Tourism Becomes Uganda's Main Export

Tourism has for the first time become Uganda's biggest export earner with Workers’ remittances in the second position and coffee in third after it fetched $1.4billion in financial year 2013/2014, up from $1.1billion the year before. Remittances, which is the amount of money Ugandans living abroad send home, was roughly $800m during financial year 2013/2014. Although the African Development Bank expects this figure to reach $1bn this financial year. Meanwhile, coffee, Uganda's main traditional cash crop, earned about $415m for the period between April 2013 and March 2014, according to the Uganda Coffee Development Authority. Tourism was boosted by glowing reports of the country's attractions among international tourism catalogues. Uganda is regarded Africa's best destination for birders. The country boasts of more than 1,058 bird species, accounting for 11 per cent of the globe's total, and half of Africa’s.

Lonely Planet in 2012, a reputable online tour magazine ranked Uganda number one among the top ten countries to visit. After all it is the source of the river Nile that mythical explorers sought since Roman times. It's also where savannah meets the vast lakes of East Africa, and where snow-capped mountains bear down on sprawling jungles. Visit Uganda the Africa's condensed with the best of everything the continent has to offer packed into the small, but stunning destination. Celebrations to mark Martyrs day every third day of June continue to attract thousands of people, and there are plans by Uganda tourism board to market it as a tourism attraction. Cultural events such as the circumcision ceremony, Imbalu, in Mbale attracted thousands of people-we have 56 tribes with different cultures, heritages and all are unique.

Uganda hosted the Africa Travel Association conference in November that was a remedy to  boost tourism numbers. This was a huge annual world congress of tourism lovers, which attracted delegates from all over the world. It was a big boost. The delegates visited almost every pocket of this country. This was an opportunity for hoteliers, transporters, and entrepreneurs. Uganda Tourism Board embarks on an aggressive marketing to sell the country through advertising on international media networks like CNN and BCC.

However, there have been challenges facing the sector including insufficient funds to promote the industry. This financial year, Uganda tourism board was allocated Shs 5billion though this was too little for an industry that is now a top export earner for the country. Government should at least double their budget to Shilling 10billion annually. Meanwhile, Bank of Uganda's monetary report noted that the country's trade account continued to deteriorate. Trade deficit, which is the amount of money a country spends to import above what it earns from exports, grew to $2.34billion last financial year from a $2.12billion in 2012/13.

The deficits on the trade account and income account were more than offset the surplus on the services and foreign transfers. A widening trade deficit usually leads to the depreciation of the local currency as importers pay more for foreign currency, and ultimately put further pressure on the rate of inflation. Private transfers have also declined to $934m from $976m in 2012/13.

What to Expect on a Safari in Rwanda to Trek Gorillas

Rwanda is a peaceful and safe country with very welcoming and worm people. The Kigali city area is most probably the cleanest place in all of Africa as the streets are clean and in excellent condition, free of rubbish and you feel the cleanliness of the streets when walking around the city. In fact, the respect for law forbids disposing off trash only in dustbins placed along the street or else be arrested for throwing trash in a wrong places. Generally Rwanda is a well-organized country with a lot of respect for the law

Unlike other tour experience where you are in a jeep and watching many different animals, trekking Mountain Gorillas is an active and very involving experience, which creates lifetime memories – it is simply an extraordinary experience.
When planning your gorilla trekking excursion, first you need to find a professional, attentive and flexible ground travel agent. Ask for different gorilla tour options around Rwanda, Uganda as well as into the Democratic Republic of Congo that allows organize gorilla safaris from one day to 15 days. Do good research about the your chosen local agent checking if they have membership with the country’s tourism body, check for tripadvisor.com. Make sure to ask for a knowledgeable guide.
br /> Don’t miss out on the Kigali city tour to the national museum, the local markets, cultural dancers and a visit to the Genocide memorial site is a must and free of charge. 

Visiting the Mountain Gorillas requires you to purchase a gorilla permit for  $750 permit fee and a one-day visit possible and good enough, but you have come this far and I would recommend another day as you will not only be able to compare the different gorilla families, but guarantee you will take the perfect photo/video that you may have missed the day before!

Among what to carry for your Rwanda safari trek is Waterproof Boots and jacket as it may rain during the trek, quality/thicker-hiking pants which will protect you from stinging nettles everywhere, and gloves. Hiking poles are provided at the park station during your briefing free of charge.

At the briefing point, everyone has the chance to pick either an easy, medium or hard trek depending on capability and interest. The harder trek has larger family groups that easier trek but the longest hike may only be 2-3 hours uphill one way. The drive to each Gorilla family trailhead may also require a 1-2 hour drive.

Porters are also available to help bring your backpack if you wish but are highly recommended as your porter watches out for you.

Meeting the gorillas in their natural environment is very fantastic, Gorillas are very active and do move frequently - so just when your guide says you are close – the gorillas have moved even further up the mountain. Additionally, the guides carry machetes and will constantly be clearing a new path throughout the hike. Once you find the family, you have one hour – but surprisingly it does not go as quick as you would think
The guides are very professional and will all but guarantee you will get close enough for an experience you would not forget

Gorilla trekking is wonderful even for the Disable

Don’t cancel your lifetime dream of visiting gorillas in Africa simply because of a disability. Your dream is very possible and can meet the gentle giants in Uganda, Rwanda and DRC.

There a few tips you need to know while planning to go for your gorilla safari adventure including;

Its always and added advantage to book your gorilla permit months before you go for your safari to visit the gorillas. If you have booked through a local tour operator, make sure, they send you a scan copy of your gorilla permit to be sure its been purchased. Although some travelers testify to have successfully bought permits the day before gorilla tracking, that’s very unreliable.

For Physical ability Prior to the trek

Inform your guide of any physical disabilities before you book your trip. Be very specific with your tour operator and make sure all answers given and the way your trip is to be conducted suites your health abilities. Always guides are very supportive and reassuring as well as helpful.

Notify your guide at the pickup point from the airport, though most time he will have been informed by his manager.

At the point of gorilla trekking, your guide will notify the park wardens in charge about your difficulty so that you are assigned to an easier group. Alternatives if you would prefer a tough trek so as too meet gorillas at a higher altitude, you can hire porters to carry you and your backpack up the terrain, some people need stretchers.

The Actual Trek

During your gorilla tour, porters will assist you as requested during the trek but go out of their way to help you through the dense vegetation. The porters can carry you, or keep to your sides making it easy for you to move and keep up the pace with your group. At the start the hike is okay but gets steep as you fight through the plants and the wet mud. The park rangers guiding the trek will often time stop for a regular break to catch your breath and relax a bit.

The gorillas:
Finally meeting the gorillas is actually more remarkable than imagined before. We visited the Titus group consisting of 12 members in which 2 or 3 were silverbacks, a few females, a 3 year old, a 3 month old and some other young ones that were off exploring the forest. You spend an hour with them and as much as it would have been magical for the 3 year old to have made it all the way to where I was sitting, the guides had to pull me away. This is understandable so that the gorillas don't get infected with human illnesses.

Tip on Things to take:
- Pack garden gloves very helpful so pack a pair
- Buy trekking shoes which provide great ankle support (the ones that come above the ankle bone)
- Carry a bottle of Water
- Snacks (we started at 9am and finished at 5pm due to the type of group we were in)
- If you get tired quickly, take sugar or glucose loaded snacks/drinks. Some people usually need that to have enough energy
- Take something if you get sick easily by altitude (the easy trek isn't too bad but some people need to rest and catch their breath)
- Long sleeve rain jackets and warm clothes of course
- Thick pants that are easy to tuck into your socks (you wouldn't want mud going upto your shoes.
- Beanie if you like (mine came in handy for the colder parts)
- Walking sticks are provided at the station
- Of course cameras! We had a DSLR with an 18-200 and another with a 70-300mm lens. Both were handy. Zoom lens are a plus IF you don't get too close to them.
- Light day pack even though the porters can carry them for you
- Like many other have mentioned here, it's actually helping the locals to higher porters. They go out of their way to assist you during trek, as well the small tip given to them feeds their families


You even get a certificate of appreciation for completing the trek