Monday, September 14, 2009

Queen Elizabeth NP Uganda

After breakfast, leave for Queen Elizabeth Via Fort Portal we reach at midday Mweya in Queen Elizabeth NP with a stunningly beautiful view over Kazinga Channel.Uganda Tourism In the late afternoon. Have lunch and then drive to the crater lakes region and Dinner and overnight at;

•    Accommodation   Luxury Tour: Mweya Lodge or Jacana Lodge/
•    Basic institute of Ecology also known as Albertine River Camp.

Queen Elizabeth NP
After a cup of coffee, we will go for an early morning game drive on the plains of Queen Elizabeth with thousands of Ugandan Kobs, lions, illusive leopard, elephants etc.Tanzania Safaris Return to the lodge for breakfast and then relax at the lodge. In the afternoon, go for a two hours launch cruise on the Kazinga channel where we will see all the animals from the waterside.

Chimpanzee tracking in Kyambura Gorge.
Early morning breakfast and then we go to Kyambura Gorge. Here people can go for a 3-4 hour walk in to the Gorge for meeting the chimpanzees. Cost are 30$ per person (not included).Rwanda Travel You will have Lunch at Jacana Safari Lodge and then continue to Maramagambo Forest. Here are some short and long walks in the Forest. go for a nature walk in the Maramagambo Forest. This is one of Uganda’s largest tracts of tropical rain forests notable for its primates and Avain species. Guaranteed events range the Bats cave a habitat for Bats and pythons that prey on them, the Copper rich blue lake which according to Myths is known to have drowned an elephant yet it isn’t very deep and its from this that it gets its name Kimeranjojo.Gorilla Safaris After the forest walk we will drive to Ishasha Sector for a game drive in search for tree climbing Lions.

Dinner and over night at Luxury Tour: Ishasha Wilderness Camp
Bwindi
Take breakfast and leave Queen Elizabeth, the road takes us to the top of the Western Rift Valley. A magnificent view on a clear day of Lake Edward, the Hills of Congo, Queen Elizabeth, the snow capped Ruwenzori Mountains (5100m), Lake George and Kazinga Channel.
We proceed to Bwindi via Ishasha sector. The bad road takes us through a gorgeous panorama called the “Switzerland of Africa”.South Africa Tours We pass mountains, hills and lakes with cultivated terraces and tropical rainforest. Dinner and over night at ;

Posted by SAf at 11:59:17 | Permalink | No Comments »

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Uganda and Rwanda Primates

Murchison Falls National Park
In the early hours of the day after a warm break, you will be transported to Murchison Falls via Masindi. Kenya safari When you reach Murchison falls, you will take a tour to the top of the falls and followed by after dinner and over night at Paraa safari Lodge/ Nile Safari Camp/ Sambiya River Lodge / Red Chillis Camp.
THE LAUNCH CRUISE ALONG THE VICTORIA NILE
Wake up and have an early morning game drive on at the Northern Bank of the Murchison falls National park   expect to see those animals that are exclusive to the African Savannah like giraffe, elephant, antelope, lion, and the Uganda Kob. Go back to the lodge for mid morning breakfast, as you rest to wait for Lunch.Gorilla Tour Uganda Rwanda
Following the lunch break, you will head for a launch cruise on the Nile River. The cruise sails you to the base of the thunderous falls where you will see enormous crocodiles, schools of hippos, buffaloes, elephants and a variety of water birds like herons, ducks, cormorants, bee-eaters, skimmers, kingfishers, fish eagle and the rare shoebill. Go back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
FORTPORTAL
Following breakfast you will be transported to Fort Portal town, via the villages and gorgeous scenery.  Take lunch en route In the evening you will have local guides for walks around the 1000 acre farm, to the Mahoma Water fall, and the Walks will take you around crater rims, plots of cassava, through banana plantations,Queen Elizabeth National Park Uganda past alcohol brewing in oil drums, coffee terraces, groundnuts, sorghum and millet. Tour the Toro Palace, Dinner and over night at Ndali Lodge/ Primates Lodge/ Rwenzori View Guest House/ Kanyankyu Tourist Centre.
CHIMPANZEE TRACKING
Have breakfast and then gather at Kanyankyu tourist centre for an morning Chimpanzee walk at Kibale Forest. Kibale National Park is a home for more than 10 primate species, which include, black & white colobus monkeys, red colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys to mention but a few. Take lunch and proceed for a swamp walk in Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary a community own swamp under Kibale Association for Rural and Environmental organization formed in 1992 with the aim of achieving social and economic development for local communities. Bwindi National Park Uganda Your guide will give you detailed information as you move along. This area is a habitat to over 137 bird species including the Snowy Headed Robin Cat, Emerald Cuckoo, Black and White Casqued Hornbill and a variety of Weavers, Warblers, Greenbuls and Sunbirds. You will also see plenty of butterflies and the unique flora such as wild palms, polita figs and the dominant papyrus. Go back to the lodge for dinner and over night.
QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL PARK
Following an early breakfast, you’ll depart for Fort portal to tour numerous cultural groups including the Burungu community which is rooted in Traditional Toro culture that will amuse you with there exciting music, dancing     and     story     telling. Take the rest of the half day with the indigenous community and on village walks/tours and in the evening. Later in the evening you will be transported to Queen Elizabeth National Park for Dinner and over night at Jacana Safari Lodge/Mweya Safari Lodge/ Albertine camp
THE LAUNCH CRUISE ALONG THE KAZINGA CHANNEL
After a cup of coffee, head for an early morning game drive along Kasenyi track and Queens mile in the park  in search for Lions, Elephants, cape buffalo, Warthogs, leopard, mangoose, waterbucks, hyena, Uganda kobs, Topi and lots many small animals and birds. Following a lunch break, you will rest in a 2-hours boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel that connects to Lake Edward. This tour goes through perhaps the highest concentration of Hippos and various animals are likely to be sighted drinking at the water’s edge. This launch cruise gives an excellent platform for photography, bird watching and game viewing. Kibale National Park Uganda The abundant bird life is beautiful and stupendous with well over 550 resident species.

Posted by SAf at 12:56:17 | Permalink | No Comments »

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Safari Queen Elizabeth National Park Uganda

There is no doubt that Queen Elizabeth comprises of the uppermost bio diversity ratings of any game park or reserve in the world, - from the open Savannah to Rain Forest,Gorilla safari dense Papyrus Swamps and brooding Crater lakes to the vastness of Lake Edward.

Approximately 100 mammal species that include Lions, Leopard, Hippos, Spotted Hyena, Buffaloes, Elephants, Mangoose, Bushbucks and the elusive Giant Forest Hog plus over 600 amazing  bird species that include the Black Chested Eagle, Black Bee-Eater, Chappirs Fly Catcher, Bustards, craters full of Lesser Flamingos the Swallow Tailed Bee Eaters, and if you are lucky, the Legendary Shoebill Stork among others. Uganda safari And some people refer to this park as the birder’s paradise.

The park is also a home to numerous primate species like Chimpanzee, Blue and Red Tailed monkeys Black and White Colobus Monkeys, Black Faced Red Colobus, Olive Baboons among others.

Amongst the reptiles, this park consists of Puff adders, Rock-Python, Gabon Rippers, Spitting Cobras,Rwanda Gorilla Safari Green Mambas, Turtles, crocodiles etc. All these are frequently sighted around the tourist village on the Mweya Isthmus and all this makes a superb safari terrain.

QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL PARK
Following breakfast, a tour guide from our company will be at your service to transport from your in Kampala at 7.00am and drive you southwards to Masaka. You will have an interruption of the journey to have a look at the Royal Drum makers, then also at the Equator where an experiment that demonstrates that it is the real equator will be confirmed to you as explanation will follow.  Take lunch at in Mbarara and then go on through the lush hills to Queen Elizabeth National Park reaching in the evening. Take a game drive as on the away and if you are lucky you will view various animals like Elephants, antelopes like topis and many others.  Dinner and over night over night at either
Mweya Lodge/ Jacana safari Lodge (High end accommodation),
King Fisher Lodge Kichwamba/ Hippo Hill Camp (Medium class accommodation) or
The Albertine Rift Camp (Low budget/basic accommodation). FB

THE LAUNCH CRUISE ALONG THE KAZINGA CHANNEL
Enjoy your cup of coffee to cheer up your body. After at 0600, head for an early morning game drive along the Queens mile or the Kasenyi miles Tracks. You will look for animals like Elephants, Lions, Leopards, and Hyenas among others. Drive to the lodge for a mid morning breakfast. Have lunch and then proceed for the afternoon boat trip along the Kazinga Channel. Hippos breathe and squirt a few feet away from the boat, Buffalo loiter in the, shores and shallow ends of the channel as a   stunning variety of birds make there way to the grasses on the shores. Great White and Pink-Backed Pelicans, Great and Long-Tailed Cormorants, African Jacana, Open-Billed Stork, Gorilla Trekking Rwanda Uganda Malachite and Pied Kingfishers are commonly seen. February and March offer spectacular seeing some of the bird migrants. Go back for dinner and over night at your lodge.

Posted by SAf at 11:01:20 | Permalink | No Comments »

Thursday, August 6, 2009

DAY 1 KAMPALA- QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL PARK UGANDA

DAY 1 KAMPALA- QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL PARK

At 07hrs00, you will be picked from your hotel or residence and leave for Queen Elizabeth National park. Uganda safari Take a stop over at stopping at Mpigi crafts and the Equator crossing. At the Equator, you will watch some men demonstrating an experiment to test whether water does in fact go in opposite directions down a plug hole on opposite sides of the equator. This experiment is evidence to show that the equator is the separator of the two hemispheres. Many people know that the equator is there, but being there after a short drive is worth while evidence! Take pictures and then after proceed Queen Elizabeth national park. A game drive En route a game drive in search for the unique game like the Topi, Elands, Elephants and many other animals. Have lunch, Visit the crater lakes region and then wait for dinner and over night at Mweya Safari lodge/ JACANA SAFARI LODGE / INSTITUTE OF ECOLOGY(FB).

DAY2 LAUNCH CRUISE ALONG THEKAZINGA CHANNEL

Rise very early for a morning game drive to catch-up with the early risers and predators – lion, leopard, getting back to their hideouts. You will be likely to meet grazing elephants, spotted hyenas ,the elusive leopards, bushbucks, water buck and stripped jackal, and of course the several warthogs. Return to the lodge for break fast and then after, gorilla safari Uganda In the afternoon you will go for a launch cruise along the kazinga channel the waterway that joins Lake Edward to Lake George . Its banks are is crammed with families of hippos, buffaloes, with elephants at the banks. If time allows take an evening game drive to the crater area. Retire to your lodge for Dinner and Overnight at the lodge (FB).

DAY 3 CHIMPANZEES TRACKING IN KIBALE

You will drive to Kibale national park. The drive will take you through the beautifu;l foot hills of the Rwenzori Mountains. Uganda safaris Relax at the lodge as you wait for Lunch. In the Afternoon, you will assemble at Kanyankyu tourist centre for briefing from the Ranger guides before you go for chimpanzee tracking in the Kibale tropical rain forest. Though you will be chimpanzee tracking, you will be astounded to come across more primates and mammals like the Red tailed monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, the Blue Mangabeys, Bushbucks, Warthogs, Bush pigs, Duikers, Golden cats among others, several bird species including African Pitta, Warbler, Blue headed sun bird among others. Chances of seeing chimps in this park are 95%. After, you will come across man’s closest cousins in their family playing as they move from tree to tree . Dinner and over night at Ndali Lodge/ Primates Lodge/ Rwenzori View guest house.(FB)

DAY4 TO MURCHISON FALLS NATIONAL PARK

This will be a long drive but rewarding with e beautiful Scenery .Take breakfast and transfer to Murchison falls National park passing through the beautiful Albertine rift. Have lunch en route and as you approach the park you will be stopping briefly at the escarpment overlooking L. Albert. This point has the lowest Altitude 622 M (ASL). Still as you drive along Budongo forest way, you may spot Black and White Colobus Monkeys, Red Tailed and Blue Monkeys and lots of Olive Baboons may be seen. Birds like Afep Pigeons, the Nightjar, Black Billed Turacco, Great Blue and Ross’s Turaccos, Narina’s Trogon, White thigh Hornbills, African Green Pigeons and Nahan’s Francolin may also be seen.Proceed for dinner and over night at Paraa safari Lodge / Nile Safari Camp/ Sambiya River lodge/ Red Chillis Camp.(FB)

DAY5 LAUNCH CRUISE ALONG THE RIVER NILE

Wake up very early in the morning and take a cup of coffee as you prepare for an early morning game drive in the Northern part of Murchison falls national park. In this cool morning before the sun rises too high , you will expect encounters of herds of Buffaloes, Elephants, Rothschild’s giraffe, prides of lions, the Illusive leopard, Oribis, Hartebeests, Waterbucks, Kobs, watch elephants as they graze on the grassy hillsides and many bird species like the Nightjar. Back in time for late breakfast. Then after relax as you wait for lunch. In the afternoon, you will take a launch cruise along the Victoria Nile to the bottom of the falls, watch families of Hippos relaxing by the Nile bank, Nile crocodiles will be incubating eggs, as lots of birds stand on the backs of these mammals. You will return to your lodge for dinner and over night.

Optional: If you are physically fit and interested to hike to the top of the falls, (1 hour’s hike) the launch will drop you at the cliff on the right side of the bottom of the falls. Uganda tour With the accompaniment of a guide you will hike to the top of the falls. Simple hiking shoes and water are obligatory prerequisites. The walk is a little bit arduous conversely once you reach the top; you will realize that it is a worthwhile as you witness water dipping from a gorge that is 5o metres wide down into a narrow gorge of a 7 metres width…

Return to the lodge for dinner and over night (FB)

DAY 6 TRANSFER TO KAMPALA

You will be transferred to Your Hotel in Kampala. Lunch En route

Posted by SAf at 09:48:16 | Permalink | No Comments »

Monday, January 12, 2009

African Safari with Great Lakes Safari Company

Africa is one of the world’s most beautiful and exotic destinations. Going on an African Safari is sure to be an exciting and unique adventure. But being well prepared is necessary to ensure that you have a smooth and enjoyable trip. Here are a few tips.
Uganda Safaris with Great Lakes

1. Study everything first. Gather as much information as you can about the country you are planning to visit such as weather conditions, political climate and modes of transportation. Check up on your travel agency as well. Make sure you clearly understand their terms and the limitations of their services. Confirm that you have enough money to cover all your expenses as well as extra cash for emergencies or other unforeseen costs.
Gorilla Safari Uganda and Rwanda
2. Plan ahead on what to pack. Ask your travel agency about the local climate of the place, they can help you get a better idea on what type of clothes to bring. Don’t overlook the tiny things like the quality of shoes you will be wearing on the trip. Bring a few pairs that are durable yet comfortable to take long walks in. Generally, daytime in Africa is significantly hot — stock up on hats, scarves and protective eyewear. But anticipate cooler temperatures especially in the evenings. You may want to bring along a warm jacket or sweater just in case. Long pants are usually preferred over walking shorts to help protect you from mosquitoes.

Uganda Safari Tour Holiday

3. Don’t forget the other essentials. Load up on sunscreen and mosquito repellents to protect your skin. Bring a medical kit complete with bandages, antiseptics, painkillers, medicine for travel-sickness, allergies, skin cuts and diarrhea among others. It would be best if you can visit your doctor for a complete medical check-up and even a dental check-up before leaving. If the place you are visiting is known to have cases of malaria, take prophylactic malaria medication. You can ask your physician about this. Also inquire about the quality of water in the area you’ll be staying in. If you’re not confident that it’s potable, drink only bottled.

4. Once you have arrived, you may experience a bit of discomfort during the first few days such as jet lag and fatigue. Eating lightly and keeping yourself hydrated by drinking lots of water and liquids can easily cure this. Avoid alcohol and too much coffee though as these would only rob you of the energy you need to enjoy your vacation. Your body should be able to adjust to the local time zone in a couple of days.

5. Keep yourself hydrated. Always keep a sufficient amount of water with you. It would be good to take in liquids every few hours even if you don’t feel thirsty. This will help you avoid getting dehydrated or having a heat stroke.

6. Always think of your safety. In a different country, it’s easy to get disoriented especially if you’re a first time visitor. The culture could be very different from what you are used to. There are certain things we should think twice about doing in a foreign country such as driving. Unless you are significantly familiar with the local driving culture, road signs and local police vehicles, do not attempt to drive by yourself except when you have a guide who knows the place well. Also be cautious with your cash and other valuable items such as laptops and cameras. Don’t attract unwanted attention by counting your money in public. Keep valuables in an old bag and keep it by you at all times.

Keep these things in mind when preparing for that African Safari. Wise planning and organization are the secrets to having an unforgettable, hassle-free vacation.

Posted by SAf at 21:41:56 | Permalink | Comments (3)