SAVANNAH RESORT HOTEL; AN IMPRESSIVE STOP POINT BETWEEN BWINDI AND QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL PARKS

Savannah Resort Hotel positioned amid the Uganda gorilla safari destination of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and the Uganda wildlife safari destination of Queen Elizabeth National Park stand as an ideal spot on which the travelers can settle for lunch or overnight between these two destinations without paying the park entrance fees.
The Hotel stands at 43km from Bwindi and 8km from Queen Elizabeth National Park’s southern sector of Ishasha presenting a good ground to explore the critically endangered mountain gorillas and the tree climbing lions
Savannah Resort Hotel presents accommodation in a range of rooms including the thirty two (32) bandas that are grass thatched, ten (10) standard rooms along with two (2) deluxe suites configured as single, double, twin and triple bandas which are all en suite and to the comfort of travelers on safaris in Uganda.
The rooms feature the private balconies including both the deluxe and standard rooms. The deluxe suites go an extra mile to incorporate amenities like dining, kitchenette, walk in closet and lounge not forgetting an interconnecting baby nursery.
Savannah Resort Hotel features minimum facilities including internet, free parking, Airstrip with daily scheduled flights to and from Kampala and Business Center. The Hotel features an extensive 18-hole golf course and a Swimming pool that combine to make it a perfect resort in Uganda’s country side.

THE KIGALI BASED TURKISH EMBASSY STARTS VISA ISSUING

The trade and travel relations between Turkey and Rwanda are destined to spur further following the move to issue the visas to Turkey by the Embassy of Turkey in Kigali. It can be noted that the Rwandans have been getting the Visa from Turkish embassy based in Kampala Uganda other than Kigali but with the new arrangement, everything will be sorted out in Kigali.
The Turkish Embassy will be issuing the Visas at its offices along Kagugu Road KG426 No: 8 in the suburb of Nyarutarama Kigali City – the main gateway for Rwanda safari undertakers.  The move to have Visas issued in Rwanda has been welcomed with two hands by a range of operators including the Turkish Airlines General Manager Omer Faruk Korkmaz as it would make travel between these countries easier.
The economic relations between these two states are believed to increase with more Rwandans traveling to Turkey which will in turn create a linkage and have the Turkish also travel to Rwanda including taking up Rwanda safaris.
Apparently, Rwanda Development Board already has over $400 million investment projects in the last three years from the Turkish people while the Rwanda Exports to destination Turkey have spurred to $8.5 million per annum. However, the imports double the exports which seem to be very unfortunate and the leveling of travel flow for the Rwandan traders would help to reduce the gap.  Already the business council has been put in place by the two countries with the intention of harmonizing the gap through co-ordination, trade promotion, sharing of knowledge, skills and information.
The Visa requirements include; National ID, passport, 2 photos along with other things that may be necessitated by the Turkish Embassy and at least one month advance application is advisable. The flight booking is of course among the requirements. However, those with USA, Schengen, United Kingdom or Ireland residence and/ or Visa through planned stay in Turkey can secure their Visa   on line at a cost of $30 for Single entry.
Rwanda has increased her visibility world over and the trend in her economic progress keep her a darling to many including investors while her stand on conservation especially mountain gorillas have inspired the same to take up gorilla trekking safaris in Rwanda.

THE PERI URBAN FORESTS NEED TO BE CONSERVED

Last week, the Member of Parliament Bufumbira East Eddie Kwizera presented Private members bill in the Parliament of the Republic of Uganda intended to degazette the fourteen (14) peri urban forests some of which are Uganda Safari tour sites.
The bill which was embraced by Ephraim Kamuntu the Minister of Water and Environment despite the nation’s obligation to protect the environment and stop climate change on global scale is viewed as mischievous one intended to disorganize the Peri Urban landscapes that would rather have been conserved.
The 17,300 hectares of forest cover are set to be degazetted if the bill presented becomes successful. This move will definitely pose an impact on the local weather of these urban areas and the national climate which has been part of the attractions that inspire people to undertake safaris in Uganda.
The presented bill proposes the identification of alternative lands on which these forests will be planted and proposes the utilization of the lands where the forests are currently situated for housing and other projects like shopping centers.
The conservation advocates have come up to demean the move highlighting the loopholes that lie within it. The example of degazzetting a section of Kitubulu forest in Entebbe Municipality and then plant a new forest in the Arua District County of Vura leaves a gap on how the Entebbe Area will be protected from the weather changes arising from the lost forest cover. The Peri Urban forests stand as significant resources to the areas in which they exist including water, humidity, drainage, heat and livelihood as some of them have inspired resort developments that are of interest to Uganda tour undertakers.
Unfortunately, this comes at a time when the forest cover in Uganda is at stake. It can be noted that 50% of the forest cover was lost between 1971 to 1987 while from 1990 to 2010, an average of 88,150 ha about 1.86% per annum. This puts the total forest cover lost to 37.1% meaning that the country is left with only 13% of the forest cover that existed by 1970.
The destruction of Peri-Urban forests presents the risk of having concrete towns sacrificing the beauty, freshness and recreation and tourism. This would have an effect on the city tours in Uganda as well. An alternative would be considering the vertical housing construction, taking factories outside Urban areas and then planting trees along the city streets.
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RUBAVU; RWANDA’S NEW TOURIST DESTINATION

Rwanda Gorilla Safaris and tours have for long formed the epitome of the tour products in the destination Rwanda with fewer supplements from other regions. However, the Rubavu district has come up with remarkable resorts and beaches presenting an ideal supplement to the Rwanda’s traditional tourism circuit.
Rubavu destination is increasingly gaining prominence in the eyes of both local and international Rwanda safari undertakers which has been attributed to its remarkable attractions including;
The famous Congo-Nile trail which is a magnificent nature trail that runs from Rubavu along Lake Kivu traversing the districts of Karongi, Rutsiro, Rusizi and Nyamasheke. The trail which can be explored on bike, foot and by car is 224km in distance and can last ten (10) full days if explored by foot.
The Pfunda Tea Estate is Rubavu’s other hot spot presenting a magical encounter for the tea enthusiasts as they explore the process of tea growing, processing along with packaging and its shipping to the region of East Africa and the other parts of the world.
The Gishwati-Mukura National Park which is the recent addition to the Rwanda’s National Park list provides shelter to counts of chimpanzees, l'hoest monkeys, the black and white colobus monkeys, blue monkeys along with golden monkeys. This will enable travellers to view Chimpanzees and Colobus monkeys at a close location after gorilla trekking in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park substituting the long drive to Nyungwe in the south west.
Mount Rubavu which offers remarkable mountain hikes gaining magical views of Gisenyi town while Mount Muhungwe with the highest non volcanic peak in Rubavu offers a 7 hour hiking adventure. The more sophisticated Mountain Karisimbi takes 2 days and is ideal for active climbers.
Lake Kivu which provides the remarkable kayaking and Bilharzia free water swimming experience along with impressive resort and beach encounter on its fascinating shores also makes Rubavu unique.
With these attractions and activities, Rubavu provides an alternative escape for the world travelers planning safaris to Rwanda.