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The school holidays are yet again around the corner, and Many

Different place in Uganda have been I identified for a go to sight holiday

This time of the year coincides with the beginning of summer travels by the affluent tourists from the West, but it is also high time Ugandans explored their own country and reinvented that ‘family time’, which has inevitably shifted from fireplaces in urban homes. Here is our guided tour…

Ssese Islands

Looking for quiet and peaceful white sand beaches? You don’t have to look far to the coastal towns of Mombasa, Dar-es-Salaam or Zanzibar. Ssese islands in Kalangala district offer relaxing beaches. You can take boats from Kasenyi landing site off Entebbe Road to many of the Ssese islands, but tourist facilities are available only on Bugala, Bukasa and Banda Islands.

There is a pay-per-head government ferry at Nakiwogo in Entebbe to Bugala or you can choose to go via Bukakata in Masaka, on the free for all ferry.

To access the ferry at Bukakata from Kampala, it’s a 140km drive to Masaka and another sizeable distance on murram road to Bukakata, in addition to the 32km stretch from Luku landing site to Kalangala District headquarters, from where you can jump on a boda boda to any of the hotels. It is always better to take a car to Ssese. Public transport is not a major strength.

But once on Bugala island – the biggest of the 84 Ssese islands – you will find amazing beach hotels such as Ssese Beach Hotel, Mirembe Resort Beach, Islands Club Ssese, Ssese Palm Beach Resort and Pearls Gardens Beach Kalangala among others. Ssese Islands Beach Hotel and Islands Club, for example, are built under a canopy of natural tropical forest.

For more on the Uganda national parks and Luxury safari packages to see the Mountain gorillas in Bwindi , contact African Secrets Limited

Conceivably the most vital thing to look for is reliability and safety. Ask to see the local tour operator%u2019s brochures, licenses and equipment. gorilla trekking , Also ask for references. While it may be difficult to contact references if you are already in the destination, if you get references while you are still at home, you can call and ask about the tour operator or guide before you leave.
Some local tour operators and guides will show you letters of praise from foreigners who have used their services. While these may be impressive, be your own judge and listen to your instincts. Ask questions about the route, safety measures, accommodations, etc. If you are concerned, ask your hotel managers and the local tourism office for their assessment or recommendation of a company or guide. Uganda gorilla tours

Generally, local tour operators and guides are trustworthy, sincere and hardworking. It%u2019s not in their best interest to cheat or harm travelers: word gets around fast and they will be out of work. Don%u2019t be distrustful, just cautious: you wouldn%u2019t book a tour at home without checking things out first, either. And, if you are particularly pleased with a guide%u2019s or tour operator%u2019s services, a tip is appreciated, and so is a positive recommendation for other travelers. gorilla safari

Even independent travelers find that sometimes there are activities they cannot or don%u2019t want to do by themselves%u2013hiking, rafting, or other outdoor activities that require equipment, guides or access to remote locations.
Finding and choosing reliable local tour operators is not difficult in most cases Kenya safaris

Not many animals have sparked the imagination of man as much as the gorilla, the largest of the living primates and best friend of man that in Uganda, the year 2010 is called a year of Friend A Gorilla. gorilla safari Due to there unique features and behaviour many tourists visit the great apes year round in order to also become close to the attractive, Unique and friendly primates in the world.
However, Friend a Gorilla Ugandan documentary on mountain gorilla tracking Campaign last year won second place in the prestigious Tour Film Brazil International Tourism Film Festival devoted exclusively to tourism films. The Tour Film Brazil initiative is supported by the Brazilian Government and is part of the international circuit of the International Committee of Tourism Film Festivals.
The festival took place in Florianopolis, an island in southern Brazil, from May 6th to 8th.Besides,Uganda’s submission, a documentary, titled ‘Uganda: Friends of the Gorilla’, is a short film starring Jason Biggs and Simon Curtis, that depicted a wildlife adventure in Uganda safari mountain gorillas. The film was directed and produced by Rachel McDonald, and shot during the launch of the www.friendagorilla.org campaign in 2009.
If you had not gathered, there are about 780 mountain gorillas in the whole world, all located in Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Of these, more than half (about 380) are in Uganda.
According to the natural beauty of Uganda, the producer of the film summed the country’s attractiveness after his visit and great experience he got from one of the parks as bellow.
“I am thrilled that thousands of people will see this film and recognise the true beauty of Uganda and the incredible wildlife it invites the world to see. My hope is that viewers of this film will choose Uganda gorilla safari as their next travel destination and experience, as we did, the gorillas, the multiite of landscapes and wildlife, and the wonderfully hospitable culture,” said Rachel McDonald on receiving the news of the award.
One should always expect the best experience and the best safari holiday once you make it in the pearl of Africa land.houses to buy in kampala uganda

Trees are essential to life as we know it that they are the ground troops on an environmental frontline. Our existing forest and the trees we plant work in tandem to make a better world. It was due to there importance that the National Environment Campaign is focusing on tree planting this year, under the theme Plant a Tree Conserve Biodiversity. The theme was officially launched so that it can create a positive impact world wide. gorilla tours rwanda
Besides, a number of tree planting campaigns have been launched all over the world. For example, Red Cross Uganda launched a tree planting campaign in May 2010, Fina Bank in Rwanda which vowed to plant over 1500 bamboo trees in Nyabugogo wetland, Nyarugenge district. Speaking was the bank’s Executive Director and Business Banking, Kenneth Agaba.
“We had requested Kigali City to give us an area where we can plant these trees and they allocated us to Nyabugogo wetland which is being encroached on by the population” Rwanda Environment management Authority (REMA) had written to all businesses around the area, most of them garages, to vacate the wetland. Besides, during a monthly communal work, Umuganda last Saturday, employees of the bank cleared the area where the trees will be planted.
However, as Rwanda hosts this year’s global World Environment Day, a better environment and a lasting legacy for future generations in Rwanda was launched by Oxfam international agency. The campaign will ask Rwandans to mark their birthdays by planting a tree, and show their support for the global movement to help tackle climate change. kenya safari packages
“Birthdays signify birth, growth and life. If each Rwandan on their birthday plants just one tree we can help Rwanda set an environmental example to the rest of the world. Don’t just blow candles, grow trees,” said Alice Anukur, Country Director of Oxfam GB. Climate change and poverty are intrinsically linked. Climate change is caused mainly by the actions of the rich industrial nations, but the impacts are felt most by poor communities in countries like Rwanda.
In addition, planting a tree, Rwandans can make a small contribution to improving our environment, and send a clear message to the world’s politicians that we care about our environment and want them to act. Through this campaign Rwandans will also promote environmental sustainability in other ways, such as avoiding wastage of water, energy and food. With hope this campaign will take Rwanda as a country on to the next step and help achieve Vision 2020. Thus, the trees Campaign’s phenomenal success is a result of the participation of people of all walks of life and from every corner of the planet. kenya camping tours

National Environment Management Authority will next month recruit 600 armed police personnel to strengthen the implementation of environmental protection laws, policies and regulations. The Environmental Protection Force will arrest those involved in land degradation, water and air pollution and ensure that arrested victims are prosecuted in time.
“Apart from arrests, the force will follow up and ensure that victims are prosecuted early,” NEMA Executive Director, Dr Henry Aryamanya-Mugisha said in an interview on Saturday during celebrations to mark World Environment Day in Kanungu District. This year’s theme was “Biodiversity for National Prosperity: Conserve it”.
Distribution mechanism
Out of the 600 police personnel, 450 will be in NEMA regulated areas whereas 150 will be dispatched to National Forestry Authority. The force will work closely with Uganda Police in the acquisition of arms.
“When you look at the icebergs at Mount Ruwenzori, it is melting very fast, fish is being destroyed in Lake Victoria because of pollution and there’s need for protection,” Dr Arymanya said, adding that the costs of treating drinking water by National Water and Sewerage Corporation has risen recently due to encroachment on wetlands accompanied with excessive pollution.
The State Minister for Environment, Ms Jessica Eriyo, said the loss of biodiversity in the country is costing the economy $240 million annually. “Global annual losses as a result of deforestation alone is estimated at $2 trillion while invasive species is estimated to cost global economy $1.4 trillion annually and this is all tax payers money,” Ms Eriyo said. She called upon industry owners to install effluent treatment facilities to minimise pollution of aquatic ecosystems. “The future generation and national development programmes needs biodiversity just like we need today,” she said.
“Polluting the aquatic ecosystem not only kills aquatic biodiversity, but has a direct impact on the livelihood of the fishing communities, the fish industries and foreign exchange earned from fish exports.” She also encouraged communities to plant more trees to avoid further cases of landslides. gorilla safaris uganda
World Environment Day is celebrated on June 5 every year and has been celebrated since 1972. It was established by the United Nations General Assembly to commemorate the opening of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. It is on the same day, that the General Assembly created the United Nations Environment Programme, which is now the United Nations’ principal agency for environmental action focusing on acid rain, oceans, water, ‘green cities’, desertification and climate. kenya lodge safari

The Government of Uganda issued an ultimatum to people occupying wetlands to vacate by the end of this month.uganda safari

The ultimatum was issued by Maria Mutagamba, Minister for water and environment.
She was speaking ahead of the World Wetlands Day today, she pointed out that although the country had succeeded in preserving the environment, the wetlands are disappearing due to encroachment.

The Minister ordered that all people occupying wetlands should vacate them by February 28th 2010. The wetlands to be vacated include Nakivubo, Kinawataka, Lubiji, Kyetinda, Nyanama and Nalukolongo in the districts of Kampala and Wakiso.gorilla safaris in uganda

These wetlands are very significant water catchments areas and also bleeding places for birds and wildlife.

She warned that those refusing to vacate the areas will be dealt with firmly and she mentioned that in the in the meantime, the Government will continue to create awareness and sensitize the public on wetland management.

The Government will also demarcate boundaries and gazette wetlands so as to clarify ambiguities regarding ownership and ensure that investment and development activities comply with environment requirements, she announced. kenya hotels

This will be another plus for the boost of the tourism industry in the country, with efforts like this one. The environment will be saved and the Bird and animal populations will flourish.

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In all East African countries, the visas that are required in are from nationals from countries like British, Australian, Canada , USA , and others from European Union countries. gorilla tours rwanda

However, all nationals referred to above may obtain a visa on entry in one of the East African countries and Nationals not referred to in the chart above are advised to contact the embassy to check visa requirements. Multiple-entry visas may only be issued to nationals of the United Kingdom on application and the same applies to passports.

There are many visitors who visit East Africa for various reasons but mainly Tourism. All visitors have been meeting different costs of visas for different countries in East Africa . For example if one is to visit Rwanda , Uganda and Kenya . Such a person has to pay for 3 entry visas. Due to this case, the visitors have been spending a lot of money and it has always been inconveniencing.gorilla trek

Therefore, the East African community decided to introduce a single tourist visa for the East Africa partner states in order to ease the movement of the people who intend to visit more than one country around the region. The partner states are still consulting on the matter with a possibility of a trial visa introduced first, as they try to harmonise their tourism policies and laws.

Additionally, the other sources close to the East African Community (EAC) secretariat, said a task force appointed to study the region’s preparedness for a single tourist visa would present its report in June. The secretariat is reported to have approached the partner states seeking information from the immigration departments on visa regulations and visa statistics from major tourism market countries. uganda safari adventures

They also added that there was a likelihood of starting with a trial single visa in June this year (2010), to determine whether East Africa was ready to introduce a single tourist visa for the region. Experts working on the matter want visitor statistics from the sample countries that will participate in the suggested trial visa before the actual document is introduced. The major source markets for tourists coming to East Africa include United States , United Kingdom , Germany , France , Canada , Australia , Japan , Italy , Netherlands , South Africa and Scandinavian countries. Also required information on Communication Technology (ICT) systems used by the partner states to network with various canters such as border points and embassies.

Recently, stakeholders in the tourism sector based in Arusha faulted government officials of EAC member states for delayed single tourist entry visa for the region. They claimed that although leaders have always expressed their keenness to have the document in place to facilitate movement of visitors, very little was taking place on the ground. The Tourists visiting the region often spend many hours when crossing borders from one East African state to another because they had different visas for each country on their passports. A Karatu-based hotelier told The Citizen recently that thousands of tourists visiting the region are often stranded on borders for many hours in the absence of joint entry visa.safaris kenya

The EAC under its sectoral council on tourism and wildlife management has also appointed two more technical teams to develop branding strategies and harmonise policies and laws in the sector. One of proposals made recently was that East African nationals visiting tourist sites in sister states should be accorded preferential rates.

The move, under which East Africa citizens would be charged less for park entry fees and hotel/lodge accommodations than foreign visitors, aims to encourage intra-regional trade and cross border visits. EAC secretariat says the move has started being implemented in Tanzania , Uganda and Kenya and that it would be extended to Burundi and Rwanda soon.

” Rwanda is finalising negotiations with the private sector for discounted accommodation rates and this will be implemented soon,” said an official the secretariat. Burundi , which alongside with Rwanda joined the regional economic bloc in July 2007, has been urged to expedite the process. ” Burundi should introduce East African rates accordingly,” he said at the end of EAC sectoral council on tourism and wildlife management meeting here.gorilla safaris rwanda

It was emphasized that the Arusha-based secretariat should facilitate harmonisation of policies and laws governing the sector in the region. Officials from the five partner states also emphasized joint marketing and branding of East African Community as a single tourist destination. They also called for increased funding of marketing and promotion to make the region more competitive in the world tourism markets.

There is also International tourism fairs were cited as the relevant platforms where promotional events are to be undertaken. Most favoured tourism fairs where EA normally featured include ITB Berlin, World Travel Market in London , Indaba, Durban in South Africa , FITUR in Spain and others.

“The secretariat should undertake a study to harmonise tourism policies as well as assess the viability of introducing concessional park entry fees,”the officials emphasized. For many years East Africa region attracts many of its tourists from Europe and North America . However, of late there have been increased visitors from the Far East and South Africa . The East African Legislative Assembly, current meeting in Kampala , Uganda , passed the East African Community Tourism and Wildlife Management Bill, 2008 which seeks to strengthen cooperation framework in the sector. The Bill proposes establishment of a commission to coordinate the development of the sector in the region as well as harmonizing national policies, laws, regulations and standards concerning tourism and wildlife management.

Above all, the Commission shall be responsible for the overall supervision, coordination and management of all matters that relate to the promotion and marketing of the tourism and wildlife industry in the region. The new body would be accountable to the East African Community Council of Ministers, the policy organ of the Community, and would be based in any of the five member state as the council shall determine.

The Commission is also expected to put in place a mechanism to mitigate the challenges facing the region’s tourism and wildlife industry, which include high marketing costs, fierce competition and fragility of the region’s tourism base.kenya travel guide

More so, the commission would also take due consideration of the overall development needs of the people, the wildlife resources and other natural and cultural resources for which the region is endowed with.

Among the great Tourism regions in Africa, East African region is one of the leading tourism hotspots alongside with North Africa and southern Africa and receives close to four million tourists from abroad a year. The East Africa Tourism and Wildlife Management Bill, 2008, will now be submitted to the EAC heads of State for assessment in accordance to Article 62 of the EAC Treaty. Following the assessment of the Management Bill and other Tourism Development plans, the East Africa Region will be the most best ideal place for vacations, Holidays, Research, Education, Business plus investment. Therefore, when you happen to make choice for best safari trips, to plan for a safari, don’t look any where else but East African Region. gorilla safari rwanda

Gorillas are close relatives to the hormospien specie sharing at least 95% DNA and because of that fact Gorillas are our representatives in the wild. These creatures are very fascinating in nature and one can not help falling in love with them at close length.
gorilla trekking rwanda Just like humans mother Gorillas carry their babies till the end of their gestation periods and after birth they will carry, breast feed and give all the care there is to their young ones. The Dominant males also make it their priority to protect and take care of their families. Communication wise the Humble Giants will make a lot of noise and even clap when excited and the same will be done when angry or in a panic. They make mating sounds when the time comes but unlike humans they only mate for procreation and not pleasure.

rwanda gorilla safari Gorillas are almost extinct surviving in only 8 countries where Uganda, Rwanda and Congo are inclusive. In Uganda Gorillas can only be found in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in the Western part of Uganda.
According to Sandy Harcourt there are 123,000 Gorillas surviving world wide and Uganda is home to 720 individuals.

uganda safaris Some years back in 1991, Gorilla tracking activities were introduced in the above mentioned parks. This was done as an initiative to give tourists to Uganda a chance to experience the thrilling adventure of Gorilla tracking in the thick jungles. This whole experience was achieved by habituating Gorilla families that can be viewed by tourists with 5 families in Bwindi namely, Nkuringo, Mubare, Habiyanja, Rushegura and Bitukura, and one family in Mgahinga called Nyakagyezi.

rwanda safari In order to enjoy the Gorilla tracking thrill, one has to be above 15 years of age, in a group of not more than 8 people. The Gorilla Tracking expedition begins early morning at the park headquarters of these parks for briefing by your guide. After the brief, well equipped with your water, picnic lunch, binoculars, cameras, sturdy shoes, long pants and long sleeved tops, rain jackets and a walking stick where necessary. You will embark on your life time adventure where you walk the forest for 2-8 hours in search for the famous Mountain Gorillas. Entering the thick rain forest you will marvel at the tall green trees and their thick under growth, you will go up and down the rough Bwindi terrain looking traces, listening for their noise and sniffing for their scent in order to locate them.

Gorilla tracking is usually started at the point where the Gorillas were last seen the previous day. Once the Gentle Giants are located you will be led by your guide to a distance of 5m from where the Gorillas are and there you will spend 1 hours chatting with these creatures. You are free to take pictures of the picturesque Gorillas from all angles and observe their uninterrupted practices. However you should keep in mind that the Gorillas are wild animals therefore you are not allowed to touch or even fed them. Once the one hour elapses you will have no choice but to leave the peaceful primates in their humble rain forest.

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