Virunga Park closure: DR Congo Tourism Now Looks to Kahuzi Biega
Last month, Africa’s oldest national park, the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), was closed to tourists as it goes under a security evaluation following a series of deadly attacks.
The park has recently been beset by violence, with over 12 park rangers reportedly killed by militias and smugglers over the past 11 months. The park is home to the critically endangered mountain gorillas, elephants, chimpanzees and other wildlife.
With the closure of the park comes the big question: What next for tourism in this conflict-ridden region? Many tourists who would have wished to come and visit the park, mostly to trek the mountain gorillas, must now be asking themselves what other alternative attraction they can come and spend their tourist dollars on without looking over their shoulders.
According to Greg Bakunzi, a tour operator in Rwanda and DRC, Kahuzi-Biega National Park, also found in eastern DRC, provides an ideal option for visitors.
Eastern Lowland Gorillas
“There’s relative peace now here and despite the misfortune that befell the Virunga, tourists can still come to these parts and see what eastern DRC has to offer,” says Bakunzi.
Kahuzi-Biega National Park is home to 136 species of mammals, but the most prominent one is the Eastern Lowland Gorilla. These primates have been under constant threat, forcing park authorities to work tirelessly to make sure the species, together with other remaining mammals, are protected.
“Kahuzi-Biega National Park is the last refuge of these rare gorillas, and therefore provides visitors a unique experience to witness in their habitat these incredible animals,” adds Bakunzi, the managing director of Amahoro Tours in Muzanze.
He says there are other primates that can be seen in the park, including, among others, the eastern chimpanzee, the Colobine and Owl-Faced monkeys, together with several mammals.
Security situation remains calm
Bakunzi says that even though Kahuzi-Biega has also been affected by illegal activities like poaching, the security situation remains calm and this makes it conducive for tourists to visit.
According to a 2017 study by Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) published in Science Daily, in the eastern region of the DRC, mining operations have had devastating impacts on wildlife, even within the confines of protected areas such as Kahuzi-Biega National Park and the Itombwe Nature Reserve.
Grauer’s gorilla numbers, according to the findings, have declined by 77 per cent over the past two decades due to hunting, which the presence of mining sites continues to fuel.
Bakunzi says the issue of illegal encroachment into the park needs to be addressed by tourism and conservation stakeholders so that Kahuzi-Biega does not suffer the same fate as Virunga National Park.
“As a company dedicated to tourism, conservation and community development, Amahoro Tours is willing to jointly work with other conservation-focused organizations to find a lasting solution to the poaching menace that threatens the life of animals in the park so that tourism can continue to thrive here,” he adds.
He further says they provide forest guides who escort tourists for the three days in the park while filming the gorillas under habituation, an activity that has become increasingly popular with tourists.
“This is a great service we provide our clients to make them help in supporting the habituation and trekking of the Lowland Gorillas,” he says.
Bakunzi said they are working on proving the Kahuzi-Biega conservation study tour to those who wish to know more about the park.
Park officials optimistic
Chief park warden Dieu Byaombe said they are optimistic that tourism will continue to thrive in the park since they have put in place adequate security measures, including training and employing more rangers to bolster security.
Gloria Mwenge Bitomwa, Kahuzi-Biega’s tourism manager, said though poaching remains a threat to the park, it has become sporadic due to the heavy presence of rangers and anti-poaching sensitization campaign they have been running around the local community to educate them on the benefits of conservation.
Read MoreNigeria to Host 61st Meeting of UNWTO Commission for Africa
In an effort to better measure tourism growth and development in Africa, UNWTO signed a Cooperation Agreement with the Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation for the Strengthening of the National Tourism Statistical System of Nigeria and the Development of a Tourism Satellite Account.
UNWTO is committed to developing tourism measurement for furthering knowledge of the sector, monitoring progress, evaluating impact, promoting results-focused management, and highlighting strategic issues for policy objectives.
On the occasion of the meeting between UNWTO Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvili, and the Minister of Information and Culture of Nigeria, Mr. Lai Mohammed, the agreement to host the Sixty-First meeting of the UNWTO Commission for Africa and the Seminar on ‘Tourism Statistics: A Catalyst for Development’ in Nigerian capital, Abuja, from 4 to 6 June 2018, was signed.
The meetings will be open to the participation of UNWTO Member States and Affiliate Members, as well as invited delegations and representatives of the tourism and related sectors. Officials of immigration departments, national statistics bureaus, central banks and other relevant stakeholders will be invited to join.
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The Return of Black Rhinos to Rwanda
Since 10 years that the Black Rhinos were last spotted in Rwanda, they have finally returned to the Akagera National Park in unforgettable relocation effort. The Eastern Black Rhinos were last seen within this Savannah National Park in 2007 before they became extinct but now their population has increased to 20 Black rhinos after they were translocated (airlifted) from South Africa in May 2017. This is good news for all tourists who desire to go on Rwanda safaris to see all the Big Five animals (Elephants, Rhinos, Buffaloes, Lions and Leopards) while on a safari in Rwanda. There are less than 5000 black Rhinos remaining across their range in the Wild of which only 1000 of them are Eastern black Rhinos hence meaning they are critically endangered species. Therefore the reintroduction of the Rhinos in Rwanda is an urgent, valuable and progressive opportunity for their conservation.
The translocation efforts are the work of African National Parks-a non-profit Conservation Organization that manages National Parks around the African Continent in conjunction with support from the Rwanda Development Board and funding from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, and extra support from the People’s Postcode Lottery as well as the Dutch Government. The Eastern black Rhinos are sub-species of the Rhinoceros and are in critical danger of extinction. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) report in the 1970s, over 50 Black Rhinos loved in the Savannah habitat of Akagera National Park. After several years of struggling to combat Rhino poaching in Rwanda, a commitment was made to the President of Rwanda-Paul Kagame to support the re-introduction of Rhinos into the country because it was guaranteed that Rwanda cannot protect them and interestingly it was finally achieved.
According to the African Parks report, there were over 50 Black Rhinos in the Rwandan National Parks in the 1970s but due to poaching, most of them were decimated (destroyed) from the population with the last sighting being in 2007. Peter Fearnhead-the CEO of African Parks stated that “Rhinos are generally one of the most eminent symbols of Africa but are gravely threatened and are on the decrease in most places across the African Continent due to the tremendously profitable and illegal Rhino Horn trade. Therefore, the return of these Rhinos to the country is a proof to Rwanda’s exceptional commitment to the Conservation and is another big step in the restoration of Akagera National Park’s natural biodiversity.
Akagera National Park is an important Savannah habitat and has always been managed by the African Parks and the Rwandan Development Board from 2010. At the time management was changed, law enforcement within the National Park was improved to reduce poaching in the Park. The main aim was to restore the Park to its former glory-“Big five destination”. Due to this, over 7 lions were introduced to Akagera National Park and their population has more than doubled. To conserve and improve the safety of the translocated Rhinos, a Rhino tracking and protection unit, and a canine anti-poaching unit among others were introduced.
The conservation efforts are not for one party but are integral to supporting the endangered wildlife species as well as support Rwanda’s overall Tourism Industry, which mostly depends on people from around the World with an interest in the country’s remarkable wildlife species. Interestingly, the rhino project was listed on the Top 10 new travel listings of 2017 by the lonely Planet.
In conclusion, with the re-introduction of the black Rhinos in Akagera National Park of Rwanda, tourists can now fulfill their dreams of encountering the big five animals (elephants, buffaloes, rhinos, lions and leopards) while on safari in the country.
Read MoreThings To Do On A Safari To Rwanda
Located in central Africa and it’s also known as ‘’a land of thousand hills’’, Rwanda is the principal tourism destination that attracts tourists from different parts of the world. Like its counterpart Uganda, Rwanda is also a landlocked country and has no seaport, this central African country lifts as one of the few countries where a person can go and have a life changing experience especially when next to real nature of Africa. It has many tourism fraternities although a few people especially foreigners don’t really know what precisely makes this small country unique that almost everyone wishes not to miss visiting it. A number but some of the most interesting tourist activities one should not miss while on Rwanda safari include;
Gorilla tracking;- This is the leading attraction in Rwanda, over 80% of travelers to Rwanda visit the volcanoes national park for gorilla tracking, the park houses over 400 individuals out of 900 mountain gorillas left worldwide and Rwanda is known as the best gorilla safari destination in the world. Spending some excellence time with the gorillas in their natural environment a moment in life very difficult to forget and trust me, you will always want more of a gorilla tracking safari. A gorilla permit is a passport to anyone to see these animals in their natural habitat and you are advised to book your gorilla permit prior to your tracking dates at least 2-5 months as permits are at a very high demand the earlier to secure your permit the better to avoid inconveniences. Rwanda gorilla permits costs USD 750 per person per tracking including park entrance and a ranger guide.
Wildlife Tours;- Game drives through Akagera national park provides a great opportunity to view various species of wildlife some of which are rarely seen. Game drives can be carried out either in the morning or in the evening and some of the games expected to meet include lions, leopards, elephants, giraffes, kobs, wild pigs, buffaloes, zebras, antelopes, and many more. A wildlife safari to Rwanda is one of the most thrilling tours one will ever have as it comes with different nature wonders on top of wildlife encounters.
Cultural Tours;- Culture is certainly Africa’s best tourism lure, cultural encounter with the local people is really magnificent, especially for those who are interested in knowing how the African people live. A walk through some of the villages in the country gives visitors a chance to meet and interact with some of the elders from different cultural background. The local people will perform their traditional dance and music to foreigners and if interested they can join them through their music and dance, it’s really a great experience and I trust before getting back home you will get to learn some of the locally used words. A cultural safari to Uganda gives them a chance to find the truth by themselves and also have a remarkable experience in Africa.
Chimpanzee tracking; for primate lovers, Rwanda is a best country to go on a safari, it houses over 13 species of primates coupled with chimpanzees the most close relative of man sharing 98% of human genes. These chimpanzees are fabulous fan to watch when playing in fruitful trees or tree blanches not only chimpanzees that can be seen in the forest of Nyungwe national park, but other primate species can also be seen like the black and white colobus monkey, baboons, red colobus monkey, civet monkey the list is endless.
Other tourism activities one can think of while planning for a trip to Rwanda include; – hiking adventure, nature walks, city tours, boat ride, and more.
Read MoreKenya Safe Again for Tourists
Famous for being the ultimate wildlife safari escape Kenya is still a next dream destination for thousands worldwide with exciting vacations whether water ,beach gateways, culture or land adventures .It’s hard to take on one adventure while in the area a daily decision made by many tourists especially the wildlife lovers who end up heading for the Balloon safari in Masai Mara as an additional to the game viewing excursion. Some chose to view wildlife and also climb mountain Kilimanjaro the highest peak in Africa and also the only mountain with a breathtaking tallest free standing mountain summit. Mere looking at its striking view while in Amboseli National park is enough for you to understand why its second to none in the entire continent. Besides witnessing the battle of hungry crocodiles and large wild herds crossing the river is a great experience and a moment to cherish while in Kenya and thousands around the globe yarn to capture it.
The right time has come again for everyone to plan & book trips to Kenya any time of the year according to taste, preference and convenience after the Kenya informing all citizens and foreigners that all is well. Besides the country has started receiving tourists from its traditional source markets the UK and US, a few months after the countries lifted travel advisories to their citizens. Britain, Australia, Germany and the US are major tourism markets and the travel warnings in May last year led to massive cancellation of hotel bookings at the Coast and tours to different parts of the country a thing which impacted the entire country in one way or the other. The Kenya tourism industry was worried about its future which has turned out to be a success according to the increase in the current tourist arrivals in the country.
Around 138 from Canada, 45 from the UK, Australia and 25, 25 from Germany and had 308 tourists from the US arrived at Mombasa port on Friday with a cruise ship a cirmstance which showed Kenya that the other side of the world has regained its trust that it’s a safe country for travel any time and ready to welcome more tourists any time year round. Also the Managing director of Kenya tourism Board Muriithi Ndegwa said that “the cruise ship is a good sign of recovery for the tourism industry which was affected by the wave of terrorism in Kenya last year.“We are expecting to see more and more cruise ships,” he said. Another factor was the United states President Barack Obama’s visit in July which is believed to have attracted many American travellers to chose Kenya as their best travel destination in Africa. Above all other service providers the hotels, charter companies , tour operators are hopefull and have resumed their services even more than before to serve increasing demand of tourists to the satisfying level. Although travel can be expensive but the experience is worth it if you travel to Kenya.
Read MoreChina Trade Partnership lifts Kenya tourism
The Start of direct flights to Kenya and the increased marketing of Nairobi as a tourist destination across China is a positive trend for the growth of Chinese tourists to the East Africa region, as observed by the Kenyan Tourism Board. This is backed by the memorandum of understanding which Kenya signed with China in 2014 on cooperation to boost tourism between the two countries. Though Kenya Airways has emerged as a big loser with the launch of China Southern Airlines’ direct flights from Nairobi to Guangzhou.
Initially the national carrier had a code sharing agreement with China Southern Airlines, which authorized them to fly passengers to Guangzhou after which it would transfer them to the Chinese airline for domestic connections. But now as the China southern Airline takes over its responsibility, customers will prefer to use the Asian Carrier making the national carrier to lose out passengers but discussions are going on how they can both benefit from the operation of direct flights.
According to the Kenya Tourist Board Director Muriithi Ndegwa, the flight operation will increase the number of tourists taking safaris to Kenya which is evidenced by the Kenyan tour operators with several tour requests to visit the world outstanding Magical Wildlife park –Masai Mara National Park and other attractions around the East Africa Region like the Mountain Gorillas.
“We have a lot of goodwill from across the world,” Ndegwa told Xinhua in an exclusive interview in Nairobi ahead of a major tourism exhibition in Diani, Kenya’s coastal region, which has attracted 185 major tourism marketers from around the world, including 10 leading Chinese tour operators. The Kenya Tourism Board whose command is to market the East African nation across the world is focusing on the launch of the direct flights from China to Kenya by the China Southern Airlines and the expansion of local and international hotel chains into Kenya as a helpful factor for the growth of the Chinese tourists into the region.
China is grand market which can make Kenya’s travel and tourism industry rise from the fall. The East African Region is also organizing the Magical Kenya Travel Expo on 15th-17 October 2015 to put in the open all the region tourism products to the world .Many tourists around the globe will get to know what they have always missed to explore in the region hence increasing the number of tourist arrivals of the region.
This partnership is expected and has been observed to spill over to other East African Countries for various travel adventures such as Gorilla Tracking in Uganda and Rwanda, Chimpanzee/primate treks in Uganda and Rwanda in their natural rainforest parks, birding safaris in Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania and main preferred destinations with over 650 bird species to sight, water games along the Nile River in Uganda and other family holidies and wildlife game excursions in the various parks in the region. Traveling is made easy for international travelers with increased number of airlines operating in the region and pushing fares to practical levels to easily connect between continents for business and tourism adventures.
Kenya Restores Visa on Arrival Facility
The Kenyan government has announced that manual visa application at the port of entries into the country will continue until such time that the newly introduced ‘e-visa’ is fully operational.
President Uhuru Kenyatta said, though the e-visa was already running, manual application at the entry points to the country will continue concurrently so as not to bar the last minute visitors to the country.
“We have had a number of challenges on the implementation of the e-visa and I have therefore ordered that application of visa on arrival to the country continues as it were,” the President said.
The resumption of manual visa application that ceased to be operational from 1st September, 2015 is good news to travel agents and tour operators who had raised a red flag on the possibility of a drop in visitation to Kenya as a result of challenges associated with the new system.
Read MoreChina Southern Airlines Launches New Guangzhou to Nairobi Service
Leading Chinese carrier, China Southern Airlines has announced the launch of new direct services from the provincial capital of Guangzhou to Nairobi in Kenya.
The inaugural flight flew on Wednesday, the 5th of August 2015. The new route will be operated on the airline’s fleet of Airbus A330-200 air crafts operating three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Kenya Airways already operates daily flights between Nairobi and Guangzhou, but they fly via either Hanoi or Bangkok, depending on the day of the week. China Southern currently operates over 500 Boeing and Airbus aircraft to 43 countries across the world.
Read MoreKenya’s Restores Visa on Arrival Facility
President Uhuru Kenyatta said, though the e-visa was already running, manual application at the entry points to the country will continue concurrently so as not to bar the last minute visitors to the country.
“We have had a number of challenges on the implementation of the e-visa and I have therefore ordered that application of visa on arrival to the country continues as it were,” the President said.
The resumption of manual visa application that ceased to be operational from 1st September, 2015 is good news to travel agents and tour operators who had raised a red flag on the possibility of a drop in visitation to Kenya as a result of challenges associated with the new system.
Read MoreUganda’s Tourism Beyond Wildlife
Over the past decades, Uganda’s tourism industry has been largely depending on the wildlife attractions in Uganda’s 10 major national parks. In fact if you were to ask any one around what tourism is like, people will tell you that it’s about going to the national parks to view the various animals, which is not the case. Many foreign tourists visit Uganda and head for gorilla tracking or game drives and some activities around the Nile especially white water rafting and end their trips yet they could have a lot more. The domestic travelers have had the worst tourist options because the park fees seem quite expensive for them.
Referred to as the pearl of Africa by Winston church hill, Uganda has many potential tourist attractions embedded in the major cultures of the people, the food, historical attractions, religious attractions, city attractions and many others which means that it is totally wrong to just keep depending on uganda wildlife tourism. Below is a brief description of the potential tourism attractions and destinations that are most times under looked and missed by many tourists who visit Uganda.
Lake Victoria
This the largest fresh water lake on the African continent with a potential of having many recreational tourist activities like boat cruises, water trips to the different islands in the lake, birding activities and many others. The lake just has few beaches in Entebbe that are developed but usually overcrowded especially during the weekends. Some ports around the lake are even not fully developed especially port bell and yet they could be better ports with standard restaurant and relaxation places offering the great views of the lake.
The only well developed resort is in Munyonyo and trust me it can not fully accommodate all the luxurious tourists interested in staying near the enormous lake.
Tourists visiting Uganda should at least be considering visiting one of the many islands in the lake especially Bulaggo island which at least has well developed resorts with beautiful sand beaches and good views of lake victoria.
Uganda has other lakes that could be developed in to major and leading attractions for example lake Kyoga, lake Edward and lake George. All these are potential cruising lakes and if well developed could positively impact the tourism industry through increased visits.
Cultural Tourism
Uganda has over 56 tribes each with unique customs, cultural practices and taboos that could attract many tourists especially those interested in learning about the unique cultures of the Ugandans. Cultural tourism in Uganda is a little developed all thanks to the Bagishu initiation ceremony that attracts many individual to witness a mega circumcision of the Bagishu boys being from childhood to adulthood and manhood.
The other over looked tribes include the northern tribes and communities that have unique dancing skills and styles especially Larakaraka dance that greatly entertains viewers showing the strength, love and passion of the Luo and Alur people of Uganda. Home stay programs have been fully introduced in Uganda and therefore tourists interested in culture should try to explore the various divergent cultural practices of the Ugandan tribes.
City Tourism
This is another kind of tourism tourists can look at instead of only wildlife. Uganda has many major towns that can be explored by tourists going for shopping, to the movies, going for social gatherings like music concerts and performances and major events and festivals like carnivores, street bashes and games.
The major tourist towns include Kampala that is the capital city and Uganda’s most busy and business center. Kampala has many shopping centers (malls and arcades) with all the items one can be interested in, cinemas showing and premiering new movies, many monuments around, hotels, museums and many other attractions. Kampala city excursions are usually organized giving tourists a chance to explore the pearl of Africa’s capital.
Entebbe town is also well developed with beaches (Entebbe botanical beach, lido beach, spennah beach among others), great views of lake victoria, many bird species, and also with standard shopping malls that have major tourists commodities and cinema halls. Other towns that could be visited by tourists include fort portal, Mbarara town, Mbale town and Gulu town in the north.
The Food
The 56 tribes in Uganda have their own traditional delicacies that are prepared using local recipes’ and can leave any one’s mouth watery. All these foods can be got in the major eateries around the major towns of the different regions in Uganda. The outstanding foods a tourist should not miss out on a Uganda tour include Kalo, Luwombo, Nsenene (grasshoppers), Rolex (chappati and eggs) Kalamaleewa (bamboo shoots), Ugali (posho), groundnuts and many others.
If all these tourism attractions are well marketed and included on travelers’ itineraries, Uganda’s tourism industry will greatly develop and reduce reliance on wildlife attractions only. All tourists should therefore note that visiting Uganda is not just about viewing the mountain gorillas or other big games like lions, elephants and many others.
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