1.
New office!
Great Lakes Safaris has made a big step forward in the
future! With regard to the growth in business, expansion in space
seemed to be inevitable.
This month a new office has been opened in a modern, more spacious
place, located in the same area. We are happy to serve you from
our office in Suzie House, first floor, room 5. You are most welcome!
2.
Rebranding Uganda
"The Pearl of Africa!" The famous words of Winston
Churchill when he visited Uganda. For years Uganda has been known
as the pearl amoung the African countries. But now it is time to
change the image and give a more striking identity to the country.
In collaboration with
CNN a strong media campaign was launched to brand and market the
country as "Uganda... Gifted by Nature".
Gifted by nature refers to the extraordinary natural beauty and
the wildlife. It reflects the cultural richness and heritage. Finally,
it stands for the people's hospitality and talents.
Not only the brand
of the country changed, also the Uganda Tourist Board has taken
on a new identity. Re-named as "Tourism Uganda" their
goal is to create a fresh national image, to modernize and to carry
out a more applicable logo. Combined with the worldwide campaign,
Tourism Uganda is determined to create an international awareness
that Uganda is truly a gift to the world!
3.
Kampala Serena Hotel
From next month the former Nile Hotel will re-open as
the Kampala Serena Hotel. Being closed for one year, the hotel has
been redeveloped to a five star world-class hotel including all
the luxury and comfort desired by travellers.
Conveniently located
in the city center, amid 17 acres of lush gardens, the new hotel
features 152 spacious rooms, three restaurants, a bar, health club
and international conference centre.
Serena’s properties
in East Africa range from safari lodges to major hotels and beach
resorts in Kenya and Tanzania. Similar to these existing accommodations,
the Serena Hotel will stand out by the unique design, style, comfort
and excellent service. Read
more...
4.
New ferry Ssese Islands
Since February 18th the Ssese Islands have a new connection with
the mainland. A new ferry departs Kalangala every day at 08.00 am
in the morning and arrives in Entebbbe 3,5 hours later. At 02.00
pm the ferry departs for its return journey. The “MV Kalangala”
takes more than 100 passengers, 8 big cars and 100 ton cargo. Experience
the safe, reliable and comfortable way of drifting to the beautiful
islands in Lake Victoria!
5.
Safety Murchison Falls
Since several months
the safety in the largest national park in Uganda has been brought
up for discussion. Due to twisted information and the impression
that the area is insecure, published by the media, some foreign
ministries are giving a negative travel advisory for Murchison Falls.
However, the organization responsible for the management of the
protected areas (UWA) would like to emphasize that the national
park is safe and secure for visitation by all intending visitors
and tourists. In partnership with the government and security agencies,
UWA has implemented measures that guarantee security for tourists.
Murchison Falls National Park and all other national parks are safe
and tourism programs continue normally.
6.
Meet our guide... Beki
Beki Abdallah is a valuable member of our staff. He hails
from Luwero  District,
north of Kampala. Being a proud grandfather of 51 years old, he
is blessed with many years of experience, though in his mind and
heart he is still young.
"Since 1993 I have been guiding for several tour companies
and I still enjoy every minute of my work. Being a guide for Great
Lakes Safaris enables me to enrich my ability and service. I love
to share my knowledge with the guests and want to learn from them
as well. Besides, I always try to give my clients a personal memory
of Uganda by showing them a hidden viewpoint, teaching a local song
or telling a typical story."
7.
Change in price
With effect
of July 1st 2006 Uganda Wildlife Authority has slightly increased
her tariffs on national parks and activities. The most considerable
change is the increase of the rates of the gorilla permit with USD
$15 and the chimp trekking in Kibale with USD $20. Unlike our neighbouring
country Tanzania, entrance fees are nearly staying the same. Moreover,
chimp habituation will become more attractive: rates will reduce
with 30-50%!
8.
Permits available
For high season we stil have some permits available. So
if you want to track the mountain gorillas on any of the following
dates, you are guaranteed of a permit!
18th August 2006
2 permits available
24th August 2006 1
permit available
5th September 2006 2
permits available
6th September 2006 4
permits available
20th December 2006 6
permits available
Permits can be booked in combination with a tour to other national
parks, completely adapted to your wishes. But book early as competition
is high!
9.
Testimonial
Apurva A Modi and his family travelled
with us in April 2006. This is what they say about their safari:
“We
had a great time in Uganda and Beki was an excellent guide. He knew
lots of people and hence, could make last minute arrangements for
whatever we wanted. We were really impressed with that.
We saw lots of wildlife and of course Kibale and Bwindi were highlights
of the trip. A visit to the orphanage at Bwindi was humbling and
the dances performed by the children were astounding. Queen Elizabeth
National Park is a stunning park with lots to offer, especially
the bat and python caves. Murchison's has its own beauty and the
Nile cruise was fantastic.
To sum it all in the words of my wife and mine: this was the best
trip we have ever had in our life" keeping in mind that we
have done considerable amount of travelling in the past. We will
definitely recommend Great Lakes to all our family and friends.”
Next
edition
Find out more about Uganda’s most beautiful national park:
Murchison Falls NP! We will give you five reasons why you can’t
miss a visit to this protected area. Furthermore you will find an
introduction about Nshenyi; a new conception in cultural tourism! |
