Why Hollywood Stars and Tourist Visit Uganda and Rwanda

www.virungaprograms.com

In October 2018, American rapper Kanye West and his wife Kim Kardashian embarked on a private visit to Uganda in what the country’s authorities described as an endorsement of its tourism resources. Arriving at Entebbe Airport, they flew, by helicopter, to Chobe safari lodge in Murchison Falls National Park in northwest Uganda.

According to The East African, the park’s waterfall is a popular tourist destination. It is where the Victoria Nile “falls” at its most dramatic and narrowest point — at 20 feet wide and 130 feet down. 

Celebrity news site TMZ released a video showing Kanye, Kim and their daughter North West at the safari lodge soon after their arrival.

Apart from this celebrity couple’s visit to a country described as “The Pearl of Africa,” several other Hollywood stars have also visited the neighbouring country, Rwanda. They include Danny Glover, Edward Norton, Ashley Judd, Natalie Portman, Alfre Woodard, Angelina Jolie and Matt among several others in the film and music industry.

While each of them has their own reasons for visiting these countries, we cannot underestimate the powers that pull them to come visiting in the first place. For instance, Rwanda has been described as the “Land of a Thousand Hills” and epitomizes stability from near annihilation.

The peace and stability currently enjoyed in Rwanda has made the country to be in the bucket list of many tourists from all over the world. They come to this region, not just to establish humanitarian projects but also to see its natural beauty like the iconic mountain gorillas that can only be trekked in the Virunga massif.

But most tellingly, the visits also validate the region as a safe haven for tourists to come and enjoy amazing tourism and cultural experiences. The two countries, Uganda and Rwanda, have invested heavily in its national parks and in its hospitality industries and it is no wonder that due to these efforts, the world is noticing and now tourism is exponentially thriving in this region.

Rwanda can boast of the prized mountain gorillas, the Volcanoes National Park, the Akagera National Park, the Canopy walk in the Nyungwe forest, its clean city and its model security that is the envy of many countries around the world.

Uganda, on the other hand, has several parks including Rwenzori Mountains National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Lake Mburo National Park, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, and Semiliki National Park among others where you are going to see different species of plants and animals, some of them endemic to those protected areas.

However, it’s not just to see nature that attracts several stars and generally tourists to these countries. Apart from security now enjoyed, the people also are welcoming, an Africa trait of always treating visitors as family.

The region has become attractive to tourists and visitors for much more reasons. This region has a huge tourism potential that you just have to come, see, enjoy, and experience on your own or with your family. You will have unforgettable experience here. www.virungaprograms.com

It is Gifts Galore During This Year’s Festive Season 20% reduction for normal prices

The festive season is around the corner and it is gifts galore. While most of us will go rampage shopping to purchase unique gifts for their friends and relatives at this season of cheers, there are also those who are going to visit other places they have never visited before. Virunga Community Programs has introduced amazing and crazy travel gifts to those who would like visit the Virunga massif to see and experience nature at its pristine.

We are giving you an amazing offer. We are reducing our normal tour packages by 20% so that you can enjoy your travel at lower costs. This is a perfect gift we have introduced for our normal and potential clients so that they too can have wonderful holiday visiting this region gifted with nature.

Come and see the amazing mountain gorillas, the golden monkeys, the lowland gorillas, the Big Five, different species of plants and animals at affordable cost.

You will also have the opportunity for mountain hiking, village walks, community tours, Christmas volunteering, Christmas humanitarian activities, Christmas traditional cooking experiences by the locals, and Christmas  food festivals.

Meet the locals and they are going to take you to local churches, and provide you with Christmas gifts.

You also can take this opportunity to purchase Christmas gifts for your friends and families from the locals.

Your festive season is not going to be the same again. You are guaranteed unique experience with Virunga Community Programs, since we always have the happiness of our customers in our hearts.

You can contact us through  virungaprograms@gmail.com for your amazing Christmas and New Year offers.

HOW YOUNG MOUNTAIN GORILLA TOOK CARE OF HIS SIBLING AFTER MOTHER DEATH

By Joseph Ondiek

On 20 October 2018, the cruel hand of death visited the Sabyinyo gorilla family and claimed a female mountain gorilla called Kampanga. Kampanga was 35 years old when she died of natural causes, presumably of illness related to old age.

Her sickness was first reported in the year 2013 when she already had started showing some signs of weakness. Kampanga was then treated of respiratory illness that had spread to the gorilla family and affected several other gorillas.

According to an article appearing in the Gorilla Doctors website, due to the severity of Kampanga’s clinical signs, park authorities and veterinarians agreed that an intervention was warranted.  However, due to the risk of a full anesthetic event, they decided to dart her with an antibiotic and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory.

But what is interesting is that immediately upon her demise in her Volcanoes National Park habitat, which is part of the wider Virunga massif where the remaining 1004 mountain gorillas can be found, her young son Ikerekezo immediately took over the responsibility of taking care of his younger siblings, notably Icyemezo as seen in video taken from the park. Kampanga had 7 babies at the time of her death.

Icyemezo, which means “Decision” was only given the name in 2016 during the Kwita Izina ceremony where 21 other baby gorillas were also named.

Mountain gorillas have been known to show intelligent characteristics of human beings and Ikerekezo’s action to show kindness and tender loving care to his siblings goes a long way in confirming that these iconic primates live a social life and they also can take care of each other when tragedy like death strikes family.

In a video seen by the writer, Ikerekezo can be seen snuggling his younger baby brother at a time when it was heavily raining in the park. He hides the baby under his stomach, just like mother hen does to her younger chicks, and when the rain is over, he leads him to a warmer place so that they can seek shelter together

 “It’s just amazing how these gorillas just socially behave like human beings. I’ve seen them going out to help their kith and kin who are in trouble in the many years I’ve worked as a tour guide in the Virunga massif,” says a tour guide who didn’t want to be named because he was not the spokesman of his company.

The action by Ikerekezo to take care of his younger brother can be seen in the context of the behavior of wider gorilla families. According to an article, “ How Does a Gorilla Father Treat His Children” appearing in an online journal called Social Life, young animals always search out the group leader who usually is their father as well. They frequently stay close to him, they lean on him and include him in their games. For them a close relationship with their father can be vital. He protects the infants and his care increases their chances of survival if their mother dies or if she leaves the group. In such a case the silverback male is usually the only one who looks after them intensively. He even all allows them to sleep in his nest.

However, at the time Ikerekezo was bravely shielding his brother from torrential rains that of late have been pounding the gorilla habitat in this part of the Virunga massif, the dominant silverback was nowhere to be seen, and presumably Ikerekezo took it upon himself to protect his younger brother, just like we have seen in the human being families when older siblings take it upon their shoulders to take care of their younger siblings in times of trouble.

On the other hand, according to the article, silverbacks have been observed to deliberately kill babies - especially in mountain gorillas. Usually this is the case after a female transferred to another male together with her baby or if a new leading male takes over. This behaviour, called infanticide, is interpreted as a means to shorten the time until the baby's mother becomes fertile again and the new male can sire his own offspring with her.

“Ikerekezo took over the responsibility of his dead mother and this shows how he is kind and responsible at a young age. May be one day when he comes of age, he also will be a dominant silverback and have his own family because he has also through this act exhibited leadership skills,” says the local guide.

Postponement Letter

Virunga Community Programs is writing this letter to inform you that the meeting that was to be between 5^th and 8^th November 2018 has been postponed indefinitely due to the outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo. We are going to duly communicate as we are working on a new date to hold the meeting.

As there were some important discussions to be discussed in the meeting, it has not been canceled and is just postponed. We understand the trouble cause to you because of this sudden change. I once again apologize to you on behalf of our organization for this sudden change.