2015 Annual Kwita Izina
The dates for the 11th annual Kwita Izina, a gorilla naming ceremony have been realeased by the Rwanda Development Board as Rwanda Continues with its Efforts to protect the mountain gorillas in Africa.
The land of a thousand hills is getting filled with excitement as the celebrations of the 11th annual Kwita Izina – Gorilla Naming Ceremony draw close. The famous Kwita Izina is a Rwandan celebration of naming newborn baby gorilla which have been born with the same year period. This ceremony come up as an ancestral cultural baby naming ceremony that happens in the African societies after the birth of a newborn child which is a very important experience that calls for partying and celebrations.
The main reason for this occasion is to catch the attention of the whole world, about the need to protect these endangered mountain gorillas through monitoring each individual infant gorilla and their groups in their natural habitat. Today, the Kwita Izina has caught the attention of both locales and international audience about the importance of protecting the mountain gorillas and their habitats in the Virunga Mountains – the Volcanoes national park located in the north of the country.
This year the annual baby gorilla naming ceremony, Kwita Izina, according to officials from the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) Tourism and conservation department will be held on September 5th, unlike in previous years when the Kwita Izina was held in July, due to the need form the country to ensure compliancy with the Northern corridor tourism events calendar – a three-some tourism promotion initiative established under a tripartite agreement between Rwanda, Kenya and Uganda, each member country set a period to focus on a flagship tourism event.
Looking back on last year’s ceremony, a total 16 babies mountain gorillas at the Volcanoes National Park were given names. Each year a focus theme is set, by the head of Tourism and Conservation at the Rwanda Development Board (RDB). Last year’s theme was ‘Conserving – Empowering – Growing’, set to reflect and celebrate the efforts of all those that have contributed to the sustainable regional and national conservation of the mountain gorilla and other wildlife in general.
Today the Kwita Izina has received thousands of regional, local as well as international audience very enthusiastic about travelling to the Virunga mountain ranges to visit the endangered mountain gorillas. So far, the Volcanoes national park mountain gorillas have been receiving substantial resources from international conservation organizations, donors and concerned people for the conservation efforts of the Mountain gorillas in Rwanda. The park is the prime spot for tourists looking for gorilla safaris in Africa given the improved accessibility to the park located in a distance f 3 hours drive from Kigali.
The Kwita Izina largely looks at protecting the remaining home range of the endangered mountain gorillas which for decades is the Virunga Massif – a chain of volcanic mountains comprising of Rwanda’s Volcanoes NP, DRC’s Virunga NP and Uganda’s Mgahinga NP. The Volcanoes national park actually covers two third of the Virunga Massif’s remaining endangered mountain gorillas.
Read MoreChoosing a Tour Operator for Your Safari
There are loads of tour operators on the African continent offering a wide range of safaris. These include even the specialty tour operators offering specific safaris to travelers. Some tour operators offer other travel services that range from tours, to flights, hotel and lodge booking, car hire, phone rental services etc. While planning for your safari, it is very important to carefully select a reliable agemcy that will be able to offer a memorable safari for you. Here are some of the tips that will help you choose a good tour operator for your vacation in Africa.
It is advisable to interact with several tour operators before you can make up your mind over which safari company will take care of your tour. To start with, you need to find out the area of expertise of the tour company in relation to you preferred safari option. Some are experts in luxury holiday tours well as others specialize in tailor made safaris, camping, mountaineering, lodge safaris or overland vacations.
A little research in necessary to establish the reputation of the tour operator you choose to take care of your vacation. Take time to discover the membership of that operator in different reliable tourism organizations such as Africa Travel Association, ATTA, and so much more. If you are looking at a particular country, check out if that tour operator subscribes to some of the national and local tourism organizations.
Any of the tour operator should be able provide any travel information you need regarding your Africa safari; including visa, flights, hotels, travel and health insurance, security, communication and so much more.
Get a written copy of the terms and conditions from the Tour operator. In fact, you can probably have each company mail you a copy of their policy. After receiving a copy of each company’s policy, review the policies carefully. In doing so, you will be able to find the best deal for you and you will also familiarize yourself with all of the policies.
Avoid as much as possible, brief case tour operators. The list of tour operators on this page has been carefully selected basing on the credibility, Association membership, customer care and service provision. We are however not responsible for any loss or damage or dissatisfaction regarding any travel guide or travel agent listed on this very page. We try to ensure that these companies don’t default. Under such eventualities, you should contact us and have them removed accordingly.
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Uganda Declared Top Birders’ Destination in Africa for 2013
Uganda has 34 key bird viewing points in wetlands, water bodies, wildlife reserves, national parks and forest reserves. Common bird species include shoebills, herons, eagles, blue throated rollers, red headed malimbe, scaly breaste illadopis, titi hylia, giant king fisher, scaly francolin among others.
If you are looking to a birding safari in Uganda, there are about 70 professional and well-equipped guides who can whistle and call birds at a given point, identify them and take you to their destination under their umbrella body Uganda Safari Guides Association (USGA)
Statistics from Minim show that Tourism contributed 9.0 percent of Uganda’s GDP, US$ 805 million foreign exchange earnings from 1.2million visitors in 2011. The tourism accolades never stop coming for Uganda. On top of being voted Best Tourist Destination for 2012, Uganda was declared Africa’s Preffered Birding Destination in October after Africa Bird Club voted two of Uganda’s birding sites among the top 10 birders’ destinations in Africa.
Bwindi Forest, the best place for gorilla safaris in Africa was, actually, voted the best birding site in Africa with Murchison coming in at no. 9 – and with over 1050 bird species within its borders, Uganda sits comfortably among the best birding
destinations in the whole world.
Birding is one of the most important tourist activities in the world garnering chunks of money for countries that have given it priority.
To ensure that Uganda stays in the international tourism limelight, the ministry of tourism and other stakeholders have declared 2013/2014 the “Year of Birding” in Uganda.
The minister of tourism, wildlife and antiquities Ms Maria Mutagamba did the declaration at Kasenge Resort Beach in Mukono on Saturday.
“As we begin our journey through our next 50 years of Independence allow me declare Uganda as the favourite birding destination for 2013/2014,” said an evidently joyful Mutagamba.
This declaration comes weeks after Birdlife International, a global program on conservation and protection of birds and their habitants, alongside Nature Uganda announced that there are 34 important bird areas in Uganda with diverse bird species that qualify Uganda to be the leading birding destination on the continent.
Mutagamba said that Uganda has been priding in recent accolades like the one of Lonely Planet which was influenced by the iconic Mountain Gorillas but birds will give Uganda even new dimensions and more options to shine on international tourism market.
The minister said the two accolades provide an important avenue and platform for showcasing Uganda’s rich bird diversity that shows the country’s endowment of having 1056 bird species that account for 10 percent of the globe’s total bird species and 50 percent of Africa’s bird species population.
Uganda Tourism Board Executive Director Cuthbert Baguma said that it’s now very important to start promoting the country as a major birders’ destination.
“This country is for all Ugandans that calls for patriotism by positively promoting the country in order not to kill the thriving tourism industry,” he said. He said they want to form a crisis management committee responsible for responding to all negative publicity that has smeared the country’s image, especially on the relentless Ebola and Marburg cases.
“There needs to be a committee which counters these negative and – most of the times – exaggerated stories and show people that things are under control,” added Baguma. “And they’re.”
Mr Hebert Byaruhanga, the chairman Uganda Safari Guides Association (USAGA) said that Uganda beats many African countries in having rare bird species that can bring in money but the business hasn’t been tapped into.
He said that despite being a land-locked country, Uganda has over 1000 bird species including migratory birds which normally flock ocean coasts.
He also emphasized the fact that birding needs as much promotion as gorilla tracking. “A tourist going on a gorilla trek may only spend 2 to 3 days leaving only US$500 for a gorilla permit and maybe some more little dollars but a tourist interested in birding will spend between 14 to 21 days and they spend over $5000 and that should be simple mathematics of what is more important,” he said.
The guides also said that usually tourists who come in for birding also do gorilla tracking yet those who come to see the primates are specific.
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