Uganda Safaris

Vacationtechnician personalized luxury adventure travel transports you to the most exquisite wilderness and chill out retreats on Earth. Conserving rare biodiversity through low volume tourism; our aim is your indulgence -at no one's expense. Plan now to be assured a rejuvenating escape at a restful pace -to an unspoilt gem in the purest sense.

"The Kingdom of Uganda is a fairy-tale. You climb up a railway instead of a beanstalk, and at the end there is a wonderful new world. The scenery is different, the vegetation is different, the climate is different, and most of all, the people are different from anything elsewhere to be seen in the whole range of Africa…What message I bring back… 'Concentrate on Uganda'. -Winston Churchill, My African Journey, 1907

Safari Field Reports
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African Geography

By African standards, Uganda is a postage-stamp-sized country. It is located at the heart of the African continent, sandwiched between Kenya, Rwanda, Congo, the Sudan and Tanzania.

Roughly the size of Great Britain or the state of Oregon. Uganda's most alluring features are its forests, lakes and mountains. Most of the country is situated at least 3,200 feet (1,000 meters) above sea level. Uganda has three mountainous areas, the Rwenzoris, Mount Elgon and the Virunga volcanoes.

Wildlife has steadily increased in recent years, and many species of game can now be found in Uganda, including the populations of large primates for which Uganda has long been famous. Game viewing in Uganda generally remains free of the mass tourism that now exists in many neighboring countries. Primates, especially the mountain gorilla and the chimpanzees, are Uganda's special attractions, together with more than a thousand species of birds.

Most parts of Uganda are well-watered and fertile. Although Uganda lies on the equator, its climate is tempered by its relatively lofty altitude. The Nile starts its long journey to the Mediterranean from Lake Victoria, the largest lake in Africa, passing through Murchison Falls National Park and some of the best fishing on earth on its course. (70kg Nile Perch)

Shortly after Lord Lugard, in 1890, established a British East African Company base in Kampala, Uganda became a British Protectorate, centered around four old African kingdoms.

Railway linking the interior to the coast reached Kisumu, on the Kenyan side of Lake Victoria, in 1901and Kampala in 1915. The system of indirect rule gave Uganda greater autonomy than elsewhere in British-ruled Africa. Upon gaining its independence from Britain in 1962, Uganda was a prosperous and peaceful country. It went through a turbulent period after Idi Amin seized control in 1971 and began a reign of terror, expelling Asians and other ethnic groups. In 1986, the National Resistance Movement, led by Yoweri Museveni, took control of the country. Today, the country is largely progressive, peaceful and inviting, although it shares borders with other troubled nations, including Rwanda and Congo. The four old kingdoms, abolished in the 1960's, were restored in 1993 and the monarchs have now re-emerged as symbols of traditional society. The 36th Kabaka of the Baganda, Ronald Mutebi, was crowned in 1993. His marriage in 1999 let to great national rejoicing.

Kampala
Kampala, the modern capital, is the center of Uganda's cultural and economic activities. The city has undergone a great transformation since President Museveni came to power and now is the thriving capital of one of the most rapidly developing countries in Africa. It is steadily being rebuilt after systematic looting and destruction occurred during the changeover in the government. The city infrastructure has been restored and new office towers, hotels, stadiums and shopping malls are appearing almost monthly.

Kampala is said to be built on seven hills, but the city is centered on just one of them, Nakasero. The top half of the hill is a garden city of wide, quiet avenues lined with large houses set behind imposing fences. The embassies, international aid organizations, up-market hotels, government offices and rich citizenry are all located on the upper half of Nakasero. The bottom half of the hill is a completely different world, teeming with shops, small businesses, budget hotels, cheap restaurants, street markets, Hindu temples, bus stations and taxi parks. The streets in this congested area overflow with people, battered old cars, lottery ticket sellers and pavement stalls offering everything from rubber stamps to radio repairs.

Mountain Gorillas

"I shall never forget my first encounter with gorillas…sound preceded sight and odor preceded both in the form of an overwhelming, musky, barnyard, yet humanlike stench."

Dian Fossey

"Gorillas are our kin, mirrors of ourselves, closer to us than any other creature except the chimpanzee."

George Schaller

In contrast to the six billion human beings living on our crowded planet, there are only six hundred Mountain Gorillas (Gorilla Gorilla Berengei) left in the forgotten forests of central Africa.

Tracking these fascinating creatures through the misty Ugandan forests requires patience and stamina, not to mention the long but hopeful hours spent walking in the mud and the wet. But the payoff is indescribable: there is no way to describe the thrill of coming upon a family of gorillas going about their daily activities in the undergrowth. Quietly chewing away at their vegetarian delicacies, they seem like a marooned human family. The tender grooming and firm disciplining of their offspring seems all too familiar.

The family may cast a wary glance at the sudden human intrusion into their private world, but they are comforted by the clucking made by our experienced trackers. When provoked, the noisy but harmless silverback grunts, screeches, bares his fangs and beats his chest, but then slinks off with the attendant females, offspring and other mature males.

Man poses a serious threat to this population - brought to the world's attention by Dian Fossey - through poaching, disease and population pressure. The gorilla will be able to survive only through increased conservation efforts. Visits to the gorillas' home helps to fund conservation and community projects, including schools, roads, clinics, and community centers, which help the local people to understand the value of the gorilla's continued survival.

Gorilla Tracking and Permits
Gorilla permits must be arranged for, and paid for, in advance. Each gorilla park has a specified number of permits that it is authorized to issue, as well as a separate set of procedures and tariffs governing those permits. Once issued, permits are non-refundable except for medical reasons and, in those instances, a medical certificate must be provided. Visitors should remain aware that even previously-issued gorilla viewing permits can be denied or revoked at short notice, often due to national park or border closures, security changes or movement of the gorillas out of range. In such circumstances, refunds are at the discretion of the issuing authorities and are not within the company's control. Obtaining a gorilla permit should therefore be viewed not as a guarantee of seeing a gorilla, but as a hard-won privilege. In order to protect the gorilla populations from disease, no children under 15 or people with illnesses may go tracking. Visits to the gorillas are limited to one hour, and visitors may not approach closer than 5 meters (15 feet) to the gorillas. Flash photography is not allowed, so fast film is useful. Personal video recorders are allowed.

Virunga Conservation Area
A fascinating combination of volcanoes, volcanic lakes and steeply terraced hillsides make the Virunga Conservation Area one of the most dramatic and beautiful parts of East Africa. The Virunga Conservation Area, situated around the upper slopes of the dramatic Virunga volcanoes, comprises three contiguous national parks: Mgahinga National Park in Uganda, Parc National des Volcans in Rwanda and Parc des Virungas, commonly called Djomba, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. About 350 mountain gorillas make their home in the afro-montane forests of this border area. On the Ugandan side, one gorilla family has been habituated. In Rwanda's Parc National des Volcans, where Dian Fossey worked, four gorilla families have been habituated. In addition to gorilla viewing, the Virunga Conservation Area offers the opportunity to climb a volcano, go birding, swim in the emerald waters of Lake Mutanda or just take in one of the most breathtaking landscapes in all of Africa.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
North from the Virunga Conservation Area is the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, rich in primates, including gorillas, chimpanzees and blue monkeys. The park, located in southwestern Uganda, is home to some 300 mountain gorillas. Two of its gorilla families have been habituated. The park is also home to a dazzling array of butterflies and birds.

Queen Elizabeth National Park
The magnificent Queen Elizabeth National Park is located in the western arm of the Great East African Rift Valley and sits beneath the majestic backdrop of the Rwenzori Mountains. With its tropical forest, savanna, crater lakes and swamps, the park is nothing short of enchanting.

Centered around Lake Edward and Lake George, linked by the Kazinga Channel, the park is rich in wildlife, including hippos, buffaloes, elephants and a vast array of birds. The famous tree-climbing lions of Ishasha lounge nonchalantly in old fig trees. With over 500 bird species, Queen Elizabeth National Park is also a mecca for birdwatchers. Among the unusual varieties found in the park are the shoebill stork and the black bee eater, as well as countless kingfishers, raptors and flocks of flamingoes.

Chimpanzees are found in a number of forests in Uganda, including the steeply forested sides of the Kyambura Gorge, near Queen Elizabeth National Park. The gorge is home not only to chimpanzees, but also to the red-tailed monkey, black and white colobus and many bird species. Tracking chimpanzees in this beautiful river valley is a breathtaking experience.

Rwenzori Mountains
The Rwenzori Mountains are also called the "Mountains of the Moon," mirroring the name first awarded to similarly otherworldly mountains by the great Hellenic astronomer, Ptolemy. The range has a legendary beauty, boasting six snow-capped peaks from which flow three glaciers, truly an equatorial anomaly. The highest peak, Margherita, rises to 16,600 feet (5,109 meters), making it the third highest peak in all of Africa, after only Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya. The luxuriant flora and bird life of the mountains is unique. A hike through the central Rwenzoris takes about five days. The peaks themselves are accessible only to experienced climbers.

Kibale Forest
The Kibale Forest has thirteen species of primates, the most in Africa, including the chimpanzee, the vervet monkey and the red colobus monkey. Tracking the noisy chimpanzee families racing through this verdant forest is a thrilling experience. As in the nearby Bigodi Wetland, the Kibale Forest is home to many forest and swamp birds.

Sipi Falls and Mount Elgon
Sipi Falls is Uganda's most romantic and beautiful waterfall. It is the perfect place to relax and wander, exploring the many falls and caves. Excursions to climb Mount Elgon, to visit the rock paintings or to go rafting on the Nile are natural extensions to a visit in this area.

Murchison Falls
The meandering Nile River and the dramatic Murchison Falls make this national park, the biggest in Uganda, a stunning habitat for wildlife. Nile Perch, Crocodiles, hippos, elephants and birds, including the rare shoebill stork, bask on the banks of the Nile. Chimpanzees can be tracked in the Budongo Forest nearby.

People
Uganda's population of approximately 19 million is largely Christian, but there are sizable Muslim and Animist communities. The central part of the country is largely Bantu-speaking, with the Baganda as the largest group. The Northern tribes are Nilotic in origin; the north is also the home of the nomadic Karamajong and the remote mountain tribe known as the Ik. There are pygmy communities (the Batwa) in some forest areas. More than 30 languages are spoken, with English, Luganda and Swahili being the most widely used.

Travel Tips

While petty crime is not terribly widespread in Uganda, visitors are cautioned to take great care with their valuables when traveling. Crime is less prevalent in rural areas, but it is still wise to be careful. Visitors should not carry excessive jewelry or money. Safe deposit boxes should be utilized where they are available. It is always wise to secure your travel documents and to avoid walking unescorted at night. Visitors should always pay heed to the advice and directives given by their guides and have excellent travel/health insurance.

Temperature/Weather
Since Uganda is a relatively compact country, the range of temperatures is not so great, generally Travelers Rest Hotel. (Kisoro, Uganda) ranging between 70° F and 86°F (21-30° C) in most places. In the mountains and gorilla parks, temperatures can fall much colder, particularly at night. It is therefore important to be properly clothed and equipped, especially when gorilla tracking. The rainy season generally lasts from March through May, with a shorter rainy season occurring in October and November. However, Uganda's weather is unpredictable, and visitors should be prepared for rain at any time of the year. The rainy season sometimes make travel a bit more difficult. However, the views are clearer and the rainy season is thus a desirable time to visit Uganda.

UgandaReading

Gorilla Tracking Travelogue
Africa's Pearl Uganda
Uganda's Queen Elizabeth National Park
Diversity of Endermics -Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Mountain Gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda
Kidepo -Hope in Uganda
Uganda's Papyrus Specials –Birding Adventure Pure
The Mariba Banshee (Birding)
Fishing for the Nile Perch