more than 65,000 a day.
He further added that the punctuality and baggage performance levels are significantly improved on this time last year and check-in queues are much reduced.