Uganda: President tours Queen Elizabeth Park, assures on security

Uganda President Yoweri Museveni has concluded his week-long security assessment tour of the Rwenzori region with a tour of the Queen Elizabeth National Park assuring the people of Rwenzori sub-region and the country of total peace.

The President urged the people of Rwenzori region to maintain peace and security and to allow tourism to flourish for people to earn incomes. He assured Ugandans and the world that the region is largely peaceful and the security is assured along all the mountain ranges.

As part of the assessment tour, President Museveni took a boat cruise of the entire Kazinga channel where he viewed game park animals that included among others hippos, buffalos and crocodiles. He also viewed different species of birds.

He also made a brief stopover at Kazinga fishing village where a huge crowd suddenly gathered to acknowledge his greetings.

At the end of the tour, one of the game wardens Joshua Masereka who welcomed President Museveni expressed their gratitude for receiving a high profile guest at the park. He said the area is very peaceful and urged tourists to emulate President Museveni by visiting Queen Elizabeth National Park.

The guide Mr. Christopher Naitala also thanked President Museveni for visiting the park and for ensuring peace and security in the region.

The President later held a press briefing at Mweya Safari Lodge in Kasese district during which he shared with the country the situation in the region.

Queen Elizabeth National Park is understandably Uganda’s most popular tourist destination. The park’s diverse ecosystems, which include sprawling savanna, shady, humid forests, sparkling lakes and fertile wetlands, make it the ideal habitat for classic big game, ten primate species including chimpanzees and over 600 species of birds.

Set against the backdrop of the jagged Rwenzori Mountains, the park’s magnificent vistas include dozens of enormous craters carved dramatically into rolling green hills, panoramic views of the Kazinga Channel with its banks lined with hippos, buffalo and elephants, and the endless Ishasha plains, whose fig trees hide lions ready to pounce on herds of unsuspecting Uganda kob.

As well as its outstanding wildlife attractions, Queen Elizabeth National Park has a fascinating cultural history. There are many opportunities for visitors to meet the local communities and enjoy storytelling, dance, music and more. The gazetting of the park has ensured the conservation of its ecosystems, which in turn benefits the surrounding communities.

Meeting eyes with a silverback mountain gorilla across a misty jungle, after an arduous hike through Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, leaves everlasting impressions of arguably the best wildlife safari in the world.

But there’s much more to Uganda.

Rich in nature, it’s an outdoor sanctuary of crater lakes, white-sand beaches on lake islands, thundering waterfalls and national parks. A top highlight is Ngamba Island Chimp Sanctuary, where rescued and orphaned chimpanzees live out their days on an island in Lake Victoria. Visitors can cross the equator by boat there, slicing through Africa’s largest lake.

What’s new? The Pope’s landmark visit is spurring plans towards Uganda 2040, when it aims to become a middle-income nation. Infrastructure improvements are part of the plan.

“While the crowds are in the Serengeti or Masaai Mara, you’ll find a lush country with fewer tourists in Uganda,” says Thornton of Intrepid Travel. “Mountain gorillas are the main attraction but the countryside offers many activities.”

Away from the wild, you can enjoy the vibrant life of Kampala – the entertainment city of East Africa that never goes to sleep. Going East, you can travel to Jinja, the adventure capital of East Africa where the Nile begins its journey to Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea. The ashes of Gandhi, the great leader of India, were sprinkled at the source of the Nile in Jinja where they too began their journey to the rest of the world.

Wherever you go in Uganda, you are sure to enjoy the best of the people—with 56 languages and dialects, you will sample as many cultures, foods, lifestyles – all linked by the smile and warmth that defines the people of Uganda. It is a nation that bring together all peoples and probably that is why Mahatma Ghandi’s ashes were sent to the world from here at the source of the Nile.