Visiting Queen Elizabeth National Park In Uganda
Visiting Queen Elizabeth National Park Uganda. One of my favorite travel experiences has been going on safari. I have been fortunate to go on safari in Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Namibia, and now most recently in Uganda. There is simply no equivalent of being able to witness these magnificent animals in nature. Safari in Uganda was no exception. Queen Elizabeth National Park is located in western Uganda and covers over 700 square miles. Lake George, on the east, and Lake Edward on the west partially surround the park, with the Kazinga Channel, a 20-mile waterway, connecting the lakes. The drive to the park is approximately seven hours from Uganda’s capital, Kampala. The park was originally named the Kazinga National Park but was renamed in honor of Queen Elizabeth during her visit in 1954. Check out my tour and agenda with G Adventures. I was invited by G Adventures to attend this tour. And I will earn a fee if you book a trip with G. I am a G Wanderer, part of a team of content [...]
Trekking For Chimpanzees In Uganda
Trekking Chimpanzees Uganda. When someone mentions Uganda, located in East Africa, I think of two things. Gorillas and Idi Amin. Uganda is well-known for tracking gorillas in the wild. And Idi Amin was a larger than life figure who ruled Uganda in the 1970s after overthrowing the government, and it is estimated that the General was responsible for the deaths of up to 500,000 people. While trekking for gorillas is a must-do experience, another incredible opportunity is trekking for chimpanzees. Chimps are considered an endangered species and number somewhere between 170,000 – 300,000 chimps that can be found in West, Central, and East Africa. Chimps are threatened by poaching, disease, and loss of habitat. Kibale National Park is a 296 square mile park located in Western Uganda. The park is a thick, moist evergreen rain forest that ranges from 3,600 to 5,200 feet in elevation. The park was gazetted in 1932 and it is well-known for trekking for chimps. Over 1,450 chimpanzees make their home in this park. The adult male chimpanzee weigh up to 130 pounds, [...]
A Cultural Walk In Bigodi, Uganda
Cultural Walk Bigodi Uganda. Sitting on the edge of the Kibale National Park, well-known for chimpanzee trekking, is the small village of Bigodi. Bigodi is a six-hour drive, west of Kampala, the bustling capital of Uganda. Bigodi is a village of rolling hills, thick green vegetation, and mud brick huts. While Bigodi might be an average village seen across Uganda, the village has created a sustainable and responsible tourism program, which provides a great experience for visitors while contributing money to the village. Visitors have the options of a community walk, swamp walk, and a local food experience. This endeavor employs locals as guides who welcome 4000 tourists a year. The funds from the project employs teachers, cooks, and support personal. The project has resulted in lower educational fees for parents, additional water wells, a mid-wife center avoiding a 40 km drive to the closest medical facility, and numerous other projects. Check out my tour and agenda with G Adventures. I was invited by G Adventures to attend this tour. And I will earn a fee [...]
Sascha Grabow … avoiding watermelons on the road
Sascha has traveled to 193 countries On today’s episode, I welcome Sascha Grabow to Counting Countries. I noted Sascha’s name on the top of the Nomad Mania’s best traveled for quite some time. We spent numerous months scheduling this conversation taking into account our travels as well as some time that Sascha spent in prison in the Solomon Islands. Before I introduce Sascha, I am reminding you that Counting Countries is now partnered with Patreon. Patreon is a platform that allows patrons, that’s you, to support creators, and that is me creating Counting Countries. I have been extremely fortunate to be be able to create this podcast and be able to meet so many interesting and compelling travelers, but I have also spent a tremendous amount of time and some money creating this podcast. So for example, some benefits are extended interviews. Some Patrons are able to listen to an exclusive additional 20 minute interview with last month’s guest, Petro. Or a five minute update from Lexie Alford who has traveled to 185 countries. She is [...]
What You Need To Know When Traveling To Luanda, Angola
Luanda Angola Travel Overview. Angola is the 7th largest country in Africa with 25 million souls located on the Atlantic Ocean. While Angola has been inhabited since Paleolithic times and was later colonized by the Portuguese, who appeared beginning in the 16th century. Angola gained its independence in 1975 from the Portuguese. A nearly 30-year, vicious civil war followed independence which engulfed the country in chaos. Angola is rich in resources, from diamonds to gold to oil. In fact, today Angola is rich with a GDP over $200 billion, making it the fourth largest economy in Africa. One thing Angola is not known for is tourism. Hypothesizing, Angola is a rich petro-state with also a high level of crime, still recovering from a violent civil war. It wasn’t worth the risk of welcoming a handful of tourists and potentially seeing them mugged or killed with a lot of negative western press. There is virtually no tourist infrastructure, is ranked as one of the most expensive countries, and very difficult to get a visa to visit the [...]
Planes, Trains, and Visas
In this ongoing post, I will document my travels in regard to the minutia of recording my flights, hotels, food, visas, lounges and other travel trivia. January 7 - Thailand Checking in at O'hare's international terminal with Korean Air. The first flight of the year was a long and uncomfortable ride from Chicago to Seoul. Sitting in the second to last row in economy, but was able to watch a couple of movies. My ticket to Seoul. At least it was an aisle. Thankfully, before this unpleasant flight I was able to get some free snacks before the flight at the Air France/KLM Lounge. What also made this an interesting flight was I brought my dog, Khan Mak from the states back to Bangkok. January 8 I made it to Seoul where I had a layover as I waited for my next flight to Bangkok. Around 60,000,000 passengers pass through this airport. And since I had a couple of hours to kill, I found my way to the Matina Lounge in Terminal 2, which was a much [...]
