Seeing lions on Uganda tours is a prized sight

The lion gazes at the tourists in Queen Elizabeth National Park. The writer was lucky to see the pride as they are not easy to find. In splendor the king of the jungle lay, the calmness he exuded would easily make one forget that he is the most feared predator. It was great watching the lion and the at the same time watching birds

Seeing the prized lions in Queen Elizabeth National Park is the anticipation of any tourist. Many will tell you that they have visited five times and not seen them, but on my second visit, I was able to see not just one, but a pride, perhaps a family.

There were the two females on the side and then a couple enjoying an early morning bask in the sun as the skies opened. This was the highlight of my weekend in the wild. You could wonder why the lion is so treasured, but any tourist will tell you that it all lies in its magnificence as a symbol of courage and might.

Excited local tourists kept clicking away on their digital cameras at the sight of the peaceful and proud lions who were taking it slow in the green savannah grass near a thicket as they enjoyed the last pieces of their breakfast, most likely from a previous night’s hunt.

A first-time to be within a meter of these fierce animals was an experience that came with mixed feelings, of tension and excitement, before our guide, Lawrence of Nature Adventure Tours &Safaris Ltd, put our fears at ease.

“They are not dangerous at all unless provoked,” he comforted the faint-hearted tourists. “They are enjoying their meal and they are used to tourists coming around, so be strong and enjoy your viewing,” he added. “The female does the hunting as the male and the little ones stay back to wait for the meal,” S.K, a wildlife enthusiast volunteered.

“So when she hunts and returns like it is in the traditional African setting, she will serve her husband then the children and eat last,” he added, something we had a chance to prove during the time we viewed the pride in nature’s splendor.

Very few moments beat the experience of being in the middle of the most popular national park in the pearl of Africa, where Africa’s, and truly Uganda spirit lives on, watching the animal whose sight startles just about any animal.

This partly explains why the lion is part of the enchantments on this voyage of discovery. Nature’s wonder in this park extends to vast open grasslands, elephants that gigantically saunter through them, with gait.

You will find Queen Elizabeth along Mpondwe Road near Fort Portal, 38 kilometers before the Congo border and at the backdrop of the Mountain Rwenzori ranges.

According to historical records, the park was founded in 1952 as Kazinga National Park, and renamed two years later to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II’s visit.

From the road, as we drive through the extensive park, Lawrence showed us the point at which the Queen of England, Queen Elizabeth II whose full name is Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, stood, to honour the park being names after her.

Flying to Uganda-for Uganda tours with cheapest, discounted, budget, low flights rates

Getting to Uganda for your African Holiday Safaris, Uganda tours, Uganda gorilla trekking, primates safaris & wildlife safaris, Nature adventure tours or Volunteer Trips is becoming easier every year, due to more and more airlines are flying into Entebbe International Airport and since there are now more international airlines, the rates have become quite competitive discounted.

If you are coming from Europe or from other regions you can fly out of London directly to Entebbe via British Airways.  From London you can also fly Air Emirates to Dubai and then on to Entebbe, or you fly via KLM to Amsterdam and then to Entebbe, or Ethiopian Airlines to Addis Ababa and then on to Entebbe, Southern Airlines to Pretoria to Entebbe, Uganda, Kenya Airlines to Nairobi to Entebbe, Uganda, Rwandair Airlines to Kigali to Entebbe, Uganda.

From the European Continent you can fly directly to Entebbe using Brussels Airlines to Entebbe Uganda awaits you, Uganda from Brussels and from Amsterdam there is KLM that has several weekly flights to and from Entebbe, Uganda. Lufthansa has just entered into a code sharing agreement with Brussels airlines adding another partner to flights to Uganda.

From North America, you can fly British Airways to London and then on to Entebbe, Uganda.  You can also take Northwest Airlines to Amsterdam and then fly KLM which is in partnership with Northwest Airlines and arrive here in Uganda at Entebbe Airport.

There are many ways of coming to Uganda and we love to help to make it easiest at the most competitive rates possible. Just write and we will send you the rates and particulars for your flights to Uganda.

Uganda is also a great place from which to venture to neighboring countries such as Rwanda and there are daily connections, you can fly directly to Arusha, Tanzania and also a flight to the island of Zanzibar, there are flights to the Democratic Republic (Goma and Bunia), Burundi, Sudan, and of course Kenya.

Entebbe Airport Arrivals and Departures:

Arrival at Entebbe International Airport:

A very nice and functional airport it is.  You will land on the shores of Lake Victoria and you will have to walk down the steps to the tarmac in order to enter the airport.  Assistance from a friendly staff is available if needed.  You enter the immigration arrival lounge and do not let the long lines throw you off, the processing is done quickly and efficiently and you are on your way to the baggage claim section where free luggage carts are available that you can take out to the parking lot or curb.

Customs is next and go through the green channel unless you have something to declare.  Recently scanners for luggage have been installed but I have always been waved through.

Once out in the terminal you can meet your party, take your car rental partner, a hotel shuttle or simply take a special hire taxi.  No bus service, or 14 passenger mini-van taxi is available until you get to Entebbe town itself.  A Forex Bureau for money changing is there, Barclay Bank, Eco Bank all has an ATM machines and you can easily obtain Ugandan shillings.

Departure from Entebbe Airport:

International Flights require that you are there three hours before departure:  As you enter the airport, your luggage is scanned before check-in.  Go to the airline counter and wait in line. Overweight luggage is charged extra without mercy (personal experience). In the case of KLM, the counter closes one hour prior to departure.  KLM has the best customer service (my opinion), they are constantly making sure everything is working out for you, initially they had a rough start and their customer service was atrocious and condescending, and I had to pay 400 dollars extra for overweight luggage and the treatment was terrible by some petty official of the airline who enjoyed having power.  British Airways has always been top-notch, while Brussels Airlines has some catching up to do according to people that have used them.

Next is immigration and the exit forms that you have to fill out and soon you will be in the departure lounge with duty-free shops and a nice restaurant where you can get something to eat and or other refreshment.

Lastly you check in your hand luggage for scanning and your passport and ticket and soon you will be flying off back home. 

Uganda for adventure tours

Guests manoeuvre the rapids during the water rafting bit of the adrift experience 

If you love to get your adrenaline pumping, this place in Jinja will do it for you with its lineup of white water rafting, wild jet races and high bungee jumping.

It may not sound so familiar to local tourists possibly because of the challenges involved and the fee charged but the nice services and beautiful setting of the Adrift camp make it an attractive place. Adrift is currently the only adventure company offering white water rafting, bungee jumping, jet boating and river surfing on source of the Nile near the then Bujagali Falls in Jinja.

With a daily free shuttle from Kampala to Jinja, after booking at $125 (about Shs337, 500) for a day and $115 (about Shs310, 500) for half a day respectively, there are guides available to serve breakfast upon arrival and take you through the drills of white water rafting.

Water rafting

“You shouldn’t carry any valuable items save for the costume you are going to raft in,” Yasin Magembe, a guide, said at a recent visit. Equipped with paddles, life jackets and helmets, you paddle in inflatable boats or rafting boat as you navigate Africa’s longest river, the Nile.

Minutes into the paddling, you are advised to hold on to the boat as the waves lead you to the rapid falls where the high water pressure forces you down the falls. With rescuers waiting down the falls, cheers from fellow rafters who have already completed the challenge welcome you. It all gives cadence to just how memorable this experience is.

Jet boating

Before you get over the rafting challenge, another exciting one awaits you –racing on the jetting boats, up and down the Nile rapids.

At about 90 kilometers per hour, the boat comes with propulsion jets at the sides which spin at 360 degrees, giving you an experience similar to driving a car on a muddy surface. The challenge costs $75 (about Shs202, 500) per person and is just as memorable.

Bungee jumping

As one marvels about the country’s great wonders on the Nile, the guides take you to another exciting activity – the Nile high bungee jumping at a fee of Shs $115 (about Shs310, 500). Here, one is taken to the Nile High Tower which is about 44 metres high, to free fall to the bottom while you are attached to an elastic rope, which lets you hover above the water before rebounding high above the river and back.

Mr. Gav Fahey, the Adrift Director says the challenge is 100 per cent safe and the tower is therefore built with this in mind.

“Because our tower has been built and operated to such high specifications, jumpers are much more likely to get injured on the road travel from or back to Kampala [than on the tower],” he quips.

Lodging

After burning up all that energy with the jet race, bungee jumping and water rafting, a guest is given different meals of his/her choice at the Wild Waters Lodges. The beautiful scenery at the lodges and rare setting provides another experience at $250 (about Shs 675,000) for a night.

Although each adventure has its own price tag, you can take the challenge of doing all of them in one day and leave Jinja believing that Uganda really is the pearl of Africa.

To get the experience of water rafting and bungee jumping adventure in Uganda contact Nature Adventure Tours & Safaris-Uganda foradventure tours

Visit Murchison falls national park for wildlife tours

                                           Giraffes in Murchison falls national park

 

The best athletes from the Inter-Force Games were given a treat by the Uganda Wildlife Authority

It’s a moment many yearn to see happen in their lives. Witnessing in sheer wonder as water gushes between rocks at the world’s most powerful falls.

This is what the eyes of the best athletes from the ninth edition of the 2011 Uganda Inter-force Games were treated to at the largest national park in the country - the Murchison Falls National Park.

This unique opportunity was a promise fulfilled by the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA). Despite the fact that it was delayed, it only remained a perfect way to start the year for the sportsmen.

“This has been nice and impressive for me,” Ali Ngaimoko, a sprinter from the Uganda Police Force said as the 30-man contingent returned to Kampala on Saturday.

Gifted by nature

“Uganda is gifted by nature,” Uganda Police Defence Forces (UPDF) best handball player Moses Akena said. His experience would differ much from that of the best shooting players Thomas Dilla (UPDF) and Norah Mbubi (UWA).

For a journey that stretches to about 380km from Kampala on road, to covering another 66km during game rides and finally a 17km boat ride upstream the Victoria Nile, it’s all quite breath taking but worth travelling. From the baboons, hippos, water bucks, giraffes, elephants to the numerous crocodiles and different bird species, some felt like staying longer than the three days.

Mabamba Bay: A marshy paradise for bird species

A serene place to unwind from, Mabamba Bay on Lake Victoria offers you a beautiful view of different bird species.
On the shores of Lake Victoria, is the Mabamba Bay wetland covering about 17,000 hectares of an expanse of miscanthus—a type of grass native to tropical and subtropical region—but more commonly known as papyrus. The open water in form of a canal is used to trail birds and access Busi island that is home to over 40,000 people.
The swamp has a high population of bird species, which include the endangered shoebill. There are also large congregations of migrant birds such as blue swallow and papyrus endemic birds-papyrus gonolek, yellow warbler, jacana, kingfisher, lap wines, herons and eaglets. This is an attraction for the about 200 to 300 visitors who come here every month.
Upon arrival at the site, you are mostly likely to encounter boat operators who will try to attract you to their boats with offers depending on whether you are a passenger crossing to Busi or a tourist coming to watch birds. Crossing to Busi costs Shs2, 000 per person while bird watching is Shs50, 000.
The wetland is designated as a Ramsar site and an important birding area. Ramsar sites are wetlands of international importance designated under the Ramsar Convention. Mabamba Bay is believed to be a major breeding site for the endangered shoebill that is loved by many bird watchers.
The shoe bill
The shoe bill is a large stork-like bird that gets its name from its unique shoe-shaped bill. It is known for its interesting character, especially when in captivity or prostrating before tourists.
Lawrence Simbwa operates a boat at Mabamba Bay. He says the bay was intact until fishermen created paths to go fishing.
“As they went fishing, people realized it was easier to cross to Busi and created a permanent canal leading to the island,” he says.
With this, it was realized that there was tourism potential with the opening of ways through the swamp and develop it into an important birding site. This led to Mabamba bay being promoted as such. Irene Namubiru, a guide and an office attendant at the Mabamba Wetland Eco-Tourism Association, says the association was formed to tap into this tourism potential.
“We now handle visitors, guide and aid them to track birds and protect the wetland against encroachers,” she says. She adds that the challenge is people who fear using the boats to trail and watch the birds. Thus, a need arose to develop how to cater for such visitors over the main land. “We recently got a minibus to carry about 30 visitors but only three managed to go birding in the wetland as others stayed at the bay looking on,” she added.
She thinks people can help them develop the nearby Banga cultural tourism site that is a huge rock with shelter inside to cater for tourists fearing the lake. Other than the association, community members have also formed Mabamba Bird Guides and Conservation Association, a site support group to promote conservation through community involvement.
The group is involved in a wide range of conservation activities, including tourism, education, awareness and habitat protection. It is voluntarily run by its members and is registered with the Mpigi District Local Government.
There are also projects by civil society organizations like Nature Uganda to strategically target the conservation of the globally threatened species, especially the Shoe bill, which will eventually benefit all species within this habitat.
The project helps protect the birds’ breeding site and mitigate major threats such as shoebill trafficking. However, the local communities are the drivers of the initiatives, enhancing their livelihood through promotion of eco-tourism. Ugandans who take holidays abroad are leaving behind a better deal in their own motherland.