Uganda is a Gifted Country but Needs a Publicity Push

It is no surprise that the world's most famous travel bible Lonely Planet has recognised the nature, culture, beauty and hospitality that Uganda has to offer. The Pearl of Africa has many attributes, which make it the perfect holiday destination. Gone are the days when Uganda was associated with Idi Amin, HIV/AIDS and Joseph Kony.

So, are the relevant Ugandan authorities doing enough to promote the country as a tourist destination overseas? How should Uganda's being brought into the spotlight by Lonely Planet be built on? Is enough being done to market and sell Ugandan made products overseas?

Train stations in London are plastered with posters of South African scenery, inviting people to visit the country. Around the city are advertising boards saying, 'Incredible India', 'Morocco: the country that travels within you', 'Nigeria: There's more beneath the surface', and 'Turkey welcomes you', all aimed at potential visitors. However, missing are the tourism campaigns encouraging people to visit Uganda.

There are no posters with images of the sun-setting on Lake Victoria, no pictures of Bwindi's mountain gorillas, no billboards informing people of the glistening Pearl of Africa. There are no media campaigns telling adventure seekers about white water rafting in Jinja, or targeting nature lovers through marketing the numerous national parks, or attracting lovers of luxury to the five-star Kampala Serena hotel.

The attractions of Uganda almost speak for themselves, meaning that any advertising need not be complicated. There is no need for gimmicks or celebrity endorsements; the gifts of nature speak for themselves. Perhaps lessons could be learnt from Rwanda, which after the horrors of genocide, has risen as a popular destination for tourists. There, the government created a tourism strategy focusing on all the country has to offer to potential visitors. They created a marketing strategy, which not only revamped the image of Rwanda as a destination for holiday-makers, but also as an attractive hotspot for international conferences and events.

Chimpanzee Tracking in Africa

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Tracking the chimpanzee is a very interesting experience. The way they feed, climb trees, respond to humans, caring for their young ones, is just phenomenal. There are three chimpanzee groups in Kibale which are habituated and only six people per group in the morning and evening. Kibale has over 1450 chimpanzees which represents Uganda's largest population of this endangered primate.

Kibale Natinal Park offers you The Chimpanzee Experience that includes Chimpanzee Habituation and Chimpanzee trekking. During the tracking, you accompany Kibale’s researchers and habituators as they follow chimpanzee during their daily activities, thereby getting them used to human presence without altering their natural behaviour. You can expect to see the chimps de-nesting (coming out of their nocturnal nests) between 05.30-06.30 before following them during the day until they create new nests and retire for the night around 19.00.

The Mountain Gorilla Animal of the Month

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The Mountain Gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei). There are two populations. One is found in the Virunga volcanic mountains of Central Africa, within three National Parks: Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in south-west Uganda; Volcanoes, in north-west Rwanda; and Virunga in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).The other is found in Uganda's Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

The fur of the Mountain Gorilla, often thicker and longer than that of other Gorilla species, enables them to live in colder temperatures. Gorillas can be identified by nose prints unique to each individual. Males usually weigh twice as much as the females, and this subspecies is on average the largest of all gorillas. Adult males have more pronounced bony crests on the top and back of their skulls, giving their heads a more conical shape. These crests anchor the powerful masseter muscles, which attach to the lower jaw (mandible). Adult females also have these crests, but they are less pronounced. Like all gorillas they feature dark brown eyes framed by a black ring around the iris.

Adult males are called silverbacks because a saddle of gray or silver-colored hair develops on their backs with age. The hair on their backs is shorter than on most other body parts, and their arm hair is especially long. Fully erect, males reach 1.9 m (6 ft 3 in) in height, with an arm span of 2.3 m (7 ft 7 in) and weigh 220 kg (490 lb). The tallest silverback recorded was a 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) individual shot in Alimbongo, northern Kivu in May 1938, though there's an unconfirmed record of another individual, shot in 1932, that was 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) tall (Carwardine 1995). The heaviest was a 1.83 m (6 ft) silverback shot in Ambam, Cameroon which weighed about 266 kg (590 lb).

The Mountain Gorilla is primarily terrestrial and quadrupedal. However, it will climb into fruiting trees if the branches can carry its weight, and it is capable of running bipedally up to 6 m (20 ft). Like all great apes other than humans, its arms are longer than its legs. It moves by knuckle-walking (like the Common Chimpanzee, but unlike the Bonobo and both orangutan species), supporting its weight on the backs of its curved fingers rather than its palms.

The Mountain Gorilla is diurnal, most active between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Many of these hours are spent eating, as large quantities of food are needed to sustain its massive bulk. It forages in early morning, rests during the late morning and around midday, and in the afternoon it forages again before resting at night. Each gorilla builds a nest from surrounding vegetation to sleep in, constructing a new one every evening. Only infants sleep in the same nest as their mothers. They leave their sleeping sites when the sun rises at around 6 am, except when it is cold and overcast; then they often stay longer in their nests.

Gorilla Census a Success

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The combined team of parners and UWA staff that has been combing the thick forests and steep ridges of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park during a mountain gorilla census winded up the exercise meant to determine the current population of the gorillas in Bwindi .
Bwindi impenetrable National Park is known to have more than half of the world’s mountain gorillas. The Teams comprising of rangers and wardens from the three countries from Uganda, Rwanda and Congo have taken part in the massive exercise which comes at the heels of a similar recent one in the Greater Virunga massif. IGCP and Marx planks have been the key sponsors of this year’s census which has spanned close to six weeks. Key amongthe activities during the census have been gorilla data collection, sample collection, GPS, and mapping among others.
Unlike the previous censuses, this particular year has been singled out as going as one of the toughest given the timing in the park. September has always been a peak rain season for Bwindi which has been very challenging for the participants having to camp in the forest

Discounted Gorilla Permits

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Uganda Wildlife Authority has announced promotional sale of gorilla permits covering October and November. The promotional price is $ 350 for Foreign Non residents, $250 for foreign residents and sh.100,000 for East Africans. The promotional price is applicable to unsold permits that are offered to be sold at this discounted rate but not all available permits in the month. The permits apply to 4 Gorilla Groups of Kahungye, Oruzogo, Mishaya and Mubare. The permits may not be extended and cancelled, outside the guideless given above.

UWA plans to implement the promotional sales jointly with private sector operators especially hotel owners tour operators and airlines. The private sector will provide complimentary rates for accommodation, meals and transport to complement the price reduction offered by UWA. Due to the huge demand for gorilla permits during the high season months, many tourists miss out on this activity due to the shortages of permits. It is expected that tourists who are unable to track the gorilla during the high seasons will consider doing so during this period at a discounted price. It is also an opportunity for Ugandans and long term visitors to Uganda to enjoy this unique opportunity of viewing the mountain gorillas and thereby create a better understanding of their conservation status and create more ambassadors for the species.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has a total of 28 gorilla families of which 6 are habituated for tourism, one is habituated for research and two more are in the process of habituation for tourism. Bwindi is home to over half of the world’s remaining mountain gorilla population.

TRAVEL TIPS TO AFRICA

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1.      Avoid carrying too much luggage, if possible Take only one bag

2.      Pack less

3.       For the techies… USB devices are great for transferring information, applications and pictures use one. However, remember that there are no condoms for USB devices and that every PC and internet cafe device should be treated as a pox-ridden carrier of digital STDs for your virgin device. Keep it faithful to only your computer (and vice versa).

4.       Paperbacks trump hardbacks. There’s a lot of waiting around when traveling, which makes it nice to have a book handy.

5.       Bargain for everything. Have a great conversation with the first seller of whatever service or product you’re interested in. Never buy from that person. Instead, figure out exactly where the line is and then haggle harder with the next vendor, tout or merchant. (You might find that If you’re paying 25% of the asking price, you’re still being ripped off.)

6.      On Cameras. A lot could be written about this, but suffice it to say that smaller is better unless you really like to take good pictures. I would suggest something that is waterproof.

7.      Spread your money out. Never carry all your money in one place. This isn’t just for security reasons, its for bargaining as well. I suggest carrying varying amounts of cash in 3 different spots and knowing what the amounts are so that you never pull out too much.

8.       Eat local. This is especially true if you’re going on the cheap; don’t be afraid to eat the cooked foods at the road-side kiosks. At $.50 you can get a good full meal and I can do it in a hurry if need be. If that’s too adventurous for you, you can choose other local spots, just don’t fall into the trap of thinking that you have to eat at the “westernized” establishments.

9.      Mosquitos are made in hell and must be killed. Buy a can of Doom (insect spray), get insect repellent, sit on the smoky side of the fire, and use a mosquito net – whatever it takes.

10.  Remember your power adapter. Know what the outlets are going to be like where you’re going so you can recharge your computer, phone and camera. Not knowing where you’re going, I would suggest this one – though a little big, it does fit almost everywhere you’re likely to travel.

11.   Watches are overrated. It’s just one more thing to carry, use your cell phone for the time. Time doesn’t matter as much anyway to be honest

12.  14. Drink a lot. Whether you drink bottled water, sodas, beer or tap water – just make sure you’re drinking. You’ll end up sweating more, walking more and not realizing just how dehydrated you are until you notice that you haven’t gone to the restroom all day.

13.  Toss out your expectations, embrace the differences. It’s not all going to fit the “standard” that you think it should be. Just roll with it and keep a light-approach to life. When something goes wrong, which it will, remember that a smile, a shake of your head and a laugh will take you a lot further than the angry, frustrated and shouting “white person in Africa act” will.

14.  Make friends locally and listen to them. They know the area and can point you towards people and places that you’ll get a lot out of. They also know most of the dangerous and dark corners of the region that you should stay away from. People, at the end of the day, are your greatest assets when traveling, not your gear, knowledge or prior experience in the region.

15.  Bring a hat. One you don’t mind wearing all the time, one you can wash in the sink or a bucket every night, one that keeps the sun from frying your brain. Or buy one. But this is a “don’t leave home without it”

16.  Undershirts keep you cooler they’re essential equipment in tropical climates, and one of the few ways to remain presentable if you’ve got to do a business meeting.

17.  In urban or rural Africa tip a cheap flashlight/torch is your friend when the power goes out and you’re staggering home from the bar at 2am.

18.  Live as much like an average income local as possible (very poor by US standards).

19.  Listen and make friends locally. Stress on all those words. Take the time to greet and exchange greetings with people whose paths you cross, everyone is important, chat with the guard outside your hostel, make every effort to learn the local language, it’s a sign of respect and is appreciated, say a warm hello to the mama selling the peanuts on the street, make friends with taxi drivers, and know how to ask questions, and then how to listen.

20.  Carry a copy of your passport and an international driving license to be saved from trouble.

21.  Carry a USB-2-mobile cable instead that plugs into any USB port and also comes with an adapter for the 12v socket in any car. Helps you get some energy where there’s no socket and is much lighter than most power adapters.

22.  If you can’t patch holes in the mosquito net, apply some repellent around the hole.

23.  Nokia phone with built in flashlight becomes a clock, alarm, torch and phone…magically!

24.  Two each of small packets of tylenol cold (2 daytime / 2 nigh time) are great if you get slammed with some bug and just need to get through a day and a night somewhere.

25.  Always have tissues with you as the lavalatories s are seldom well stocked.

26.  Especially in very busy areas like indoor markets, hugely populated street corners, etc, carry your day backpack on my front.