Kigali Night life

Travelers are drawn to Rwanda to have a unique encounter with nature, an hour with the rare Mountain Gorillas of the Virungas.  This exciting exposure to the Silverbacks in the wild is bringing wildlife lovers from near and far, and none are disappointed.  For some, hiking the muddy trails in search of their assigned Gorilla family, is a life-changing experience, one that they will tell family and friends for years to come.  Others come to experience some of the other many primates that live in this paradise called Rwanda; there are over a dozen of the Great Ape species here, the more popular ones being the Golden Monkeys and the Chimpanzees.  Still others enjoy hiking the many trails in the various National Parks; climbing volcanic mountains or mountain biking through the forests.

In contrast, there is an escape from all this natural beauty, the capital city of Kigali.  The same explorers that trudge through the muddy forests, sometimes in heavy rain, also enjoy some “down time” of just having a beer with friends or listening to a local band.  Kigali has many offerings; there is something for everyone.  Two of the more popular venues, particularly for expats are Ogopongo and Papyrus.  Both of these bars are in a section of Kigali called Kimuhurura.  Another, slightly cheaper option in the same area is the Sundowner; here the music focuses on oldies, especially on the weekends.  All three of these bars attract large crowds.

In the sector called Kacyiru, there is a place called Shooters, which regularly has cultural performances such as poetry readings; the audience attracts musicians, writers, poets and various

other artists and their fans.  The performances are free and the atmosphere is very inviting.  Another such venue in Kigali is Le Must; it is much smaller and sometimes gets overcrowded, but there is a terrace for those feeling claustrophobic.  Le Must has a cover charge of 5,000 Rw. Francs.  Muhima Club charges 5,000 Rw. Francs for men to enter, women get in free of charge.  Here the music is considerably better than Shooters, but as the night goes on, the place gets very crowded.

Two extremely popular nightclubs are the Planet Club and the New Cadillac.  Here there is lots of space and the drinks are sold at a lower price than most.  The music is a mixture of local and Western pop.  The Planet Club has a number of pool tables for those interested in more than just drinking.  Locals favor the Car Wash, where you can have a cocktail at the garden bar while your car is being washed.  In the suburb of Remera, across from the Amahoro Stadium, there are a number of popular local bars with such names as Mukunzi, Jackson’s Bar, Selecta and Vaticano.  The beers are moderately priced and there is lots of dancing to the local music by the energetic young crowd.  If its

Reggae music that you enjoy, the One Love Club is a good choice.  There is lots of outdoor seating and a fire pit to sit around.  

For live music, there are a number of venues.  City Beach usually has a jazzy-type band playing on the weekends, plus a dance floor, with seats around.  Another Reggae spot is the bar in the Hilltop Hotel; Fridays are Reggae night.  For live background music, the bar in the Hotel des Mille Collines is the spot, although they usually wind up around 9 or 10.  On the weekends, the Fantastic Restaurant has live music.  There is a Congolese band playing on Fridays at Tiamo; here they have both indoor and outdoor seating.

Kigali has many other nightclubs to entertain both locals and visitors.  The Black and White Club is very popular; it is inside the Alpha Palace Hotel in Remera.  Club Next is another late night spot, but the drinks are a bit pricey.  At the Top Tower Hotel, the Crystal Club is a rooftop space with great views; not very crowded and is a venue for private parties from time to time.  Inside the Lemigo Hotel, the Golemi is a true ‘club’ with mirrored walls, a sunken dance floor and a full bar.  A good place to go with a group.  The most popular ‘clubby’ place in Rwanda is the K-Club; here they have a 5,000 Rw. Francs cover.  And there is the Le Must and Papyrus, which was mentioned earlier.

There are dozens of ‘Sports Bars’; here football is the only sport watched.  There is the Car Wash in Kimihurura, Chez Lando in Remera, Meze Fresh, and American-owned bar, Ozone Sports Bar in Kigali City Tower, Sportszone in the Top Tower Hotel, complete with a casino and lastly, the Serena Hotel has a venue to watch sports, but it is not very popular and has a fairly cold atmosphere.

This does not by any means exhaust the list of possibilities, but it is a fair sampling of the more popular spots in and around the center of Kigali.  There are many different venues, with various price ranges and catering to an assortment of audiences.  One thing is for sure, you will not be bored in Kigali at night; and the city is fairly concentrated, so hopping from one place to another is always a possibility.  Here in Rwanda, you can spend your days immersed in nature and your nights immersed in entertainment.  The beauty of this small country is that the center of Kigali is only a 2-hour drive from the Park gates where one goes Mountain Gorilla tracking….so enjoying both very different activities is very possible.

Many Western travelers get nervous when considering a trip to an exotic destination such as Rwanda; their biggest concern is what they will eat.  Others, relish the thought of embarking on a trip to a new destination, specifically because they welcome the thought of trying new local foods.  Of course, tropical destinations such as Rwanda, have a plethora of fruits and vegetables that may be available in the West, but at a huge premium; mangoes, papayas, pineapples, passion fruits, avocados, cassava, jack fruit are all plentiful in Rwanda.  Staples such as tomatoes, onions, peppers, potatoes, cabbage and carrots are also readily available in local markets across the country.

The Rwandan diet consists mainly of sweet potatoes, beans, corn, peas, millet, plantains (bananas), cassava (a root vegetable) and fruits.  German colonialists introduced the potato to Rwanda, and now it is quite popular amongst locals, particularly French fries.  In terms of meats, chicken and beef are

the most popular; near the lakes, fish is regularly consumed as well.  In Rwanda, meals are not lavish by any means, and the food is simple and the focus is sustainability; people eat in Rwanda to survive.  Rwandese dishes are either boiled to produce stews or pan fried.

A traditional Rwandan breakfast consists of sweet potatoes and porridge.  Lunch and dinner is usually one of the following combinations:  boiled beans, bananas and sweet potatoes or cassava.  A dish of cassava and corn is called Umutsima; cassava leaves with eggplant and spinach is called Isombe; fried plantains is called Mizuzu.  All of the foregoing are common dishes eaten by locals; preparation is in a sauce and a starch such as Ugali (cornmeal), rice, French fries or Chapati

(flatbread) is served with them.  Snacks are most commonly fruits such as avocados, bananas, mangos, pineapples and papaya.  On the side of the road, there are vendors in most urban centers roasting corn and barbecued meat (usually beef or goat).

Kigali, the capital has a lot of international-food restaurants.  Here in the city you can find pizza shops, Indian, Chinese, Italian, French and Japanese.  All of these restaurants have full menus with a variety of starters and main courses.  Outside of Kigali, in the villages, one cannot find such a variety of offerings; the only exception being the town of Butare, which does have a couple of restaurants other than those serving only local dishes.

The large hotels, lodges and resorts all have restaurants that serve International cuisine; these establishments cater to tourists and their menus offer both local dishes as well as different more traditional Western foods.  The ingredients for both the International and Rwandese dishes are the same; it is the preparation and combination of foods that differ.  Local dishes are not spicy or hot; blandness is the norm.  Hotels serve eggs, pancakes, fruits and cereals for breakfast.

For travelers, there is little to be nervous about with respect to eating in Rwanda; the dishes are simple, made from well-known ingredients and prepared without a lot of sauces and spices.  There are few surprises, such as in neighboring Congo, where monkey is regularly eaten, or in Uganda, where the traditional breakfast favorite is a stew of bananas and cows intestine; the favorite snack in Uganda is fried grasshoppers.  So, when you come to go Mountain Gorilla tracking, birding or hiking one of the volcanic mountains in Rwanda, you have nothing to fear in terms of what you will eat.

Another new baby gorilla has been born from Mgahinga national park.

Amazing. Anew baby gorilla has been welcomed to the Nyakagezi gorilla family at Mgahinga national park situated in south western Uganda. The new born was given birth to by cyizanie of the senior female gorilla in that family. It’s always good news when there are births in the endangered gorilla families as its assign of hope an increment in number of the gorillas, it’s also thrilling experience when the occurrence is evidenced by the tourists on gorilla tracking tours. This time round it was witnessed Dina Tamimi an American tourist.

 following the link below  to view the view.  

click here to watch the video

CHOICE OF TRAVEL DESTINATION IS EXCITING AND EQUALLY CONFUSING

An Exciting boat cruise in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda Photo Credit; Mweya Safari Lodge

We travel for many reasons and everybody dreams of traveling to get wonderful experiences of life beyond our backyard. When it is travel for pleasure we want it to happen there and then, but quite often we get mixed reactions about the choice of our destinations. The travel magazines have amazing images and captions of ideal destinations (in general but you are traveling as you), the social media is awash with very attractive videos of what are “most” ideal destinations (often different from print media). We seek genuine answers from friends who have travelled to different destinations and each one is rating his destination as the best. We are at cross roads and with no compass of what choice to go for.  We are running out of time and patience. We feel like we are getting late and should travel now. What forms a basis for our choice of travel?

The choice of travel destination should be appealing to the traveler. The individual traveler is the final consumer of the travel experiences. He knows the quality of lifestyle he wants. Whereas some travelers’ dream activity could be mountaineering or spot hunting to others’ it could be hot air balloon safaris, urban travel, interacting with indigenous people to others could be interested in wildlife safari. Most likely a combination of these beautiful attractions may not be in the same destination. Therefore the choice of your destination should be a place that easily gets you to your interests. I have taken clients on many safaris, and even when we travel in the same car, see same attractions in the destination, each one has his particular item that excited him most. One time someone mentioned an olive baboon when the ranger guide excited him with interesting facts about their habits. No one has ever cited it amongst his interests after all one man’s meat may be another man’s poison!  

We choose travel destinations with unique attractionsthat take us out of the ordinary to breath a fresh air, make new discoveries and introduce us to life experiences beyond our everyday. We cast off a little bit of our everyday lifestyle and temporary move with the events in our destination.  The world is so big and unless otherwise we aspire to go different destinations and explore their wonderful attractions within. With the increasing travel costs, limited budget and time at our disposal travelers need to smartly select a destination that satisfies their interests. Unless a combination of other factors come in, most travelers rarely repeat their travel destinations and opt for new challenges.

We need to feel at home and appreciated more than ever before. Travelers should easily gel with indigenous people and get first hand experiences of their lifestyle.  Wisely make brief research about and make comparisons between different travel destinations, learn about the society norms and cultural beliefs to minimize cultural clash and embarrassing experiences that can stand in your to achieving your happiness.  Ideal destinations have caring indigenous people with experienced staff in strategic locations to easily share their wonderful lifestyles.  Indigenous communities need to be welcoming and sensitized that their everyday experiences are actually new to the travelers.  In a way what could be odd behavior by most travelers is generally not intentional but minor cultural clash and taken lightly.

Quite often we need to travel to places with very rich and appealing history, strategic locations and accompanying geographical features to spice up our travel. The outstanding scenic landscapes, terrain, wildlife, prominent natural features that were visited by prominent and inspiring personalities are some of the travel magnets that bring other travelers to walk in their footsteps and go through what their idols experienced. Every year millions of Roman Catholic Pilgrims travel to Holy lands to get live experiences of the Biblical times, the same way Moslems travels to Mecca. Places with rich history attract a very big share of travelers in need to get real experiences of their historical heroes.   

Much as we travel as individuals in one way our entire nuclear society at home, work places or hangout joints travel with us. Often they have us in their minds offering instant consolations anytime just in case something does not work according to travel plans. Likewise they offer encouragement and cerebrate with us when we have achieved our travel plans. They begin looking to the forthcoming reunion with great zeal in anticipation of listening to appealing stories of our achievements say life on top Mount Ruwenzori at 5109m.  With advanced science and improved technology an ideal travel destination must have easy access to record and share every event experiences with friends and nuclear family members. The faster the information flows, the easier it excites the recipients. We live in a global village with smooth information flow and though on travel we have to keep abreast with and monitor events at home.

Chobe Lodge, Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda with majestic views of River Nile. Photo; Chobe Lodge

All initial home plans once complete, get a reliable travel partner based in the home country topolish up all plans and erase all your travel worries. They live in the destination country you intend to visit and trust me you can do everything on your own, but remember they have everyday experiences of what you are yet to begin on. You have someone to say thank you when your travel plan is gone smooth.  Some safaris go awfully wrong and you have someone to blame; where it goes wrong with a reliable travel agent due to unavoidable events I lack the right word to put it if you were on your own!  However, experience shows that a reliable travel partner performs to exceed travelers’ expectations to get business recommendations.  With use of their wonderful service quite often hours on your travel will seem shorter and time run faster because everything is running smoothly according to plan.

A BEAUTIFUL BISHOP PAINTING AFRICAN WILDERNESS RED

Northern red bishop perchrd on thorn Acacia tree

The African wilderness if fulloutstanding worldly wonders and quite often while on game viewing safari insearch of the most preferred wildlife species tourists get caught unawares and overwhelmed by unexpected discoveries they make. There is a very vibrant wildlife in Africa and not merely Mountain gorillas, lions, rhinos and other large mammals per se.  Just get the basic facts about the Northern Red bishop aka Franciscan Bishop aka West Nile Red Bishop; an averagely small bird by any margin but oozing beauty and equally interesting facts.

The Northern Red bishop is naturally an African grassland species of bird from the finch’s family inhabiting a belt of tropical grasslands south of the Sahara desert but north of the equator line. The bishops feed on plant seeds, grains, insects and plants that are largely abundant in plain grassland Because of its stunningly attractive plumage it was introduced to United States of America and is spreading wide in California, Los Angeles, Texas, Jamaica, Virgin Island, Japan and some other nearby environment.

Breeding male bishops are purely red in color save for head, waist and tails. Non breeding males are dull yellow tending towards white on the edges of plumage. The mature bishops averagely 13-15 cm length from head to tail are generally small in size but highly social birds that breed and nest and in colonies while they also foliage in flocks with other weaver species.

Mature male bishops make several beautiful round shaped nests widely seen on safaris in Uganda, on edges between tall grasses or in between branches of low trees twisting grasses and other plant materials while at the same time making erotic displays; fluffing their brightly colored feathers and romantic flights to attract attention of flocks of female suitors. As soon as he identifies his favorite targets he abandons the rest of the female flock and concentrates on selected few with whom he mates in cycles. Meanwhile each female monopolizes the nest it has acquired by marking it with feathers and other loose plant material as a sign of repelling rivals. Each female partner lays 2-4 eggs that both male and female roost simultaneously and after averagely 14 days of incubation may yield a lone clutch or two in favorable conditions. Within 18-20 days after hatching the young ones are able to leap out of nests on their own and live independently of others by 3 weeks. On average Northern red bishops have a lifespan of 12 years.  

Breeding Northern red bishop

Travelers on African wildlife safaris have high expectations of what to see basing on what is in print media and what see in social media. However, the process of getting to the desired destinations, the means of transport used and what happens in between before seeing what they already aware of matter much in the same way as the attractions. A safari guidewho is very conversant with wildlife events and the conditions on the grounds, quite often makes the safari very exciting and many times exceeding the tourists’ expectations.

BWINDI BABY BOOMERS

 November 11^th, the official Remembrance Day in the Western World, has a new significance for Uganda.  It will be remembered as the birth date of yet another Mountain Gorilla in Uganda’s infamous Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park.  Businza,, an adult female of the Rushegura Mountain Gorilla Family, gave birth in the morning of November 11^th; the third addition to the endangered Mountain Gorilla population in 3 months.  The news speaks volumes of the consistency and sustainability of the conservation efforts that have been employed to ensure a safe and healthy environment for this unique primate specie. 

The Mountain Gorillas can only be found in the Virunga Range of Mountains, which spread across parts of Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo; the greatest numbers being in Uganda.  These are the primates that Dian Fossey studied and protected for years.  There is little doubt that all the efforts of the 3 governments, the respective Wildlife people, and the tourist industry…. in particular, the Ugandas has done wonders to create such a safe welcoming habitat for these Mountain Gorillas.

Congratulations to Businza, the Ugandan Wildlife Association, the Bwindi National Park Rangers, as well as everyone in Uganda.  This is very exciting news.

SURVIVE LIKE AN IMPALA; AN ELEGANT SAVANNA ANTELOPE

Elegant male Impala with erect ears and sharp pointed horns posing for the camera

Impala are beautiful medium sized antelopes living in big herds in eastern southern African savannah grasslandand woodland. Adult males have horns that look quite large for their averagely 35-65kgs bodies while females averagely 30-48kgs and infants are hornless. Physically strong adult males form large territories demarcated with urine and faeces on prominent structures like trees, anthills, tree stumps. Here they live in big herds with other meek adult males, females and their infants. The territories are jealously guarded with heavy battles against intruders and dominance by another male in power struggle. Quite often the loser in the battle joins nearby females or juveniles herds with slightly less members.

The African wildernessconditions are hard with harsh challenges to all mammals from the moment they are born with predators lurking nearby to mount attacks for their own survival and unfavourable weather conditions like floods and drought. Pregnant impalas have special survival technique in which they can withhold giving birth till the climatic conditions are favourable for their own survival and the young ones. Most often they give birth at end rain season for there will be plenty of pasture to feed on and nourish the young one and warm temperatures for the young one. Big numbers of age mate infants are a common sight in impala herds on tour to Uganda's savannah grassland national parks.  On the dot of birth, the young impala starts staggering on its legs and in a few hours is able to move from one place to another, able to suckle and discern unique barks and snorts from the mother alerting of safety or warning alerts to take cover under vegetation. In a few days he is able to chew up on soft grass and fend on its own.

Herd of female Impalas with erect ears (radars) and wide open eyes to detect threat posed by tourists

On safaris to Uganda you encounter Impalas living in herds which reduce misfortunes of predator attacks on individual and spread chances of survival to every member in the herd. Each individual’s survival depends on whole herd’s alertness with high senses of hearing to discern the direction and estimate the distance the threat is in, accurate sense of sight with coloured vision to identify the threats, estimate nearest distance in between them and devise next course of action and high sense of smell to detect body odour of predators and even estimate the time the predator was around particular spots. At the zero hour of predator attacks the whole herd of impalas scatters in different directions in zig zag formation to confuse the enemy spot weak individuals. They are speedy antelopes quite often racing at more than 50km/hr with agility to leap over obstacles 10m long and 3m high. When cornered the impala have strong legs with which they kick the enemy and their sharp pointed hooves (and horns for males) quite often tear into, injure and disable the enemy giving some impalas another shot at life. Remember the law of the jungle? Survival for the Fittest. Only the injured, sick, pregnant, senile, infants and unfortunate ones become victims of the game. Otherwise a healthy Impala is no match to even the strongest predators.  

TIPS TO ORGANISING A MEMORABLE EVENT

Mcs woowing the audience at Miss Tourism, Uganda 2016 Beauty contest              Photo Credit Ssebuuma Ivan's Photography

Quite often we have attended social functions and we always rate the quality of the function depending on the services provided sometimes by people we may never have expected to meet at all. The host has invested his substantial capital andinvaluable time to make it happen yet may not be reachable by everyone at the function and therefore his assembled team are conveyor belts between him and the guests. There should always be effective communication flow between the two parties (guests and host) necessitating delivery of very accurate information at an appropriate time. Read the environment cautiously, package the message very appropriately and deliver it on time. Hastily delivered message may cause panic, suspicion or embarrassment when retrieving it with apologies while withholding message makes it stale and old news at the time of delivery.

Make the function colourful and entertaining to suit the occasion. The dressing code, body posture and gesture, the tone and volume of talking and other minor things send messages to the guests and appropriately move them in certain moods. Read ahead of function and have facts on your finger tips, spice and sweeten them up and deliver them each at its appropriate time and tone. Take control of guests’ moods and keep them on their toes with timely excitements after another.

Be eloquent, smart, fast learner and alert of events even outside your background to make the event sociable.  Quickly take control of guests’ moods, get their names right, blend with them and make them feel welcome and at ease. Very fast read their gender composition, dressing code, estimate their age bracket. Do not over assume you are always right. Your assessment and judgement may be wrong. When in doubt tactfully and politely inquire and get answers from them without appearing to be sectarian. In most cases these are some factors that determine particular groups’ interests and give you an angle of how to keep them entertained.

Going an extra mile to keep the guests entertained. Colouful dressing and rare dancing strokes. Photo Credit Ssebuuma Ivan

An event should have a lifespan however entertaining and colourful and cannot last forever. It becomes monotonous and boring. The first sin was committed in the Garden of Eden according to our Christian teachings yet it was most beautiful place ever created.  Work within time schedule to appropriately convey the intended messages accompanied by entertainment.  Guests put aside their routine activities to grace your occasion and there is life beyond this occasion. Do away with unnecessary delays. Should there be unplanned interruptions towards delivery of quality service, be innovative enough and have plan B. No one wants to be held at ransom or prisoner against his will by unplanned events. Having an innovative team that reads events ahead of time is one sure way of delivering quality and timely service on an occasion.

With good planningand a team aware of the importance of an event and ready to offer their utmost to its success, there is no doubt anyone can organise an event that will raise eyebrows of guests and pierce everlasting impressions in their hearts. 

Interesting facts about the okapis

Okapi believed to be the only existing relative of the giraffes. Hail from the parts of central Africa precisely Congo with in the Virunga region. They prefer dense places and moist areas i.e. forested areas hence justifying their stay in the forested areas of Congo.

 Their existences is endangered due to the fact that their habitats/ homes are being cleared for different activities and their susceptibility to different infection like bacteria, fungal and other diseases that drastically reduced on their number. Okapis are herbivore and they mainly feed on grass, leaves and small plants to supplement their diet.

Interesting facts about okapis.

Okapis resemble the zebras because of the stripes but are mores close to the giraffes regarding there structures and outlook.

Okapis are normally dark purple in color and reddish brown, contain white horizontal stripes on their front and hind legs.

The female okapis are bigger than the males, with the male weighting 440 pounds and the females weighting 700 pounds.

The okapis have long tongues about 18 inches and it when stretched it reaches their ears and eyes.

The okapi tongue is sticky meaning that is used to stripe leaves and buds from several trees they feed on. Besides eating fruits and twig.

Okapis have got huge ears and brilliant hearing sense which is mainly used for detection of possible attacks or danger from predators.

The okapis have a life span of 20 to 30 years.

The female’s gestation period last about 14 and 16 months and it ends with one calf.  The young okapi looks much like and adult animal.

 For the proper viewing of his beautiful creatureS one can under take Rwanda tour or  a Congo safaris visiting virunga National park 

Golden Monkey facts

Golden monkey also known as (Cercopithecus kandti) are undeniably the most enchanting monkey species that are living .They found in the i.e. the Virunga volcanic mountain in central Africa, south west Uganda at mgahinga, kahuzi-biega national park Congo and  volcanoes national park Rwanda. However their famous location has be deemed to be volcanoes national park, they are restricted to the highland forest especially where bamboo is present. The bamboo serves as their main source of foods besides other supplementary diet such as fruits shrubs, flowers and to a lesser extent insects.

The current species are believed to be sub species of the blue monkeys which are also known as the (Cercopithecus mitis). Unlike this blues, the golden monkey still derive their names from the color that they possess, the golden color on their cheeks and close to orange color on their backs.

These incandescent creatures behavior is not so much into the lime light but the live in groups of about 30 -60 in number, the  groups thought to be in higher elevations tend to be few in number. They usually return to their sleeping areas after feeding in the day. The sleep in groups of four on top of the bamboo trees usually the dense ones which is combination of several bamboo trees.

Gorilla Behavior from social to individaul.

General behaviors 

Gorillas are non-territorial and normally live in families called troops consisting of 1 to 4 males  normally headed by alpha male ( silver back)which the biggest and most powerful. Other juvenile males are also referred to as black backs.

The adolescent females usually leave their groups and transfer to another group at the age of 8 years when they are about to give birth. And after giving birth there, they become permanent members of that particular family. The ranks of the females are usually determined by the way and the time in which they entered the groups, late arrivals to groups don’t yield any substantive benefits. The reasons females join other groups is to have their offspring’s guarded by the silver back/ alpha males in that troop.

 An adolescent male usually splits from the original group in pursuit for a group to dominate and lack of breeding opportunities, after leaving, the young male may remain friendless for several years until he forms his own group.

The troops usually range from 2 to 12 and 9 being the average number of individuals per group. When the groups consist of several silver-backs, they are usually the sons of the alpha male/silver back. The biggest number that has ever existed in a group are 4 sliver backs, 12 adult females, 5 black backs and 16 young.

Common behavior

The alpha males/ silvers back are  aggressive this is attributed to the fact that they are in charge of the entire troop’s well fair and any weakness on their side could jeopardize the entire troop. Most of the major decisions in the group are usually still made by the alpha male, answerable to most of the calls and also take the largest share of food.

The female adult are not much bonded to the fellow females but they keep a close watch and with the silver backs. In other word they compete favorably for the silver back attention towards them. But they are also in close bong with their young ones.

Gorilla also give each other nose to nose gestures as a sign of greetings in addition to embracing and touching.

Individual character

Ordinarily gorilla build nests when the nesting materials are sufficient and the presence of these materials determines the where one beds. The material consists of tree branches, tree and shrubs, the little ones sleep in their mothers nest until they are old enough to make their own nests. How the practice of nest building by an infant starts at the age of 8 months.

TICKLING WEATHER SPICES UP OUTDOOR FUN FILLED VACATION

Warm weather is so ideal for beach holidays 

Uganda lies in the tropics and the Equator line; path of the sun bisects her into the north and southern hemisphere. Uganda’s terrain is generally a flat plateau with the Albertinerift valley taking up much of her western axis lying in the shadows of the Rwenzori Mountains.  Uganda receives two seasons of high rainfall (Mar-May and Oct-November) averaging 1000mm-2000mm not too much to cause constant hailstorms and floods and also two dry seasons (Dec-Feb and June-Aug) averaging 26⁰ C not too hot to cause drought and aridity.

Uganda’s climatic and weather conditions are regulated by natural factors like location in the heart of Africa’s great lakes region surrounded by massive water bodies (Lake Victoria the largest flesh water lake on earth after Lake Superior, Lake Edward, Lake Albert and the Nile the longest river in the world). To this add a thick land cover with equatorial rain forest, savannah grassland and grassland woodland and wetland vegetation that yield to mild amounts of convectional rainfall.

Cool and serene environment for oudoor 

Uganda’s border lines are dominated by high altitudinal elevation with the Rwenzoris (5110m) and Muhabura (4127m) prominent features on the western axis bordering DR Congo while Mt Elgon (4321m) and Morungole (2150m) cannot be missed in the east bordering Kenya. These features have an effect of either yielding high relief rainfall or causing the rain shadow and low rainfall.  The above factors and large doses of heat in the tropics; paths of the sun make Uganda receive a pleasurable mix of cool and warm temperatures that support plant growth for man and his livestock and an ever growing wild vegetation that supports mammals, birds, insects, reptiles and other wildlife species.  A combination of aromatic smell of wilderness;air so pure and chaste and cool breezes with light torrents of rain gently caressing your skin make Uganda a magnet for those in search of holiday thrill and  fun. With a high sense of security vigilance for individual and properties, safari to Uganda is an authentic way of having your lifetime adventure dreams fulfilled at any time of the year.  

mountain hiking

Have you ever woken up with the zeal to carry out mountain hiking? Well you are not alone, interest of carrying out mountain hiking dates back to several years ago, with it being fueled by different reasons which include climbing to achieve the satisfaction of reaching the peak while others consider it as a sport, other its simply tourism activity. While on a trip to Rwanda, you cannot avoid the thrill involved in climbing mountain which is considered as one of the major tourism activity. The mountains where Rwanda hiking is carried out include mountain karisimbi, Volcanoes Mountain Rwanda and mountain Bisoke.

BEAUTY IS CONTAGIOUS; THE BEAUTIFUL MOUNTAIN GORILLA NEIGHBOURS

Cute and smiling faces of Rwandans are everywhere and in plenty
 

Rating Rwanda as a spectacularly beautiful landlocked country located in the heart of Central Africa, is an understatement for beauty is relative and one man's meat is another man's poison. Let us just try to give a true picture of Rwanda and just trying. It is one of the 3 only countries (others are Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo) on planet earth to have a natural habitat Mountain gorillas; The Volcanoes National Park. Please note there are no Mountain gorillas in any zoo or animal park anywhere for they cannot adapt to any other conditions apart from their natural habitat. With less than 1000 of these gentle species categorized on International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red list as critically endangered and needing urgent protection due to their loss of habitat, illegal trade, hunting for bush meat and other reasons gives an adventure traveler a noble reason to visit Rwanda and in one way contribute towards the survival and existence of Mountain gorillas.

Rwanda; an awesome country with an extremely beautiful, cheerful people

On a safari to Rwanda you find Rwandan people; a beautiful, welcoming, lovely, warm and caring and have shared land their natural habitat and a scarce resource that is not elastic with wildlife. Their history has not been smooth and the people passed through turbulent times most notable the recent 1994 genocide; an internal conflict that almost erased an entire ethnic community out of human race as the rest of the world was watching. The Rwandan people learnt bitter lessons, have put that behind them and have embraced a very positive cultural experience and together are moving forward with the rest of the global world. Their warm, welcoming, cheerful and friendly nature makes them highly rated amongst the most loving on planet earth.  Combining your Safari into Rwanda and mingling with the localcommunities that you encounter gives you an opportunity to embrace their lifestyle, sample  the traditional dishes, learn about the day to day activities, the tools in homesteads, dressing styles, songs, music and dance, there are all indicators you will fall in love with their livelihood.

Appropriate time to do gorilla tracking

 There has been lots of question and debates concerning the best time to track gorillas is Rwanda. Published blogs, websites, news sites etc. have to discussed  similar questions. But the fact remains that one can track gorillas in any time of the year.  Since the area where this huge primates are located lies along the tropical rain forests, and the chances of receiving rainfall is such as areas on a daily basis more likely. Any question in regard to weather patterns dictating the gorilla tracking activity does not matter.

So in case one is interested in carrying out gorilla tracking in Rwanda, he/she should know that there is no appropriate time and that it can be carried out in any time of the year.

Mountain gorillas stand a chance to be the list of endangered animals’ species on this planet. They found in Rwanda at the Virunga ranges and volcano national park. In Uganda they are found at Bwindi impenetrable forest national park and mgahinga national park.in DR Congo they are found in Virunga national park in Congo.

Rwanda gorilla families and their silver back heads

As one plans another exquisite journeys to Rwanda also known as the land of thousand hills, He/she has to know that the major tourism attractions are the gorillas. Rwanda is said to be home of almost half of gorilla population in the world.

 These huge primate presence in Rwanda is traced ways back to so many years ago. Other primates living in the Rwanda include the chimpanzees and the golden monkeys living both present volcanoes Rwanda national park.  The Rwanda gorillas are classified into 10 groups or families they are located in the different parks of the forest and they are meant to be tracked by maximum of 8 people.

Below are the list of gorilla families that reside in volcanoes Rwanda national park.

The Susa family: This group was named after Susa River that goes through the confines of these group’s residence, they are 23 in number and consisting of 3 silverbacks, They normally stick to the mountain ranges hence making then difficult to track because navigating across mountain ranges is quit tedious.

The karisimbi family: they are also referred to as the Susa B family their name suggestion is attributed the fact that they broke out for the Susa family it consists of 15 members. It lives in on the ranges of mountain karisimbi.

Sabinyo family: this group is named after the Sabinyo Mountain consists of 8 members in the group. They are the easiest members to track because they are closer. Their alpha is called Gironde, he’s the most powerful and highly built of all alphas.

The Amahoro family:  this family consists of 17 members and they are the most peaceful of all gorilla families in Rwanda as their name suggests.

Umubano group: The family name means neighborliness, it has 11 members. They broke up from the Amahoro family after Charles their head maturing into an alpha male and hence formed their own family.

13 group as also called the Agasha:  this family originally consisted of 13 members but later expanded to 25.Agashya is the alpha, he become one after overthrowing nyakarima  in a horrific fight that left some injured. He later moved to volcanoes and established himself there.

Kwitonda family:  This hilarious groups consists of 18 members with the alpha male being called kwitonda and the also name means humble, it has two silver backs and one black back male. This particular group is difficult to track because they are always roaming form one place to another hence making it difficult to get them in specified place.

Hirwa group: Hirwa in its originally means the lucky one.

Bwenge family:  this family consists of 11 members and is headed by Bwenge the sliver back, they are normally found in the slopes of Karisoke Mountain.

Ugenda family: This pleasant family lives at the slopes of mountain Karisimbi.it consists of 11 members with two silverbacks. The family name means always on the move correlating with their behaviors of moving from on place to another. They are also difficult to track because of their mobility.

"BAPTISING" BABY GORILLAS IN AFRICAN JUNGLES; KWITA IZINA

A smiling drumming group entertains guests at Kwita Izina

In all communities naming of children is an important cultural practice and each individual has a unique name separating him from the rest. In African culture everything (humans, livestock, different locations, tree species, tools of use in homesteads, period of time, many other things) had a name by which it is able to be identified. Human names carry a lot of significance and are based on family lineage, number of children born at ago (twins, triplets, quadruplets, etc), events at time of birth (peaceful, war, epidemic) period of time (drought, rainy, harvest or plant season, etc), circumstances of birth (in captivity, in exile, etc), mood during time pregnancy or at birth (joyful, mournful, sorrowful), conditions under which one was born, place of birth (roadside, water spring, riverside) many others. By mentioning a particular name, society members are able to read a lot into the events of the time at birth.

HE Paul Kagame is ever present at Kwita Izina; a political statement of government commitment.

In East Africa there is an important cultural ceremony of Kwita Izina (baby naming ceremony) for infant Mountain gorillas in Rwanda as a way of monitoring separate gorilla families and appreciating important roles these primate species play in economic development of the country. Mountain gorillas are highly endangered and face extinction due to habitat loss to human settlement and encroachment, poaching and illegal wildlife trade.

Baby gorilla naming is a way of celebrating nature and continued humanity commitment of protecting and conserving wildlife as an important resource on the planet. Each gorilla baby is named by an important personality in Rwanda, wildlife and conservation fraternity and entire globe whose role in many ways bring a long lasting landmark in improving the livelihood of the people in the Rwandan and global society. From 2005 when the maiden Kwita Izina ceremony was held 238 infant gorillas have been named to this day. A huge step in conservation efforts and as such the event could be termed one of the most high successful conservation effort!  

Rwandan dancers cement Kwita Izina with cultural performances

Take a safari to Rwanda and be part of Kwita izina ceremony at Kinigi on the fringes of Volcanoes National Park; gorilla natural habitat, an exciting cultural gala of dance, music, cerebration and entertainment on tourism calendar; September of each year. It attracts a lot of attention and international media in which important personalities in different fields; conservation, government, science, research, security, philanthropy, tourism, international community and other fields mingle together and cerebrate co existence in the end increasing the government income through generating revenue on the event. The Kwita izina is a rare ceremony of historical significance that mixes adventure and discoveryinto Rwandan history, traditional, political and economic customs and in many ways an authentic way fulfilling a dream African safari.

IRRESISTIBLE CHARM ON EVERY AFRICA SAFARI

Herd of Rothschild's giraffes in Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda.

Africa is a continent full of interesting things and safari into Africa never run out surprises. There is irresistible charm and beauty in land forms, ever green vegetation on the blink of bursting with high densities of mammal, bird, reptile, insect and other species.

Take a safari into Africa and interact with indigenous African peoples in their traditional lifestyles; music, ceremonies, rituals, dresses, tools, homesteads, economic activities and many others and discover unrivaled wealth of tastes, sights and sounds. Just take a back seat, relax and enjoy Africa; a destination majestically crafted to stir your dream adventure senses with maximum comfort in less expensive and cost friendly environment. 

                                             Beautiful Lake Kivu in Rwanda/Democratic Republic of Congo

The Congo Nile Trail

Stretching from the western part beginning along Lake Kivu from Rubavu through Rutsiro past Karongi, Nyamasheke and comes to an end at Rusizi district making about 227km ( 141 miles) this is the Congo Nile trail. Within the same localities arises several land forms and features that make Rwanda stand out remarkably. The features include the rolling reliefs, Lake Kivu coastal ranges and other several human features like the museums and cultural experiences/attractions.

The Congo Nile trail offers travelers the most thrilling activities that enables them to explore and discover Rwanda such activities include biking, drives along Lake Kivu, Hiking and camping.

THE LEAPING GOLD IN VIRUNGA FORESTS; THE GOLDEN MONKEYS

Golden monkey is a species of monkey only confined in some parts of the Virunga corridor of Eastern central Africanthat extends three countries; Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Rwanda (same habitat for Mountain gorillas!). Their conducive habitats are areas of high elevation with thick and dense Afromontane forests in the Mgahinga Gorilla (Uganda), Virunga and Kahozi-Biega (Democratic Republic of Congo) and Volcanoes national parks of Africa. These areas receive the  highest amounts rainfall that sustain constant and continuous plant growth so as to provide enough shoots, young leaves, shrubs, fruits, flowers, their main staple food. Heavy rains likewise speed up rotting and decaying of dead plant material in which insects lay their eggs that form a complimentary diet for the Golden monkeys.

Golden monkeys are social animals that live in groups called troops with members ranging between 3 to 70 of grandparents and their descendants. Adult male members weigh between 4-12kgs (male) and 3-5kgsfor their female counterparts.

Quite unique and more of what you will learn and observe about this species of monkeys on your safari into Rwanda is that Golden monkeys make particular base stations in some secure location from which they make “bed-like” structures by improvising heavy leaves of plant material from which they always set off at sunset to browse for foliage plant life and come back late evenings for the nights.

With rapid increasing human population pressure close to protected areas and ever increasing demand for farm land and materials to use in factories to produce and satisfy human demands and needs, Golden monkeys’ conducive habitat is reducing each passing time putting them under serious threat.

Traveling with Gorilla Cousins Rwanda on planned safaris is one in many ways of raising awareness of the dangers and threats these docile monkeys face. Through paying conservation fees to visit them in their natural habitat we generate revenue wildlife protection agencies that are used in conservation awareness and combating encroachment and reducing on threat beautiful Golden monkeys.