Kyambura Gorge the valley of the apes

The gorge is densely forested and home of many apes including chimpanzees, Viewing Kyambura Gorge from above, one may think there is nothing more than shrubs in a valley. But brave the slope down and your eyes will be treated to nature’s hospitality.

Kyambura Gorge is to the north east of Queen Elizabeth National Park and is 100 meters deep. The width varies at different points. The sounds of different wild animals and birds, in the trees and in the water, sprinkle the air with rare music. On top of being a home to chimpanzees, there are other primates to be found here, including red-tailed monkey, black-and-white Columbus and vervet monkeys. One can also see hippos and large hogs. River Kyambura snakes its way through the bottom of the valley that is framed by different species of trees over 100 years old.

Some trees’ roots have grown so big and elaborate that they appear like gnarled wooden boats, while others lie on the ground, having started their decay process right where they fell years ago.

The dry season left much of Queen Elizabeth National Park parched, but this beautiful gorge is the much needed oasis, both for animals seeking refreshment, and for humans, seeking a sight for weary eyes. Water flows from rocks and makes the gorge green. Rocks that seem to be in various states of tumbling stand out, probably where they rolled to a stop thousands of years ago when the volcano threw them up in a violent shake. Kyambura Gorge is sometimes called the Valley of Apes.

Writer with UWA guides

Tourists who fear to traverse the gorge view it from the top. Braver souls hike down via well beaten tracks, with or without the help of a tour guide. Bird watchers would love it here. In this paradise, winged beauties fleet from tree to tree, from water surface to hidden nest in their daily errands.

“There are a lot of different eco-systems in this gorge which need to be conserved,” says Nelson Guma, the Queen Elizabeth national park area conservation manager.

The crested crane dances to your tune

Uganda is a birding paradise, attracting thousands of tourists every year. Each week, we will feature a different bird in this section. Today we look at the Grey Crowned Crane

The grey crowned crane is Uganda’s national bird, falsely called the crested crane. It has a majestic walk and is usually calm and friendly. It attracted then governor of Uganda, Sir Frederick Jackson, in 1893 to seek permission to make it an emblem for the Uganda protectorate by embellishing it on the Union Jack.

The reply from Great Britain to his request read thus: “His Majesty (George V) has approved of the golden crested crane being likewise adopted as the badge to be inserted on the flags flown by the governor of Uganda and all vessels belonging to the protectorate government.” Its crown has the three colors also found on the national flag — Black, Yellow and Red.

There are 16 different species of cranes in the world. Four are in Africa, including our national bird. The grey crowned crane is endangered. It is losing its habitat and people use it for witchcraft. Crowned cranes eat grass, seeds, insects, fish, and small reptiles. Crowned cranes are monogamous and pair for life. They have elaborate courtship performances, dancing and making love-calls to attract partners. Did you know that some cultures rely on the cranes to tell the time of the day? Like cocks, they make calls at specific times. Cranes have the ability to dance when people clap and sing.

They breed in swamps but unfortunately, their breeding grounds are diminishing due to rampant wetlands reclamation in Uganda. Nature Uganda estimates that the numbers of grey crowned cranes in Uganda have reduced from more than 70,000 in the 1970s to less than 10,000 in 2011. If drastic steps to protect them are not taken, the crowned cranes might.

Total Solar Eclipse November 3rd 2013 in Uganda.

The final event of 2013 is the most interesting eclipse of the year. It is one of the rare hybrid or annular/total eclipses in which some sections of the path are annular while other parts are total. The duality comes about when the vertex of the Moon's umbral shadow pierces Earth's surface at some locations, but falls short of the planet along other sections of the path. The unusual geometry is due to the curvature of Earth's surface that brings some geographic locations into the umbra while other positions are more distant and enter the antumbral rather than umbral shadow. In most cases, the central path begins annular, changes to total for the middle portion of the track, and reverts back to annular towards the end of the path. However, November 3 eclipse is even more unique because the central path to begins annular and ends total. Because hybrid eclipses occur near the vertex of the Moon's umbral/antumbral shadows, the central path is typically quite narrow.Curving reaches the western border of Uganda, Sweeping over northern Kenya, the path crosses Lake Turkana. This is the 23rd eclipse of Saros 143, the series began on 1617 Mar 07 with a string of 10 partial eclipses. The first of 12 total eclipses occurred on 1797 Jun 24. The 2013 event is the first of 4 hybrids of the series before transitioning to pure annular eclipses beginning 2085 Dec 16. The series ends with a set of 20 partial eclipses the last of which occurs on 2897 Apr 23. In Uganda the Total Solar Eclipse passes November 3rd and the best place to be is just outside of Murchison Falls National Park  for this once in hundredth of year’s natural occurrence Murchison falls

KJONG SAFARIS AT KIDEPO VALLEY NATIONAL 50YEARS

Kjong safaris was among the members of the private sector that attended 50 years of Kidepo Valley National Park  since 1962 making it the Oldest National Park in Uganda.

The hammer kop, Uganda is a birding paradise

Uganda a birding paradise , attracting thousands of tourists every year. Every week, we will feature a different bird in this section.Today we look at the hammer kop

The hammer kop is a medium-sized wading bird found in wetland habitats in Africa, south of the Sahara,Madagascar and coastal southwest Arabia. In Uganda, it is found along water bodies and wetlands.  It is also known as the hammerhead stork or anvil head. Its curved bill and crest at the back looks like a hammer, hence its name.  There are two sub-species, with one being smaller and darker.

Hammerkops are mostly silent, except when in groups. They hold ceremonies of up to 10 birds, in which they run circles around each other, calling loudly, raising their crests and fluttering their wings. Another behaviour is false mounting, in which one bird stands on top of another and appears to mount it.  They build huge nests near a water source. The strong nests can be made with thousands of sticks and mud to strengthen the walls and plaster the neat, tunnelled entrance. The birds decorate the outside with bright objects.

The tunnel leads to a chamber big enough for the parents and the nestlings. Hammerkops construct three to five nests per year and hold noisy house-warming parties for new nests. But often, they end up being evicted from their homes by owls and eagles. They eat fish, shrimp, insects and rodents.

CLASSIFICATION
•    Binomial name: Scopus
•    umbretta
•    Kingdom: Animalia
•    Phylum: Chordata
•    Class: Aves
•    Order: Pelecaniformes
•    Family: Scopidae
•    Genus: Scopus
Species: Umbretta

There lives a healing ghost on a tree

By Harriet Birungi

The leaves rustle overhead and a gentle breeze can be felt. The ground is covered by lush green vegetation, the middle eaten away to expose a dark shade of brown ground from which a thick, old tree with large buttress roots (forming nooks and fissures) juts out. This is home to Nakayima’s shrine, a priestess who died over 500 years ago. It is believed that Nakayima used to cure people of ailments from this hill and when she died, her spirit remained on the hill, from where she continues to treat and bless people who pay her homage. And indeed, if the numbers of people who flock this place are anything to go by, Nakayima’s spirit lives on.

A group of people, all clad in white, move from one buttress root compartment to the other in what I am told is an act of submitting prayer requests. Each person who completes a prayer, makes dainty steps backwards with their hands feeling for the edge of the root.  Denis Semuli, an employee of Mubende Town Council, who also doubles as my guide, interjects my thoughts: “They are not supposed to turn their back to jajja.

Turning your back means you are leaving. You cannot leave until you return to the main entrance, which is the starting point for the prayers. You only return there after you have been to all the compartments.  “Once you are done praying, you are not supposed to wave goodbye. You simply walk away slowly,” Semuli explains.  He is quick to add that all the 18 compartments must be visited and at each, a different prayer said. This is because each part of the buttress root is tasked to a particular need.

He says it does not mean people come with only 18 needs, you say whatever you want, depending on the most pressing.  Like all things sacred, the Nakayima tree is guarded. Semuli says you cannot proceed unless you have declared your intentions to the caretakers. After you have made your intentions known, you are guided on how to proceed.

Worshippers at the Nakayima tree. The tree is said to grant prayers to those who pay homage to the spirit of the fallen priestess

There is an old lady wearing a headscarf, who directs believers on where to start, how to behave and what to leave at each buttress compartment. You must also reveal the clan you belong to.  For each buttress compartment you get to, you leave coffee beans and money. The money has to be in coin form. Four coffee beans are left at each prayer point.

Currency notes are a reserve for the basket at the entrance. The starting point is the wider opening of the 18 compartments, which also looks out to the road leading to the hill. Common prayer requests include riches, a marriage partner, ability to conceive, conception of twins, freedom from disease, trips abroad, employment and provision.  “There is no limit to how long one can stay.

People are free to come here anytime they want. There is no restriction on arrival time and duration. You may stay as long as you want or as long as the spirit has directed,” Semuli says.  He adds: “There are instances where people stay for weeks.

For those who choose to stay longer than a day, the green grass in front of the main tree becomes their home.  “The belief is that by the time one treks to the hill, they have chosen not to sleep in a house. Their problems are overwhelming,” he says.  “So come rain or shine,” says Semuli, “They have to brave the weather. Usually, they set fires to evoke other gods of Buganda like Kiwanuka, Kalisa, Mukasa and Kibuuka, for additional blessings.

Semuli clarifies that the tree does not reward those praying for evil to befall their enemies. “Rather, you pray for what you do not have. Thanksgiving can be expressed through leaving foods like meat, milk and fruits, which are prepared and served to people in the area and those there to pay homage,” he says.

  As I absorb all the information, my thoughts are interrupted by movement. I look on in bewilderment as the small black milk gourds at the entrance and jerrycans of milk, are carried off by hungry residents in the area. Children proceed to different buttress compartments looking for the coins left behind, while a congregation of adults and children sit in the tree shades, waiting for the buffet (thanksgiving meat) to be served.

Amid all this, Semuli chips in, cutting my thoughts short, to state that the trees surrounding the Nakayima tree are grandchildren of the dead priestess.  The Nakayima tree is up a hill that overlooks Mubende town. The hill rises 213 metres above the surrounding terrain to a peak of 1,480 metres above sea level. The hill provides an excellent view of Mubende town and the surrounding area. The tree is visited by people paying homage to matriarch Nakayima of the Bachwezi. They were believed to be demi-gods, whose dynasty ruled large parts of Uganda

Unforgettable holiday out in the wilderness

Wild Waters Lodge A few consultations with friends led a couple to one of the most unforgettable getaways in Uganda. The bride shares some of the fascinating things about their rendezvous in the wild.

The arrival

The drive to Kayunga where we were to take a boat did not prepare us for the amazing weekend ahead. However, the reception we got from the staff at the Wild Waters Lodge set a good beginning for an unforgettable honeymoon.

Blown away by nature

Everything is curved out of nature right from the furniture to the décor. This was very amazing. Having been built in the wilderness, we felt quite close to nature. A couple of times we saw monitor lizards and once we saw a small snake. However, rather than it being a scary experience, it was pretty exciting for my husband and I.

Being in the middle of a river also makes one feel like they are in the middle of nowhere where they can inhale the fresh air and leave the worries of the world behind them.
Except for the roar of the waterfall, the environment is serene.

Cozy rooms

One thing I will forever remember is the bath tub. It is such an amazing piece of art that I came back home hoping to imitate the design. Likewise, the rooms are beautiful and comfortable; they create an aura of romance. I would have loved to stay longer than the two nights we spent, but well one cannot have everything they desire. While there are a number of activities at the lodge, we never did much but enjoy the comfort of our room and surrounding. The food was continental cuisine which we enjoyed very much.
I felt contented that we never had to fly out of Uganda to enjoy the delights of a getaway. This proved to be a much cheaper honey moon that we had anticipated as each night cost us 360$ (Shs900,000) full board.

Ngamba gets Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence

Uganda’s renowned Chimpanzee Sanctuary island, Ngamba, has narrowly missed getting a full 5 star rating by Trip Adviser, when they earned their Certificate of Excellence for 2013.

ChimpSanct_02Home to over 40 chimps for the past 15 years, most rescued from illegal traders or found at the airport attempting to smuggle them out of the country, the island is near reaching its capacity and efforts are underway to secure a second island for the same purpose, to create another safe home and environment for the animals.

Visitors are able to see the chimps while being fed, as well as interacting in the forest or open glades, giving an insight into chimp life for those unable to track them at for instance Kyambura Gorge or Kibale Forest, among several other locations across Uganda where chimps can be found with relative ease.

Daily trips are available for visitors keen to see mankind’s closest relative in nature, leaving from the Entebbe pier and those interested to spend a night on the island, a tented safari camp is available for bookings. Congrats to Lilly Ajarova, Executive Director of Ngamba Island and her committed team of staff, researchers and handlers.

UNWTO Boss Visit to Uganda.

Tourism

The Secretary General of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Mr. Taleb Rifai on his maiden visit to Uganda has commended the rate at which tourism in Uganda is flourishing terming it as the oil that runs the economies which never runs out if well preserved.

This after he visited the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre in Entebbe(UWEC) where he participated in greeting and feeding the giraffes, chimpanzees and an infant elephant before he marveled at the shoe bill stock and sighted a variety of the reptiles.

Flanked by UNWTO regional coordinator for Africa Mr. Ousman Ndiaye and the UN Resident Coordinator Ms Aziakwona Ononchie, the visibly excited Secretary General described tourism sector in Uganda as a star in the making waiting to rise to the surface.

Mr. Taleb told the Tourism fraternity at Kampala Serena Hotel during a cocktail on Sunday June 23 that "Travel and tourism play a central role in the socio-economic transformation of the country by creating employment and promoting better understanding".

He added that "Globally tourism generates 5.2 trillion dollars a year and is the third largest industry. "In 2012, one billion tourists crossed borders to visit other countries," he said, adding that it is now time for Uganda to shine. Mr. Taleb said Uganda is enormously endowed with tourism potential arguing that what "you do with what you have is what matters" .He promised that the UN system in the country will work together to promote and foster tourism growth.
"We appreciate the technical support that UNWTO and UNDP is currently giving Uganda in the review of our tourism policy and development of the tourism master plan and the development of inclusive Markets in Tourism sector Project". Said Uganda Vice President, Mr. Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi.

Uganda's minister for Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities Dr. Maria Mutagamba said the government is working with UNWTO to define 'Destination –Pearl of Africa' by harnessing her natural and cultural endowments. She hailed the UNWTO for the technical assistance to develop Uganda's Tourism Policy and Master Plan 2003 which had expired in 2013 and that Uganda is embarking on a new ten-year plan"

Mr. Rifai is Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) based in Madrid, Spain. He holds this position since 1 January 2010. He was unanimously elected at the 18th session of UNWTO General Assembly (October 2009), following the recommendation of the UNWTO Executive Council made in May 2009.
The UNTWO boss and his entourage later held a high level meeting with the Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni before having a breakfast meeting with the tourism fraternity including the private sector and government agency representatives