June 2010
The A-list film star, Don Cheadle, is returning to Rwanda this week to take part in the annual Kwita Izina gorilla naming ceremony. Cheadle, who spent time in the country filming Hotel Rwanda, will see the celebration of eleven gorillas born in the last 12 months. The internationally popular ceremony, introduced in 2005 and celebrated in Kinigi will take place on Saturday on the slopes of the Virungas with traditional dancing, bands and speeches.
In conjunction with Kwita Izina, World Environment Day is also being hosted by Rwanda. Established by the UN General Assembly, the day is for 'appreciation and celebration of the benefits, roles and resources that come with raising global awareness of the environment.'
Alongside Don Cheadle, hundreds of international and local visitors will attend the ceremony, all promoting the conservation of the endangered mountain gorilla and the protection of its environment.
Don Cheadle will be staying at Volcanoes Safaris' Volcanoes Lodge during his visit to the Virungas.
April 2010
The Mgahinga Batwa Trail.
The brand new Mgahinga Batwa Trail is a fascinating hike through the forest bordering Mount Gahinga Lodge, Uganda to the Garama Cave. The walk, which helps raises awareness and preserve the culture of the local Pygmy Batwa, was recently done by Volcanoes Safaris' Oli Dreike, who sent this report.
'The Pygmy Batwa people are a minority hunter-gatherer group, who traditionally lived within the forests and survived off small mammals and plants. When Mgahinga National Park was gazetted in 1991, the Batwa were forced to leave the forest and were no longer able to enter the park to gather food. Given their traditional way of life and their dependency on the forest for food this resulted in various socio-economic problems and the Batwa communities remain largely marginalised and one of the poorest communities in Uganda. This activity enables the Batwa to venture back into the forest, in coordination with the Park Authorities, where they told me they were grateful for the opportunity to 'breath fresh air again' for a few hours.
The hike starts at a base camp 30 minutes drive from our Mount Gahinga Lodge, also the starting point for those setting out on the stunning hike up the sides of the Muhavura or Gahinga volcanoes. Four members of the Batwa community and a guide from Uganda Wildlife Authority were there to welcome us and we started out on our hike through the dense forest. I had forgotten how stunning the forest in is Mgahinga National Park and the guides stopped regularly to point out various herbs and other plants that the Batwa people use both for medicinal purposes and as food, which was fascinating.
We rested and ate our lunch in a grassy meadow and were entertained by a demonstration of traditional hunting and honey gathering. After lunch the trail continued until we reached the Garama Cave. The Garama Cave is a lava cave and was the traditional dwelling of the Batwa King. Our guides led us down the steps and through the tunnels till we were in the belly of the cave. It was more than a bit eerie, especially as after a couple of minutes low voices began to echo around the cave, all the hairs on the back of my neck stood up as the voices slowly built to full singing and clapping, and low lights gradually came on to reveal a gathering of Batwa women! It was really an amazing experience!
The activity is well worth a visit, not least as it is also a great example of local communities and park authorities working together to ensure local people earn a livelihood from tourism. Volcanoes Safaris are supporting this project and others like it by including it in the activities offered from our Mount Gahinga Lodge.'
For more information on Volcanoes Safaris and Mount Gahinga Lodge call us on.
Volcanoes Trust donates a trailer bike to the Bwindi Amagara Project
Do you know where your food comes from? At Volcanoes Bwindi Lodge we do. The majority of our fresh vegetables are grown and sold by local farmers with the help of the Bwindi Amagara project. (Amagara means 'life' in Rukiga, the local language.) Bwindi Lodge has been supporting the project in numerous ways and to make it easier for growers who have to travel longer distances to get to market, the Volcanoes Trust has donated a specially designed motorbike with a trailer. To learn more about Bwindi Lodge's support and the work of AMAGARA click here.
February 2010
Gorilla Census - Mgahinga National Park
Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) is to carry out a gorilla census in Mgahinga National Park on March 1. Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, the conservation area manager for Bwindi and Mgahinga, Charles Tumwesigye, said the census shall be done with Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo that share the Virunga ranges where the gorillas are found.
The number of tourists visiting Bwindi Impenetrable National Park which nests some of the gorillas living in Uganda has doubled from 6,000 in 2005 to 13,000 in 2009.
This is particularly exciting as there has been a notable absence of gorillas in the Mgahinga National Park in the last year or so. The gorillas, one group of which is still habituated, have made a recent comeback to the Park in the last two months.
Volcanoes Safaris are offering two free nights at Mount Gahinga Lodge in Uganda for clients who do any tailor-made gorilla safari from Kigali/Kampala to PNV Rwanda staying at Virunga Lodge, Rwanda or Bwindi in Uganda. Volcanoes' Mount Gahinga Lodge sits at the very edge of Mgahinga
National Park, nestled in the foothills of the most beautiful part of the Virunga volcanoes. This offer, worth almost $1000 per person is valid on new bookings until December 31 2010.
Volcanoes Safaris Images
We have added new images to the gallery pages for Volcanoes Safaris. Our gallery pages can be accessed by registering (if you haven't done so already) and logging onto our website. They capture images from a recent trip that we did in Uganda and Rwanda.
Volcanoes Safaris, the people behind the company
People frequently compliment us on the wonderful staff at Volcanoes, from the guides and waitresses to the lodge managers and tour team - they are committed to ensuring that guests have a distinctive and memorable experience in this frontier area of Africa. We are really lucky to have such outstanding people working with Volcanoes.
The ‘Volcanoes family’ - are drawn from different countries and ethnic communities. Many are from families which have survived conflict. All of them have a story to tell and we wanted to share one with you here. Kirenga Kamugisha's story is quite remarkable to most Europeans and illustrates the past hardships faced by those we meet on our primate safaris. You can learn about Kirenga here.
Volcanoes Guests' Gorilla Feedback
Virunga Lodge, Rwanda Guests staying at Virunga Lodge have had some superb gorilla sightings with treks ranging from the very long to the very short. A young couple trekking to the newly split Susa group had a long all day walk, but certainly worth the distance as they saw 22 gorillas including 5 silverbacks!
At the other extreme, guests trekking to find the Sabyinyo group a few days ago were met by them on the National Park wall - with the young ones jumping back and forth and even knocking bits of the wall down. The guests were treated to a welcome chest beat and charge from Guhonda the silverback.
Bwindi Lodge, Uganda At Bwindi, guests had a tough walk and when they found the Habynyanja group, they were in thick cover. At the end of their hour the guests moved away and found a nice spot to enjoy their packed lunch, only to be joined by the gorillas 5 minutes later!!!
To experience these great gorilla sightings, Volcanoes Safaris have an 8 day safari staying at both Bwindi and Virunga Lodge departing from Kigali. If you would like some insight into how you would spend a typical day on a Volcanoes Safari contact us to arrange a meeting.
December 2009
Rwanda is an easy addition to any safari into Kenya and Northern Tanzania. The Mountain Gorillas of PNV are just a short 3 hour drive from Kigali or an even shorter helicopter flight. A Volcanoes Safaris guide will meet your clients at the international airport and ensure that their experience of Rwanda includes the fascinating culture and unique scenery as well as the highly endangered primates of this beautiful country. 4 Day Gorilla Safari.
If four days in Rwanda sounds too short, Volcanoes Safaris offer a comprehensive collection of fully inclusive safaris which can be included in an East African itinerary or used as a stand alone safari. Your clients have the choice of joining a small group on a scheduled safari, choosing their own dates and taking a private safari or having a safari designed from scratch. Why not combine Rwanda and Uganda on an 8 Day Gorilla Safari which starts/ends in Kigali.
November 2009
On 2nd December 2009 Travel Africa magazine will host a lecture at the prestigious Royal Geographical Society in London to raise awareness of the plight of Gorillas as part of the United Nations Year of the Gorilla 2009.
The event will feature author and conservationist Letitia Farris Toussaint, award winning wildlife photographer Martin Harvey and renowned biologist Ian Redmond OBE. Praveen Moman the founder of Volcanoes Safaris will represent the private sector on the night.
Volcanoes Safaris at the RGS
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October 2009
Wake up calls with a difference!
The 18 strong Rushegura group including a female, Namunywa, who gave birth on 19th August in the Lodges's grounds have been spending time feeding on the abundant vegetation that forms the border between the Lodge and the National Park. Bwindi Lodge's exceptional position on the very edge of the Impenetrable National Park allows the group to move across the Park's boundary at will - this group is often spotted near the lodge every season.
Sightings at the Lodge are especially exciting and rewarding as the usual time restrictions associated with trekking do not apply. You are able to spend as much time (at a distance and with the supervision of Lodge staff) with the gorillas as they choose to spend with you.
The Park guards have been monitoring the group daily to make sure they are in a good condition and can confirm that none of them are sick or aggressive. The group continue to move back and forth between the forests in D.R.Congo and Uganda.
Volcanoes have a 3 night scheduled trip which includes a 2 night stay at Bwindi Lodge.Click here for more information.
The new Volcanoes Safaris brochure has just arrived so please email us stating how many copies you would like. For all other information on Volcanoes Safaris and gorilla trekking in Rwanda and Uganda, give us a call on.
September 2009
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest's New Gorilla Group
22nd September 2009 sees the Uganda Wildlife Authority formally introduce the Nshongi gorilla group. This recently habituated group is arguably the largest gorilla group (34 members) that visitors can see in any of the tracking locations in eastern Africa.
The Nshongi gorilla group, besides being the largest ever habituated, has other unique characteristics, such as three dominant silverbacks living harmoniously with their females and young ones, not seen elsewhere in the otherwise competitive group behaviour common with these animals.
Bwindi is the best known Ugandan national park for visits to the gorillas with the Buhoma gate the main entry point. The recently renovated Volcanoes Safaris' Bwindi Lodge enjoys prime positioning on the very edge of the forest with natural gorilla habitat extending up to the edge of the main area.
Bwindi Hospital Charity Evening with Stephen Fry
Volcanoes Safaris hosted and sponsored an evening at the Royal Institute for International Affairs on 8th September 2009 in aid of Bwindi Hospital. Stephen Fry, who was introduced to the Hospital while filming 'Last Chance to See', gave his continued support to the evening.
What started as a small clinic under a tree has grown, under the guidance and exceptional work of Dr Paul Williams and his Ugandan team, into a large and impressive community hospital that now delivers a hundred babies a month. As a community hospital providing heavily subsidised services it relies on funding support from different sources. Bwindi Hospital is a great example of how wildlife tourism is vital for supporting a community in which humans and primates co-exist. Guests staying at Volcanoes Safaris' Bwindi Lodge have the opportunity to visit the Hospital as part of the Community Walk.
Friend-a-Gorilla
The UN Year of the Gorilla has helped to highlight the fragile natural and political landscape in which the critically endangered Mountain Gorilla exists. One of the most important aspects of great ape tourism in Uganda has been the ability to bring curious humans into contact with one of their closest genetic cousins. The desire to conserve an isolated species is greatly enhanced once a person has had the privilege of meeting the animal in question. The Uganda Wildlife Authority has now created a website to make that interaction a great deal easier.
The ‘Friend a Gorilla’ site allows anyone with a computer to meet, study and track the habituated gorillas in Uganda. This is a wonderful tool for returned tourists keen to see what their group is doing, as a pre-departure resource to help prepare for a gorilla encounter and also for people keen to get involved from home. The tracking feature on the site is due to launch shortly but there is already a huge amount of information available on each group and its individual members. The site also allows for direct donations to be made which will help ensure the survival of this most precious species.
Volcanoes Bwindi Lodge overlooks the prime gorilla habitat of the Impenetrable Forest, home to half of the Mountain Gorilla population on earth.