Month: October 2017

Categories
Safari Ideas

Exciting Uganda Safari Deals for 2018

Uganda celebrates gorilla tourism through conservation and sustainable travel across the globe  every year but for those planning to visit the country in 2018 , the unspeakable joy is that there is no gorilla permit price increase in all gorilla tracking parks; Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and Mgahinga National Park.

The two mountain gorilla homes in south western Uganda have become known as great wild adventure spots in Africa and worldwide. A few months ago Rwanda increased its gorillas permits from US$750 to US$1500 changing the country travel trend from being a cheap gorilla safari destination to Luxury gorilla safari destinations for reasons and conservation and community development.

This somehow worried tourists with plans of tracking mountain gorillas in 2018 in Africa. However, Uganda gorilla permit price stability changes the all scenario and joy fills up the lives for many travelers to Africa. Uganda gorilla permits for 2018 go for US$600 per trek for all months of the year with discount offers in low season. Travelers will still secure gorilla permits at only US$450 per trek during the month of April, May and November.

If your plans where initially to fly to Rwanda-Kigali international Airport, it can still work and you connect to Uganda for gorilla tracking and later fly out from Kigali international Airport. This travel arrangement offers travelers an opportunity to explore the beautiful land of thousand hills as wells that of Uganda the Pearl of Africa.

Uganda hosts exciting gorilla safari experiences in both Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and Mgahinga national park which is conducted every day in all the parks. Gorilla safaris in Uganda are best for all budgets and one can either see mountain gorillas in their home on budget or luxury gorilla safari tour. The experience of gorilla safaris in Uganda is just same like that of Rwanda  with a true fact that whoever tracks mountain gorillas get changed with various memories of  the beautiful jungle creatures.

Trekking gorillas is much more than taking a forest walk through the thick forest jungle and later meet up with gorillas .A lot can be experienced and enjoyed –the reason for many travelers who have ever seen the gorillas to describe the experience as “life changing encounter” and worth every effort and penny”.

Like any other mountain gorilla tracking destination, one must have a gorilla permit to track gorillas in Uganda. Booking gorilla permits can be done through a tour agent responsible for organizing your gorilla safari tour or directly at the park management head offices in Kampala(UWA).However, its has always been very easy and flexible to reserve your gorilla permit with a tour agent.

The best time to track endangered mountain gorillas in Uganda is all year with a peak season from June-October and December to March. However, those who chose to visit the country during April, May and November enjoy more benefits on safari because they don’t only carry home huge memories of the unique gorillas but also save much for their next vacation. However, it’s a grantee to see mountain gorillas in Uganda on a single trek any time of the year but going for double trekking is a choice and open for every traveler to the country. Tourists are rewarded with gorilla certificates after the trek a reward gift that confirms that you made it successful to the land of mountain gorillas.

Categories
Uganda Birds

5 Unique Birds to See on a Birding Safari in Uganda

Uganda is known as Africa’s premier birding destination with the list of birds found in the country topping 1000, most of these birds live only in these tropical forests with the are sightings being described as mythical while it’s believed that some of the birds living in the remote forests of Uganda may not even be classified as of yet. These birds have greatly attracted many people to come for safaris to Uganda.

Shoebill Stork

The shoebill is one of the most attractive birds in Uganda and is endemic to Africa and the birders from around the globe flock to Uganda to catch a rare glimpse of this clumsy giant, the type of bird was not protected and its egg were also frequently from the nets.

Green Breasted Pitta

The green breasted pitta is also a difficult bird to find despite its relatively common status in the Central African countries. It lives a well camouflaged in the lowland tropical forest and photographing some of these little guys is a good dream. Another is the African Green Broadbill and this can only be seen in two places in the world, I the Itombwe mountains of DRC and Uganda in Bwindi Forest. The specie is declining due to loss of its habitat from the forest clearing and degradation, this bird species has greatly attracted many tourists for Uganda safaris.

Great Bule Turaco

The great Blue Turaco and the white crested Turaco are some of the largest, most exquisite birds which are found in Uganda. These birds are actively hunted their meat and the feathers are liked as high commodities which has decreased their numbers. Shelley’s crimson wing is one of the world’s rarest birds and can be found on most bird bucket lists. They live in a thin trip of the mountains and the volcanoes which are known as the Albertine Rift which border Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic republic of Congo.

Winged Nightjar

The standard winged nightjar is a bird characterized by the central flight feathers which appear during the breeding season on the male. It also a dream come true to view these birds during this short time span when their feathers which can be stretched up to 38m in length. The short tailed warbler can also be found in Uganda’s forest undergrowth while these forests of the DRC and Rwanda are also home to this camouflaged species. In addition, there is the Doherty’s Bush shrike which is found in the subtropical montane forests and the moist shrubs of central Africa. These are brightly colored birds and are one of the more common birds seen in Uganda and their population levels are table in most parts where they are found.

Bar Tailed Trogon

The bar tailed Trogon is a beautiful medium sized bird which lives in high altitude forests and has a large range throughout central and southern Africa although it’s rarely seen. Finally is the black breasted barbet which is seen by very few individuals and is highly sought after by the bird watchers. It tends to live in the areas of conflict and it rarely seen by the tourist who come for safari tours to Uganda.

Categories
Tips

Finding the Right Binoculars

A good pair of bird watching binoculars is definitely a must if you are into bird watching. This is because this will help you view and observe birds better. For beginners, a good pair of binoculars is really one of the basic tools they need in order to get the hang of the activity. Aside from helping them see birds closely and clearly, a pair of bird watching binoculars will also help them to adjust in viewing moving birds.

Buying a good pair of binoculars

Bird watching is one of those activities that entail patience and keen observation. This is because you don’t need to do anything but to watch avian creatures in the horizon and do the thing they love the most—flying.

If you are new into bird watching, the first thing that you need to pay attention to is having a good pair of binoculars. In buying binoculars for bird watching, the major consideration should be the quality of the lens installed in it. The lens should provide you the best quality of image possible, no any distortions in the viewfinder, and should present the best color of the object being observed.

The average cost of a good pair of bird watching binoculars is around $500 to $1000 depending on the brand, size, and quality of lens installed in it. For starters, you really need not buy so expensive binoculars. To help you get the best binocular for your bird watching, here are some helpful tips for you:

1. Consider its magnification
This is very important because it will enable you to see the birds clearly. When looking for a pair of binoculars, choose those that have minimum magnification of 7×35. But if you can afford to buy binoculars with larger magnification such as those with multiples of 8x, 9x, up to 10x, it is better because these can definitely give you a larger image of the bird being watched.

Always keep in mind that a larger lens gets more amount of light, thus, can provide you an image that is sharper and clearer. (TIP: Binoculars with higher magnification tend to be heavier. It is best to look for a pair of binocular with high magnification but made of light materials so you can carry it.)

2. Check its flexibility
The flexibility of the binoculars can be tested if you move its barrels. This is very important so you won’t have difficulties in holding it the way you want to. Make sure that the barrels are not tight so you don’t have to worry that it will break easily.

3. Test its focus
Most binoculars will not focus clearly when you test it inside the store because the environment tends to be dim. If you want to make sure that the binocular can focus clearly, try focusing it on a bright side of the room. If it has good focus, it will easily focus on the subject in sight. While checking the focus, you should also check if there are distortions in the image. If there is, don’t buy it because it is of poor quality.

4. Pay attention to its exit pupil
This should also be a major consideration because this will determine if you will see things clearly. The exit pupil refers to the diameter seen on the image once it leaves the lens’ eyepiece. The exit pupil should always be bigger that the eyes of your pupil because the image will appear dark. The basic exit pupil should at least be 4 mm or higher to get the brightest image possible.