Thursday 21 September 2017

A BREATHTAKING SAFARI ON HOT AIR BALLOON FLIGHT


It is evident, the popular activities that people undertake apart from the Gorilla safaris tours in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park include game drive safaris and boat cruise in Queen Elizabeth national park.  Those two activities are done at intervals giving tourists who would wish to partake in both activities a chance to do so, since each activity has its unique excitement levels.

Now there is a lot more ways to enjoy the game park with more exciting activities being introduced here. Among the prominent is the hot air balloon. The hot air balloon is must-activity of late if you have some extra dollars to spend on a Uganda safari. Hot air balloon to date is only done in two national game parks in Uganda –Queen Elizabeth national park and Murchison falls National park.
The hot air balloon Safari in Queen Elizabeth national park is currently operated by Balloons tours Uganda. The only company so far that holds a license by the Uganda Aviation authority to fly balloons in this game park.
The company boasts of well-trained staff that has experience of over 10 years flying balloons. At the present time, only one balloon is operational which carries 16 passengers. But there are plans to source the second one that shall accommodate 24 passengers. The flight is usually an hour long of seeing all the wildlife from the skies. The balloon flight sets off before dawn and by sunrise you are almost done watching the wildlife and beautiful nature. And there is more to this balloon safari after the flight, you will be taken care of- take for example there will be bush breakfast for you prepared by one of the best lodges in Queen Elizabeth national park, Mweya safari lodge. And finally, the pick-up time is usually around 05.30 am at Kasenyi gate to complete your amazing balloon safari experience.

Monday 18 September 2017

CHIMP TRACKING IN THE PRIMATE WORLD OF KIBALE


For anyone looking to discover someplace beautiful and off the beaten track, Kibale Forest National Park is a top tourist destination with something unique. This forest offers Africa as you have always imagined it - wild, green, and beautiful. Famously known as the home to a remarkable 13 primate species including the Chimpanzees.

CHIMPANZEES – Track into Kibale National Park and on arrival you will be greeted with a swarm of butterflies mostly in the dry seasons, and should be noted that during these drier months are the optimum time to track chimpanzees.
Kibale Forest National Park has been a reserve since 1932, but it was not until 1993 that this 700-square-kilometer wilderness was declared a National Game Park, pulling tourists and researchers from around the world to come and experience its unique flora and fauna. And standing at altitudes between 3,000 and 4,500 feet, it is refreshingly cool to climb to.
Expert trackers mostly known as guides lead the way into the forest ready to take visitors on walks in search of our closest cousins the chimpanzees.
How to Get There…
On landing at Entebbe International Airport, which is located just outside the capital Kampala, you will need to connect Kibale National Park by road. And the easiest way would be booking a driver guide to meet you at the airport or through a local tour operator. The journey from Kampala City to Kibale takes maximum three hours on road in a 4x4 Safari Landcruiser since it might get bumpy in some parts but this cannot take away the beauty of this place, as you go through forest and savannah and winding between tea fields.

Arranging your Safari
Chimpanzee trekking costs US$150, which includes the guide fee. The National Game Park fee for Kibale is US$40. Private tours to Uganda's national game parks can be taken with the help of a professional guide assigned to you by a tour operator. The same professional driver and guide will accompany you and at the same time give you great insight through your well-tailored Safari to Uganda.

Where to Stay
There is quite a number of good places to stay in on your Uganda Safari to Kibale National Park for chimpanzee tracking.  Ranging from budget to luxury, take for example Primate Lodge, an eco-lodge run by Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), that is set within the game park with safari tents, cottages, a tree house, and a campsite would be a great pick.



Saturday 9 September 2017

The Unexplored Wilderness of Kidepo Valley National Park, Uganda


The Park is best known for its Spectacular landscapes and Great buffalo herds. Boasting of sprawling savannah and soaring mountains, Kidepo Valley National Park is arguably the most picturesque game park in Africa. Kidepo sees far less visitors than Murchison Falls National Park-famously known for its spectacular powerful falls, Queen Elizabeth National Park-known for its very rare tree climbing lions in the Ishasha sector and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park-very well known for its wild Gorilla Trekking Safaris in Uganda. And this is mainly because of its remote location and few lodging options in Kidepo game Park.

Kidepo is located in northern Uganda, sharing borders with South Sudan and Kenya’s Northern Frontier District, it is Uganda’s most beautiful, remote and least-explored park. And it requires a full day of driving on road to get to Kidepo using a 4x4 safari Landcruiser, but just an hour flight from Entebbe International Airport.

And as of now, the main lodging option is the all-inclusive Apoka Lodge, but once you arrive at the lodge, the first thing you’ll notice is all the wildlife casually calm grazing outside your chalet.
And you don’t have to worry of getting attacked by any wild animal since each chalet has an enclosed porch where you can sit and watch the resident wildlife move about.

Game drives in Kidepo
The fact that there are only a few lodges in this area, and Apoka Lodge has several vehicles on hand, and you will get an impression that you are on a game drive in your own private park. At the very most, you will have like three other people with you in the same vehicle, and free to move about within the vehicle making it easy for you to take photos from any angle.

And for those who take the trouble on a Uganda Safari to get here,  they are rewarded with remarkable wildlife sightings and a level of exclusivity that can rarely be had at any cost in neighboring countries.