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Why You Need 4×4 Rental for Upcountry Travels

Explore Uganda’s upcountry and enjoy an ultimate safari in a 4WD rental, for its positive benefits. Having a vehicle which is well equipped is important when exploring Uganda’s remote and difficult-to-access safari destinations. The height of the vehicle is always ideal for game viewing and comes with a lot of flexibility. The cars for 4×4 Uganda car hire include Land Cruiser Prado, Safari Vans, Toyota Rav 4, Coaster buses, Toyota Land Cruiser and Super Customs which are mainly used for safaris, airport pick-ups, wedding transportation, City rounds, solo travels, picnics and Camping, self-drive travels.

What is 4WD? This is the system where a vehicle’s engine powers all the four wheels uniformly/simultaneously with options of fulltime or on-demand. In most cases, SUVs and Cars have only four alternatives that include front-wheel drive as well as rear-wheel drive. Most drivers find traction handy for severe road conditions like mud and rugged terrains while others like it for speed and handling.

Therefore, the following are the reasons why 4-wheel Drive Rental is the answer for your upcountry road trip;

Ideal for game viewing

Majority of the 4 wheel Drive Rentals used for safaris in Uganda come with top opening to allow travellers have the perfect wildlife and wilderness view. While sitting comfortable in your 4WD rental Car, nothing will be left unseen during your game viewing adventure. Additionally, these vehicles are customized to provide the best suggestion for animal encounters.

4-wheel Drive vehicle are flexible and reliable

Another reason why 4-wheel Drive Rentals are the perfect answer for your upcountry road trip is their flexibility and unreliability when it comes to going off-the-beaten tracks in trying to experience the beauty of Mother Nature. Given Uganda’s road network marked by twisted roads and poor condition of other roads, every traveler’ dream is reaching the safari destination safely and on-time. Not only that, other roads are full of pot holes but as long as you are using a 4WD vehicle, there is no need to get worried. These vehicles are perfect for driving through Park roads that become muddy and slippery during the wet season (months of March, April, May, October and November). Your 2-wheel drive vehicle can be used for City tours.

Convenience and comfort

Every cent of your money counts and for this reason, convenience and comfort is all you need hence only provided by a 4-wheel drive vehicle. We make sure that our clients receive the value for their money and for this reason, our 4WD vehicles have never disappointed but rather offered total satisfaction for clients who book with us. Not only that, it is important to reach your final destination safe and sound in addition to enjoying convenience provided by the spaciousness for passengers and their luggage.

Additionally, the interiors of most 4WD Rental vehicles are well-designed with adjustable seats hence making it easy to rest, have enough leg room and with air-conditioner to conceal the smog from the outside of the vehicle.

4WD rental vehicles provide quality and affordability

When you mention the word 4WD or simply their physical appearances scare away clients who think they are costly to rent. However, you will be surprised how affordable these Rental Cars are. Surprisingly, their physical appearance doesn’t dictate their final rental price but the desire to be used as well as satisfying clients’ expectations is the main reason they look as beautiful as you see them. In most cases, clients’ tastes and preferences are always met by the quality as well as features, yet still affordable to rent.

Uganda’s Tourism at Boom

Have you ever wondered why some tourist destinations are considered to be better than others or why visitors frequent to some countries for safaris compared to others? Do you wish to pay a visit to one of the most exceptional tourist destinations in Africa? As the year comes to an end, 2019 has been considered as one of the most exceptional years for Uganda’s tourism sector! Uganda has received a good number of tourists compared to the past years. This is due to a number of factors;

Safety on Safaris

Most of Uganda safaris take place in its 10 (ten) wilderness protected areas. These include national parks and game reserves. The most popular national parks are Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Murchison Falls National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park and Kibale Forest National Park. These parks attract a  good number of tourists interested in gorilla trekking, chimpanzee tracking and widlife safaris.

The Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Mount Elgon National Park, the Rwenzori Mountains National Park and Kidepo Valley National Park are also growing in importance. The less known Lake Mburo National Park and Semuliki National Park do still need promotion given the treasures that they protect,

Uganda also features about 12 wildlife reserves and 5 community wildlife management areas as well as 13 wildlife sanctuaries. Of these proetected areas, Pian Upe Game Reserve in northern Uganda is becoming a competetive destination to visit for wildlife safaris. There are also suggestions to upgrade this game reserve into a national park so that its resources can be better protected.

Transportation

Like any destination, Uganda’s tourism sector can’t stand alone without transportation means which explains the availability of most domestic and international airlines. It has been observed that more international airlines have started daily flights to Entebbe International Airport. There are more entrants into the airline business and Uganda has managed to revamp its own airline. By August, this airline will be flying to atleast 3 locations in East Africa.

In terms of roads, the government of Uganda has tried to upgrade major roads linking different tourism destinations in Uganda. More new road networks have been established to link up to the remotest protected areas where most of tourist attractions and activities are found.  This will further ease travels across the country and less travel times will make journeys shorter.

Accommodation

Besides, about 2 (two) most spectacular 5 star and 6 star hotels have also opened for tourists on safaris in Kampala. More hotels and safari lodges mean more beds are becoming readily available for visitors looking to explore Uganda. The level of hospitality has also improved and hotel rooms are becoming cheaper than never before.

Marketing

The boom in the country’s tourism sector is accredited to the vigorous marketing efforts of Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) as well as other stake holders like the tour operators and many others. For this year, UTB has effectively used some of the most efficient marketing channels that have eventually positioned Uganda on the world tourism map. Besides the fruitful public relations campaigns in European and North American mainstream media, Uganda Tourism Board has also taken the advantage of the current effective marketing medium especially social media. Starting next year, UTB also plans to attract more African visitors basically the middle class in Kenya, South Africa and West Africa by hiring public relation firms to market Uganda to Kenya, South Africa and West Africa. Based on the current survey, UTB was rated the second in Africa in the top tourism boards on twitter, this was after South Africa. Uganda was also rated the fourth best destination in the world to visit in 2017 by the Rough Guides the leading UK travel publisher.

The Volatile Tourism Industry

Growth in Uganda’s tourism started about 10 (ten) years ago following the end of civil wars that for long affected the northern and western sides of Uganda and as a result affected tourism activities at a time especially around the 1990s and early 2000s. Around 1990, Uganda received over 69000 tourists and in 2007, it drastically shot up to 642000 when the civil unrests finally stopped. The tourism sector has kept on rejuvenating year after year unlike in 2009 when the figures dropped from 844000 to 806000.

In conclusion, Uganda’s tourism sector is booming mainly due to its wide range of tourist attractions as well as the aggressive marketing strategies. Tourists come to enjoy various attractions based on their interest. Largely most tourists are attracted to Uganda’s wildlife species in the national parks while others come for culture, faith tourism and adrenaline adventures like white water rafting, bungee jumping, kayaking, quad biking and many more.

WHITE EARED KOB SIGHTED AT PIAN UPE GAME RESERVE

On Monday 27 May 28, 2019 there was a rare sighting of a male white Eared kob at Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve, this was an amazing encounter as it had never happened here.

white male Eared kob sighted in Pian Upe

Pian Upe located in the northeastern Uganda and is habitat for rare sightings which include the recently sighted white male eared kobs, cheetahs, Roan Antelopes, Ostriches, Heart beast, zebras and other mammals. The wildlife reserve grants the best stunning scenic view of the Savannah landscape, best intact culture and viewing sun setting both morning rising and evening setting.

Pian Upe game reserve is managed by Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA). The reserve is one of the less visited tourism destination and is best recommended for travelers who would wish to spend their holiday in a less crowded adventurous tourism destinations.

The climate at the game reserve features a semiarid climate with only one rainy season throughout the year, the rainy season usually starts in month of Match to around June during this season the roads and drive tracks are impassable, grasses are tall makes it difficult to spot wild animals on a drive.

The best season to visit Pian Upe is from November to February during sunny seasons, during this period temperatures are high grasses are short and the wildlife reserve management at times carryout controlled bush burning making it easier to sight animals especially drawing water at the river bank. The reserve is fed by Girifi River from the southern boundary whose brown water feeds the wildlife inhabiting within the game reserve.

While at the Pian Upe game reserve there more several sightings of flora and fauna including. The main tree species in and around the reserve include the red acacia, desert date, bush willows, harrisonia, Abyssinica, and red spike thorns as well as shrubs such as butterfly pea and woolly caper bush.

The Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve is also composed of numerous mammal species like lions, elephants, black rhinos and giraffes also zebras and common elands. Oribi and impalas were recently relocated from Lake Mburo National Park broaden variability. There are also magnificent reptiles sights especially the rock pythons and puff adders as well as harmless water snakes. The biggest population of lizards that are found in this remarkable reserve is mainly the savanna monitors and the reserve also inhabits common agama and skinks, chameleons and geckos. Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve is another tremendous wildlife paradise that visitors must not miss out while in there wildlife safaris in Uganda.

There are openings to sight about 300 bird species including the karamoja apalis, kingfishers, starlings and shoe bill storks found in Lake Opeta, 50 kilometers away from the headquarters. There also Hartlaub’s Turaco, Eastern Bronze-napped Pigeon, Lemon Dove, Dusky Turtle Dove, African Hill Babbler, Alpine Chat, Black-throated Wattle-eye, Mountain Yellow Warbler, Thick-billed Honey guide and Grey Cuckoo-Shrike.

Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve is the biggest game reserve in Uganda and the 2^nd biggest protected area next to Murchison falls national park, the wildlife reserve covers an area of 2043sqkm. The reserve is 338 km/h about 7/8 hours drive from Kampala capital and can easily be accessed using Sipi  Kapchorwa the foothills of Mt. Elgon using Moroto road from Kampala through Mbale town. On my advice its better you make a combined adventure safari to Kidepo Valley National Park about 5 hours’ drive from Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve.

Using a local tour operators is a better alternative if you would wish for a wildlife safari adventure to Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve and 4X4 land cruiser suitable to camouflage the challenging roads especially during rainy seasons. You can contact the reserve management to know the best period to visit Pian Upe game reserve.

This game reserve covers districts of Nakapiripirti, Amudat, Bukedea, Kween, Moroto, Katakwi, Napak and Bulambuli and is boarded by Bokora Metheniko Wildlife Reserve in the north and stretches to the foot hills of Mt. Elgon in the southern direction.

The wildlife reserve was gazetted as the Debasien animal sanctuary by 1958, after some period the boundary of the reserve were threatened when the government established an agriculture project south of Girifi River. 1964 the threats to this reserve forced the government to extend northwards and was renamed Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve.

By 2003 there was proposal to regazett Pian Upe for fruits growing which was obstructed, and by then the government had plans of upgrading the reserve to a national park and there more processes of restocking with many animals like recent impalas from Lake Mburo National Park.

Sun raise at Pian Upe game reserve

The fabulous game reserve is composed of hot springs and is seen as an incredible destinations with mercury wells at Mount Kadam.

Community tours to the northern directions comes with nature walks experiences of viewing the Manyatta wood caving shops, cultural entertainments and visiting the Karamoja gold mining sites widen your documentation about the region.

With varieties of Uganda famous safaris including Gorilla tours, wildlife safaris, cultural safaris you can add Pian Upe on your Uganda safari list.

Don’t hesitate discovering one of the uncovered fabulous destinations in Uganda if looking forward experiencing the real African adventure safaris in the remote.

ELEVATING THE BATWA PEOPLE LIVELIHOODS

Batwa are indigenous people also known as the forest pygmies who originally lived in Mgahinga and Bwindi rain-forests. After God created the lot blessed them with the shortest statured height and gifted them with their pride rain-forests where they survived as wild hunters until Mgahinga and Bwindi were gazetted into a national park. Batwa are alleged to be the oldest indigenous lived in Uganda before the Bantu and Nilotic arrived 4000 years ago.

Batwa are approximately 88,000 in number problems of landless, no income, illiteracy and poor health are frustration. Though Uganda has ratified in the international convention for recognition little effort had featured for government to start program to eliminate such. However, NGOs and cultural activist have done a lot to ensure uplifting of the voiceless to attract the government intervention. In 2011 with the support of civil society organization like Minority Rights Group International through United Organization for Batwa Development Uganda (UOBDU) has helped to initiate education to eliminate illiteracy and involving them in different developmental programs.

In 1991, Batwa people were evicted from Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National parks and received no compensation. The government of Uganda through Uganda Wildlife Authority and United Organization for Batwa Development (UOBDU) started an initiative aimed at helping them to earn income to enable them meet their basic needs. The Batwa tourism trail product was developed to diversify tourism activities in two Parks and improving their livelihood, the trail transforms Batwa people with skills, exposure and are able to earn them income through the handcrafts they make. UOBDU is now trying hard to guarantee that these people fully participate in the initiative planning, implementing and evaluation of different programs to eliminate challenges that are pursuing them.

Did the conservation of Mountain Gorillas turned into conservation of Batwa? Definitely due to their little number and likely extinction, it raised concerns to conserve the beautiful culture of these forest people. As constitution demands for any indigenous tribe having a right to exist, this turned out when the two forest where turned into national parks to protect and conserving the Mountain Gorillas. “Without Gorilla conservation there is no Batwa protection”.

Batwa tourism trails is a gentle hike in the slopes and peaks that takes about 5/6 hours, this brands the Batwa part in management, conserving and UWA gives the community 30% of the revenue from park revenue. The community owns the initiatives to take tourist around to comprehend life in the forest and demonstrating their life experiences of hunting, gathering, fire making and dances. UWA has engaged the Batwa people directly in conservation by employing them as potters to escort tourists on a gorilla trekking walk where they earn directly from the tourists, they do this by assisting clients carry their backpackers, push them where they need a push, pull them and also providing local ambulance service tourists where they feel cannot continue with the trek, they carry them back to the starting point. The project is a milestone in providing jobs for the locals still earning them income to improve their standards of living.

Community initiative for conservation were introduced to contribute in nature conservation through mobilization and sustainable agriculture like mushroom cultivation to reform poachers, youth, women and Batwa at large. The project of bee keeping in Batwa communities with over 100 bee hives and over 1,000,000 bees has help to pollinate trillions of plants which has facilitated in maintenance of biodiversity of flora in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park which is home to over half a population of world’s Mountain Gorillas.

Batwa Homestead inside Bwindi Impenetrable rain-forest

Community Initiative for Biodiversity Conservation (CIBIC) presented a pro-poor tourism activity in Bwindi through a successful relationship between local producers, tourism lodge owners and tour agencies. The initiative focuses on supplying food for tourists from local farmers. Currently, about 70% of total food served to tourists comes from locals around these protected areas.

However, the Batwa dream remains going back in their previous ancestral forest to co-exist with Mountain Gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable national park and Mgahinga Gorilla national park. But every now and then the dream is vanishing away due to continuing government program to resettle them permanently out of the gorilla forests.

Once forgotten people, the government through its organ UWA handed over 7.5 acres of land worthy 180 million Uganda shillings to a group of 35 people in the community around Mgahinga Gorilla National Park who are working with UWA to enhance tourism. On (April 26, 2019) the Minister of Tourism and Wildlife Antiquities Prof. Ephraim Kamuntu handed over the land of two pieces and said, “The purchase of the land for the Batwa is the beginning of the government interventions to address challenges of Batwa that have been exerting pressure on the park and its resources”. He paid tributes to all partners including Bwindi and Mgahinga conservation trust who over the years invested heavily to improve the welfare of Batwa including the acquisition of this land.

Kamuntu farther said the existence of the protected area comes along with projects that helps in improving the livelihood of the community. Projects such as constructions, electricity, water and road extensions to the park and surrounding areas. The executive director of UWA Sam Mwandha said the beneficiary have been working together with UWA in giving a memorable experience such Gorilla tours to tourist in the park and to the communities around the parks who have been facing with challenges of inadequate land for settlement and cultivation.

In the same way traveling to any of the two parks is a milestone everyone can contribute to elevate lives of Batwa people, visiting their communities to comprehend and appreciate their cultural settings and practices doesn’t only stops there but it earns them with a living. Gorilla Hub Tours is our pleasure to reach every partner and life changer to such people who can participate in uplifting their lives, through our team of experts inquire now for your gorilla trekking trip and encounter the Batwa pygmy forest hunter.

15 Giraffes Relocated to Lake Mburo National Park

15 Giraffes have been removed from Murchison Falls National Park to Lake Mburo National Park situated in Kiruhura District. Uganda Wildlife Authority executive director Andrew Seguya flagged off the transnight journey on Tuesday. Eight giraffes, including two bulls and six females, were the first batch to be transported. They arrived at their destination on Wednesday morning. The major objective for translocation of the Giraffes is to boost tourism in Lake Mburo National Park.

The initiative is also aimed at reducing the number of Giraffes in Murchison Falls National Park to different places where they can feed and breed freely. Murchison falls National park has 900 giraffes. Andrew Seguya said that the Introducing the giraffes in Lake Mburo will help diversify wildlife and consequently, attract tourists and Lake Mburo is expected to receive more tourists in the near feature. Lake Mburo National Park has been without giraffe species since it was gazette since they became extinct about 50 years ago.

According to Jossy Muhangi, the Uganda Wildlife Authority public relations manager, said that ecological studies had been conducted before the relocation exercise to ensure the safety of the animals. He noted that Lake Mburo is well endowed with shrubs and Acacia trees which are food for the giraffes.

Being the smallest National Park in Uganda, Lake Mburo has been known for hosting zebras and the introduction of Giraffes is a big deal for promoting tourism in Lake Mburo. Lake Mburo National Park is located conveniently close to the highway that connects Kampala to the parks of western Uganda. It is a home to 350 bird species as well as zebra, impala, eland, buffalo, oribi, Defassa waterbuck, leopard, hippo, hyena, topi and reedbuck. Though this park is less known for wildlife safaris, it is one of the ecoparks where one can enjoy a weekend escape while in Uganda.

13 Lakes are found in the park and among them include Lake Mburo which forms part of a 50km-long wetland system linked by a swamp. Five of these lakes lie within the park’s borders. Once covered by open savanna, Lake Mburo National Park now contains much woodland as there are no elephants to tame the vegetation. In the western part of the park, the savanna is interspersed with rocky ridges and forested gorges while patches of papyrus swamp and narrow bands of lush riparian woodland line many lakes.

Kazinga Channel View Resort opens in Queen Elizabeth National Park

Kazinga Channel View Resort in Queen Elizabeth National Park is now open for booking

Information reached us recently of the opening of Kazinga Channel View Resort, a new budget resort in Queen Elizabeth National Park located, in southwestern Uganda.

The newly opened hotel is located in Katunguru area along Kazinga channel, 1kilometre within the game park. The Kazinga Channel which links two lake – Lake George in the northeast to Lake Edward in the southwest is a dominant feature of Queen Elizabeth National Park trip as the area hosts a wide range of water bird species, hippos, elephant, buffalo, warthog and Nile crocodiles. Wild game can be seen right within the resort’s grounds.

Kazinga Channel View Resort offers accommodation in categories of singles, doubles and twin rooms and bandas for safari holidays, vacation rentals or temporary lodgings. The rooms are spacious and comfortable. Singles from US$76 and doubles from US$152. There is also secure camping grounds.  The resort has own restaurant & bar.

Due to its prime location, Kazinga Channel View Resort offer guests a good base for activities like; boat launch trips, sport fishing and bird watching.

For more information about Kazinga Channel View Resort or to book your room, visit the park website.

Malaysian University To Open A Campus In Uganda

The Limkokwing University of Creative Technology will open a campus in Uganda, its fourth in Africa, said Uganda’s Vice-President Edward Ssekandi.

“Limkokwing has announced that they will be opening a campus in Uganda,” Ssekandi said, adding that he visited the university in Cyberjaya on Saturday.

He was addressing fellow leaders during the Langkawi International Dialogue 2011 session on “Realising National Visions through Socio-Economic Transformation” on Sunday 18 June.

Addressing participants at the Ninth Langkawi International Dialogue 2011, Malaysia’s Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, announced that Malaysia’s Limkokwing University of Creative Technology is offering scholarships to the tune of RM12 million to African countries participating in the smart partnership movement.

More than 12,000 students are currently studying in Limkokwing’s campuses in Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland all in Southern Africa

Later in the evening, Ssekandi met Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak for a bilateral meeting at the premier’s suite at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre.

Speaking after the meeting, Ssekandi said both countries would further enhance trade ties and cooperate in the field of education and innovation. “We had a good bilateral meeting today in which we discussed specific technical aspects of bilateral trade and on how to further increase the number of Ugandan students pursuing tertiary education in Malaysia,” he said.

Ssekandi was optimistic the bilateral meeting would open the gateway for businessmen from Uganda & Malaysia to identify new export products.