Showing posts with label packing for africa safari. Show all posts
Showing posts with label packing for africa safari. Show all posts

Friday, June 5, 2015

What to wear and take when trekking to see the gorillas?

What to wear and take when trekking to see the gorillas; what should I wear for gorilla tracking; what is the dress code for gorilla tracking; what should I pack for gorilla tracking; how should I prepare for gorilla tracking/ trekking?

Put on your sturdiest walking shoes, and thick trousers and a long-sleeved top as protection against vicious stinging nettles. It’s often cold when you set out, so start off with a sweatshirt or jersey (which also help protect against nettles). The gorillas are thoroughly used to people, so it makes little difference whether you wear bright or muted colours. rwanda mountain gorillas

Whatever clothes you wear to go tracking are likely to get very dirty as you slip and slither in the mud, so if you have pre-muddied clothes, you might as well wear them. When you are grabbing handloads of thorny vegetation, a pair of old gardening gloves are helpful. If you feel safer with a walking-stick, you will be offered a wooden one at the start of the ascent.

Carry as little as possible, ideally in a waterproof bag of some sort. During the rainy season,a poncho or raincoat might be a worthy addition to your daypack, while sunglasses and a hat are a good idea at any time of the year. You may well feel like a snack during the long hike, and should certainly carry enough drinking water - at least one litre, more to visit the Susa Group. Bottled water is sold in Ruhengeri town. Especially during the rainy season, make sure your camera gear is well protected – if your bag isn’t waterproof, seal your camera gear in a plastic bag.

Binoculars are not necessary to see the gorillas. In theory, birdwatchers want to carry binoculars, though in practice only the dedicated are likely to make use of them – the trek up to the gorillas is normally very directed, and walking up the steep slopes and through the thick vegetation tends to occupy one’s eyes and mind.

If you are carrying much gear and food/water, it is advisable to hire one of the porters who hang about at the car park in the hope of work. This costs Rfr5,000 per porter. Locals have asked us to emphasize that it is not demeaning or exploitative to hire a porter to carry your daypack; on the contrary, tourists who refuse a porter for ‘ethical reasons’ are simply denying income to poor locals and making it harder for them to gain any benefit from tourism.

You may need to show your passport or some other form of identification when you check-in; find out about this from ORTPN beforehand.

Gorilla Safaris

    3 Days Gorilla Tour:
    For many years, we pride at arranging and organizing the best Gorilla experiences, book with us the most interesting and popular safaris in Africa as we turn your dream holiday to reality.

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    4 Days Kibale And Bwindi Tour:
    We are very certain that you will find this experience very unique; it takes you to Kibale, Africa’s greatest tropical rain forests for Chimpanzee trekking.

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    5 Days Gorilla Trekking And Queen Elizabeth:
    In just 5 days, we are good enough to combine your interests of visiting the Gorillas in Bwindi with the best of Wildlife in Queen Elizabeth National Park.

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    7 Days Amazing Discoveries:
    A great journey across Uganda taking you in the highlights and Uganda’s best Safari parks. This safari has been long time favorite with safari enthusiasts.

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    10 Days Incredible Tour:
    Discover Uganda’s most beautiful parks, from the visitors that have booked our 10 days incredible, they testify as the best Uganda tourist circuit enabling them encounter the rarest of the rare in the Africa jungles

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    11 Days Great Adventure:
    Carefully planned and sorted with high end Lodge facilities throughout the safari. Have a chance of visiting Uganda’s best national parks while staying at high premium Lodge facilities

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Tuesday, July 2, 2013

What should I pack on Visit, tour or safari to Uganda?


What should I bring with me on my visit /tour/safari/holiday to Uganda, what essentials should I pack as I plan to visit Uganda?
·         Daypack
·         High SPF sunscreen (Uganda is located on the equator!)
·         Flashlight
·         Insect  repellent.
·         Spare or rechargeable batteries (these are difficult to find once you are in the Parks).
·         Waterproof bags to protect equipment
·         Electric plug adaptors for 240 volts AC 50 HZ. UK style square-pin plugs are used.
·         Some people find contact lens uncomfortable in Uganda because of the dust – you may find it more comfortable to were glasses while on the road.
·         Antiseptic handwash.
·         An International Driving License if you are thinking of hiring a vehicle.
Clothing
·         Good walking boots/ shoes
·         Sandals or other light shoes
·         Waterproof jacket or rain poncho
·         Lighter clothing for Kampala and the savannah, with layers for cooler evenings,
·         Warm clothing for mountainous regions, including thermal layers and a fleece.
·         Sun hat/cap
·         Uganda is a conservative country, and visitors should dress respectfully. Avoid the very short skirts and very short shorts.
Should I Bring any Specialist Equipment?
This depends on your interest – for photography, birding and wildlife enthusiasts we recommend the following:
Binoculars: The better ones start at about $250: you get what you pay for! Waterproof binoculars are great in Uganda as they are also dustproof.
For most travelers stick with 8-10 magnification and 32 objectives which are heavy to carry all day.
Cameras: Choose something you know can handle  - a heavy camera with many settings will be off-putting for some people to use. For good wildlife shots, 8et at least 8x optical zoom. Six to eight megapixel is fine unless you want poster-size photos. Bring a lens cloth to remove dust, several changes of batteries (even if you use rechargeable – not all sites have power points) and take several 1GB memory cards instead of one large one to avoid losing all your photos in case something goes wrong.

Saturday, November 17, 2012

When is the best time, season, month to visit Kibale National Park to track chimps

Kibale National Park contains one of the loveliest and most varied tracts of tropical forest in Uganda. Forest cover interspersed by patches of grassland and swamp, dominates the northern and central parts of the park on an elevated plateau. The park ins home to a total of 60 mammal species, most famously the 13 species of primates including the chimpanzee. It also contains over 375 species of birds. Kibale adjoins Queen Elizabeth National Park to the south to create a 180-km long corridor for wildlife between Ishasha, the remote southern sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park, as Sebitoli in the north of Kibale.

Best Season to Visit to Kibale National Park and Track Chimps

Northern Kibale is the park’s wettest area, receiving mean annual rainfall of up to 1700mm, mostly during March-May and September-November. The climate is generally pleasant with a mean annual temperature range of 14˚-27˚C. Temperatures are highest (and rainfall lower) in the south where the terrain drops down onto the hot rift valley floor and forest gives way to open grasslands.

Dry Season: June to September is the driest time and temperatures average 80˚(25˚) when most animals remain near water, but be prepared for afternoon thunderstorms at anytime. The hot dry time is January to February and is good time to visit.

Rainy Season: It rains anytime from October to December and March to May when many roads become impassible.

What to Bring on a tour to Kibale National Park

Hiking boots are ideal for forest walks although stout walking shoes are adequate. Lightweight rain coats are advisable. Altitude and forest environment makes evenings cool and a lihgt jacket is recommended. If you choose to bring a camera, be aware that the dark-haired chimpanzees in typically dim conditions present challenging subjects.

Recommended Lodging and Accommodation Options in Kibale and Fort Portal

Ndali Lodge set stunningly amidst the Bunyaruguru crater lake region of Western Uganda, 24 kilometres south of Fort Portal

Kibale Forest Camp situated in a patch of indigenous forest, just outside Kibale Forest National Park. The camp consists of 7 African safari style tents, which are comfortably furnished with twin or double beds



Kyaninga Lodge Fort Portal Kibale - PoolKyaninga Lodge located 15 minutes outside Fort Portal town. Perched atop a hill overlooking a stunning blue crater
lake, the lodge enjoys spectacular panoramic views of the surrounding landscape


Primate Lodge Kibale Primate Lodge Kibale Campis located at the Kanyanchu Visitors Centre in Kibale
National Park. From Fort Portal follow the road to Kamwenge for 36 kms and branch off at the sign post directing to Primate Lodge Kibale.


Chimps Nest Kibale National Park KibaleChimps Nest Kibale near Nyabubale, a small village between Nkingo and Bigodi. It's only a 15-minute drive from Kanyanchu, the starting point of UWA chimp-tracking and other activities in Kibale Forest.

 

 
CVK Lakeside Resort.CVK Lakeside Resort Kibale - Budget Price AccommodationThis picturistic low budget priced accommodation is located near a beautiful Crater Lake Nyabikere

 


Mountain Of The Moon Hotel Fort Portal

Mountains of The Moon Hotel This is a large resort-style hotel, just outside of the center of Fort Portal. It features a large main building with a central garden and rooms surrounding an inside courtyard.


Rwenzori View Guest House  Fort PortalRwenzori View Guesthouse This is a small scale beautiful guest house in Fort Portal. The owners managed to get the perfect informal atmosphere for this place.

 

 

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Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Electric Socket and Plug Outlet and Voltage Information for Rwanda

In Rwanda we used a 2 pronged European adapter. Officially type "C" and type "J" and "Type F" are used.

If your appliance's plug doesn't match the shape of these sockets, you will need a travel plug adapter in order to plug in. Travel plug adapters simply change the shape of your appliance's plug to match whatever type of socket you need to plug into. If it's crucial to be able to plug in no matter what, bring an adapter for both types.

Electric Socket and Plug Outlet and Voltage Information for Rwanda

But the shape of the socket is only half the story!
Electrical sockets (outlets) in the Republic of Rwanda (République du Rwanda) usually supply electricity at between 220 and 240 volts AC. If you're plugging in an appliance that was built for 220-240 volt electrical input, or an appliance that is compatible with multiple voltages, then an adapter is all you need.
But travel plug adapters do not change the voltage, so the electricity coming through the adapter will still be the same 220-240 volts the socket is supplying. North American sockets supply electricity at between 110 and 120 volts, far lower than in most of the rest of the world. Consequently, North American appliances are generally built for 110-120 volts.
But that doesn't mean that your specific appliance isn't already compatible with the higher voltage -- it may very well be.