White elephants have been seen in the Ishasha region of Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda. The only existing elephants known to Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) are African elephants which are grey in colour.
A group of three white elephants was sighted on October 1st along the shores of Lake George by a group of 10 foreign tourists. “As we approached the seemingly white rocks, we noticed that the white rocks actually had parts that were flip flapping,” one said in a statement sent to UWA.
However Wildlife experts have dismissed this saying that the white elephants reportedly seen in Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park are normal specie.
They argued that the colour of the skin that appears pale or grey (not white) may be due to the sandy and clay areas where the elephants wallow from so its possible they could have smeared clay soil on their bodies making them look white.
The Isasha areas around Lake Edward have very fine clay soils, light grey in colour. The Uganda Wildlife Authority is yet to send a verification team to investigate. White elephants are only known to exist in Asia.
During Uganda safaris, you can see the African elephants on game drives in most of the Uganda national parks.
By Jean
Uganda Safari & Travel News
The International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP) is carrying out a population census of the endangered mountain gorillas in the Bwindi and Mgahinga national parks in south western Uganda in order to establish their actual number for proper conservation plans.
The IGCP country representative in Uganda, Mr Stephen Asuma, said the census started this month and is expected to end by October 20. The census was last held in 2006 where only 340 gorillas were counted and registered and the total world gorilla population then was 786.
“We expect the numbers in Uganda to have increased by 26 per cent as projected in the 2006 population census. Research has established that a lot of exposure of the mountain gorillas to human beings can lead to their extinction since they have a poor immunity system that easily contracts human diseases,” Mr Asuma said.
He also said that there was need for funding from the Ugandan government for proper and timely advertising of gorilla tracking safaris for more awareness locally and internationally to raise a lot of foreign exchange.
Tourists currently pay $500 (Shs1.4m) to watch a mountain gorilla for one hour during Uganda safaris.
By Jean
Uganda Safari & Travel News
Qatar Airways plans to launch flights to and from Entebbe International Airport in November this year, as part of its global expansion efforts. Mr. Pritt Chibole, the commercial manager Qatar Airways in Uganda said that the airline will start daily flights to Entebbe from Doha.
The airline has expanded to Uganda because of its central location in East Africa and vibrant economy. “We have confidence in the Ugandan market that’s why we have decided to come here to operate daily,” Mr. Chibole said in an interview.
Qatar Airways currently flies to Kenya and Tanzania in East Africa. But it also flies to South Africa, Seychelles, Nigeria, Sudan, and Egypt among other African states. Globally, the airline flies to 100 destinations in the world.
The launch of Qatar’s flights at Entebbe, will give Ugandan travelers another alternative airline to the Middle East, Europe and Asian destinations. Ugandans currently fly to destinations on the continents using Emirates, Kenya Airways, Turkish Airlines, British Airways and KLM-France.
By Jean
Uganda Safari & Travel News
Uganda, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo are set to sign a treaty to guide the trans-border management of flora, fauna and other tourist attractions.
The three countries are currently involved in consultations regarding the implementation of the Greater Virunga Trans boundary Collaboration (GVTC).
When it is finalized, the respective Governments would jointly solve trans-boundary problems such as poaching and illegal hunting. Others are rebel activities within the protected areas, human-wildlife conflicts and wildlife diseases among others.
It would also pave way for joint activities such as monitoring and research, development of new tourism products, community conservation interventions and awareness creation activities.
The treaty could cover Mgahinga Gorilla, Bwindi Impenetrable, Queen Elizabeth, Semuliki and Rwenzori Mountains National Parks in Uganda, Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The main parties under the Greater Virunga Trans-boundary Collaboration are Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), Rwanda Development Board (RDB) and Institute of Congo for the Conservation of Nature (ICCN).
By Jean
Uganda Safari & Travel News
The Uganda Government will soon start rigorous campaigns to market the country’s tourist and conservation sites.
Prof. Ephraim Kamuntu, the tourism, wildlife and antiquities minister, said this will enable the country earn more revenue from the sector to finance other development projects.
Kamuntu noted that the capacity of staff would also be boosted to make them well-placed to promote the country’s tourism potential. He added that discussions with donors for funding the strategy were on-going.
“We want to transform this economy from under developed to first world, where there is a middle class.” Kamuntu was speaking during celebrations to mark the golden jubilee of the US aid agency, USAID and volunteer group, Peace Corps, recently at the US embassy in Nsambya in Kampala.
Uganda has ten national parks and twelve wildlife sanctuaries, mountains, lakes, rivers all habitats to breathtaking wildlife species tourists can see during Uganda safaris.
By Jean
Uganda Safari & Travel News
The Uganda Wildlife Authority will in November launch two new gorilla families to increase the number of gorilla tracking visitors in order to boost revenue collections.
Dr Andrew Seguya, the UWA acting executive director, said Oruzogo and Kahungye, both in the Southern part of Bwindi National Park, will bring the number of habituated gorilla families available for tracking to eight.
Each family, according to Dr Seguya, is visited by eight people per day. The two new groups will therefore increase the number of gorilla tracking permits sold to track the stunning primates from 48 to 64 daily. The opening up of the new groups for visitors will follow the completion of their habituation programme.
Dr Seguya was speaking at the Sustainable Tourism Media Awards 2011 dinner, which recognises and rewards excellent media coverage of sustainable tourism.
Uganda is home to the biggest number of mountain gorillas with over 50 per cent of the primates left in the world living in Uganda. A gorilla tracking permit goes for $500 for foreign non-residents, $475 for foreign residents and Shs250,000 for East Africans.
By Jean
Uganda Safari & Travel News
The Uganda tourism, wildlife and antiquities ministry is set to move towards promoting the country as a top tourist destination.
Prof. Ephraim Kamuntu, the tourism minister, said recently, “We want to improve roads going to national parks and other tourist attractions to make them easily accessible to visitors. Power and safari lodges in those places also need to be improved. These will help position the country as an attractive destination to foreigners, which will boost foreign exchange earnings.”
He also noted that the ministry would promote domestic tourism to ensure Ugandans feel that the tourist attractions are part of our inheritance. He said this would attract more foreign tourists and, hence, more foreign exchange receipts.
He said this while addressing the tourism sector second review conference at Hotel Africana in Kampala recently. The conference brought together stakeholders in the tourism sector, and aimed at drawing a strategy to enhance tourism contribution to GDP growth, employment and foreign exchange.
It also seeks to make Uganda a top tourism destination with some of the best Uganda safari packages in the region.
By Jean
Uganda Safari & Travel News
The Uganda Wildlife Authority and the National Forestry Authority as part of an initiative to boost earnings from tourism, have organised a national birding event where those participating are expected to identify as many unknown bird species as possible. This will take place at the end of this month.
Mr. Stephen Masaba, UWA’s acting director of tourism and business Services, said this is meant to promote bird watching and to ‘provide as much information as possible to the international community about Uganda’s bird species.
“Birding has the potential to generate at least $45 million (Shs126 billion) annually, if only 10,000 foreign tourists visited Uganda specifically to see birds,” said Mr. Masaba. He added that in 2008 alone, Uganda generated $6 million (Shs16.8 billion) from ‘birding’ compared to $3.3 million (Shs9.24 billion) from gorilla tracking.
Ornithologists and bird guides will guide those participating in the birding event. special sites that have been selected for the event include; Bwindi Impenetrable, Mgahinga, Kibale, Rwenzori, Semiliki, Lake Mburo, Mount Elgon, Kidepo Valley and the Murchison Falls National Parks as well as Tooro Semiliki Wildlife Reserve and several other places.
By Jean
Uganda Safari & Travel News
There are plans to create a Police unit specifically meant to ensure the safety of tourists in Uganda, according to the Inspector General of Police.
Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura, who last week announced the plan, directed Police’s counterterrorism directorate to plan for the establishment of the unit.
The unit will be directly under the anti-terrorism directorate and it will ensure that tourists are not victims of terrorism and “any other threats against them”.
On March 1, 1999, suspected Interahamwe rebels attacked Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in western Uganda and murdered eight foreign tourists and four Ugandans.
Last year, an American, an Irish and Ethiopians died when bombs went off at the Ethiopian Village Restaurant and at Kyadondo Rugby Grounds in Kampala. The Somali-based insurgents, the al-Shabaab claimed responsibility.
By Jean
Uganda Safari & Travel News
Environmental civil society organisations have petitioned the East African Community to prevail upon the Uganda Government not to give away part of Mabira forest to the Mehta Group to grow sugar cane.
The Mabira Forest is found in central Uganda near the capital Kampala. It’s one of the few natural rain forests that remain after years of degradation took away many hectares.
Addressing journalists at Hotel Africana last week, the group said Mabira was not only Ugandan, but an important regional and continental resource.
‘We call upon the presidents of East African states to raise the matter of Mabira with their counterpart, President Yoweri Museveni, in the spirit of the East African Community treaty and protocols,’ the group said.
Mabira Forest Reserve is the only block of tropical forest cover remaining in the central region. It is not only an extremely important piece of biodiversity. It accounts for over 60% of the tourists who visit Uganda’s forest reserves annually.
By Jean
Uganda Safari & Travel News
