Kimbla- Mantana Uganda has announced the opening of their newest lodge” The Engagi Lodge” in Bwindi, Uganda, Africa. The old tented camp has been replaced with a modern lodge in a breathtaking setting offering stunning views over the forest canopy.  The lodge is situated in a large tract of land contiguous with the Bwindi National Park, and runs from the main Buhoma road down to the Munyaga River.  The Engagi Lodge is ideally situated to be used as a base camp for gorilla trekking in Bwindi National Park. Engagi means “gorilla” in Rukiga, the language spoken in and around Bwindi.

The lodge was built using a local workforce and local materials.  All of the staff have been employed from the surrounding areas, and have been trained on site.  Joseph, who has been the assistant manager at Lake Mburo Camp for a number of years, is currently managing the Engagi Lodge to ensure that it maintains the same level of service and standards that both tour operators and our clients have enjoyed at Lake Mburo.

The Main Lodge building is divided into 3 sections: a “rock” bar, the restaurant, and a large wooden verandah with a separate outdoor viewing platform.  The lodge building is large enough to cater for sizeable groups needing banqueting tables, but still allows smaller individual groups to spread out in the various different areas for privacy.  The lodge is open ended at the front, allowing a dramatic view of the National Park forest from every corner inside the building.

The main lodge is built entirely from rocks found in and around the site and eucalyptus trees, while the roof has been thatched using banana fiber sourced from local farmers.

In terms of food and meals, the lodge prepares a variety of 3 course meals, and all requirements (such as vegetarians and vegans) are catered to by our team of experienced Kampala trained chefs.

The lodge consists of just 8 en-suite cottages, evenly spaced out and hidden in the foliage.  Each cottage has either double or twin beds (complete with hot water bottles), a bathroom with flushing toilets, hot and cold running water.  All have private verandas where guests can enjoy their morning tea or coffee as they look out over the forest canopy. Electricity is supplied by solar power, with a backup generator.  Hot water is supplied by wood burning boilers; however we intend to install solar powered heaters in the future with the wood burners as backup.

The main Reception has been built up on the Buhoma Road, and we have a large and secure roadside car-park, both of these are a good distance away from the main lodge buildings.  Drivers can be accommodated in our permanent staff buildings.

Guests will be able to enjoy a number of private walking trails around the lodge and down to the river. They may also enjoy a visit to a number of functioning tea farms inside the site which are maintained by members of the community.

The Engagi Lodge offers classic accommodations in the Bwindi area.  Tour operators are welcome to book use of the accommodations for clients in support of their travel plans.  Individuals interested in staying with us are also welcome.

The opening of this new lodge in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest has added to an increase in the lodges that are found in, near and around the park. Some of these lodges and accommodation sites include budget and camping accommodation which are mainly occupied by the budget tourists who visit the park for gorilla tracking activities an example is Lake Kitandara Bwindi Camp site. The park has also got high end accommodation such as Gorilla Resort- Bwindi This is an Intimate exclusive high end safari camp with a breath-taking view of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is located at Buhoma - Bwindi Impenetrable Gorilla National Park on a Mountain side. Mantana Luxury tented Camps. This mat tented camp about 1 km outside the park boundary, faces a steep forested hill rustling with bird life. The self contained tents all have solar lighting, an eco-friendly toilet and a private veranda.

Volcanoes Bwindi Camp. This attractively low-key camp consists of several secluded self-contained standing tents, carved into individual clearings in the surrounding scrub. The restaurant and bar is on a wooden deck with a great view over the gallery forest on the park boundary. Half board accommodation costs and full board.

Gorilla Forest Camp which is owned by an up market safari operator. This fabulous tented camp is easily the plushest option at Bwindi.

Moderate accommodation sites are also there and these include Buhoma Homestead little more than a jumped-up local guest house, the Buhoma Homestead would feel extortionately priced any where else in the country at around USD 60 per person full board for a self contained single/ double with hot water. But it’s a fair compromise between cost and comfort at Bwindi with a friendly atmosphere and an attractive location within the park boundary.

Buhoma Community Bandas and Campsite:This attractive complex is set in wooded grounds in a slope facing a forest gallery immediately inside the park entrance gate. Camping is permitted at USD 3 per person. No visitation fee is needed for staying here unless you go on a walk into the park. Basic meals can be ordered for in advance at a cost of USD 3. Drinks are also available.

Bwindi Travellers Motel Butogota: Located in the middle of Butogota trading center 15 kms for Bwindi Park HQS.

Bwindi-View Bandas & Gorilla Nest Campsite:Situated directly opposite the community camp site, this private set up is considerably cheaper, with stunning views of virgin forest opposite and nestled away on the edge of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. Bookings can be made through the National Park information office in Kabale.

Nkuringo Gorilla Campsite is located in a beautiful swath of the world renowned Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park.

The tourism sector in Kenya is about to recover from the destruction of post election violence 10 months down the line with a reduction of 30 per cent in earnings in the third quarter of the year compared to the same period last year. The earnings stood at KSh34.5 billion compared to the KSh49.2 billion registered over the same period last year.

Ong’ong’a during the release of the sectors third quarter results noted that the post election violence and the after effects have adversely affected revenues to the sector. The sector has lost some Sh14.7 billion as compared to what was achieved over the same period last year. This is despite an estimated KSh350 million having been used in recovery efforts mostly on marketing and advertising in key source markets such as the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

 Kenya Tourist Board Managing Director Dr. Ong’ong’an Achieng continued to say that the recovery efforts will go on until the end of 2009 with the hope that the government will honour its pledge to increase funding to the sector by another Sh1 billion this financial year. In order for tourism in Kenya to get back to its standards and meet the other East African Countries take an example of Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda.

 The recovery programmes are expected to run until the end of 2009 and we expect through this process to reach the 2007 levels. The results still reveal a 30 per cent drop in consolidated tourist arrivals for the last nine months with the figure standing at 939,791 compared to 1.3 million over the same period last year. This was however a six per cent edge improvement against the second quarter.

The global tourism market has been seriously battered by the prevailing high fuel prices that heightened the cost of travel against a background of unstable financial markets and rising inflation levels.

High fuel prices for a significant part of the year increased the cost of air travel reducing the demand of long haul destinations from the major source markets. These factors also reduced the level of importance of travel in terms of priorities to an extent.

In terms of international arrivals by air and sea, the sector recorded a 36.6 per cent decline standing at 496,056 compared to the 782, 690 registered over the same period last year. Almost all the arrival categories registered a major decline compared to 2007 with the holiday segment dipping by 55 per cent while the business segment registered a 20.9 per cent drop. Cross boarder arrivals closed at 443,735 compared to 565,191 during the same period in 2007.

Exhibitors of handicrafts were the most organised and impressive at the just concluded Uganda Manufacturers Association trade fair at Lugogo. Most of the handicrafts exhibitors were from neighbouring Kenya and Tanzania with a handful from Uganda and Rwanda.

 Besides being the first set of exhibitors to put their stalls in order, they managed to put together beautiful handmade products from different areas in the region. Some of the products on exhibition were ornaments and other goods of aesthetic value.  Most of the ornaments are locally made from Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda using precious stones, bark clothes and cowries shells among others.

 Handmade items such as necklaces, bracelets, ear rings, wallet and handbags were among the most popular products. Such ornaments are very much liked and treasured by tourists who visit Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. The tourists usually find these handicrafts at tourist destinations when they come to East Africa, these are locally made by the people living in surrounding communities near national parks. In Uganda, take an example of the Bigodi Women Group in Kibale National Park where tourists enjoy chimpanzee tracking safaris and birding safaris at Bigodi Swamp as well as nature walks. The ornaments have a mixture of different precious stone and shells that can only be found in areas where there are rivers and seas in the region.

 Although the handicraft exhibitors were not in the main exhibition hall, they managed to register one of the most impressive attendances by the show goers because there crafts are not only admired by the foreigners (tourists) but also the locals too.

 “We have not really made big sales but most of the show goers are impressed by our creativity and generally admired our product and to me as business person that is not too bad,” Ms Gorrety Nakku, a Ugandan handicraft exhibitor said.

 Ms Nakku added that, “Few years ago our products were considered backward by our own people and we heavily depended on tourists for livelihood but now the locals are slowly embracing our products,” Ms Nakku 

The Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU) and the Uganda Manufacturers Association (UMA) will run three business days for exhibitors and show goers and tourists during the UMA trade fair.

 Ruth Musoke, the PSFU director for member service, said that the business days would be part of the parallel business meeting events that will be held during the trade fair at the UMA Main Conference Hall.

The days would involve business seminars, talks and demonstrations aimed at exposing exhibitors, show goers and the general public to new business ideas and technology improvement. She further added that the business days are meant to expose the public to new innovations and business ideas, new technologies and technology improvement, product design and development, business partnerships and joint ventures, marketing of industrial products and market development.

Musoke explained that the business days are open to the general public from 9.00am to 5.00pm and the attendance is free for all and no need for pre-registration.

She added that the initiative would be an annual event pararell to the trade fair as a way of continued support to local business people to make more competitive both locally and international.

Musoke explained that last year’s Uganda International Trade Fair attracted over 817 exhibitors from 31countries with over 170,000 show goers. She said this year 900 participants from over 30 countries were registered.

The President of Uganda President Yoweri Museveni is expected to open the fair on October 10^th 2008.

The Chairman of the Trade Fair James Kalibbala said the trade fair would be held under the theme ‘Linking production to prospective markets through value-addition’.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is making plans to strengthen security at Entebbe International Airport which is the international airport of Uganda. This is the main entry and exit point of the country. All people arriving and leaving Uganda  for example tourists, business people, heads of state use this airport.

According to the aviation authority’s website, CAA has called for the supply of security screening equipment.

Security has become a major consideration for aviation authorities around the world following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the US. Countries have had to upgrade their security equipment to ensure safety at the airports.

The procurement be will done using the open international bidding process which is open to all bidders ‘from eligible source countries.’

Bid documents can be inspected from the office of the procurement manager at the CAA headquarters in Entebbe.

They cost sh100, 000 or $60 from the CAA cash office at Entebbe airport terminal building. Bidders must have a bid security of $7,400 (sh12m). The deadline for submission of the bids is November 18 at 10:30am. They will be opened in the boardroom on the same day.

Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) launched a new drive to promote wildlife conservation and local tourism. The campaign is targeting the youth mainly and is aimed at popularizing Uganda’s rich wildlife heritage among students.

Eunice Nyiramahoro, the director of tourism and business development, declared last week that the authority is hoping to reach the more than 30,000 students at Makerere University alone. She said this while speaking during the close of a two-week sensitization outreach at the institution.
Nyiramahoro said UWA has already put incentives in place to attract students to Uganda’s national parks. She said some of the incentives include free entry for students with valid identity cards.

During the function, more than 2,500 students, visited the stalls and got copies of Uganda games posters and CDs.
The climax of the day was a raffle won by Judith Dushimimana, a second year student of Psychology for a three-day tour of Murchison Falls Game Park.
Nyiramahoro asked the Government to give incentives to the industry to allow easy access to the parks.

She noted out that people are constrained because they believe that the tour companies are expensive and meant for only white tourists or foreigners, the tourism ministry should work on ways to make the national parks accessible to the locals. This will help[ develop tourism in Uganda and the neighbouring communities around the parks and other tourism sites at large.

There is need to put more infrastructure in tourism sites such as lodges in the national parks that are not too expensive to attract more local tourists. She regretted that many locals believe that the national parks were only for white tourists and they are frequently visited by the whites.

Rwanda and Burundi have agreed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding giving way to mutual protection of two major national parks. The MoU was signed in Rwanda recently by the director general of Rwanda Office for Tourism and National Parks (ORTPN), Ms. Rosette Rugamba and the director of Burundi National Institute for Nature and Environmental Conservation (INECN), Mr. Adelin Ntungumburanye.

The signing of the MoU is as a result of the collaboration idea conceived in 2005 by both Rwanda and Burundi to initiate joint transboundary protection to achieve sustainable conservation of the ecosystem in Nyungwe National Park of Rwanda and Kibira of Burundi.

Nyungwe National Park extends for 1,000 square Kilometers across the hills of South East Rwanda. The park has more than 200 different types of tree species and harbours close to 300 bird species. Kibira National Park is the largest untouched natural area in Burundi situated at the top of Apex DRC-Nile with its 40,000 hectares of preserved forest. It is home to wild life such as chimpanzees, baboons and monkeys.

Burundi, which is just rebuilding after a prolonged civil war has prioritized the tourism sector among other development, drives in the pipeline. Two weeks before, President Pierre Nkurunziza launched a tourism promotions drive to market the country as a major destination.

Technically, tourism has become East Africa’s leading sector. In all the East African countries, tourism industry has contributed a lot to their development especially in community areas where tourism sites such as game reserves, national parks, ecotourism sites and historical sites are located. People in these communities benefit through selling arts and crafts to the tourists and also other hand made souvenirs which they take back to their countries. Tourists also carry out village walks in those neighbouring areas and do some developmental projects for example in Uganda, tourists usually opt to visit Bigodi area in Kibale National Park after the chimpanzee tracking activity, they also carry out village walks in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park after gorilla tracking and also other parks such as Queen Elizabeth National Park, Mgahinga national Park etc

Rwanda already has another MoU with Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to protect the species and nature in the Albertine Rift. Ms. Rugamba said they are looking forward to the success of this collaboration and there is no turning back since there is commitment which is the most important aspect.

The understanding will see the two countries conserve biodiversity, natural resources and associated cultural values, research, monitoring and ecotourism. They will also lobby for planning and better management to reduce threats affecting the two national parks. The two bodies also agreed on rational sharing of resources and skills development for the sustainable conservation of both areas. The collaboration will also deal with common challenges to conservation including poaching which led to the extinction of buffalos and elephants, bamboo cutting, cattle movement, fires where 12% of the park has been burnt in the last 12 years, insecurity and poor infrastructure especially on the side of Burundi.

On the side of Rwanda, however, a lot of efforts and initiatives have been put in place to ensure Nyungwe National Park is protected and developed into an amusement park. Dubai World, an emerging investor in Rwanda is also putting up $3million tent-made lodges in the park to ensure accommodation in the park.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in its Project named ‘Destination Nyungwe’ is setting up other two lodges. Nyungwe, which is Rwanda’s largest natural forest, was transformed into a national park. Last year alone it was visited by 4,000 tourists who spent US$234,000.

The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has signed an agreement worth $3m worth sh4b with a Germany investor to manage wildlife which is not in gazetted parks.

The investor, Christian Weth, will invest in eco-tourism and game farming in Luwero and Nakaseke districts said the UWA publicist Lillian Nsubuga.Weth said that there is huge potential for tourism, sport-hunting and game farming in this area. This will increase on the number of tourists who come to visit Uganda’s tourism sites for example Bwindi Impenetrable National Park where tourists go for gorilla trekking safaris, Kibale Forest National Park, Mgahinga Gorilla Forest National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park and many others.

He owns the Uganda Wildlife Safaris, a tour and travel agency, which would work closely with the districts officials.Luwero and Nakaseke have animals such as warthogs, leopards, bushbucks, hyenas and Uganda kobs.

The UWA executive director, Moses Mapesa, said Weth’s task would be to attract people who are interested in vermin animals to hunt the animals.UWA is planning to extend the programme to other parts of Uganda, the statement added.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Emirates Airlines the leading Arab Emirates airline has come up with a new strategy to deal with the flight delays that occur at Dubai Airport. Passengers in Dubai using Emirates Airlines will have to be at the boarding date 35 minutes before departure. The gate will close 15 minutes before departure.
A press statement notes that the change is to help tourists avoid delays and missed connections.
Mohammed H Mattar, Emirates’ senior vice president Airport services noted in a recent press statement that Emirates is implementing the 15 minutes before departure gate closure in departure gate closure in consideration of their customers who usually arrive on time for their flights. The new policy will allow the aircraft to take off as scheduled since it takes about 15-minutes to locate and off-load the baggage of missing or late comers.

Emirates Airlines is among the top airlines transporting travellers to Uganda. These include business tourists, conventional travellers and leisure tourists taking Uganda Safaris, Gorilla Tours, Uganda Wildlife Safaris as well as other Uganda Tours. Forecasts show that nearly 11 million passengers are expected to go through Dubai during this summer season (May –September).

The reconstruction of the 150km Masaka-Mbarara highway, at a cost of sh237b, has started. This project is undertaken by Reynolds Construction Company of Nigeria and supervised by AIC Progetti. It is expected to be completed within three years. The road to undergo reconstruction starts from near the Masaka bypass junction and stretches to Mbarara town.

The reconstruction of this road has been welcomed by Uganda’s tour operators. This road is among the tourist infrastructure that has been ignored in the tourism industry in Uganda. The road links to some of Uganda’s national parks which are important tourist sites in Uganda. The parks include Lake Mburo national park, an important safari destination for wildlife tours, Queen Elizabeth National Park important for chimpanzee tours and game viewing safaris, Mgahinga National Park and Bwindi Gorilla Forest National Park, prominent parks for gorilla safaris. In addition to that this road is also the main route that tourists use to transfer to Rwanda which is another famous tourist destination for gorilla tracking.

According to the Minister of Works, Housing and Construction in Uganda, other roads to be reconstructed under the massive project include a 5.5km stretch from Masaka town on the Masaka-Kyotera road. John Nasasira the minister of works said at the ground-breaking ceremony in Lyantonde town yesterday that they are grateful for the support from the EU which has made this project a reality. 

He added on that the Masaka-Mbarara highway is a central section of the Northern Corridor, which links the economies of East Africa and the Great Lakes region with the Indian Ocean. The European Union (EU) has contributed close to sh230 billion to the project, making it the biggest project ever financed by the EU in Uganda.

He further revealed that the Masaka-Mbarara works would have kicked off in 2005 but had been delayed by the long tendering process. On completion, the road will benefit about 6,000 vehicles that ply the route every day.

The King of Swaziland Mswati the 3rd and his wife Queen Lamoba as well as their family members took a Uganda Tour on a state visit in which they visited Uganda’s best and top visited safari destinations: the Source of the Nile, the longest river in the world and Bujagali Falls found in Eastern Uganda.

After this tour, King Mswati had a private dinner at State house Entebbe, before embarking on a day long tour of other establishments in the country including a visit to the anti-retro viral plant and Quality Chemicals. The king who ascended the Swaziland Throne in 1986 later visited the Kabaka of Buganda, the head of Buganda Kingdom..

The Source of the Nile is one of the major tourist attraction sites in Uganda and has been rated among the top tourism destination visted in Uganda by tourists taking their Uganda Safari in this beautiful country of East Africa. The Nile is also Africa’s longest River: the Nile begins its 6,400 kilometer journey to the Mediterranean Sea from its source in Jinja while the Bujagali Falls ranks among the top adventure safari destination in Africa given its grade 5 rapids.

The royal couple arrived in Uganda on Sunday for a four-day state visit. They were received at the Source of the Nile by the Mayor of Jinja Municipal Council, Mohammed Keezaala and other Municipal officials. In his remarks, King Mswati hailed Uganda for effectively conserving the River and urged them never to relax this noble cause.

 The royal family, who were accompanied by Uganda’s Minister of Information and Communication Technology, Dr. Ham Mulira and the State minister for Gender Rukia Isanga earlier, also visited Bujagali Hydro Electricity Power Plant, the site where the new hydro-power dam is being constructed. The Swazi royal guests were fascinated by the divers who entertained tourists at the site with their breathtaking diving and swimming skills.

Apart from Bujagali Falls and the Source of the Nile, other major tourist attractions in Uganda include National Parks, religious sites, and cultural sites. There are also several tourist activities that can be done in Uganda and these include gorilla safaris, chimpanzee tours, wildlife safaris, cultural safaris, hiking safaris and mountaineering tours to the Mountains of the Moon and Mt Elgon.

Makerere University has opened up a cultural village to exhibit Uganda’s culture and tourist sites during the ongoing 5th All Africa University Games. The games that were officially launched by President Yoweri Museveni yesterday will run until July 16. The cultural centre, based near Nkrumah Hall, is sponsored by Nile Breweries under its social corporate responsibility programme.

Speaking at the launch of the cultural village on Sunday, Moses Bwambale, the coordinator, said the centre would guide participants from the over 20 African countries on Uganda’s cultures and tourism potential. He also noted that there is need to create a sense of identity and avoid a cultural shock to the visitors.

This will also help increase on the investments got from the tourism industry in Uganda and will also help acknowledge Uganda’s tourism potential to the rest of the African countries who will learn more about Uganda’s tourism and get to know that it has got various tourists activities such as cultural tourism which is the theme for the event, wildlife safari activities which take place in Uganda’s National Parks such as Queen Elizabeth National Park, Semliki National Park, KidepoValley National Park, gorilla safaris which are done mainly in Bwindi Gorilla Forest National Park and Mgahinga National Park. Other tourist activities include chimpanzee tracking activities in Kibale Forest National Park, birding activities, mountaineering and hiking activities in Mt. Elgon National Park and Mt. Rwenzori National Park.

The cultural village has an entertainment centre, a canteen and art gallery, which among others displays local art and foodstuffs.

He said acclaimed local musicians and cultural groups would perform at the village. The prominent Ugandan artist Jose Chameleon is one of the Ugandan local musicians who will perform and the Goldenbit, a newly-formed Makerere University cultural group.

He also thanked Nile Breweries for the support.

The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) is planning to start mock tourism on two newly habituated gorilla groups based in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, in southwestern Uganda. This is in a bid to test the gorilla’s readiness to receive tourists. Struggling to soak up the ever-growing demand for gorilla tours in Uganda, as well as increasing demand for gorilla tracking permits, in 2006, the wildlife body has passed a resolution allowing for habituation of two new gorilla groups in Bwindi impenetrable gorilla park.

The decision to habituate more gorillas in Uganda was informed by high demand for permits, the location of the two groups, and loss of tourists to neighboring DR Congo and Rwanda, the fact that one of the already existing groups could disintegrate among other reasons.
For the last two years now, trackers on gorilla tracking safaris have followed the gorillas on a daily basis to make them familiar and comfortable with human beings. Habituation is a process that enables mountain gorillas lose their fear of humans and in the same way cannot be harmful to humans.

The mountain gorillas of Bwindi have been habituated for eco-tourism in the dense Bwindi Forest since April of 1993. The habituation process involves collecting data on each individual gorilla in the group especially with regard to feeding habits, personality traits, temperament, physical features, general health, grooming and how they react in different situations.

Mock tourism will be carried out over a period of four to six months. Ms. Eunice Mahoro explained that Mock Tourism involves the systematic introduction of different colours, with different colours, with different smells and different voices, and they carry all sorts of gadgets such as cameras and recorders, all of which are foreign to the gorillas. Mock tourism enables the gorillas to get used to such things. It is the final phase of the habituation process.

The two new groups are called Bitukura (13 members) in Ruhija, Kabale district and Nsongi in Rushaga (28 members), Kisoro district. These will join Mubare, Rushegura, Habinyanja and Nkuringo to charm the tourists who pay USD 500 for each gorilla tracking permit. The permits are valid for just one gorilla safari.

Launching of the two new gorilla groups will address the problem of chronic shortages of gorilla tracking permits that has limited Uganda Tour Operators from booking more gorilla tours this season. Currently, only four gorilla groups are available for tourism in Uganda, and each is allowed only eight visitors per day, which makes a total of 32 permits per day. As a result, there has been difficulty in meeting the high demand for Uganda gorilla safaris tracking permits especially during the heavy tourist seasons that stretch from June to September and from November to February.With the two new groups, the number of available permits per day will increase to 48.

The local communities in Kabale and Kisoro districts will also greatly benefit from the additional gorilla tour groups through increased access to a larger market for their goods and services such as handcrafts, cultural performances and general entertainment.
The expanded gorilla tourism is also expected to trigger improvements in infrastructure such as roads, facilities, communications, transport and local business. Gorilla tourism started in Uganda in 1994, and since then it has captured the hearts of many international tourists especially from Europe and America who are always excited to see famed primates.

The gorillas have also been the subject of many documentaries and films produced by reputable media and film companies. A research that was carried out in 2006 discovered that the population of gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park had grown by 12% from 300 in 1997 to 340 by 2006. In the world, there are only 700 remaining mountain gorillas. Scientists have revealed that half of the remaining mountain gorillas live in Uganda’s two national parks of Bwindi and Mgahinga Gorilla National parks. Mountain gorillas are threatened by a number of factors. Gorillas are grossly endangered by poaching, commercial trade, disease and civil wars, and are therefore classified under appendix 1 of the Convention for International Trade in Endangered Species of wild flora and fauna(CITES).

Egypt has showed interest in investing in Uganda’s tourism industrial sector.
This arose during a meeting by a delegation of Egyptian ministers of International Co-operation, Mrs. Fayza Aboulnaga, and that of Agriculture, Mr. Amin Abaza, with Uganda’s President, Yoweri Museveni at State House, Entebbe last week. The North African country agreed to form a joint business venture with Uganda.
A statement from the presidency last week said the two parties agreed to form a partnership in wheat growing, building an abattoir and an animal feed plant hence developing agricultural tourism in the tourism sector of Uganda just like wildlife tourism which has Uganda safari packages such as gorilla tracking tours, chimpanzee tracking safaris, hiking safaris, cultural tours etc and this has developed the tourism sector in Uganda and brings a lot of foreign exchange from foreign visitors who come to do the different tourism activities.

The President assured the Egyptians that within the next 24 months Uganda will have enough power to satisfy all industrial power needs and the other power consumers. He also assured then that the land for their projects will be availed.
Mr. Museveni said the way forward for Africa is to strengthen the African Union economically and politically for faster and more effective implementation of the strategies laid down for the development of the continent. The Egyptian Minister of International Cooperation, Mrs. Fayza Aboulnaga said he would like to build a resort hotel on one of the beautiful beaches on Lake Victoria to boost tourism.
Though the president welcomed the idea, he encouraged her to consider investing in fruit processing because there are a lot of fruits which are rotting and can be used in Ugandan industries.

The Buganda Kingdom has set July 1^st as the day to celebrate Buganda Tourism Day which is set to celebrated annually as away of cherishing Buganda’s valuable tourist attractions ranging from ancestral places and artifacts.
According to Buganda Kingdom Tourism Minister Florence Nakiwala Kiyingi, the three-day celebration which is set to be presided over by Buganda Katikkiro John Baptist Walusimbi as the Guest of Honour will showcase Buganda’s rich tourism resources to the public both locally and internationally.
She added that her office is a new one in the Buganda Kingdom but it is starting in high gear. “We are unveiling Buganda Tourism house where Buganda’s arts and crafts, Buganda’s literature, pictures of past and present kings, videos of Buganda literature, pictures of past and present kings, videos of Buganda’s main events will be sold”, she added.
She also continued to say that this will rhyme with the Katikkiro programme of improving and benefiting the rural poor as women will be able to get markets for their handcrafts like mats, baskets, backcloths weaving etc.
She further explained that the three main palaces of emphasis have been cleared that is Bulange, the sear of the kingdom, the Lubiri, official royal residence and the Kabaka’s lake in Ndeeba, which is another tourist attraction.
The day’s theme is “Unveiling Buganda’s Beauty.” Nakiwala also added that the entire Kabakanjagala Road has been refurbished, gardens set up infront of Lubiri and the tourism office in Bulange is ready.
The office is to assist tourists intending to visit any of Buganda’s tourism sites like the Kasubi, Wamala royal tombs, Naggalabi, several palaces by providing directories, tour maps and others. Nakiwala added that next year, they will start constructing Buganda Museum which will have many of Buganda’s Historical monuments and artifacts just like the Uganda Museum.

It is estimated to cost a whopping shs.1.5bn and has already been earmarked for that. On the same day, new leaders in her ministry will be sworn in. She called upon all Baganda and their supporters that is Ugandans at large to turn up in big numbers on Tuesday at Bulange according to their clans and know more about their leaders and also view for themselves the treasure in Buganda’s tourism potential as they come to love it.
This day will not only benefit Buganda as a kingdom but it will also benefit Uganda at large especially the tourism sector. Ugandans will get to know that their country has got many tourism attractions and go for these Uganda Safaris, visit the different tourist attractions like the Uganda national parks such as Bwindi gorilla forest national park for gorilla tour, Kibale chimpanzee Forest for primates safaris, Queen Elizabeth National Park for Uganda wildlife tour, Semliki National Park, Mgahinga National park for gorilla trek, Kidepo Valley National Park and many more. This will help Uganda boost it’s tourism industry both locally and internationally, the locals will also be informed about the tour packages that the Uganda local tour operators have to offer such as gorilla safaris, chimpanzee tracking tours, hiking safaris, honey moon packages, birding tours and cultural tours too.