Explore Mgahinga National Park

At the extreme south-western tip of Uganda, on the borders of Rwanda and Congo, lies one of Uganda’s the smallest National Park, Mgahinga National Park (Size: 33 Sq km) popular for gorilla tours in Africa. The park forms part of a large conservation area that straddles political boundaries to include Parc des Volcans in Rwanda and Parc des Virungas in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Three extinct volcanoes that are part of the spectacular Virunga range, lie within the boundaries of Ugandan portion of this biologically rich area. Mgahinga is best known for its Mountain Gorillas, a habituated group of which wanders back and forth across the international border. Owing to its relative remoteness, the park has received little attention from ornithologists and this fact is in the ridiculously short official bird list. Even if the prospect of adding exciting new records to the park list does not entice you, few birders will be able to resist the attraction of some of Uganda’s most spectacular birds such as the scarce Rwenzori Turaco, Lagden’s Bush-shrike, and Scarlet-tufted Malachite Sunbird.

For visitors spending nights at the park, there are two campsites one at the edge of the park and the other just outside the gates of the park.

Gorilla Trekking Rules

• No one with a communicable disease (e.g. Flue, Diarrhea) is allowed to enter the park
• Stay together in a tight group while with the gorillas, do not surround them.
• Do not get closer than 5 meters to the gorillas.
• Do not use flashes while photographing.
• Do not eat or smoke when while with gorillas or within a distance of 200metres from the gorillas.
• Turn away from the gorillas if you have to sneeze or cough; cover your mouth and nose in the process.
• Burry all human feaces in a minimum of one foot deep and ensure that the holeis properly covered.
• No person less than 15 years is allowed to track gorillas.
• Do not make loud noise or move suddenly.
• You are allowed a maximum of one hour with gorillas.
• Do not spit on vegetation or soil while in the park; use your hankie or other garment.

Rwanda is so much more than ‘Just Gorillas’

Ms. Rica Rwigamba, head of tourism and conservation within the Rwanda Development Board, during her visit to the World Travel Market in London last year made it plain to stand visitors and the media, that Rwanda had a lot more to offer than ‘just gorillas’. While admittedly Rwanda is still best known for the gorilla tracking, an adventure activity carried out in the ‘Parc de Volcanoes’ in the West of the country along the common borders with Uganda and the Congo DR, RDB has in recent years made a determined efforts to opening up new areas and attractions, to offer visitors a wider range of tourism products.

The effort has largely paid off with more and more visitors coming to Rwanda and spending more time in the country, in the process pushing the tourism sector to the top of the economic performance list.

A canopy walk at Nyungwe Forest National Park, said to be the first in any of East Africa’s rain forests, the expansion of tracks and viewing points in this particular park, the partnership with ‘African Parks’ which is now managing the Akagera National Park and investing over 20 million US Dollars there to improve infrastructure, but also the introduction of suitable boats to take tourists on trips along the shores of Lake Kivu, have all made an immediate impact on the tourist itineraries now offered to visitors, keeping Rwanda at the cutting edge of the East African tourism sectors.

It was also ascertained that the average stay in country has now gradually moved towards the 6 day intermediate target, and with the recent start of KLM flights, operating from Amsterdam via Entebbe to Kigali five times a week, more and more tourists are expected to visit ‘the land of a thousand hills’.

Kigali round about; Modern structures are sprouting up; Centenary house is among the new structures

If one is assigned to depict Kigali City to people who have never been here, and he’s supposed to tell it as it is, he would easily be indicted of exaggeration or even risk losing his writing job.

No one would believe him, he would be rubbished as a fascinated dreamer describing a fairyland city. As for people who live in it, some don’t notice the beauty of their city until they visit other cities outside Rwanda.

Thus the common saying, “One can’t know what they’ve got till when it’s gone”.

Kigali is an attractive city during day and a sleeping beauty in the night. It is characterized by well manicured roads and pedicured sidewalks and clearly marked lanes. Street and security lights (that work), green turf, palm trees and flowers give it a lovely arresting look.

The roundabouts and the magnificently created fountains put a marvelous magic touch to this vibrant city.

The cleanness of this city is beyond description; it’s also easier to find a polar-bear in the desert than finding a polythene bag in Kigali and Rwanda at large.

They do not allow polythene bags in the country, so, there are no roadside eyesores that continue to rustle and float around in the wind like you can find elsewhere.

Like officers on duty, poles that hold trash cans stand erect on all road sides in the entire city. The cleanliness of Kigali is partly made easy by the Rwandan culture of not eating in public, Rwandese believe that eating should be done in appropriate places.

Another facet that makes Kigali an amazing city is the sociability of the people. There is no hostility, violence or edginess that you find so common in other countries.

Asking for direction, unlike other cities where if one doesn’t turn a blind ear when you ask him for direction before asking for a’ little something’, people in Kigali will get out of their way to give you the right direction, if possible even accompany you, to make sure you don’t get lost, not because they have a lot of time or are trying to impress you, but I guess that’s how they are wired naturally.

Another rare thing about Kigali and Rwandan citizens is their obedience to traffic laws. It’s a well known-open secret that in most African countries nobody follows traffic rules, not even pedestrians, but in Rwanda traffic laws are respected and of course this is made easy by the fact that traffic lights are in working order and zebra-crossings are well marked and repainted at any sign of fading, traffic officers also doing a terrific job 24/7.

But although this is the case, here I don’t give our drivers 100% credit. I believe they should add a little more respect to zebra-crossings. Pedestrians also need to know and practice their rights here.)

Kigali city is also a bicycle free city! The only bicycles you can spot in Kigali are sports bicycles, bicycles were gently pushed to city suburbs and were replaced by motorbikes, operated by qualified riders in uniforms.

It’s also a rule to have a helmet both for the passenger and for the ‘motari’. It’s also believed to be easier to see a refrigerator in an Eskimo’s igloo than seeing a taxi-Moto in Kigali ferrying two passengers.

Another thing that makes Kigali worth writing about is the security. Whether on leisure or business, day or night you can walk anywhere without fear of being mugged or your purse being snatched

Let alone petty thefts, car thefts, burglary and bank robberies in Rwanda are only read in Grisham novels and seen in movie scenes.

There are army patrols, police patrols and community security patrols. These can be seen patrolling peacefully without bothering a soul! Today, one can’t be wrong when one says Kigali will soon be a match for any Western city.

Uganda Tourism Revenue and the impact on Changing Lives

The Tourism income in Uganda has made huge strides in addressing and eradicating poverty in rural areas of Uganda where tourist sites and destinations are found. Most of the Ugandans believe that spending on tourism is more or less a foreign concept. However, tourism reigns up there as one of the main foreign exchange earners for Uganda. The high tourism revenue is mostly received from the increasing number of tourists taking Uganda Tours to the different National Parks in Uganda, Gorilla Safaris Bwindi National Park and wildlife reserves in recent years. It’s on record that in 2004, 125,203 visitors were received in the Uganda’s National Parks and by 2009; the number had increased to 145,000. Even though some times, Uganda is talked about badly by the international media especially about incidences like the Bwindi massacre of tourists in 1999, the ADF incursions between 1998 and 2001, the murder of the Jimmy Sekasi Institute students in 2001 in Murchison Falls National Park and the violent raids on villages in the northern Uganda where Kidepo National Park is located by Joseph Kony’s LRA rebels, The increase in the number of tourist inflows of 19797 in 5 years (from 2004 to 2005) is quite admirable. The best option to minimize poaching and emphasizing wildlife conservation is to address poverty in the rural areas especially among the communities neighboring the protected areas such as National Parks and wildlife reserves. To address Poverty in rural areas, the organization concerning wildlife conservation which is the Uganda Wildlife Authority has, for years, now implemented the revenue sharing programme under which neighboring communities are given 20% of annual National Park entry fees to help them in their communities and in most cases this money is given to community projects of these areas. It’s on record that up to date a total of sh4b has been disbursed to neighboring communities through their local governments, with the funds being used to bring services closer to the people as well as start income generating projects for the local communities such as the Micro Finance Institutions which lends money to the local communities to start their own business which will benefit them together with the tourists. Such businesses are Craft shops, Museums, Community Cultural groups and so on. There are over 30 districts neighboring the Uganda National Parks and protected areas. In all these areas, local communities have taken the lead in selecting a project for funding under the revenue sharing project. Most Local communities have over the years insisted on getting projects like classroom blocks, school latrines, health centres, teachers’ houses, irrigation schemes, construction of community halls, road construction and rehabilitation projects, trench excavation, tree planting schemes, gravity water schemes, Pig, Hen, Cow and goat rearing projects among others. These projects have helped to ease the life of several rural people who had to trek long distances in search of basic social amenities such as education, health care or markets for their produce and health. More still there has been improvement in sanitation in areas where School Latrines have been constructed, easy access to the markets in places where roads have been constructed, easy access to health facilities and hence reduction in the death rates and also pregnant women giving birth to their children from home and also reduction in mis-courages because of lack of medication to pregnant women. Among all there has been reduction in maternal deaths because of the easy access to hospitals with in their areas. Uganda’s tourism sector has also benefited directly the local communities by offering markets to their merchandise like crafts which are sold to Tourists directly. Also many local community members are employed with in the tourism industry as Porters. They are also hired for local cultural performances as well as increased employment opportunities with tour companies, lodges and Uganda Wildlife Authority. Local Guides and porters earn more dollars in a month than any average civil servant will earn in a year. You can now take a Uganda Safari or Gorilla safari as a way of helping the local community and also poverty eradication in the rural areas. This is because, the revenue will be distributed accordingly between UWA and the local communities and also these local people will get a chance to offer you their best products and services.

Saving Bwindi forest home to mountain gorillas

Bwindi forest is internationally known as the historical heritage and to be a fantastic and amazing place to visit, whether for residency or for gorilla safaris. Bwindi forest has been on several talk platforms as the world's best and most loved tourist destination in Uganda, popular for mountain gorilla tracking. It has beautiful unique flora and fauna, water sports, birdlife species, accommodation facilities; cool and hospitable people are just some of the reasons why it has grown very lovely. Furthermore, it is also home to many wild animals’ especially endangered mountain gorilla species and birds. Its long and wide variety of gorillas that tourists like most. There are, in fact, 340 species of gorillas that can be found in Bwindi forest, there are 8groups that are habituated and allocated to tourists interested in gorilla tracking. These groups include the Nkuringo, Mubare, Habinyanja, Mishaya, Nshongi, Rushegura, Nyakagezi cross-boundary group to Uganda, Rwanda and Congo and Oruzogo. With over 347 species of forest birds recorded in the Park, at least 70 out of 78 montane forest bird species occurring in the Albertine Rift region are found in the forest, and 22 of the 36 endemics. Overall, Bwindi hosts numerous globally other threatened species including high-profile mammals such as chimpanzee, l’Hoest’s monkey and African elephant; birds such as African green broadbill, Grauer’s swamp warbler, Turner’s Eremomela, Chapin’s flycatcher and Shelley’s crimson-wing; and butterflies such as African giant swallowtail and Cream-banded swallowtail and butterflies.

Top Uganda Adventure activities you cant miss for a Uganda tour

Primate Trekking
A uganda safari is most interesting when venturing into the jungle in search of apes is among the top tourist activities in Uganda, home to Africa's two remaining populations of the highly endangered mountain gorilla. Uganda's gorillas are concentrated in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, designated a World Heritage site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park for gorilla tours. The latter alshttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifo harbors the golden monkey. Alternatively, track chimpanzees in the Kibale, Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls national parks.
Game Viewinghttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
Uganda is home to more than 300 species of mammals, including uganda gorillas in Bwindi and Mgahinga National parks, zebras and the gigantic eland antelope, which are prevalent in Lake Mburo National Park. In Murchison Falls National Park, you may catch a glimpse of a hippopotamus, an elephant, a giraffe or Nile crocodile. Kidepo Valley National Park in northeastern Uganda is home to hyenas, cheetahs, lions and jackals.
Birding
More than 60 percent of all African bird species -- approximately 1,000 -- inhabit Uganda. Murchison Falls, Semliki, Bwindi Impenetrable and Queen Elizabeth national parks are the top bird-watching destinations, according to the Uganda Wildlife Authority. Noteworthy species include the African jacana and the African pigmy geese. To increase your chances of seeing a shoe bill, take a boat ride on Lake Albert.
Geologic Attractions
Hiking is the preferred way to experience the snow-capped Rwenzori Mountains, known as the "Mountains of the Moon," where road access is extremely limited. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage site, the highest peak in Rwenzori Mountain National Park is almost 17,000 feet high. Hiking is also the only way to explore Mt. Elgon National Park, which surrounds its namesake dormant volcano and the Sipi Falls. In Semliki National Park, you can visit two hot springs.

For more information about uganda safaris visit our website at All About Uganda

Gorillas are 95 - 99% Closest Relatives of Humans

Did you know that the gorillas are the closest to humans? Gorillas are the largest extant species of primates. They are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Africa i.e Uganda, Rwanda and Congo.

Gorillas are divided into two species and either four or five subspecies. The DNA of gorillas is highly similar to that of a human, from 95-99% depending on what is counted, and they are the next closest living relatives to humans after the two chimpanzee species, but humans have completely forgotten these ancestors by deforesting forests.

Gorillas' natural habitats cover tropical or subtropical forests in Africa. Although their range covers a small percentage of Africa, gorillas cover a wide range of elevations. The mountain gorilla inhabits the Albertine Rift montane cloud forests of the Virunga Volcanoes, ranging in altitude from 2,200–4,300 metres (7,200–14,100 ft).

Lowland Gorillas live in dense forests and lowland swamps and marshes as low as sea level, with western lowland gorillas living in Central West African countries and eastern lowland gorillas living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo near its border with Rwanda.

Would you like to see for your self on the amazing gorillas in Uganda, Rwanda or Congo? Just book a gorilla safari in Uganda, Rwanda or Congo today!

Gorilla Tourism in Rwanda

Rwanda is well known for its mountain gorillas. First brought to international attention by the conservation efforts of Dian Fossey in the 1960s and 70s, Rwanda’s gorillas have featured in numerous documentaries and have in the recent past been visited, for example, by Bill Gates, Natalie Portman and Ted Turner, who have all participated in the annual gorilla naming ceremony.

Rwanda and Uganda are the only two countries in the world where mountain gorillas can be visited safely at the moment. In 2008, about 17,000 people visited the Volcanoes National Park (VNP) to see the gorillas, a large increase from the late 1980s and an impressive recovery from only 417 tourists in 1999 after the reopening of the park. Rwanda has also seen gorilla tourism as a valuable conservation tool, enforcing strict rules for the habituation and trekking of gorilla families.

Tourists are willing to pay high fees for a limited number of permits, which are usually sold out. Most of the gorilla safaris are sold out early enough. The revenues from gorilla tourism provide funds to the national parks and facilitate conservation activities. Five percent of park revenues are disbursed for community projects.

There are several aspects that have contributed to the successful revival of the tourism sector in Rwanda. First and foremost, the government has shown a clear commitment to the development of the tourism sector and has established itself as a safe destination in the region. The early development of a strategy and policy demonstrated this commitment. Furthermore, the government involved the private sector from the start and has implemented a good strategy to market Rwanda as a destination. The business environment has improved markedly, promoting private sector involvement. In addition, Rwanda has always seen tourism as an instrument to reduce poverty, for example by directly involving local communities.