Uganda Travel Guide

UGANDA T R A V E L

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DESTINATION UGANDA SUSTAINABLE

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A GUIDE TO TRAVELING IN UGANDA. IMPORTANT INFORMATION. WHERE TO STAY. WHAT TO DO & SEE. PLUS MUCH MORE. URECON / LOGSTOR

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TRAVEL GUIDE: UGANDA

DESTINATION

UGANDA An introduction to Sustainable Business Magazine’s Uganda Travel Guide from Lilly Ajarova, CEO of the Uganda Tourism Board.

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The Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) is a statutory organization with a mandate to promote and market Uganda locally, across the region, and internationally.

We are also tasked with promoting quality assurance in tourist facilities through training, grading, and classification, promoting tourism investment, and supporting and acting as the liaison for the private sector in the development of tourism.

SUSTAINABLE TOURISM EXCELLENCE Uganda is currently training tour operators towards sustainable development under the Tourism Excellence Uganda project. The Tourism Excellence Uganda project aims at improving its members’ quality management in line with corporate governance, better working practices, relationships with host communities, and sensitivity to changing consumer issues, fair trade relations, human rights, and environmental factors.

This project is led by the Association of Uganda Tour Operators (AUTO) in partnership with Germany-based Tourcert and Kenya-based Sustainable Travel & Tourism Agenda (STTA), co-funded by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) and Tourcert.

In the past, Uganda has particularly emphasized on promoting our abundant wildlife.

With conservation efforts at an all-time high, the news that the mountain gorilla has come off the critically endangered list has

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TRAVEL GUIDE: UGANDA

been welcomed in Uganda, where more than 50% of the world’s mountain gorillas reside. This is especially pleasing given the positive part that eco-tourism has played in the process.

Uganda’s game viewing has been hugely boosted in the process. Ground-breaking conservation work is going into areas where chimpanzees are present, in order to protect man’s close relatives. Birding also remains a key draw for visitors to Uganda, with an ever increasing 1060 species. With conservation in mind, UTB has also looked to highlight attractions away from wildlife.

Adventure activities, like whitewater rafting on the Nile or trekking and mountaineering in the Ruwenzori, are growing in demand.

ECONOMIC STIMULATOR The MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events) sector is a powerful economic stimulator and has a far-reaching economic multiplier effect. It is also a labor-intensive industry that creates jobs, a significant earner of foreign exchange, and it generates substantial tax revenues for governments and stimulates development.

Uganda is positioning as a MICE (Meet-

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ings, Incentives, Conferences, and Events) destination, a powerful economic stimulator which has a far-reaching economic multiplier effect. We are in the process of setting up a convention bureau, and our conference venue facilities have a geographical spread of the whole country. We are hopeful that this move will reduce pressure on our wildlife and will also increase tourism receipts.

UTB will host the 5th annual Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo (POATE 2020), a tourism and travel trade exhibition which brings together regional and international tour operators, travel agents, destination agencies, and various players in the tourism trade to network and facilitate tourism business. The three-day expo will run from 4-6 February 2020 and will be held at the Speke Resort in Munyonyo, under the theme ‘Inspiring high-value engagement to promote intra-Africa travel for leisure, business, and adventure’.

COMMUNITY GROWTH Through the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), Uganda gives back to host communities under the revenue sharing program.

The program strengthens partnerships

between local communities, local governments, and management of wildlife areas, leading to sustainable management of wildlife resources. Over USh20 billion has been given to the neighboring communities of protected areas in revenue share alone over the last six years.

There are also other collaborative programs where communities benefit directly from the national parks, including resource access such as fuel wood, grass, water, fish, and bee keeping. Such resource offtake from the park is valued at over USh400 million per annum.

The UTB is increasingly partnering with private sector and development partners to promote community-based tourism activities, such as agro-tourism in the form of coffee tours and cattle ranch tours. For example, UTB and the World Wildlife Fund Uganda Country Office, in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife, and Antiquities and the UWA constructed and handed over a coffee house aimed at supporting the local community living near at the Ruwenzori Mountain National Park. This is the latest product that has been developed to improve

COME & FEEL THE DIFFERENCE Saffron Beach Bistro & Cottages.

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financing for the Ruwenzori National Park by diversifying sources of income for the locals.

This synergy between two vibrant sectors – coffee and tourism – will have a significant impact on the economy, given that Uganda’s coffee has already built a reputation amongst global coffee connoisseurs.

HOSPITABLE AND WELCOMING In Uganda, there is something vibrant happening at every turn. As rural Ugandans go about their lives, there is so

much to see, especially the lively markets, children playing in their schools, people working the fields, and the noise of everyday village gatherings.

The UTB is focused on increasing the number of tourist arrivals and receipts to further grow our economy. In the short term, our target is to grow numbers from the current 1.7 million tourists per year to 4 million by 2021. Year-on-year growth in the number of tourist arrivals has been steadily

increasing and our aim is to maintain this momentum while attracting more tourists from emerging markets.

The World Tourism Organization has ranked Uganda third among the world’s top 10 most promising tourism destinations amidst a number of global endorsements for Destination Uganda. Ultimately Uganda will be seen as a full-package destination that caters to every traveler, is eco-conscious, and is hospitable and welcoming to all. c

WHERE FUN, FREEDOM & FULFILMENT FINALLY MEET FOUND IN THE EASTERN REGION OF “THE PEARL OF AFRICA”, JINJA, UGANDA IS HOME TO THE SOURCE OF THE WORLD’S LONGEST RIVER, THE NILE Situated just 5 minutes from the source of the great River Nile, Source of the Nile Hotel’s range of 45 luxurious rooms come with a choice of garden, terrace or Nile views. Our first-class restaurant caters to a variety of tastes with its à la carte, table d’hôte, buffet, and al fresco options. The hotel also hosts events of any type or scale—from international conferences to intimate receptions.

Source of the Nile Hotel

T. +256 790 911 318

E. info@sourceofthenilehotel.ug

LOCAL ACTIVITIES • Rafting • Kayaking • Quad Biking plus much more...

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WHAT TO DO IN...

SOUTHWEST TREK TO SEE THE MOUNTAIN GORILLAS AT BWINDI IMPENETRABLE NATIONAL PARK Half of the world’s population of mountain gorillas live right here in Uganda. Permits are available through the Uganda Wildlife Authority and reliable safari operators, and the fee is re-invested in conservation.

Pack warm, light clothing for the altitude and the sometimes exhausting terrain, and you’ll be rewarded with a close glimpse of one of mankind’s closest relatives. Chimpanzee treks are also available nearby at Kibale Forest National Park.

CLIMB UGANDA’S HIGHEST PEAK AT THE RWENZORI MOUNTAINS Covering almost 100,000 hectares on Uganda’s border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, six of Africa’s ten largest peaks can be found in the Rwenzori range. You’ll see the richest mountain flora in Africa, endangered and threatened species – and, best of all, you’ll have them all almost to yourself, as, unlike Kilimanjaro, the Rwenzoris attract only around 1000 visitors per year.

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SWIM IN THE CRYSTAL-CLEAR HIGHLAND WATERS OF LAKE BUNYONYI The ‘place of little birds’ is tranquil and isolated from the Nile basin, meaning it’s free of crocodiles, hippos, and bilharzia – perfect for al fresco swimming. Alternatively, take a boat tour of the lake’s twenty-nine islands and learn about the unique local history.

THE PLACE TO STAY SAPPHIRE HOTEL LTD

Kigo Rd, 1km off Entebbe Rd. P.O.Box 23126, Kampala Uganda Tel. +256 (0)417 720 200 | 776 232 861 | 772 615 402 Email. sapphire@infocom.co.ug www.sapphirehoteluganda.com

SOUTHEAST GO WHITEWATER RAFTING AT THE SOURCE OF THE NILE With plenty of Grade IV and V rapids, seasoned rapids fans will find plenty to love in Uganda, where the White Nile emerges from Lake Victoria. But newbies may be surprised to find that no experience is required to take on one of the world’s most intense adventure experiences. And for the truly faint-of-heart, local tour companies offer a range of tranquil Nile cruises as well.

EXPLORE KAMPALA ON A BODA BODA Uganda isn’t all glassy water and rolling hillsides, and there’s no better way to see Uganda’s bustling capital than from the back of a local motorcycle taxi. Drink banana beer, go to the Kasubi Tombs, visit a craft market, see live entertainment at the National Cultural Center – and hold on tight.

RELAX ON THE BEACH IN FRONT OF A BONFIRE ON THE SSESE ISLANDS Need a few days off to recover after another wilderness adventure? Enjoy a little me-time on a sandy beach on the shore of Lake Victoria. Read a good book, admire the remarkable sunset, and enjoy a few drinks by the ubiquitous evening beach bonfires.

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NORTHWEST

NORTHEAST

SUPPORT THE WHITE RHINOS AT THE ZIWA RHINO SANCTUARY This collaboration between the Uganda Wildlife Authority and Rhino Fund Uganda is the only place in Uganda where rhinos can be seen in the wild. Located in between Kampala and Murchison Falls National Park, the sanctuary was the site for the reintroduction of six endangered southern white rhinos in 2005. Today, twenty-two rhinos, plus innumerable mammals, reptile, bird, and insect species, call Ziwa home. The sanctuary survives on tourist income, so why not also purchase something from the craft store?

EXPLORE A HIDDEN GEM AT KIDEPO VALLEY NATIONAL PARK Hidden far from the typical tourist trail in the far north of Uganda, this 1442 km2 wilderness is also home to other secretive treasures. Nowhere else in Uganda will you find the world’s fastest land animal, the cheetah, as well as aardwolves, bat-eared foxes, caracal, or kudus. Vast savannah, mountains, rivers, hot springs – the park, despite its isolation, teems with wildlife suited to the diverse habitats, and the valley is also home to one of Africa’s smallest ethnic groups, the Ik people.

MARVEL AT THE MURCHISON FALLS Murchison Falls National Park is Uganda’s largest game reserve, with elephants, giraffes, lions, chimpanzees, hippos, and crocodiles, as well as the rare shoe-billed stork. Then there’s the falls themselves – the point at which the 50m-wide Nile presses through a 7m gorge before a 43m drop. Take a cruise to see the falls from the bottom, then hike up to the top to watch the spectacular power of the water as it passes through the ‘Devil’s Cauldron’.

VISIT A TRADITIONAL KARAMOJA VILLAGE IN MOROTO Spend a day and night with local cattle herders, and experience rural life as part of this unique social enterprise. You’ll learn to prepare staple foods and participate in crafts and enjoy a night sharing stories with herders around the campfire.

You can also go on a nature walk in the Mount Moroto Valley.

VISIT UGANDA FOR

UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCES

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UGANDA T R A V E L

G U I D E

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