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I
am Uganda |
I
am Uganda
Uganda
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Above poster art
courtesy of Terp Public Relations,
Kampala Uganda
Story ATA Symposium
Issue About
Uganda
President
Museveni Uganda's
President Museveni, Chairman of the Common Market
for East and Southern African States (COMESA) has
emerged as one of the most significant leaders in
the developing world. Under his helm, Uganda has
distinguished itself as a model post-conflict
reformer - leading the world in tackling HIV/AIDS,
poverty, and illiteracy. Uganda, the fastest
growing economy in Africa, has maintained an
average growth rate of 6.5 percent over the past
ten years; reduced poverty from 56 percent to under
27 percent; decreased the rate of HIV/AIDS
infection from 30 percent to six percent in 10
years; increased primary-level education from 40
percent to 99 percent in twelve years and leads the
developing world in empowering women. |
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Excerpts
from Africa Travel Magazine's ATA 8th Symposium
Edition, (2004) UGANDA
PROFILE Prepared
by Sylvia Kalembe, Uganda Tourist Board Uganda
is a land-locked country which lies across the
Equator and borders Sudan on the north, Kenya to
the east, Tanzania, Rwanda on the south, and
Democratic Republic of Congo to the west. It's an
astonishingly beautiful country, full of vibrant
colours, confident, courteous and indomitable
people. Perched on the northern shore of Lake
Victoria, Uganda is marketing itself as the
ultimate eco-destination. Mountain gorillas
represent perhaps the most powerful eco-image of
all. Uganda has a fantastic climate, an
ever-changing landscape, and people who are honest,
polite and genuinely pleased to help the visitor.
Above all, they are very hospitable. Apart from a
few areas, Uganda is safe and almost hassle free.
Just relax; go Mountain Gorilla or Chimp tracking,
climb Mt. Rwenzori or Mt. Elgon, or visit Ssesse
Island, a tropical isle in a fresh water lake.
Speed down to the River Nile in a helter of white
water, or just sit and enjoy the stunning
landscapes. Uganda's
equatorial climate is tempered by cooling breezes
from the mountains. In general terms, the lowland
area and lakeshores enjoy a warm climate, while it
is somewhat cooler in the highlands. Uganda's skies
are sunny most of the year, with temperatures
rising to 29ºC. The rainy season includes
March, April, May, November and December.
Kampala,
Uganda's Capital of the Seven Hills Uganda's
capital offers a vibrant night life. It's built on
seven gloriously fertile hills. which provide a
beautiful backdrop to the city and its living
history. For definition the hills furnish unique
points of orientation and identity. There are
religious hills; Lubaga Hill is Catholic, Namirembe
Hill features the British Church Missionary Society
(Protestant), while Kibuli Hill is Muslim. Nakasero
hill and Kololo hill is home to administrative
offices and diplomatic residential areas. Today
from the hills, visitors can view the city with its
red tiled villas, green, iron-roofed bungalows and
taller buildings, plus the surrounding countryside
and Lake Victoria. Among the top sights are the
Kasubi Tombs, the traditional Royal tombs of the
Kabaka of Buganda. There's also the Uganda Museum,
with a display of Uganda's Cultural
heritage. Population
and Ethnic Groups Uganda's
population is over 22 million and its density tends
to correlate strongly with rainfall distribution; a
phenomena that highlights the predominance of
agriculture as a major land-use activity. The main
settled areas are: (1) An arrow shaped belt
centered on Mbale and south westward along the
shore of Lake Victoria (2) North west wards to Lira
district, (3) The fertile valleys of Kabale,
Rukungiri and Bushenyi districts (4) West Nile
plateau and urban centres. Uganda has cultural
variety ranging from, Luo, Bantu, Nile-Hamites, Luo
Nilotics, Madi-Muro - - over 33 ethnic tribes, some
with a similar dialect. The
official Language is English, however; Swahili and
Luganda are widely spoken. Cultural
Attractions and Events Uganda's
a rich cultural heritage is created by the union of
many peoples, with their own traditional lands,
customs and ways of life. These varying cultures
are kept alive by many colourful ceremonies marking
specific historical events or celebrating the
seasons of the year. Shopping
and Souvenirs Wonderful
handicrafts can be found in places like Crafts
Africa, African Village National Theatre, Exposure
Africa, Uganda Crafts and others. We also have
modern indoor/outdoor malls. In every village, the
people are skilled in creating colourful arts and
crafts; colourful mats in traditional patterns,
drums from the Buganda, basket-ware from Toro,clay
pots, mats and cushions made from the bark of the
omutuba tree; Musical instruments from Teso -- and
much more. All
Creatures Great and Small Uganda
has large herds of giraffes in the Murchison Falls
National Park, one of the country's most popular
national parks and recently named 7th best in the
whole of Africa. The elegant, graceful animals can
be sighted in any part of the park, but especially
in the northern part where they roam freely across
the savannah grasslands. They usually move in
families of 6 to 10 animals, and are very useful to
the smaller shorter animals -mostly of the antelope
family - which depend on them for security.
Giraffes can also be found in Kidepo Valley
National Park. Numbers here are small, but more
will soon be imported. Bwindi Communities benefit
in a big way from Gorilla Tourism When gorilla
tourism was introduced in the Bwindi Impenetrable
Forest ten years ago, there were many sad faces
among the communities neighboring the newly created
national park. They had just said goodbye to lots
of free honey, wood, and even gold, which they used
to dig manually. But the sadness lasted for a very
short time because the communities soon discovered
the immense benefits that could be derived from
gorilla tourism. Moreover, the Uganda Wildlife
Authority was implementing programs aimed at
enhancing benefits to the community. Some
of such programs include: -
the revenue sharing program under which communities
get 20 percent of park entry fees. Moreover Bwindi
communities gain a lot more from this program than
their counterparts who neighbor other national
parks because tourists pay a lot more money to see
the gorillas. - establishment of a community-owned
and managed camp that would offer accommodation and
meals to tourists, as well as construction of
souvenir shops where communities would sell their
crafts. UGANDA
BASED TRAVEL
& TOURS Natural
Beauty, Parks, Landscapes, Lakes and
Wildlife A
variety of wildlife you simply will not see
everywhere in Africa. View and photograph
elephants, lions, zebras, water buffalo, leopards,
hyenas, crocodiles and hippos, plus the world's
most varied primate populations. Did you know that
over half of the world's remaining Mountain
Gorillas live in Uganda? You can also enjoy world
class sports fishing, abundant forests, and over
1,000 exotic bird species - more than anywhere else
in the world. Uganda
has 10 well established National Parks, enabling
discerning visitors to fully enjoy the pristine
wilderness environment. They include Bwindi
Impenetrable Forest National Park, home to half of
the world population of Mountain Gorillas; Kibale
Forest National Park, which provides the world's
highest primate densities; Murchison Falls- largest
in Uganda and one of Africa's most spectacular.
Others are Kidepo Valley National Park, Lake Mburo
National Park, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park,
Semiliki Valley National Park (known as the Garden
of Eden), Mount Elgon National Park - an extinct
Volcano, Mountain Rwenzori National Park -
legendary 'Mountains of the Moon', and Queen
Elizabeth National Park. Sites of significant
historical and cultural interest include Uganda
Museums, Kasubi Tombs, Namugongo Martyrs Shrine,
Sezibwa Falls Monuments, Nakayima Tree, Kitagata
Hot Springs, to mention but a few. Food
and Dining in Uganda Uganda's
climate enhances the growing of bananas, rice,
sweet potatoes, Irish potatoes, finger millet,
maize, sorghum, wheat, cassava, Fresh fruits
include melons, pineapples, jackfruits and passion
fruits, plus a wide range of fresh vegetables and
spices. Restaurants range from local Ugandan to
International cuisine. Among them are Chinese,
Lebanese, Indian, Italian, Ethiopian, French,
Continental, Thai, Belgian and Irish. Fast food
outlets include Nandos, Steers and others. Go
Ugandan by tasting Luwombo (chicken, beef, goats'
meat and mushrooms , steamed in banana leaves. This
dish is from Buganda, Central Uganda. Other regions
also have their specialities. .Hotels
, Inns, Lodges The
most luxurious hotels used by business travellers
and upmarket tourists have prices set in dollars.
There is also plenty of budget accommodation. For
specifics contact the Uganda Tourist Board:
utb@starcom.co.ug. A complete directory of hotels
and lodges will be part of Africa Travel Magazine's
Jubilee series of publications. It will debut on
the ATA web site - www.africa-ata.org Banks
and Currency The
currency of Uganda is the Ugandan Shilling. While
many major currencies are accepted, the US dollar
is the most common. Cash or travellers cheques can
be exchanged at banks such as Citi Bank, Barclays,
Allied Bank, Cairo International Bank, Stanbic
Bank, Standard Chartered and others. Money can also
be exchanged in Forex bureaus in all larger towns,
which offer better rates than banks and stay open
for longer hours. Some are located in major hotels.
Entertainment
and Nightlife This
varies from the sublime to the ridiculous. In
Kampala and larger towns, discos are very much the
order of the day, especially on Friday and Saturday
nights. Night clubs include Ange Noir Discotheque,
Club Obligato, Viper Room and Club Silk. We also
have cinema entertainments around Kampala such as
Cine Afrique, Cineplex and others. Local theatre in
places like Pride Theatre, Uganda National Theatre
and Bat Valley. What
to wear Informality
is the norm for day time wear, sports shirts and
slacks are recommended for men, and light cotton
dresses, skirts and tops for women. In city hotels
a little more formality may be required in the
evenings. For visitors going into the mountains, a
sweater and strong walking shoes will be needed. A
hat for protection against the Sun, Sun glasses and
swim wear should also be packed. Avoid bright
colours when on safari. Wear brown, beige, dark
green and khaki clothing . Getting
to Uganda By
Air: Direct flights are available from Brussels on
SN Brussels Airline; London on British Airways and
Dubai on Emirates Airline. There are no direct
flights from North America yet, however the Civil
Aviation Authority is considering future
agreements. Direct flights between Uganda and other
African countries include Ethiopian Airlines from
Addis Ababa; Egypt Air from Cairo;Air Tanzania from
Arusha and Dar es Salaam; Kenya Airways via
Nairobi; East African Airlines to Johannesburg and
South African Airways from Johannesburg. Charter
services arranged on request. Regional services
include Eagle Air, Challenge Air, West Nile Air,
United Airlines, MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship)
for religious parties, KAFTC etc. By
Road: Buses operate between Nairobi, Mombasa and
Kampala, crossing at Malaba and Busia borders
(about 15 hours). There is a variety of standard
services, as the same applies to buses between
Kampala and Kigali. The best include Akamba Bus,
Regional and Scandinavian Express. Others include
Buscar, Gateway, Jaguar, Shift and Horizon. EMS
Postal buses also operate within all Uganda towns.
When
to visit Any
time, although mountain hikes, gorilla tracking and
forest walks are more challenging during the rains,
which peak over mid-September to November and March
to May. Entry
Requirements A
valid passport and visa are required. Visas are
issued at Ugandan missions abroad and at entry and
exit points. Underlying the Uganda visa policy is
the principle of reciprocity, that is, all
countries that require visas for Ugandans are also
prone to the same in Uganda. Visa fees: Student-US
$20; Single entry - US $30; Multiple Entry 6 months
- US $80. Health/
Immunization: Good
medical facilities are available in the main
Medical Insurance be taken before arrival.
Vaccination for yellow fever, hepatitis and cholera
are recommended if you have transited through a
cholera infested area within six days prior to
arrival in Uganda. Use of anti-malaria tablets is
strongly advised plus a mosquito repellent.
Bilharzia is present in some lakes and swimming is
not recommended, except in designated areas. We
also recommend that only boiled or bottled water be
consumed. In hotels and lodges, flasks of drinking
water will be available. Travel Insurance should be
taken before departure. |
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