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Showing posts from December, 2016

BROWN SNAKE EAGLE; BIRDS OF UGANDA – UGANDA SAFARI NEWS

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Scientifically referred to as Circaetus cinereus is one of the popular birds of prey always explored on Uganda birding safaris and tours . Belonging to the family Accipitridae and Circaetus Genus, the Brown snake eagle thrives in the East, West and South of Africa. The Brown snake eagle is all brown with some of them featuring some white feathers. The fledging of the juvenile occurs between 60 – 100 days in the nest after which it goes independent. They feature brown tail with white tip and barring. The legs are long and bare while the feet are pale gray. The eyes of brown snake eagle are yellow while the beak is black in colour as viewed on birding safari in Uganda . This bird species are notably quiet only vocalizing while in flight, when carrying snake or during displays.  They spend great deal of time perched in a tree or at a high place such as an electric pylon.  The brown snake eagle features average size and extends to only 60 – 70cm in height.  They feature a lif

13 DAYS HAVE PAST BUT THE MEMORIES OF NDAHURA SILVERBACK STILL LINGER – UGANDA GORILLA SAFARI NEWS

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Ndahura the re-known member and Silverback of Bitukura gorilla group normally explored on the Uganda gorilla safaris and tours is recorded to have lost its life on Dec 18 th after it fell from a tree branch. At around 8am, Ndahura is noted to have fell from a tall tree about 50m where it was feeding on the Chrysophylum fruits when the branch could not sustain its weight. Sadly, Ndahura could not hold on any other branch to break its fall and to make matters worse, the broken branch fell on top of him while on ground. Ndahura later struggled to sit up after the removal of the broken branch by the trackers but he remained is a state of shock for like ten (10) minutes after which he breathed his last at around 8:30am which is the usual time when the travelers on Gorilla safaris in Uganda head  to the forest to track gorillas after briefing. The post-mortem was conducted by the team from the Gorilla Doctors and report indicates that he died of massive trauma but also his left

LAKE HEIGHTS ENTEBBE; AN EXCITING MIDRANGE HOTEL CLOSE TO AIRPORT – UGANDA SAFARI NEWS

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Lake Heights Entebbe is one the recently added Uganda Safari tour hotels positioned at close proximity to the Entebbe International Airport – the main gateway to the destination Uganda. Part of the internationally known Bon Hotels, the Lake Heights Entebbe features a boutique style setting comprising of thirty three (33) impressively designed rooms with uninterrupted views of Lake Victoria – the Africa’s largest lake. The rooms are marked with cozy beds, work spaces, high speed Wi-Fi that is complimentary, TV with DSTV, Tea and Coffee making facilities, Mini Safe, Complementary mineral water, Mini-bar stocked upon request, hair dryer and natural lighting making guest stay including those on Vacation Safari in Uganda memorable. Whether the guest opts to stay in any of the nine (9) standard rooms or eighteen (18) executive rooms, four (4) Kitchenette Club rooms and two (2) Business Club Suites, the comfort is unmatchable and rewarding. The hotel presents a wide range of

THE AFRICAN GREY PARROT; BIRDS OF UGANDA – UGANDA SAFARI NEWS

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Scientifically referred to as Psittacus erithacus , the African grey parrot is a notable Old World parrot belonging to the family Psittacidae and thrives in the equatorial Africa including Uganda where it is explored on Uganda birding safaris and tours . The Grey Parrot possesses a medium size and majorly grey colour with black bill stretching to 400g in size and 33cm in length with the mean wingspan of 46 – 52cm. The Congo Subspecies feature lighter grey plumage but with dark grey on the wings and over the head while the feathers of the tail are red in colour as often viewed on birding safari in Uganda . The Timneh Subspecies feature dark gray plumage with dark maroon colored tail and the pink colored portion on their beak. The African Grey Parrots is spread in range from the East African Safari tour destination of Kenya to east of Ivory Coast. They thrive in dense forests, forest edges and in open vegetation such as savannah and gallery forests.  They are noted to live

GORILLA TREKKING QUALIFIES UGANDA AMONG THE WORLD’S BEST 50 DESTINATIONS TO VISIT IN 2017 – UGANDA GORILLA SAFARI NEWS

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Gorilla Trekking Safaris in Uganda are profound adventure expeditions recognized world over presenting unmatched treks through the deep jungles of Africa including the famous Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. The Insider has come up with a list of fifty (50) world’s remarkable places that world travelers should look out for in the year 2017 and the Uganda gorilla safaris have qualified the destination Uganda to be on the list. With a minimum of 400 Mountain Gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park alone and then sharing their remaining population in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park which is part of the Virunga massif comprising of Uganda, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo, the destination Uganda stands as a single destination with the highest number of these Great Ape Species that have been listed as critically endangered world over. The Gorilla trekking in Uganda is conducted throughout the year and a conservation fee of $60

UGANDA ON THE MOVE TO REVIVE A NATIONAL CARRIER – UGANDA SAFARI NEWS

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The destination Uganda is noted to be on the move to see the National carrier revive operations before the fall of the year 2017 so as to simplify the Air travel to and from Uganda among the world travelers including Uganda Safari tour undertakers. It is speculated that the Officials from the Government have set the month of August 2017 to see the wings of Uganda Airlines fly again following a grounding period of sixteen (16) years.  The negotiations with the Aircraft manufacturers namely; France’s Airbus and Canadian’s Bombardier are ongoing with the intention to have the planes for the initial operations leased.  A count of six (6) Aircrafts are anticipated to be leased where the four (4) of them will be allocated to short haul flights and the remaining two (2) for long haul flights thus facilitating the travel of travelers on Safaris to Uganda from both close and distant areas. The State Minister for Works and Transport Mr. Aggrey Bagiire confirmed the Government

AFRICAN ROCK PYTHON ; REPTILES OF UGANDA – UGANDA SAFARI NEWS

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Scientifically referred to as Python sebae , The African rock python is one of the popular Uganda Safari reptile species standing as a large non-venomous snake thriving in the south of Sahara on the continent of Africa. The African Rock Python is among the eleven (11) existing species of the Python Genus and has two subspecies. It is noted to be among the world’s six (6) largest species of snakes including reticulated python, green anaconda, India Python, Burmese Python and amethystine python and its considerable size can be explored while on wildlife safari in Uganda .  The mature python stretches between 3 – 3.53m but on rare occasions can exceed 4.8m. They stretch between 44 to 55kg in weight but exceptions among adults of over 90kgs have been recorded. The body of the African rock python is notably thick with colored blotches and the body markings can be olive, brown, yellow and chestnut but alter to white on the underside. It has a triangular head with many sharp

ANOTHER BABY RHINO BORN AT ZIWA RHINO SANCTUARY – UGANDA SAFARI NEWS

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The Uganda Safari tour destination of Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is celebrating the arrival of a beautiful baby Rhino which has become the fourth of its kind at the sanctuary since this year began. On Dec 26 th just a day after Christmas, the mother Malaika gave birth to a male Rhino bringing the number of Southern White Rhinos at the sanctuary to Nineteen (19). This affirms the positive trend of the Rhino breeding programme and enhances the vibrancy of the sanctuary amongst travelers on Safaris in Uganda . The Sanctuary which was formerly stocked with four (4) mature Rhinos that included two (2) males and two (2) females that were brought in from Solio Rhino Sanctuary in Kenya later received a boost of another breeding pair from Disney’s Animal Kingdom and now eleven (11) years down the road, it is very inspiring to hear that the number of these Uganda tour species has increased to Nineteen (19). Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is positioned at 176km to the north of Kampala along t

TANZANIA ANTI POACHING SQUAD SECURES NEW SKILLS – TANZANIA SAFARI NEWS

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A hands-on wildlife crime scene investigation (CSI) Course was conducted by the government of United States at the Dar es salaam Police Academy between 5 th and 8 th December 2016 with the aim of providing upgraded skills to disrupt poaching of Tanzania Safari tour wildlife along with its trafficking networks across the country. The statement issued by the US Embassy based in Dar es Salaam revealed that the training was backed by the US government via its two (2) bodies – the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Office of Law Enforcement and United States Agency for International Development (USAID).  The beneficiaries of the training included Tanzania Police Force, Tanzania National and Transnational Serious Crimes Investigation Unit (NTSCIU) along with Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). The other participants included investigators from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism and Wildlife Management division of wildlife responsible for ensuring

NILE CROCODILES; THE AQUATIC ANIMALS OF UGANDA – UGANDA SAFARI NEWS

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Scientifically referred to as Crocodylus niloticus , the Nile crocodiles are one of the popular aquatic species that are always sought after by travellers on Uganda Safaris and Tours . The Nile crocodile is noted to be the world’s second largest reptile coming in after the salt water crocodile and is spread across the areas of Sub Saharan Africa including Uganda where it is explored during Africa holiday safaris in Uganda .  It thrives in various environments including; Rivers, lakes and marshlands and though it can thrive in saline ecosystems, the Nile crocodiles are seldom live in salt water. Nile Crocodiles are notably gigantic and a mature male can stretch between 3.5 – 5m in length, 225 to 750kg in weight though specimens with length and weight higher than that given above have also been encountered. They feature sexual dimorphism and the female Nile crocodiles tend to be 30% smaller than the males.  These species are the most aggressive of all crocodile species an

PATAS MONKEY; PRIMATES OF UGANDA – UGANDA SAFARI NEWS

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Scientifically referred to as Erythrocebus patas, the Patas Monkey is a notable ground dwelling monkey and one of the rare Uganda Safari tour wildlife products spread in the savannah dry lands of East and West Africa. The Patas Monkey stretch to 85cm in body length without considering the tail that can stretch up to 75cm. In terms of size, the mature males are visibly larger than females as explored on Safari in Uganda . It is noted to be the fastest runner among all primates reaching up to 55km/h. Regarding behaviour, the Patas Monkey thrive in multi-female groups with up to sixty (60) members and each group features one male for the greater part of the year. The range of males influx the female groups in the breeding season and when the males reach four (4) years where they attain sexual maturity, they vacate the mother group to join other male groups. They are known to thrive in open savannah along with semi arid areas and tend to avoid the dense woodlands. The Patas M

HOODED VULTURE; BIRDS OF UGANDA – UGANDA SAFARI NEWS

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Scientifically referred to as Necrosyrtes monachus , the Hooded Vulture is a descendant of Old world vulture belonging to the Accipitriformes order just like kites, eagles, hawks and buzzards and is a member of Necrosyrtes genus thriving in the Sub-Saharan Africa where it is explored on Africa birding safaris including birding safaris in Uganda . The Hooded vulture is a small vulture compared to other vultures featuring a dark brown plumage, bare crown, fore-neck and face and long thin bill as viewed on Uganda birding safaris and tours .  The hooded vultures stretch between 62 – 72cm in length and weigh 1.5 – 2.6kg. Breeding occurs in their stick nests built in trees where one egg is laid. The incubation of the hooded vulture lasts forty six (46) days. The stick built nest is always 20 – 120 feet high in the tree and is utilized year after year. The male is responsible for providing food to the female and the chick while still young but after three (3) weeks parents star

KASENYI SAFARI CAMP ; SAFARI LODGES OF UGANDA – UGANDA SAFARI NEWS

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Nestled on the rim of Bunyampaka Lake, the Kasenyi Safari Camp is one of the popular lodges in Queen Elizabeth National Park known for providing accommodation for mid-market travelers on safaris and tours in Uganda . The Kasenyi Safari Camp is marked by a raised thatched dining structure presenting a good view of the lake and park while taking a delicious meal or a soothing drink in the African wilderness while on a Uganda Safari tour . Accommodation is presented in tents that are positioned on raised platforms featuring canopy roof. The four (4) tents are all en suite marked with an ample living room area along with private decks presenting an opportunity to view Uganda tour wild game at the comfort of your tent. Amazingly, a range of animals frequent Kasenyi Safari Camp both during the day and night. Depending on the sheer luck that you carried with you to the Ugandan wilderness, the wildlife sights can include; prides of lions, Buffalo, Hippo, waterbuck, elephant

BLACK-BACKED JACKAL ; ANIMALS OF UGANDA – UGANDA SAFARI NEWS

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Scientifically referred to as Canis Mesomelas, the black-backed jackal is a notable Africa safari wild game explored by travelers to Africa including those on Uganda Safaris and tours and lives in the two areas on the continent of Africa with approximately 900km in between.  These areas include the southern tip of the continent including Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana and eastern coastline including Somalia, Kenya, Uganda, Eritrea, Djibouti and Ethiopia. Listed as the species of Least Concern by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the black-backed jackal features great adaptability and wide spread range despite its persecution as a predator of livestock.  Appearing like a fox-like canid, the Black-backed Jackal is marked with slender body, large ears and long legs. It stretches from 6 – 13kg in terms of weight, 38 – 48cm at the shoulder height and 67.3 – 81.2cm in body length as explored on Safaris in Uganda . The coat is reddis

GIRAFFE FACING EXTINCTION THREATS – UGANDA SAFARI NEWS

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Giraffe  the tallest animal in the world and one of the popular Uganda safari tour products is faced with extinction threats following a drastic decline in their numbers with close to 40% noted to have been lost in the past 30 years. It can be noted that though Giraffe can be commonly encountered in the wilderness while on Africa safari including Safaris in Uganda , zoos and in the media, most of the stakeholders are unaware of the fact that these species are facing a silent extinction. This was disclosed by the co-chair of International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s Giraffe and Okapi specialist group Julian Fennessy. These beautiful gentle towering gentle giants seem to be overlooked. The Giraffes are far fewer than African Elephants which are below half a million and known to be in trouble. The former have already got extinct in seven (7) countries. According to the IUCN, there were between 151,000 and 163,000 Giraffe populations in the year 1985 but tw

SIPI RIVER LODGE ; THE BASE FOR SIPI FALLS EXPLORATION – UGANDA SAFARI NEWS

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Overlooking the fascinating Sipi Falls, Sipi River Lodge is one of the popular Uganda Safari Lodges spread on 17 acres of private grounds that stretch to cover Kapsurur Falls one of the three (3) Sipi Waterfalls. The facility features limited cottages which makes it a less congested place thus offering tranquil stay for the guests on Safaris in Uganda .  Accommodation at Sipi River Lodge is diverse including the luxury Kapsurur and the Aniet Cottage which are elegant, private and spacious with great views of the falls. They are en suite equipped with double shower, king sized double bed, twin beds along with the lounge and veranda. Besides the Kapsurur and Aniet, Sipi River Lodge also has Chepkui Cottage and the Annex popularly known as the Seven Dwarfs house. The Chepkui also enjoys magnificent views of the falls, en suite facilities, one master double bed room, separate lounge marked with day bed, sofas and bunk bed making it ideal for families traveling together on Ugan

UGANDAN MOUNTAIN GORILLA GIVES BIRTH IN FRONT OF A TOURIST – UGANDA SAFARI NEWS

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Uganda the home to more than a half of the world’s critically endangered Mountain Gorillas has at many times offered lasting experiences for the Uganda gorilla safari undertakers but the memories gathered by Dina Tamimi will forever be beyond the ordinary. In Mgahinga Gorilla National Park the second destination explored by travelers on gorilla safaris in Uganda after Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, there thrives one habituated gorilla group named Nyakagyezi and it is in this family that one of the unique Mountain Gorilla experiences occurred. The female Cyizanie gave birth to a lovely bouncing baby gorilla at such an opportune time when the American citizen traveler based in United Arab Emirates had arrived for Mountain Gorilla viewing as part of her Safari in Uganda . It was a big surprise as it wasn’t known that the female gorilla would give birth. Such unique moment had last occurred in the year 1998. Led by Mark – the dominant Silverback, Nyakagezi gorilla group

VISITORS TO AKAGERA NATIONAL PARK CONTINUE TO SPUR – RWANDA SAFARI NEWS

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The Rwanda Safari tour undertakers to Akagera National Park have in the recent years doubled following the park’s take over by a non-profit Organisation called African Parks Limited. The Organisation which manages a range of ten (10) National Parks on the continent of Africa took over the management of Akagera in the year 2010 in conjunction with the government of Rwanda under the Public private partnership arrangement. With the efforts to conserve and secure the park, the African Parks Limited has undertaken a range of initiatives including the re-introduction of seven (7) lions that have now multiplied to fifteen (15). This comes along with other increment in the wildlife populations. In fact, the Park’s Tourism and Marketing Manager Sarah Hall calls it a successful conservation story. It can be noted that the Akagera National Park received 15,000 travellers on safaris and tours in Rwanda in the year 2010 generating 200,000 US dollars in park fees but amazingly in fi

LODGE BELLA VISTA ; TRANQUIL LODGES OF UGANDA – UGANDA SAFARI NEWS

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Lodge Bella Vista is positioned at a breathtaking point with the views of Nyamiteza Crater amidst a range of crater lakes not forgetting the remarkable scenic view of Rwenzori Mountains at a distance that combine to lure the Uganda Safari undertakers Lodge Bella Vista presents accommodation in a range of ten (10) beautiful rooms of which three (3) of them feature loft in the wood presenting raised stay with the views of the surroundings. The rooms are grouped as standard, King and Loft which gives diverse choice to the guests including those on Safaris in Uganda . The lodge is marked by lush facilities that make the guest stay comfortable. The swimming pool where one can take a dip after a long day in the Chimpanzee forest, Restaurant more inclined to Italian cuisine and Pizzeria. The Restaurant enjoys impressive panoramic site but room service also exist.  The fresh vegetables from the garden while fish and meat freshly got from the local community make the cuisine

KIGALI TO ESTABLISH AN ECO TOURISM PARK – RWANDA SAFARI NEWS

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Unlike many cities that associate development with sky towering state of the art structures, Kigali is embarking on developing an urban eco-tourism park in the wetland of Nyandungu aiming at positioning itself as an ideal Rwanda Safari holiday destination. With funding from the Rwanda Green Fund, the efforts to change the Nyandungu wetland into the urban eco-tourism park are likely to start this week. The project is estimated to cost around Rwf2.4 billion and intends to achieve biodiversity increment, flood risk reduction, wetland conservation awareness, green jobs creation and promotion of safaris tours to Rwanda . The Nyangungu wetland stretches across the areas of Ndera in the district of Gasabo and Nyarugunga in the district of Kicukiro. According to Rwanda Environmental Management Authority (REMA), the increase in the human activities around the city of Kigali have resulted into the loss of bird species, the natural habitat along with species of wildlife that use

KASESE CONFLICT FAR FROM THE GORILLA DESTINATION – UGANDA SAFARI NEWS

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The news circulating on various platforms especially social media have depicted a terrifying picture about the destination Uganda and prompted some of the travelers who were planning safaris to Uganda to reconsider their thoughts. The series of clashes have been occurring in Kasese area on the foothills of Rwenzori Mountains leading to the death of people including security personnel. However, it can be noted that the situation is still under control and the clashes are only limited to the very area which is 191km to Buhoma north of Bwindi and 351km to the southern regions of the Uganda gorilla safari destination of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. This means that the gorilla safaris in Uganda to Mgahinga Gorilla and Bwindi Impenetrable National Parks are not in any way affected by the conflict. The world travelers who already had plans to explore the critically endangered Mountain Gorillas which are known to thrive in only three (3) countries in the world should co