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.