The Tourism industry has been one of the most hit industries due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Without exception, Uganda is also among the top African tourist destinations that have felt the pinch of the Covid-19 pandemic. Early in March 2020, upon the registration of the first covid-19 case in Uganda, the country underwent a total lockdown for close to 6 months. All national parks were closed off even before the month of March ended. The land borders were also crossed off as well as Entebbe international Airport. Only essential travelers were permitted to move in and outside the country.
After six months of total closure, the government of Uganda opened its borders again around October 2020. Through the guidance of the ministry of health; standard operating procedures were put in place not only at the airport but also at the national parks to ensure that the spread of Covid-19 was curbed in the new normal.
Regardless of all this trouble, Uganda has remained a peaceful and exceptional destination having its hands wide open to receive and introduce the rest of the world to the plenty of wildlife, stunning landscapes, cultural diversity, marvelous birding adventures garnished by unraveled primate encounters deep in the jungles of Uganda. There many inspirations for Uganda safaris but the following are some of the reasons that you should make the Pearl of Africa your post-covid-19 safari destination;
Game Drives/Wildlife Safaris
You must have heard of places such as Serengeti national park in Tanzania, Masai Mara in Kenya, and Kruger National Park in South Africa as the prime destinations for game drives and wildlife safaris. So why should you consider Uganda your post-covid-19 destination instead of these three countries?
The answer is quite a simple one; none of these countries is as green as Uganda. It is not hype for Uganda to be targeted the pearl of Africa. But you can resonate with CNN travel that has ranked Kidepo Valley National Park as one of the top five national parks in Africa to consider for a game drive.
Uganda boasts of mainly five savannah national parks that are exceptionally differentiated by size, location, and animal species. For instance, you will have to visit Queen Elizabeth national park for the tree-climbing lions, Kidepo Valley National Park for the cheetahs, Lake Mburo National Park for the best of African Antelopes, and the Murchison Falls National Park for the best of the big game. Besides, you can also spice up your game drives with hikes and boat cruises on the Nile or Kazinga channel.
Gorilla Trekking
It is very hard to talk about Uganda without the mountain gorillas. With two exceptional national parks where you can go gorilla trekking; Uganda is the only mountain gorilla trekking destination that gives you an opportunity to choose between two national parks for your gorilla trekking experience.
Both Mgahinga Gorilla National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park are located in western Uganda. However, Mgahinga is located at a relatively higher altitude than Bwindi Impenetrable Forest which also hosts 459 mountain gorillas out of the 1060 mountain gorillas in the whole world.
A permit of US$700 for foreign non-residents is the required pass to go gorilla trekking. While foreign residents are only required to part with US$600 in Uganda, Rwanda charges a block charge of US$1500 gorilla trekking permit regardless of whether you are a foreign resident or not. Alternatively, you can opt for gorilla habituation in Uganda at US$1500 which gives you full-day access to the mountain gorillas in Bwindi National Park.
Chimpanzee Tracking
Chimpanzees have 98.7% human DNA making them the most special kind of species to look out for in the animalistic nature of human beings. Uganda has a population of about 5050 chimpanzees scattered in the wildlife different conservation centers in Uganda.
Kibale Forest National Park is the leading chimpanzee tracking destination to consider for your post-covid-19 safari to Uganda. Though Uganda boasts of some other chimpanzee tracking destinations such as Budongo forest, Kyambura gorge, Kalinzu forest among other chimpanzee sanctuaries; Kibale forest remains the prime chimpanzee tracking destination with 98% chances of spotting the chimpanzees on any given day.
When it comes to chimpanzee tracking, tourists are often torn between Tanzania and Uganda. However, Uganda often edges Tanzania when it comes to primate safaris because of the endangered mountain gorillas that can be encountered on top of the chimpanzees in Uganda.
Birding Expeditions
Birding in Uganda is a hidden gem that has only been discovered by a few. Over 1080 species of both migrate and non-migrant bird species is quite a big number to reckon with.
The beauty of the birding expeditions in Uganda lies in its ability to introduce you to almost each and every aspect of the country. Since the habitats of the birds tend to vary from swamps, to rain forests, to savannah grasslands, to valleys and mountain tops. Your birding expedition will have to visit national parks such Rwenzori, Bwindi impenetrable forest on top of which you will also visit farms, communities, and quite isolated places.
Any birding enthusiast must have heard about the flamingos, ostriches, great blue Turaco, Rwenzori batis, Rwenzori turacos, pelicans, kingfishers, shoebill stock among several other bird species that are likely to spice up your Uganda birding expedition in regard to how most of these birds have a cultural and environmental correlation.
The Source of the Nile
River Nile is the longest river on the African continent. It is not a source of water but also a power generation machine as well as a fishing hub in most of the countries it passes through. The trip is not in the adventures of the boat to the source of the Nile rather the special separation and flow of the Nile from Lake Victoria that can be vividly seen by anyone that visits this place.
The Source of the River Nile is located in Jinja city, which is also known as the adrenaline capital of East Africa. Kayaking, Bungee jumping, jet boating, boat cruise, swimming, tubing, quad biking; horseback rides are some of the activities that you might consider on top of visiting the source of the Nile in Jinja.
Mountain Climbing
Mountain climbing has been tagged with summit moments that have kept many people thinking that it an activity set aside for a limited few. But Uganda offers mountaineering adventures that can be taken up by anyone that is a position to execute a gorilla trek. Mountaineering adventures can range from as low as two days and as far as seven to 10 days.
Climbing Rwenzori is one of the main mountaineering activities Uganda has to offer going by a popular tagline “snow at the equator”. The mountains of the moon are the only place in Uganda where you find snow throughout the year. Alternatively, you can consider Sabyinyo, Wagagai, Muhabura, and Gahinga as your next mountaineering destination post-covid-19
Cultural expeditions and Journeys
African culture varies from one country to another. Each country tends to have a certain form of cultural diversity that it tends to be associated with. But what about a country that has over fifty tribes! It implies you have a list of over fifty cultural diversities to explore. Unfortunately, not all these tribes are open to tourists but that does not mean you have nothing left to explore.
The Batwa community in Mgahinga and Bwindi area, the Bambuti in Semuliki area, the IK tribe in the locality of Kidepo Valley National Park, the Karamojong among several other organized tribal communities offer some of the best cultural encounters on the African continent which is actually making many people to consider Uganda their post-covid-19 tourist destination.
Golden Monkey Tracking
Golden monkeys are also an endangered wildlife species. Just like the mountain gorillas, every penny that comes in through the participation in golden monkey tracking is a step forward into the conservation of these monkeys which are endemic to the Virunga region covering a part of Rwanda, D.R. Congo, and Uganda.
These monkeys survive in an environment that has not had so much human activity offering a special haven for a post-covid-19 era.
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