Read below what has published about Great Lakes Safaris in the newspapers and other media:

DAILY MONITOR
"What are our embassies doing to promote Uganda's tourism?"
Author: Amos Wekesa
Published on: 21st June 2011

I have been asking myself lots of questions over the years about the influence of our representatives abroad. To whom are they accountable? What is the quality of the individual representing us abroad? Do they learn anything from examples, especially from those representing our neighbours?
Read more...

YOUTUBE
"Finalist 2011 Conservation Award"
Author: World Travel & Tourism Council
Published on: 7th June 2011

National Geographic Channel interview with Amos Wekesa of the Ugandan Tourism Association - Finalist 2011 Conservation Award.
View...

DAILY MONITOR
"Budongo Forest, a place of serenity and wondrous nature"
Author: Edwin Nuwagaba
Published on: 8th May 2011

Budongo is one of the most extensive forests in East Africa, famous for its chimpanzees, which have been studied for several decades.

Budongo Eco lodge has been around for quite some time now, but courtesy of Great Lakes Safaris, it has gone through a couple of facelifts. Most of it is built out of beautiful wood, which together with the green environment makes Budongo so natural. It’s blessed with a very beautiful green cover andis indeed a haven for flora and fauna and abundant fresh air.
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ARD GERMAN TV
"Uganda - Gorilla-Berge und 'African Queen"
Author: ADR Mediathek - Weltreisen
Published on: 2nd April 2011

One of the international TV companies that Great Lakes Safaris worked with is ARD German TV. For their series “Weltreisen”, Great Lakes Safaris and Uganda Lodges hosted the crew on a special trip to film different locations for their TV program in Germany.
View...

DAILY MONITOR
"Funny you should ask...: Amos Wekesa"
Author: Edwin Nuwagaba
Published on: 7th March 2011

How does it really feel like owning several cars, lodges in the Parks, a successful business ?
Two things; it creates a lot of fear of the unknown. Even as a Christian I think I could wake up one day and find myself poor. The other thing is that it brings satisfaction seeing that all these people working for me are doing well because I took a risk.

What is the one thing you dislike about your past?
So many things. I was born in abject poverty and I don’t dream of going back there. But it also gives me the opportunity of seeing God’s hand in everything I do.

Which animal in the Park has the exact character like yours?
I think it’s the chimpanzee. they are loving because they spend 40 per cent of their time kissing and romancing but can also be aggressive, they are hardworking and they are not as a lazy as gorillas.
Read more...

DAILY MONITOR
"Uganda gets better with tourism"
Author: Amos Wekesa
Published on: 9th November 2010

For a long time, tourism was never given any attention and if any, it was focused on the negative side and that largely kept the Ugandan population out of trying to tap into the tourism potential that the country has.

A foreign tourist recently compared our country to one of our neighbours, saying, “It’s Africa for beginners. Uganda is different.” I should now be very clear to every Ugandan that we need to make sure we produce a skilled labour force that will enable us not only compete in Uganda, but within this region and beyond, like with our doctors.
Read more..

CATZ MANAGEMENT
"PUM supporting private business in development countries"
Author: Diederik Catz
Published on: 13th October 2010

Amos Wekesa is a very successful entrepreneur. He owns one of the first African owned safari companies in Uganda. But running a lodge in the deserted Kibale Forest is something quite different… During my stay I supported Lodge Manager Emanuel in establishing his organisation to meet the standards of today’s demanding tourists. I helped them in transition “from warm beer and cold showers, to cold beer and warm showers”. Which is not an easy task in the middle of the bush…
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WE INFORMERS
"Uganda urged to take its tourism industry more seriously"
Author: Tiberindwa Zakaria
Published on: 28th July 2010

The Chairman of Uganda Tourism Association, Amos Wekesa has urged Uganda to take the country’s tourism sector more seriously because tourism is capable contributing heavily to Uganda’s economic growth.

Wekesa says for example Uganda has 0.18% of the world’s mass, 10.2% of the world’s birds’ species with more birds per square kilometer than any other country in Africa, 6.8 of the world’s butterfly species and 7.5% of the world’s mammals. Uganda also has the highest density of primate species like chimpanzees, olive baboons than any other country in the world.
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NEW YORK DESTINATIONS EXAMINER
"Uganda lures birders with community tourism and wildlife safaris "
Author: Leslie Koch
Published on: 18th June 2010

Uganda is an exciting destination for birders who want to spot wildlife and experience local culture. Named "one of the world’s best bird watching destinations" by Lonely Planet, this East African nation is home to over 1,000 native bird species.

Community tourism gives birders a chance to meet local people and learn more about village life. Great Lakes Safaris, a Ugandan-owned tour company, offers cultural tours and overnight stays in rural villages.

Spokesperson Miranda Bekkers has identified community tours of special interest to birders. Itineraries are available on the Great Lakes Safaris website.
Read more...

STUDIO EDIRISA
"Epic Amos - Part III"
Author: Mihar Logar, Samo Acko
Published on: 16th March 2010

Our chat with Amos Wekesa is eventually published in full. Solomon Akugizibwe who transcribed the interview, needed two days to type everything recorded, but at the end he wanted more! Amos simply is an amazing guy.

How do you employ your people?

"On merit, because if I employ you as a relative, it is going to be very hard to fire you when you make a mistake. But if I employ you as a person I don’t know, you mess up, you lose your job and it becomes easier for you to grow the business. (...) My son at 4.5 years has a bird book and can tell you different species. Recently he told me, “Dad, I don’t want to be like you, you work too hard, but my sister is going to be like you."
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STUDIO EDIRISA
"Epic Amos - Part II"
Author: Mihar Logar, Samo Acko
Published on: 14th March 2010

In the second part of our epic interview with Amos Wekesa of Great Lakes Safaris/Uganda Lodges we start with the promise made by Sylvia from The World Bank.

"In May (2002) she recommended another group which had come to do research on malaria. I put together a group of six people and took them to Queen Elizabeth National Park. I had a driver and a guide called Martin Okot who now works with Wild Frontiers. He knows about 600 to 700 species of birds in his head."
Read more...

STUDIO EDIRISA
"Epic Amos - Part I"
Author: Mihar Logar, Samo Acko
Published on: 13th March 2010

Amos Wekesa is somebody who has built a lot from absolutely nothing. He is now a major player in Ugandan tourism, but how he got there is a remarkable story.

"I was born near the Uganda and Kenya border during the times of Idi Amin's rule in Uganda, in 1974. It was a very hard time for Uganda as a country..."
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DAILY MONITOR
"The wonders of Queen Elizabeth National Park"
Author: Bernard Opwonya - travelling to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Published on: 6th December 2009

Uganda is such a beautiful place as Bernard Opwonya Tokwiny found out when he took a trip to Queen Elizabeth National Park.

One of the most sought after animals here are leopards. Amos Wekesa, who also owns Great Lakes Safaris, told me that in his 12 years as a tour guide, he had seen leopards just five times. In fact, what shocked me even further was the story of some European tourists. Wekesa said they had travelled to Queen Elizabeth 30 times to see leopards and had succeeded only twice.
Read more...

DALJE.COM
"World Economic Storm hits Uganda Safari Tourism"
Published on: 7th May 2009

According to Amos Wekesa, the economic tempest in the developed world has stripped the wallets of would-be safari-goers.

As the sky begins to bruise, an indigo haze descends on Uganda's "mountains of the moon", and a solitary lioness limps through the savannah in the valley below. Few foreign tourists see it.

"We are seeing a meltdown," Wekesa told Reuters. "We may have about 20 percent of operators closing if this trend continues for the next 12 months." Until recently, Wakesa said, Uganda had been experiencing a tourism boom with arrival numbers soaring.

"If you are born next to a national park, you take it for granted ... but we are seeing the numbers of local people increase," Wekesa said. "Many countries are trying to increase domestic tourism to cover up for the numbers they are going to lose because of the credit crunch."
Read more...

DAILY MONITOR
"More beds for game parks to boost tourism figures"
Author: Dorothy Nakaweesi - travelling to Primate Lodge Kibale
Published on: 4th December 2007

Uganda's revenue collection from national game parks, a major tourist attraction, is set to increase and create new jobs as the private sector increases investments in accommodation and catering facilities.

Great Lakes Safaris, a leading tour company in Uganda and East Africa recently signed two 10-years concessions to construct new and rehabilitate accommodation facilities in Kibale Forest National Park and Queen Elizabeth National Park respectively.
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SUNDAY VISION
"A night up a tree"
Author: Matthias Mugisha - travelling to Primate Lodge Kibale
Published on: 20th October 2007

From high up a tree, I watch as the day dies magnificently. The sun first turns yellow, while the sky turns pink colours above the vast green tropical forest. The painting in the heavens displays beautiful warm colours, until a blanket of darkness swallows them up.

With darkness, the forest suddenly bursts into life. Millions of bugs, ants and all else that can sing compete with each other. As the day folded, the birds, chimpanzees, antelopes, rats, duikers took off time to rest. But where are the elehants?
Read more... / Find article

"Primate Lodge Kibale"
Author: Great Lakes Safaris Ltd.

A red coloured murram road passes through a valley, where the mist still lingers in the early morning, where the well-maintained tea plantations give way to a lush rainforest and where the crater lakes are bounded by undulating hills. It is the road that leads to Kibale Forest National Park...
Download article in Adobe PDF document (280 kb).

NEW VISION
"Captivated by a Gorilla"
Author: Penlope Nankunda - travelling with Great Lakes Safaris
Published on: 27th April 2007

I am about to embark on the journey of a lifetime; to meet and commune with our “ancestors.” You would think that for such an event, everything around me would be on alert. I thought the birds would be up early, singing their encouragement. I thought the sun would release her golden rays to escort us on our south-western journey, but this was not the case.
Read more... / Find article

WORLDPRESS.ORG
"Meeting Uganda's Gentle Giants"
Author: a former client who tracked the gorillas with Great Lakes Safaris
Published on: 2nd June 2006 - USA

"As soon as I step out of the plane, I feel the comfortable warmth around me and I smell the typical scents in the air. This is Africa!
A representative of Great Lakes Safaris welcomes me and transfers me safely to my hotel. On our way he talks enthusiastically about his country; it is clear that he is very passionate about his job.

The safari starts very early in the morning as we head towards the impenetrable part of south western Uganda." Read more... / Find article

THE WASHINGTON TIMES
"Human herds bypass Uganda; On safari in less-travelled nation "
Author: Tom Carter - travelling with his team with Great Lakes Safaris
Published on: 23rd November 2002 - USA

The safari van is bumping along a dusty dirt track through the high savannah when driver and game guide Geoffrey Mutuma brings it to a sudden halt. "Something is wrong," he says, intently scanning the surrounding countryside of high grass and acacia trees.
"The kobs are alerting on something. There," he says, pointing. "Spots. A leopard." Sure enough, 50 yards away, slinking around the backside of a large anthill, is a female leopard - her face a fearful symmetry - looking at us looking at her. Read more...