Several tourism sites to be toured by the Commonwealth heads of state have been listed by the Ministry of Tourism this will formulate Uganda as a Tourism destination to be Superior by the end of 2007. The exercise for identifying the sites situated in Kampala, Mukono, and Wakiso districts, was carried out at Grand Imperial Hotel. Among the sites listed are the National Museum, Kasubi Royal Tombs, Mengo Palace, Kabaka’s Lake, Salaama Traditional Hunting Site, Owino and Nakasero markets. Other sites in Kampala are Namirembe and Rubaga cathedrals, Rubaga Miracle Centre, Old Kampala Mosque, Bahai Temple and Nateete Martyrs’ Church. In kampala. Those in Wakiso include State House, Entebbe, St John’s Church (where the colonial governor used to pray from) and Namugongo Shrine. While Mukono’s sites include Kintu’s Forest, Chanamu Traditional Grave, Kawafu Cave and Bbega Rocks. The technical committee of the Ministry of Tourism and the CHOGM secretariat for consideration will inspect the sites. The participants agreed that the ministry would train people to guide the visitors. Almost all the birds of Uganda, with its scenery beauty will depict what the Uganda safaris has to offers in terms of tourism in the country.
The Mayor of Uganda’s capital also lamented that “ The Commonwealth summit is for the good of the country and, therefore, all Ugandans should support its preparations. He also opposed the Government plan of demolishing small markets on main roads for beautification purpose. He added that the best thing to do is to prepare the traders in the markets by improve sanitation and hygiene so as for the locals also to benefit from the summit. Calling it a lifetime opportunity, the CHOGM secretariat speaker, Kagole Kivumbi, called upon those in charge of the various preparations activities to showcase the country’s uniqueness.
Uganda will use the Commonwealth summit to improve Uganda’s tourism industry, the Minister of State for Tourism, Serapio Rukundo, has said last week. This is the only opportunity coming for Uganda tours to be seen at the globe. The ‘gifted by nature’ marketing strategy has been designed to impress the visitors in November, so that they can always come back with others for Uganda safaris, Rukundo said, during a two-day tourism workshop at the Grand Imperial Hotel. Last week. The summit has created better tourism facilities that will boost further development in tourism activities including Uganda birding as well as gorilla tours in the country. Rukundo urged the masses, especially those involved in the hotel industry, to depict Uganda’s image as the friendliest African country. Uganda Tourism Board was also urged to do their best in marketing Uganda as a tourism destination ranging from gorilla safari and tours, Uganda birding as well as Uganda tours and not to focus more only on mountain gorillas
Achen M Stella
Although Mgahinga National Park is one of the smallest national parks in Uganda, the park is one of the few areas, home for the endangered Mountain gorillas. The endangered Mountain gorillas of Mgahinga, which was said to have been vanished three years a go is said to be back in the National park. This was after a long-drawn-out disappearance of gorilla, which had crossed to Rwandan Volcanoes National Park also home for these endangered mountain Gorillas.
This park is one of the two National Parks in Uganda for the endangered human relatives (Gorillas) of the globe. Mgahinga National Park adjoins Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park and Virunga national park of D R Congo. The habituated Mgahinga family of Nyakagezi had reduced from a family of 11 Gorillas to 7 gorillas. Being a mountainous area, the park vegetation is afromontane within a cool climate with the abundant type of bamboo vegetation, which is a delicacy to these mountain gorillas now attracting them back. As more and more of the gorilla are crossing back to Mgahinga National park, the number of this family is expected to increase in the area and hence l increase on tourists flow in the country as Gorilla tours as well as gorilla safaris is the hottest attraction in the country today. There are also buffaloes, elephants, bushbucks; the threatened golden monkeys among other animals in the park hence another chance for Uganda tours.
There are also several bird species in the park for the bird lovers contributing to the birds of Uganda. Example of bird species in Mgahinga National Park include, Rwenzori turaco, crowned hornbill, black kite and crowned crane.
UWA new gorilla count ready for those interested to know the number of the existing endangered mountain gorillas in the world. Mountain gorillas rank among the rarest animals in the world. Gorillas together with chimpanzees are our closest relatives. The mountain gorillas is the world’s most endangered ape found only in small portions of protected afromontane forests in southwestern Uganda, northwestern Rwanda and eastern Congo. The mountain gorillas are one of many species unique to these forests that promotes gorilla tours in Uganda. The forests are also home to many wonderful birds, primates, large mammals, reptiles, insects and plants, which boosts Uganda safaris.
The mountain gorillas are divided into two populations. Where as 2003 figures estimate the total population to be about 700 individuals with one population of about 320 is found in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in southwestern, Uganda and the other in the virunga Volcano range. The Virunga Volcano range is ecologically homogenous (same flora and fauna) covering three adjacent national parks in three countries: Mgahinga gorilla national park in Uganda, Volcano national park in Rwanda and Virunga national in Congo, Uganda is more knowned for gorillas than the rest of the countries.
The 2006 gorilla survey approved elsewhere in the main home areas of the tender beasts has computed a present number of about 720 gorillas living in the national parks of Rwanda, DR Congo and of course Uganda, with the largest number in Bwindi and Mgahinga. The number of gorilla groups is also said to have increased, hence increase in Uganda safaris. Today its revealed that the number of this endangered mountain gorilla has increased to 780. Following the crossing of some gorillas back in Mgahinga National Park Uganda now has more chances of gorilla tours than ever before. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park of Uganda has more than half of the global estimated population of 780 mountain gorillas
As rural power project begins, Sezibwa Falls where there is some of the Birds of uganda is one of the falls where hydro power station can be put. Energy for Rural Transformation is a ten-year programme for improving access to modern energy. Its purpose is to develop Uganda’s rural energy and information communication. The project includes links with several agencies, institutions and ministries including rural Electrification Agency (REA), Uganda Communication Commission (UCC), the Ministries of Education, Agriculture, Water and Local Government, Bank of Uganda and the private Sector foundation. A Japanese delegation for the project was shown Sezibwa falls where they will build a hydro power station.
Ssezibwa falls is a magnificent beauty out of harass and activity of Mukono town in a cool and charming environment. Ssezibwa falls is a historical site located at Kayanja 10 kms off Kampala Jinja highway. Ssezibwa is a luganda word meaning ‘some thing endless’. The falls formation is fascinating oral tradition dating as far back as the 16th century. The sounds of hissing waterfalls welcomes you here, the environment in Sezibwa has natural color. Climbing the diamond –shaped edge rocks is a fascinating adventure of Uganda tours. A lapse in concentration could land one into the hands of the falls. At Sezibwa falls tourists enjoy bird watching and hunting. There is also music, dance and drama. Ssezibwa falls is one of the places contributing to Uganda safaris.
This programme is also encouraging interventions for sustainable use of the available use of biomass energy and reducing on the occurrence of desertification. By the year 2010 power shortage in Uganda will be no more, city tour among other activities will be carried on without time limit.
The local communities in the vicinity of Mt Elgon National Park commonly known as the ‘Mountain of Illusion’ met with the Uganda wildlife official due to encroachment and to settle their misinterpretation. The meeting resulted into conclusion understood and among them was resource sharing with the local people. The e communities were educated on how to benefit from the park without destruction. Different communities have been complaining about the bad relationship they incur with the Uganda Wild life authority, one local lamented ‘ we are been harassed by the Uganda Wildlife Authority officials while collecting firewood from a section of land that borders Mt. Elgon National Park though the wildlife authorities claimed that residents encroached on the park.
Mt Elgon is one of the parks in Uganda that offers Uganda safaris in the country. The park is an extinct volcano that first erupted more than 24years ago. This is one of the parks where there are birds of Uganda. The park has over 300 birds including the endangered lammergeiers, the rare Jackson’s Francolin and Turaco hence birding in Uganda. There are also a number of primates that inhabit this mountain, forest monkeys fill the forest canopy as giant forest Hog, Bush buck, wild cat, buffaloes, elephants among others that also contribute to Uganda tours.
On the same development Uganda’s president Yoweri Museveni ordered all encroachers on national reserves and wildlife conservation areas to vacate to allow wildlife multiply. The President made the order in a speech read by the Third deputy minister for information and national guidance Mr. Kirunda Kivejinja, to guests and dignitaries at the official opening of the northern gateway of Wangkwar and Chobe into Murchison Falls National Park last year 2006. Museveni pointed that ‘Agricultural encroachers on Mt. Elgon must stop and the Basongora pastoralists must be relocated from Queen Elizabeth National Park. He further noted that Grazing in Semliki Wildlife Reserve and Kidepo National must be checked.
Though the Minister of Lands, Daniel Omara Atubo, has said President Yoweri Museveni does not have the powers to offer away whichever part of Mabira Forest Reserve, but will the forest survive? Atubo revealed this on Friday at the Third Global Assembly of the International Land Coalition at the Imperial Botanical Beach Hotel in Entebbe. Delegates from over 30 countries attended the function. He further added that when the law was made, it ensured that whoever wanted to degazette a forest has to go through a laborious process, which includes cabinet and Parliament approval, and identification of an equivalent piece of land elsewhere for tree planting. That even if the president just wanted only one acre of that forest land for himself, he could not do it because he does not have the powers. The four-day assembly discussed ways of allowing poor people to have access to land without hampering economic development. According to Atubo, one of Uganda’s problems is the absence of a consolidated land policy. He added that land issues were found in the agricultural policy, natural resources laws, environmental regulations and the Land Act.Mabira Forest Reserve query begun early this year when the Metha family requested President Museveni to offer them land for the expansion of sugar production in the claim of increasing sugar production in the country. Mabira forest reserves is one of the habitat for birds of Uganda, where birding safaris activities in Uganda is carried, tourism being a hot cake today.
Mabira forest Reserve has over 300 species of birds, some of them endangered like the Nahans francolin and the Papyrus gonolek. Mabira forest also have plants with medicinal value, some of them used by local communities to treat ailments likes impotence and heart diseases. Mabira forest is one of the reservations for Uganda tours that contributes a lot to Uganda safaris.
Avian Influenza specialists commonly known as bird flu are to initiate watchful trails public alert imitation to check the level of preferential treatment in case a pandemic broke in the country to prevent birds of Uganda from this deadly virus. The first exercise will take place on any poultry farms that assumed to be attacked by the pandemic early this year. The ministry of Agriculture, animal industries and fisheries and part of the National anti- bird flu preparedness, leads this strategy. This strategy will involve members of the national task force setting quarantine for a selected poultry farm and its people before the force conducts its examinations. Dr. Nicholas Kauta the commissioner for animal health and Entomology said that the exercise would involve killing the animals as if they were infected with H5n1 the virus that causes Avian Influenza and then the owner of the farm will be compensated for the loss. He lamented on 29th January 2007 while addressing a training workshop for journalists mainly from African Commonwealth countries, prearranged by Uganda Media for Health, a Kampala-based firm of journalists and medical experts which does capacity-building among expatriates on health issues. The different topics covered included empowering the media on bird flu awareness, infection control, contribution from partners like FAO, WHO, and the EU, internet sourcing and the way forward.
With this on going strategy birding as a tourism activity will remain safe since Uganda birds are one of source of tourism attractions that contribute in Uganda safaris. Uganda has over 1000 species of birds ranging from domestic birds, indigenous to migrants. Uganda’s birding delights are hardly ever modest and some. Shoebill stork, the African grey parrot, grey heron, different types of king fishers, the rear saddle billed stork are a few of the country’s birds that when kept safe Uganda tours will be diversified largely than depending mainly on the gorilla tourism. Other birds of Uganda includes African fish eagle, marital eagle, papyrus gonolek, African skimmer and many more hence Uganda safaris.