Bwindi impenetrable forest gorilla dies aged 28 years old

A photograph of Mishaya taken in June 2012. Mishaya was a leader of a commuinty of gorillas in Bwindi (UWA Photo)

 

At 28 years, Mishaya had lived only half his life in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in southwestern Uganda. On Monday, Mishaya died after a short illness, according to top wildlife officials.

 

The lifespan of mountain gorillas is estimated at 50 years, according to Dr. Gladys Kalema, the director of conservation through public health. She described Mishaya, who broke away from Nshongi about two years ago, as an active, friendly and assertive gorilla.

 

“Mishaya will be missed,” Kalema said. Others who eulogised Mishaya said he would amuse them, giving many tourists compelling opportunities for photographs.

 

Dr. Andrew Seguya, the executive director of Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) said: “We have lost a lovely mountain gorilla which was free with tourists.” He said he had sent a team of veterinary doctors to investigate further what caused Mishaya’s death.

 

Preliminary results indicate that he died after the coiling of the intestines. Mishaya was the only silverback (alpha male) after which a group of habituated gorillas in Bwindi was named. His group lives in Rushaga, in the southern region of Bwindi.

 

Apart from Mishaya, the southern sector of Bwindi is home to habituated gorillas, Nshongyi, Kahungye and Busingye groups.

Uganda Birding Safari

12 Days Birding Tour Uganda  -12 Clients Group Safari

Uganda winning the name “Pearl of Africa” was because of the tourism resources endowed and out of that Uganda is known to be a region “Gifted by Nature”. The “ornithology” tours has become  more exciting together with wildlife encounters which Uganda  has to offer from different tourist important bird areas, destinations, list of birds in Uganda can be spotted from these areas: the Mabamba wetland birding site a best birding place in Uganda, Kibale national park, Queen national park the “medley of wonders”, Bwindi impenetrable birding park, Mubwindi birding wetland, Lake Bunyonyi-Uganda birding tour the “ Switzerland of Africa” in Kigezi region. Our aim is to show and explain all types of birds and other tourist resources to surpass our client’s expectation.  On this safari we have opportunity to spot other tourism resources like mountain gorillas, chimps, wildlife and other leisure amazingly experienced like game drives, boat cruising, nature walks among others. 

Day1: Entebbe-Bird Botanical Gardens

Upon arrival at the Entebbe international Airport, you will be welcomed by our guide or company representative who will transfer you to your hotel in Entebbe. Depending on your arrival time you can be able to go birding later on at the Botanical gardens. The most common bird species which include Wood, Common, Marsh Sandpipers, Common Green Shank, Long-tailed and Great Cormorants, Madagascar Bee-eater, Green Crombec, Orange weaver, Entebbe Weaver (an endemic to Uganda that was recorded at the site only once), White spotted Flu tail. Dinner and overnight at Bomah Guest House (L)/Airport Guest House (M)/Sun Set Motel (B).  Meal plan: BB

Day2: Mabamba Bay Birding Wetland

Have breakfast, thereafter drive to Mabamba bay wetland birding site, the unique site referred to as the best in Africa and the whole world, where the elusive Shoebill (Balaeniceps rex) can be spotted at any one time of the day. Other bird species include; Rey-headed Gull, White Winged Terns, Madagascar Bee-eater, Yellow Billed Egret, Long toed Plover. Have lunch and in the afternoon you could have a walk along the tracks on the main road in search of more birds then you expect to see the Black Crake, African Fish Eagle, African Jacana, Malachite and Pied Kingfishers, Cape Wagtail, Swamp Flightier, Winding Cisticola, Blue- Breasted Bee- eater, Red Chested Sunbird and many more. Return to lodge for dinner and overnight as above. Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch.

Note: Today we shall provide Breakfast and Lunch in the field, then with Dinner it is the clients to buy his or her dinner at lodge, lodges in towns do not have set menu so it’s hard to predict how much the client will eat!

Day3: Entebbe-Kibale Forest National Park

Early morning breakfast and drive to Kibale Forest National Park. Lunch en-route in Fort portal town at Gardens Restaurant. Afternoon  bird watching in the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary that is found 5 km after Kibale Forest National Park on the road to Kamwenge. Birding is a major activity around the swamp with paths cut and areas of the swamp board trails to give access to areas of the swamp that would be otherwise inaccessible. Species for Bigodi include Great Blue Turaco, Black Billed Turaco and White Spotted Crake. Dinner and overnight at Kyaninga Lodge (L)/Kibale Safari Lodge (M)/Kibale Forest Camp (B). Meal plan: Full Board

Day4: Kibale Forest (Chimp Trek)-Queen Elizabeth National Park (Evening Game Drive)

After breakfast, participate in the chimpanzee trekking in Kibale forest National Park and along the way you will see a number of bird species which include: black-capped apalis, blue-headed sunbird, collared apalis, dusky crimson wing, purple-breasted sunbird and red-faced woodland warbler. Other Kibale specials include the African pitta, green breasted pitta, black bee-eater, yellow spotted nicator, yellow rumped tinker bird, little Greenbul, black-eared ground thrush, brown chested alethe, blue-breasted kingfisher, Abyssinian ground thrush, and the crowned eagle. Have lunch and in the afternoon drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park which is home to total of 604 different bird species. Key species: African Skimmer, Black Rumped Button Quail, Verreaux’s Eagle Owl, Red Footed Falcon, Lesser Flamingoes, and Saddle-billed Storks, and numerous classes of Raptors. Birding in the evening, Dinner and overnight at Mweya Lodge (L)/Enganzi lodge (M)/Bush Lodge (B). Meal plan: Full Board

Day5: Queen Elizabeth National Park (Game Drive-Birding & Boat ride)

The whole day reserved for birding in the park while on a morning game drive but also see other wildlife like the mammals that include some big five Lions, Hippos, Buffaloes, Leopard, Spotted Hyena, Elephants and the elusive Giant Forest Hog in this park. Primates like the chimps and monkeys and Reptiles. All these are regularly sighted around the tourist village on the Mweya Peninsula. In the afternoon go for the boat cruise along Kazinga Channel, with the concentration of water birds and photographs is extraordinary. A variety of birds grace the grasses on the channel’s edge and these may include the Great White and Pink-Backed Pelicans, Great and Long-tailed Cormorants. There is also a Bird Observatory here, which was set up with the aim of studying both migratory and resident birds. Since its inception in 1997 more new species have been identified, including Uganda’s first record of the Bar-tailed Godwit. Return to lodge for dinner and overnight and dinner. Meal plan: Full Board

Day6: Queen Elizabeth-Bwindi Gorilla Park

After breakfast, drive via Ishasha Sector with birding experience and the search of the tree climbing lions those enjoy lying on the top of fig trees during the hot hours of the day. Later proceed to Bwindi National park best known for gorillas; lunch en route. Though the gorillas are its most famous inhabitants, Bwindi is also noted for its biodiversity and the richness of its flora and fauna. The diversity of birds in Bwindi National Park is extremely high, representing one of the forest’s avian-fauna in Africa. The bird list for the park currently totals 334 species, 67 non-forest-dependent species, and 182 forest-dependent species. Thirteen of these species occur nowhere else in Uganda, seven are not known to occur anywhere else in East Africa, and 17 are known for East Africa only in Bwindi and one or two other East African forests. The rare species include the spectacular globally threatened endemics like the African Green Broadbill and Shelley’s Crimson wing. Dinner and overnight at Ruhija Gorilla Resort (L)/Gorilla Mist Camp (M)/Trackers Tavern Cottages (B). Meal plan: Full Board

Day7: Uganda Gorilla Trekking

Today you will go, gorilla tracking in Bwindi Forest National park; the most exciting wildlife experiences. The activity starts with a briefing from the ranger guides after which you proceed with the trekking. Bwindi forest in Uganda has a population of about 370 gorillas, which is half the world population according to 2007 gorilla population surveys. It is not predictable the time you will spend to encounter the gorillas but it normally takes between 2 – 6 hours. You have an hour to observe the primates and their behaviors, while taking photographs. Do not forget to carry your lunch boxes and water, insect repellent, sun screen, rain gears, hut and walkable shoes. Evening take birding around the lodge to spot birds like handsome francolin, archers robin chat, stripe breasted tit, purple breasted sunbird, mountain Green bul, duikers, warblers, dusky Crimson wing, mountain Illadopsis, mountain yellow warbler to mention a few. Return to lodge for dinner and overnight. Meal plan: Full Board

Day8: Ruhija Birding Sector-Lake Bunyonyi

Have breakfast and proceed to Mubwindi birding wetland at Ruhija sector. Ruhija is likely to be one of the highlights of any trip to Uganda with excellent birding in spectacular surroundings. Birds are both plentiful and easy to see; many species associating in mixed feeding flocks that are active throughout the day. An early start offers the best chance of finding the striking handsome Francolin, Cinnamon-chested bee-eater, western Green Tinker bird, Mountain and yellow-streaked Greenbul, Mountain marked and chestnut-throated Apalises, red-faced woodland Warbler, Rwenzori Batis, white-tailed crested Flycatcher and many more. Dinner and overnight at Bunyonyi Resort (L)/Bunyonyi Overland (M)/Jajama lodge (B). Meal plan: Full Board

Day9: Lake Bunyonyi-Lake Mburo National Park

After morning breakfast, take a motor boat ride on Lake Bunyonyi for birding. The Lake is one of the most popular destinations for birding and the guide will help you spotting birds over different islands. Bird species include: Pied kingfisher, Malachite kingfisher, Cinnamon chested bee-eater, Bronzy sun bird, Knobbed coot. Very rare, Pied wagtail, Black clack, Common stone chat, Grey shrike, Grey crowned crested crane, Hadada ibis, Swamp fly catcher, Black heron, Great cormorant, Fan tailed widow bird, Streaky seed eater, Speckled mouse bird, Pin tailed whyder, Bronze manikin, Black headed weaver. Have lunch in Kabale and from there proceed to Lake Mburo where you will have a game drive as you enter the park. Dinner and overnight at Mihingo Lodge (L)/Rwakobo Rock Lodge (M)/Eagle’s Nest Camp Mburo (B). Meal plan: Full Board

Day10: Lake Mburo National Park

Have breakfast and then go for a morning game drive to intangibly consumer birding experience. The park has about 313 different bird species which include the rare Shoebill stork, White-winged Warblers, Black-billed Barbet, Crested Francolin, Brown Parrot, Red necked Spur, Emerald-spotted Wood Dove, Temminck’s Courser, common Quails, Greenwood Hoopoe, Blue-napped Mouse bird, Barefaced Go-away bird, African-grey Hornbill, Nubian Woodpecker, Trilling Cisticola, Lilac-breasted Roller, Coqui Francolin, Red necked spur fowl, Black Bellied Bustard, African-wattled Plover Rufous napped and Flappet larks, Rufous chested Swallow , Southern Red Bishop and Yellow-throated Long claw among others. Return to lodge for lunch and thereafter afternoon drive to Masaka town for dinner and overnight at Brovad Hotel (M). Meal plan: Full-Board

 Day11: Masaka-Mpanga Forest Birding Site–Entebbe

After breakfast, drive to Mpanga forest the eco science research forest and here expect to spot a lot of unique birdlife species, but before you reach have amazing stopover at the equator to take awesome photos and shop some souvenirs’ and edible snacks. Lunch; enter into the forest to spot different types of birds, floras and faunas and this adventure are so much awesome. Then in evening set off to Entebbe for our dinner and overnight at Bomah Guest House (L)/Entebbe Airport Guest House (M)/Sun Set Motel (B). Meal plan: Full-Board

Day12: Entebbe–Ngamba Islands Chimpanzee Sanctuary

After breakfast you will be transferred to Entebbe water front club and board your speed boat to Ngamba chimpanzee sanctuary to indulge in quite big list of informative activities like chimp feeding, bird watching and you will have lunch at the island. Thereafter drive back Entebbe with entrance to the Uganda wildlife education Centre and watch some big five caged and other species, birds. Evening you will be transferred to airport for your home flight. End of services, Meal plan: Half-Board.

NB: (L) Luxury, (M) Mid-range and (B) Budget

The price staying in Luxury Lodges and based on 12 pax will cost $$ 4626 dollars per person and using 2 --- 4x4 Extended Land Cruiser and based on full board meals.

The price staying in Mid-range Lodges and based on 12 pax will cost $$ 3698 dollars per person and using 2 --- 4x4 Omni-Bus and based on full board meals.

The price staying in Budget Lodges and based on 12 pax will cost $$ 3310 dollars per person and using 2 --- 4x4 Omni-Bus and based on full board meals.

The safari package includes:

Airport transfers

Transportation by 2 4wd vehicles

Accommodation and meals as per itinerary

Bigodi birding walking safari

Chimpanzee permits

Park fees

Car entry

Boat ride

Gorilla permits, one per person to be paid in advance

Nature walks birding

Visit Ngamba chimp sanctuary

Visit Mabamba wetlands

Full day professional birding guides + Birding tour leader

En-route lunches

Game drives

The package excludes:

Expenses of personal nature like: Visa, drinks, laundry, tips to local guides while gorilla trekking, telephone, personal insurance and cigarettes.

What to wear/bring

Dress codes are informal. Daytime temperatures are generally warm, so bring lots of light clothing, supplemented by light sweaters for the cool evenings and heavier clothing for the higher altitudes especially Bwindi. When tracking gorillas layering your clothing is the best idea and we suggest: long sleeved shirts, cotton or gore tex trousers, strong walking shoes with ankle support, socks that you can tuck your trousers into, light gloves to protect your hands from thorns and nettles, a hat and sunglasses to provide protection against the sun and a waterproof jacket in neutral colors may come in handy in the moist mountains. Travel light and remember that soft-sided luggage is required. One medium sized duffel bag and one small daypack (carry-on) per person should be adequate. Laundry services are available at most accommodations. You should also pack some zip lock bags for spare clothing, cameras, binoculars and film. Please note that you are not allowed to use a flash when photographing Gorillas. It is a good idea to take along several different speeds of film (64 to 1000) as gorillas can be found in open sun or in the dark underbrush of the forest.

Contact +256-751-915-622

info@ugandantour.com or ugandantour@gmail.com

 

Tour Consultant

Nature Adventure Africa Safaris Ltd

Uganda Kampala, Entebbe Airport Road, Najja Shopping Centre, 03 B Office 2rd Floor

Get a chance to enjoy Country Lake Resort this Valentine’s

 

Three lucky couples have a chance to enjoy this relaxing and naturally-romantic experience on Valentine’s Day. To get lucky, get participating in the Just the two of us promotion Valentine’s promotion.

Valentine’s Day is about 14 days away, so Heart to Heart together with KFM have something special planned for you and your loved ones. Here are some of the memorable romantic experiences of those participating in our promotion, and Esther Oluka takes you through what the lucky couples will enjoy if they got a chance to go to the beautiful Country Lake Resort, Garuga for Uganda Tour.

“They will be our queens and kings on that day and our role will be to make them feel at home.” These were words from Mr Moses Odomel, the general manager of Country Lake Resort Garuga, to three couples who will win a Valentine’s Day treat at the resort.

The treat will be part of the Just the Two of Us Valentine’s promotion sponsored by the Heart to Heart magazine and KFM.

Located in Garuga, off Entebbe Road, Country Lake Resort offers a fresh, breath-taking, relaxed, romantic environment, with a fresh breeze ideal for loved ones.

Nature is written all over the resort as soon as you get to the driveway, punctuated by beautiful sculptures and antique paintings. If you ask me, every stroll offers a photo opportunity.
Overlooking the lake, the resort is quite busy. You won’t miss people taking boat rides, kayaking, bird watching, playing mini-golf or volley ball, among other games. If you are not the active one, there are perfect viewing points.

The lucky couples will also be treated to a free photo shoot at the resort gardens, which are decorated with beautiful water fountains and crafted antiques.

And for couples who would want to unwind after a fun-filled day, did I mention the resort has two large dance floors where you will get to shake it off to live video mixing by their in-house DJ Jimmy?

The resort’s cottages are named after Uganda’s beautiful lakes, according to size. So guests have a choice to pick their favourite lake as they prepare for a warm, quiet night. You can be guaranteed to sleep like a baby.
According to Mr Odomel, the promotion is an opportunity for loved ones to pamper themselves and indulge in various fun-filled activities. The promotion is open to couples; married or not and any other loved ones.

To win a chance, join the 93.3 KFM Facebook page and post your most memorable romantic experience or listen to the K-Zone with Jaq Deweyi from 8pm-12am and read the Heart to Heart magazine every Thursday to know if you have qualified. The top 10 posts will be in for the final draw. You could also recommend a couple you think deserves a treat. Good luck!

My baby looked beyond my skin

I met the love of my life in December 2009 and I thank God everyday because my life has never been better. I like the way my baby adores me. When I had just met him, I used to feel ugly because my skin wasn’t clear. I felt so insecure but one day, he sat me on his laps and told me: “Baby, I don’t see anything wrong with your face. You are so beautiful and shouldn’t care about such stupid things because I see beyond this pretty face, I see your heart and character and that’s what matters.”

He then kissed my face and hugged me. He made me feel so worthy and I have always felt beautiful since then. He calls me his model and uploads my pictures on Facebook with special messages. I feel like the luckiest woman on earth and there is nothing more I would want but to be everything he wants. He doesn’t know I entered this competition but I want to tell him: “Nsubuga James, I want you to know in front of the whole world that I love you and even if I don’t win, I just want you to feel as special as you always make me feel. HAPPY EARLY VALENTINE’s.

Money wasn’t her target

As a young man from a humble family, I went through struggles to get to school, so I vowed never to date until I had finished school and found a job since I had once lost a girl I loved so much just because I couldn’t afford to take her out on days such as Valentine’s. However, after resisting so many beauties at campus for a year, I met this one beautiful girl whom I found irresistible. I promised to take her out at least twice a month and promised her that Valentine’s would always be heaven for us.

We dated for a year but I don’t remember even one time when I took her out or bought her flowers. Another year went by and nothing changed but she stuck with me. In 2010, she visited my place on Valentine’s but we all ended up in tears because I had nothing for her. That night we decided that we should stay together and since then, I still have never done something special for her. I feel this offer would be a real surprise to her and could bring more fire in our relationship.

Lunch, walk, memories

He invited me to his place and told me I was smart and beautiful and that I deserved a good treat. He asked me to keep him company in the kitchen as he prepared us lunch. Time after time, he would walk up to me and peck me on my forehead...he served lunch and later suggested we go for a walk, which ended in a treasure hunt at a place where we first met.  

2009 marked the exodus of love in a magnetic field for me. All the love I felt came out of the blue because somebody’s daughter, my classmate then, had charmed my heart and mind. This beautiful girl always made me freeze like water that had spent a while in the fridge. But being new in the game, I had a challenge of how to set a trap, lay strategies and find convincing words to woo this girl. One evening, I asked her friend to ask her to see me. The response wasn’t good.

I continued pursuing her and luckily enough, one evening she agreed to meet me. I poured out my heart, but she rejected me and told me she had come to school to read her books. I felt out of place and confused, but I didn’t give up. On the Valentine’s Day of 2009, she sent me a letter, committing to love me. It felt good discussing love with my sweetheart, someone I had had eyes on for a long time..

Rwanda Gorilla Trekking a gear of conserving gorillas for Eco Tours Rwanda

When the name Rwanda comes up, at least in tourism circles, gorilla tracking comes to mind, first and foremost, as the Land of a Thousand Hills is indeed best known for offering well organized Eco tours Rwanda to see the prized animals in their natural habitat. The Rwanda Development Board’s Tourism and Conservation Department in fact acknowledges that in spite of concerted efforts over the past years to diversify the tourism products and introduce new attractions, inside and outside of the three national parks, gorilla tracking remains the highest profile activity for now, though birding and hiking, especially in Nyungwe Forest National Park, have started to make an impact in the statistics. Culture is also growing tourism product in Rwanda and the Rwanda tourism board has launched the Musanze cave for cultural tourism which you can visit on your Rwanda tour, Eco tours Rwanda.

The Virunga massif, a trans-boundary ecosystem located in Rwanda, Uganda and neighboring Congo DR, is home of – going by the latest figures available – some 400 mountain gorillas and has been described as the world’s only stable great apes population. It is here, that on the Rwandan side some 11 habituated gorilla groups are available for tourism purposes, the 11th only named 10 days ago during the annual Kwita Izina naming ceremony, when a “breakaway group” gained their own recognition, name and status. Additionally there are 10 other habituated groups which are strictly reserved for research and monitoring, outpacing the other two gorilla range countries. The gorilla groups in Rwanda include: Susa—the largest group with 41 gorillas. This family is the hardest to trek as it tends to range high into the mountains but RDB Tourism & Conservation trackers will know well in advance where the group is located. The group is also well known for having rare 5 year old twins named Byishimo and Impano. Sabyinyo—Sabyinyo is an easily accessible group led by the powerful silverback Guhonda. There are fewer members within this family than in the other groups however they are equally impressive as a family. Amahoro—led by the calm and easy going Ubumwe, Amahoro is made up of 17 members and means “peaceful”. To reach Amahoro one must endure a fairly steep climb however the climb is well worth it once in contact with this tranquil group. Group 13—when first habituated this group had only 13 members hence its name. Now the group has approximately 25 members, a very positive sign for conservation and the efforts put forward by RDB Tourism & Conservation to protect the gorillas’ habitat. Kwitonda—this 18-member group is led by Kwitonda which means “humble one” and has two silverbacks and one black back. Having migrated from DRC, this group tends to range far making it a moderately difficult trek. Umubano—a family of 11, Umubano were originally Amahoro members but broke off after the dominant silverback was challenged by Charles, now the leader of Umubano. When a young silverback challenges the dominant silverback he must steal some females from the existing group in order to form his own family; thus Umubano was formed. Hirwa—this group emerged recently and was formed from different existing families, namely from Group 13 and Sabyinyo. Eventually more gorillas joined. Come witness this family continue to grow and Karisimbi– a family of 15, a new group.

The Ruhengeri province in Rwanda is a city where all gorilla trekkers have their overnight before and after budget gorilla trekking. At this area you can stay at luxury, mid-range and budget lodges Sabyinyo silverback Lodge/Virunga safari lodge/ Mountain Gorilla View Lodge/ Mountain Gorilla Nest Camp/Lebombou Lodge/Laplame Hotel/Muhabura Guest House/Kinigi Guest House respectively. The Rwanda Development Board and conservation NGOs are working hand in hand towards a common goal, protecting the mountain gorillas while at the same time ensuring that tourism pays many of the bills this mammoth task incur month after month.

The Greater Virunga Trans-boundary Cooperation, in short GVTC, is a trilateral body, based in Kigali, comprising RDB, UWA and ICCN, which coordinates conservation and management matters, shares research results and coordinates security measures put into place along the national frontiers between Rwanda, Uganda and the Congo DR.

There is GRASP, the Great Apes Survival Partnership, which falls under the UNESCO/UNDP framework of conservation partnerships under which all institutional bodies come together to share information and rally to preserve the ever shrinking habitat of great apes around the globe.

Gorilla Doctors bring veterinary doctors together who volunteer their time to assist, largely free of cost for their professional services, to rush to the scene should the trackers, who spend much of the day with their charges up the volcanic mountains, call for medical support.

The International Gorilla Conservation Program, in short IGCP, is a partnership devoted to the conservation of the mountain gorillas by the African Wildlife Foundation, Flora and Fauna International and the World Wildlife Fund for Nature, best known as WWF.

And then there is the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International, the local headquarters based in Musanze, which is arguably the highest profile organization of them all, the offices in white and green highly visible for everyone who drives through what used to be Ruhengeri. The fund emerged from Dian Fossey’s DIGIT Fund, renamed in Dian’s honor in 1992 as the DFGFI.

Dian Fossey, immortalized through the film "Gorillas in the Mist," which portrayed her life’s work and dedication to the cause of protecting the mountain gorillas of Rwanda and Congo, back then still known as Zaire, was killed on the 27th December 1985, but left behind a legacy which lives on and has grown from strength to strength. Controversial as she may have been in life, she was an outspoken opponent of using habituated gorillas for tourism purposes and had reported run ins’ with fellow researchers, too, in death she became a uniting factor for gorilla conservation and her name, and that of the fund, continue to be magnets to raise money, material contributions and attention around the world. Today, the gorilla population, which was seriously endangered when Dian was still alive and working in the field, has significantly increased in size, to now around 480 overall, but with an estimated carrying capacity of around 800 gorillas, some in fact say up to 1,000 while others put the capacity of the Virunga massif to lesser numbers.

The fund operates the Karisoke Research Centre, headed by Felix Ndagijimana with over 150 staff in Rwanda and across the border in the Congo DR, plus a number of volunteers and collaborating scientists. The main thrust of activities is, as previously mentioned, research and monitoring of the gorillas, conservation education among school children but also the adult population living around the national parks and last but not least community outreach programs include health and education interventions.

Tour operators panic as UWA makes new policies

When elephants fight, the grass suffers, goes an old saying. This becomes more realistic when it is literary played out by the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) and the private sector engaged in tourism related business. The proverbial grass, the animals and related wildlife-based tourism, are suffering. Instead of working together as partners to promote tourism, the two parties are locked in endless conflicts.

As UWA rolls out innovations to improve services to clients, the private sector remains opposed, on grounds that they were not consulted and that what UWA is introducing will ruin their business. “We are going to strike because UWA has refused to listen to us,” Herbert Byaruhanga, the president of the Uganda Tourism Authority (UTA) told Saturday Vision in an interview.

When contacted, Jossy Muhangi, the UWA public relations manager, down-played the conflict, saying the cat-and-mouse game does not hold water. “I do not think it is a conflict, the terms are always clear,” Muhangi said, in reference to the recent development in which UWA will make gorilla permits accessible online, while booking will be done by registered Ugandan tour operators “We want them to take advantage of modern technology,” said Muhangi, adding that the different time zones mean that intending gorilla trackers would be able to know the number of available gorilla permits, even at night when tour operators are asleep.

Opposing online gorilla permits on grounds that it would lead to loss of employment, according to Muhangi, is counter-productive. He says more intending trackers would be able to see the gorilla permits online and then contact the Ugandan tour operators. “We know that tourism is private sector-led, that is why booking is going to be done through tour operators,” said Muhangi. “As the tour operators make more money from the increased gorilla trackers, UWA will also reduce on the losses incurred through unsold permits,” he said.

However, Byaruhanga cites the loss of business as the reason the tourism fraternity is opposed to online gorilla permit booking. He says when tourists physically contact tour operators to book gorilla permits, they can easily be convinced to visit our other parts of the country. “By taking gorilla permits online, tour operators lose their bargaining power,” Byaruhanga explained. In September, Maria Mutagamba, the tourism minister, set up a committee to resolve the matter.

Safari Gorillas at Bwindi national park

 

The committee chaired by a  commissioner in the tourism ministry has representatives from UWA, the Association of Uganda Tourism Operators (AUTO) and the communities, and a representative from the International Gorilla Conservation Programme. The committee is chaired by a commissioner in the tourism ministry Mutagamba ordered the committee to find a solution in three months, which elapsed in December 2013.

However, the matter remains unresolved because tour operators did not provide a representative. Apart from the online gorilla permits, the tour operators say UWA is introducing vehicles in national parks, which private sector players say is going to create competition and take away business. They also say the World Bank funded initiative in which UWA is expected to get buses to ply between Kampala and the protected areas will undermine the earnings of tour operators. “Such services will compliment tour operators,” said Muhangi. “We are not competing with them. The tour operators target high end tourists, while our focus is on domestic and budget tourists.” Muhangi cited groups organized under churches, Rotarians and families as some of the intending tourists who would visit the protected areas.

For long, he said many people have kept away from the protected areas because tour operators charge exorbitant fees. The conflict, which is fueled by greed, ignorance and arrogance, has rolled the names of the top leadership at UWA in the mud. “I do not know what is driving this man (Andrew Seguya, the executive director of UWA) you agree on one thing and he does something else,” said Byaruhanga. When contacted for comment, Seguya said UWA had formed what he called ‘the coalition of the willing’, comprising institutions willing to break boundaries to expedite the fulfillment of Government plans to build infrastructure. He said the Civil Aviation Authority, which is part of the “coalition of the willing” had introduced scheduled flights to the largest protected areas of the country.

Others include construction of tourism roads which will link the protected areas, such as Murchison Falls National Park in northern Uganda and the southern parts of the country, where Kibale National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park are Experts say Kaddu Sebunya, representative of the Africa Wildlife Foundation UWA and the private sector need each other. But the conflicts that have emerged are motivated by fear of the unknown. The conflict is unhealthy, especially for the tour operators because 80% of their business is in the protected areas.

The Government does not adequately fund the Uganda Tourist Board (UTB). Even UWA does not get enough money from the Government and it cannot donate the money it uses for marketing to UTB, unless the law is changed. The private sector should reorganize and engage UWA over strategic interests and reforms. UWA keeps interacting with tour operators and lodge owners in clientele relationship. This should evolve into a partnership relationship. At the moment, the conflict is unhealthy and it does not help conservation and Tourism Uganda

African Queen returns to Nile waters

The African Queen boat motors onthe Nile in Jinja, Uganda. 

The African Queen boat motors on the Nile in Jinja, Uganda tours, on December 21, 2013. Jinja - Sixty years after Humphrey Bogart steered her through crocodile infested waters, the African Queen is back plying the Nile.

Lovingly restored, the boat is operated by Cam McLeay, a New Zealand adventurer and Nile enthusiast, and took its first passengers for a ride in December.

"The African Queen belongs on the Nile. So it is so important to have the boat back home over 60 years after the film was made," McLeay told AFP.

Cam McLeay, owner of the African Queen , sits on his boat with his colleagues on the shores of the River Nile in Jinja.

In 1950 Bogart and Katherine Hepburn flew into Uganda together with a huge team from Hollywood to shoot the movie of the same name.

The film told the story of a prim missionary and a gruff adventurer, the captain of the African Queen -- two totally different characters -- who in true silver screen fashion end up falling in love despite the odds.

Hepburn wrote a frothy account of the making of the African Queen, which was shot between Uganda and neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo, subtitled "How I went to Africa with Bogart, Bacall and Houston and almost lost my mind".

Based on a 1934 novel by C.S. Forester, the movie was set during World War I in German-occupied east Africa.

"There were actually two of these boats, one of them was in Congo and this is the Nile's African Queen," explained McLeay, who recounts his love affair with the Nile.

"I'm very attached to the Nile. I've traveled the full length of the river, from the Mediterranean to the source in Nyungwe tours," the father of three recounted. "I've been up and down the river for 16 years."

Cam McLeay, owner of the African Queen , sits on his boat with his colleagues on the shores of the River Nile in Jinja. Back in the 1990s he set up a rafting company in Uganda's Jinja area, and then had an eco-lodge built on an island in the river.

McLeay says he wants his projects to be sustainable -- from both an economic and an environmental point of view.

Recreation of past times. He then started thinking about a river boat to do trips and sun downer cruises for tourists, showcasing the scenery and the very varied bird life.

"Just on this section here, we have over 100 species of birds. It's just beautiful to be on the river here at the sunset on the Equator," he told AFP.

McLeay learned of the existence of the African Queen when on holiday on Kenya's island of Lamu, where traditional Arabic-style sailing dhows with lateen sails are common.

"I was looking for an authentic African boat to run on the Nile and I was thinking of buying a Swahili dhow," he recounted.

"Then this hotel owner said: 'Why don't you buy the African Queen? She's from Uganda!'"

A week later McLeay had gone to Nairobi and tracked down Yank Evans, a septuagenarian who explained how he had found the hull of the boat abandoned in northern Uganda's Murchison Falls national park 20 years earlier and had done it up.

When he left Uganda for Kenya he brought the boat with him. Another five years went by between the boat's return to the banks of the Nile and the start of services on the river. One of the challenges was to rebuild the steam engine, which was more than 100 years old.

The African Queen boat motors onthe Nile in Jinja, Uganda. In the movie, directed by John Huston and released in 1951, the boat was powered by a diesel engine that was made to look like a steam engine.

But when Evans restored it he decided to fit a real steam engine and had one air freighted from Britain.

"When we got this boat, the boiler had been sitting around for a very long time," explained Gavin Fahey, the African Queen's captain and mechanic, adding that he had to strip down the engine and re-machine it.

McLeay explains that he has tried to recreate an atmosphere of times gone by on board his African Queen, the time when huge tracts of Africa were -- for Western adventurers at least -- still virgin territory waiting to be explored.

"Gavin wears the same kind of clothes as Humphrey Bogart. We have adopted the fez for the waiters, which is associated with the Sudan, where the Nile makes most of his journey," McLeay said.

"And we are serving gin and tonics, like Humphrey Bogart drank in the movie."

Keeping the engine fed with wood has virtually no environmental impact, McLeay says, since he is using wood left over from a construction project, and he has planted trees to ensure supply when that stock runs out. "It's probably more environmental friendly then a modern boat," he says. We support child Uganda

Ngamba chimp sanctuary ranked best in Africa

 

The vastly experienced primatologist celebrated her 80th birthday. 

 

Ngamba Chimpanzee Sanctuary Island has been ranked as the best chimpanzee sanctuary in Africa by Jane Goodall, a United Nations ambassador of peace.

A powerhouse primatologist, ethologist and anthropologist, Goodall is also the founder of the Jane Goodall Institute.

She says she based her ranking on the kind of attention and care accorded to the primates, which are highly threatened by extinction.

There are 29 chimpanzee sanctuaries in the whole of the African continent. Two of these were founded by Goodall under her Jane Goodall Institute. She has been supporting the other 27 through funding.

Found majorly in the tropics, you will find these sanctuary on your Uganda tours, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, DR Congo and Rwanda.

There are also some in South Africa and Sudan. Speaking at her 80th birthday which was held at Lake Victoria Island, Goodall said she observed that the 47 chimpanzees on Ngamba Island were loved and treated with so much care like no other on the planet.

Goodall says the chimps at Ngamba are well taken care of like no other in Africa.

The vastly experienced primatologist celebrated her 80th birthday. “For the last couple of years, I have been moving from one sanctuary to another across the continent, but never have I seen chimpanzee caregivers treat the primates with so much care and love before.

“They have fully acknowledged the fact that chimpanzees are man’s closest relatives and treat them with so much love and attention. I am overwhelmed,” she the delighted octogenarian.

The sanctuary’s top ranking is seen as potential pull for the local tourism industry.

According to Lilly Ajarova, the sanctuary’s executive director, Goodall’s recognition of Ngamba as the top sanctuary in the continent could be a positive turning point, which could attract more tourists.

“Owing to the fact that Goodall is an inspirational figure who commands over 10 million followers worldwide inclusive of tourists and conservationists, her credit of Ngamba is destined to fire up its annual tourists turn-up from its annual 4000 to 5000 to nothing short of an impressive influx,” she says.

Ajarova is quick to add that, this will play an instrumental role in the conservation of the primates whose population across Africa country is dwindling at a high as many people continue to hold them in captivity and degrade their habitant.