Tag Archives: Uganda safaris

10/23/18

Places to see Lions and Antelopes in Uganda

Where To See Antelopes In Uganda

Are antelopes some of a few most interesting wildlife species that you would like to see while on a game safari in Uganda and you do not know where to go? When it comes to African safaris, Uganda is undeniably one of the beautiful countries which are endowed with a number of wildlife species. If you are interested in a more exciting safari then don’t miss to catch a glimpse at variety of playful antelope families while on your game drive.

In Africa, they come in large numbers and in East Africa alone is comprised of over 20 to 30 different species of these spectacular mammal species and they thrive mostly in most of the savanna grassland. Over 29 species of these live in Uganda’s national parks and reserves. They include the greater Kudus, elands, Jackson’s hartebeest, semi aquatic sitatunga, Grant’s gazelle, Uganda Kob, Topis, Oribis and many more. These amazing mammal species largely thrive in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kidepo Valley National Park, Semuliki Valley National Park, Murchison Falls National Park, Lake Mburo National Park and others. They also exist in countries like South Africa, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zimbabwe and others.

Antelopes are largely herbivores, meaning they depend on grass and they graze just like cattle and they love very succulent leaves. They mate any time provided they are in maturity stage and generally, their gestation period ranges from 7 to 9 months. They are easily sighted in groups of over 500 individuals.

They interact using various gestures and vocalization mostly when they are in danger times. Lions, cheetahs, hyenas, wild dogs and others are some of the predators. The Jackson’s hartebeests are highly endemic to Uganda as well as the semi aquatic sitatunga antelopes which feature splayed hooves that enable them to thrive in papyrus areas and they are mostly found in Kalangala Island.

Some of these mammal species are also found in forests, woodlands, bushes and they are ruminants. They are fast wild animals with long strides they make with their long, slender and yet powerful legs. However, they use senses as a way for them to avoid predators and they can detect danger even at night. Besides, they use these senses to interact with each other whereas most of them depend on their large population where adults encircle their young ones as a way to guard them against predators and others trust their legs.

Their lifespan in the wild isn’t known a fact that when they grow, the less speed they become to escape from enemies and in captivity, they can reach 20 years. They also come in a pelage with thick coat of short fur, different shades of brown and white or pale under bodies. Whereas others posses patches like topis which have purple patches, eland have small patches in the knees and there are two different types of elands-the giant and common eland. Giant elands are the biggest followed by the common ones.

Uganda Kobs on other hand are the commonly sighted antelope family and the Kudus are mostly found in woodland. Other antelope species include the sable and they are a few largest in African continent and Nyala mainly thrive in the thick bush mostly along the riverine areas. In order for you to see antelopes in Uganda, you can embark on a game drive or nature walk in the popular national parks.

Therefore, antelopes are among a few most magnificent wildlife species that are worth catching a glimpse while you are on a game safari in Uganda. They are mainly spotted in the vast savanna grassland protected areas.

Where to See Lions in Uganda?

If you are planning to go for a game drive while on safari in Uganda and you are interested in a big game then lions are among a few most amazing creatures that you shouldn’t miss to catch a glimpse. They are popularly called the Kings of the jungles and the fiercest carnivores in the savanna grassland protected areas. Uganda is generally endowed with breathtaking scenery and its vegetation cover is splendid with wide distribution of different kinds of forests, savanna vegetation. These varied habitats offer refuge to these amazing creatures and they can be spotted in protected areas like;

Murchison Falls National Park the only national park which lies in northwestern Uganda and it features not just as the largest but also the most popular safari destination in the country. It comprises of stunning savanna grasslands with beautiful Borassus palm trees and they favor wildlife safaris. You can catch a glimpse at lions at this park while on game safari in Murchison Falls National Park especially in the northern part which is famous for diverse wildlife species. You can embark on early morning game drive or evening game drive. Interestingly, you can incorporate lion tracking with Murchison falls exploration or visit Ziwa sanctuary where you will track rhinos to make a complete list of the big five game.

Kidepo Valley National Park lies in the northeastern side of Uganda and it is one of the few protected areas that are ideal for game drives. This park is splendid expanding to border between Uganda and South Sudan and it is one of the rugged areas with spectacular landscapes, wetlands and savanna plains. While on a game drive, you will catch a glimpse at these amazing creatures as they relax on rocks as they sun bath or on the ground under the tree shades in the middle of savanna grass. Kidepo Valley National Park was recently featured as one of the untouched natural wonders and in 2015; it was ranked the third best safari destination in Africa by CNN.

Queen Elizabeth National Park, this is largely famous for its unique tree climbing lions at Ishasha area. They are usually sighted on fig trees and you catch a glimpse at them while on game drive through the designated lion tracking trails. Besides, there are lions at Kasenyi sector, northern side of Queen Elizabeth National Park and they are not the tree climbing ones. Along this track, you will spot most of them as they roam during your game drive. Game drives are conducted in the morning, afternoon and at night.

You can pay a visit to Lake Mburo National Park or Semuliki Wildlife Reserve and you will have a chance to sight some lions.

In conclusion therefore, lions have become the most sought after species by most visitors on African safari and in Uganda in particular, you can catch a glimpse at them while on game drive. However, they are among the most threatened species in the wild and this means that there is need to ensure that they are well protected.

05/22/18

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Gorilla Trekking In Uganda

Gorilla trekking is one of the exceptional activities you will enjoy in only three countries in the whole World-Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo and the adventure has continuously been the main reason for tourists visiting the African continent. However, due to the crime and civil unrest resulting from rebel activities that contribute to death of Park rangers and kidnapping of tourists in Virunga National Park of the Democratic Republic of Congo, most gorilla tours are made to Uganda and Rwanda but due to high cost of gorilla permits ($1500) for the latter, priority is now directed to the former where permits only cost $600 per person.

Uganda gorilla tours lead tourists to the dense jungles of Mgahinga Gorillas and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, all in the south-western part of the country. In most cases, tourists ask about the advantages and disadvantages of tracking gorillas from Uganda when booking and therefore, provided are the merits of choosing Uganda as your next gorilla trekking destination;

Two wonderful national parks to track mountain gorillas

Unlike other countries with only one National Park with mountain gorillas, Uganda has two places where you can track the Giant Apes. Therefore, you can either track these primates from Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, hence you can make a choice between the two places.

Opportunity of enjoying the Gorilla Habituation Experience

Besides Uganda, there is no other place in the World to enjoy the Gorilla Habituation Experience. Unlike gorilla trekking where tourists are allowed only one hour to spend with a gorilla family, tourists on the Gorilla Habituation Experience get the chance to spend up to four hours with a gorilla family still undergoing habituation (to make them used to the presence of humans). With your permit (at $1500), you will get the chance to visit one of the two gorilla families found in Nkuringo and Rushaga sectors of Bwindi National Park.

Highest population of mountain gorillas

With over 480 mountain gorillas out of the recorded 880 Mountains Gorillas, Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable and Mgahinga Gorilla National Parks undeniably offer shelter to more than half of the World’s population of the Giant Apes. So far, there are 15 habituated gorilla families to be tracked-14 in Bwindi and 1 in Mgahinga, hence making Uganda the best destination of encountering these extraordinary primates in their natural habitats. The most interesting thing about Bwindi is that the gorilla families are distributed across four sectors-Buhoma, Rushaga, Ruhija and Nkuringo which is not the case with other Parks.

View of Bwindi National Park

More habituated gorilla families

Besides offering high population of mountain gorillas, Uganda has the highest number of habituated gorilla families-15 groups, hence over 100 permits are sold per day, contrary to 10 habituated families (80 gorilla permits available per day) for Rwanda. Having more gorilla permits makes it easy for tourists who make last minute bookings to also get the chance to meet these adorable creatures in their natural habitats.

Affordable cost of gorilla permits

Gorilla permits in Uganda cost only $600 for foreign non-residents, $500 for foreign residents and only Shs 250,000 for East African Community residents yet in Rwanda permits cost $1500 per person for all categories of tourists, hence making Uganda a cheaper gorilla trekking destination. This allows tourists to save a lot of money for other expenses and activities.

Easier access from Kigali (Rwanda)

Most intending gorilla trekkers forsake Uganda because of the long distance it takes to drive from Kampala/Entebbe to Bwindi Impenetrable and Mgahinga Gorilla National parks but did you know that for only four hours, you can be able to drive to the two National Parks? This is possible by connecting from Kigali city, thus making it possible to go on a one-day gorilla tour in Uganda as it is for Rwanda. For instance, if you leave Kigali at 4:3oam, you can reach Bwindi and Mgahinga by 7:00am to track one of the country’s remarkable gorilla families, and return to Kigali the same day.

However, there are also several disadvantages of choosing to track mountain gorillas from Uganda and these include;

Difficulty in tracking

If you have ever tracked mountain gorillas from both Uganda and Rwanda, then you are aware that it is more difficult within the former than it is within the latter because the gorillas in Bwindi (especially Rushaga an Nkuringo sectors) inhabit areas of higher elevations. Also, the mountain gorillas of Volcanoes National park are found within the bamboo forests which is not the case with those in Bwindi that inhabit the areas with dense undergrowth.

Longer distances and high costs of transport for accessing the National Parks

Besides the long distance of connecting from Entebbe/Kampala to Bwindi or Mgahinga National Park (8-10 hours), it is generally more expensive than it is when connecting fr0m Kigali International Airport to Kigali City which is only 2 hours away. Even the domestic flights to air-strips-Kihihi and Kisoro (Uganda) are generally expensive.

Much as gorilla trekking is conducted within three countries-Uganda, Rwanda and DRC, there are a number of advantages in tracking from Uganda including the fact that there are more gorilla families, low cost of gorilla permits and higher population of gorillas but there are also challenges that include the longer distance to connect from Entebbe / Kampala to Bwindi as well as difficulty in tracking.

05/10/17

How Local Communities benefit from Uganda Tourism?

Traveling around the world is a great honor but not every one of us can travel to encounter the earth’s most interesting and attractive destination. Travel is out of access to most of the people in the world due to inadequate financial resources, family commitments or other obligations.

However for those few who travel, it is essential to have that philanthropist nature in you to give hand to the local communities you come across while on a safari. If one gives back to these local communities, one always brings a smile on those people. Do you know how blessed you will be by bring a smile on someone’s face.

So here are some of the ways on how to give back to the local communities on a Uganda a wildlife safari
By becoming a volunteer for the cause of conservation, educating the illiterate local community and also being part of the community projects that can promote local community livelihood and tourism at large. There are very many voluntary community based organization around the wildlife destinations in Uganda and also international conservation organization. These include
One can also give back to the local communities by supporting the local ventures/ businesses by purchasing their commodities like stay in a local guesthouse other than a big hotel/ lodge, , try local foods in the local restaurant other than in a fancy restaurant. Normally here in Uganda, these local communities have craft shops where one can buy curios and they have traditional entertainment so while on a wildlife safari in Uganda include the a village walk around the local communities in your itinerary.

When you purchasing commodities from the locals like food in the restaurants, curios at the craft shops pay a moderate price. Although there might be need for bargaining on the prices of the commodities you are purchasing from the locals but go over board that reduction of a dollar you may bargain for may not mean that much to you but it means a lot to the locals in Uganda. Furthermore when the locals offer good services to you endeavor to give them a tip most especially to those people who work in the hospitality industry like guides and hotel personnel. This means a lot to them you will always leave a very good mark in their lives.

Be environment conscious while on a Uganda wildlife safari: do not litter anyhow while you are in their fragile destinations, dispose your rubbish in places designated for littering, stay in eco lodge that are above environment conservation and preservation. When taking short trips always use 4×4 safari vehicles instead of taking a plane that greatly affect the ozone layer by emitting carbonic gases in the air. While in the real destination take an example of gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park take the directives give to you while hiking through the fragile jungle, walk on the trail demarcated for the visitors. By being environment conscious leads to steady conservation and preservation which promotes sustainable tourism.

Donate to local organizations and the international ones that are established to help the needy at large. Donation can be done through giving in funds to help them, giving them commodities like clothes, shoes and other accessories and also scholastic materials like books, pens, pencils, colours among the common ones. Instead of giving something to a beggar child found along the way, look for an organization responsible for the needy to donate so that all the people can benefit wholly. In Uganda when have organizations like world vision, Sanyu babies’ home, USAID and many more.

By engaging in the above, you will have given back to the local communities on a Uganda wildlife safari and your contribution will be highly recognized and appreciated by these humble people around the tourism destinations in Uganda.