uganda

COMBINING "SILVERBACKS" WITH SILVERCHEFS" � ONLY IN UGANDA

Male Gorilla Silverbacks inspire Silverchef competition

GORILLA HIGHLANDS� MIHA LOGAR CONFIRMS �SILVERCHEF COMPETITION�

27th September 2015

Uganda�s famous �Silverbacks�, the dominant male gorillas in the forests of Bwindi and Mt. Mgahinga, no doubt inspired the creators of the upcoming �Silverchef Competition� when chosing the name for the event, which later this year will pit South Western Uganda�s most accomplished chefs against each other as they seek to claim the pinnacle of their careers.

Miha Logar, known for his love of this part of Uganda which he made his adopted home over the past decade, overnight shared the outline of what the first ever such cooking competition in one of Uganda�s major tourism hubs will entail to have as many aspirants apply to be part of the event as possible.

Set for the border town of Kisoro where the famous Travellers Rest hotel is hosting the event, will the main focus be to draw fresh attention to this region�s key tourism attractions. Besides access to the two Ugandan gorilla national parks of Bwindi and Mt. Mgahinga is the area rich of cultural attractions too and awaits to be discovered by tourists coming to hike and bike across one of Uganda�s most scenic terrains. Lakes like Mutanda with several top lodges now along the shores or overlooking the lake from view points above, make for spectacular backdrops when taking pictures, inevitably hearing repeated �awesome� shouts from the wagenis who made their way that far into Africa.

The cooking competition however will also highlight the changes Uganda�s hospitality industry has undergone in recent years with investments in new lodges, state of the art kitchens and the training of staff, especially cooks, to lift food standards to the top of the regional offerings.

Wrote Miha in his mail:

SILVERCHEF 2015

Gorilla Highlands is inviting the lodges and hotels in the districts of Kabale, Kanungu and Kisoro to the first ever cooking competition, Silverchef 2015.
Hosted by Travellers Rest in Kisoro on 21 November 2015, Silverchef will be an opportunity to celebrate the culinary excellence in the Gorilla Highlands region, foster cooperation and cameraderie and promote our region nationally, across the East African Community and internationally.
Due to space limitations only 10 chefs will be able to compete, each preparing one meal for five people, using set ingredients and cooking with gas and/or charcoal.
Please submit your candidate through the form below by 15th of October 2015. A week later our jury led by Prof. Dr. Wolfgang H. Thome will announce the chosen competitors and send them the list of ingredients.
These ingredients are not to be purchased, they are for planning purposes only. Instead the lodges where the chefs work will need to pay a participation fee of UShs 70,000/- . This fee will allow Travellers Rest to buy all that is needed to provide the contestants with the ingredients they will need to prepare a meal of their choice.
The lodges where the chefs work are also expected to finance the competitors� transport while accommodation will be catered for them in Kisoro.

The competitors will have to arrive to Kisoro on 20th of November and leave on 22nd of November.
The winner will receive a silver hat and the best five chefs will get a certificate.
Let the tastiest and most creative meal set the judges taste buds alight and make its creator famous!

Applicants � the competition will be widely advertised across Uganda�s South West � will need to provide the following information to myself via wthome@gmail.com or wt@etn.travel to be included in the pre-selection of finalists. The application form is available via http://www.gorillahighlands.com/silverchef-2015/

VISITING THE BATWA PIGMY GROUP OF UGANDA

Posted on July 26, 2014 by admin

July 26, 2014 by admin

For generations, Mgahinga dense forests were home to the indigenous Batwa pygmy tribe. This tribe of hunter-gathers, fierce warriors who depended on the forest�s shelter, food and medicine were the forest�s first people, their ancient knowledge of its secrets remains unrivalled and this can be seen during the fascinating tour through the Batwa trail as your lead by Batwa guides. Some of the steep mountain slopes contain caves formed by lava tubes one of them being the famous Garama cave, a sacred place for Batwa. During the Batwa trail you can discover how it was used as a shelter during battles and as a place to store looted treasures.

The Batwa who were originally poachers are now earning from tourism as they provide music, dance and drama to tourists. Many have abandoned their caves, settled in societies and now also access services like education and medication. They have appreciated nature and they are now part of the conserving team as some have been hired by uganda wildlife Authority as park guards.

During the Batwa trail around the foothills of the virunga volcanoes, visitors are able to spot forest birds, the Rugezi swamp, wild vegetation, bamboo forests and glorious views of the surrounding lakes and agricultural villages. Golden monkey and mountain gorilla tracking can be done at an extra cost.

Mgahinga is located 500km from Kampala /Entebbe and can take 8hours plus when travelling with uganda walking Safaris. However, the long drive to Mgahinga is quite enchanting with great sceneries all through like the Equator, lake Mburo national park ( for some Queen Elizabeth national park with tree climbing lions and abundant wildlife) terraced mountains with flowing rivers and a lot of rural africa. The funds collected from the Batwa trail also contribute to their living as it�s given back to their societies.

Uganda walking Safaris
Kampala (Uganda)