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t h e i n f l i g h t m a g a z i n e o f a i r u g a n d a p a r t o f t h e

i s s u e n u m b e r 0 0 1 f e b r u a r y – a p r i l 2 0 1 0

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LAKE VICTORIA SERENAR E S O R T

A WORLD AWAY FROM THE CITYJust 15 Kilometres from Kampala and 35 Kilometres from Entebbe, on the shores of lake victoria, rests a

resort of ultimate beauty, tranquility and peace. This newest addition to the Serena family is the perfect resort to unwind and escape the stresses of city life.

PO Box 37761, Kampala, Uganda, Lweza-Kigo road, Off Entebbe road or Call +256 41 7121000, Fax +256 41 7121550 e-mail: [email protected]

The central lounge and reception The rooms and suites

Maisha Mind Body and Spirit Spa The pool and garden view

y o u r c o m p l i m e n t a r y c o p y

Welcome Aboard!As the Cabin Crew Manager of Air Uganda – a member of Group

Celestair – it is indeed my pleasure to wish you a Happy New Year

2010 on behalf of all the Cabin Crew.

2009 was a very interesting and challenging year for Air Uganda

and I would like to thank you all for supporting us in building our airline.

Air Uganda celebrated two years of operations in November 2009

and by taking onboard your comments and feedback we have strived

to deliver an improved onboard service on a continual basis.

In September 2009, we added the first of the CRJ-100 50-seater

aircraft to our fleet, giving us more flexibility in flight scheduling.With

its arrival we re-launched the Nairobi morning flights to complement

the evening service, giving you more choice and the opportunity for

same day return travel.

December saw us expanding our network to yet another destination: Mombasa. Air Uganda now flies

directly from Entebbe to Mombasa three times a week with very competitive fares.

To reward our customers’ loyalty, Air Uganda, Air Burkina and Air Mali (all members of the Celestair

Group) have recently launched a frequent flyer programme: “CELESTARS”. We invite you to join

“CELESTARS” and gain rewards for travelling on any flights within Air Uganda’s expanding route network

in East Africa.

We value your patronage by choosing to fly with us and know that you have many travel options to

consider.This can be seen by the fact that from your feedback and suggestions, Air Uganda has steadily

improved the in-flight catering to better suit you.

Our Cabin Crew are committed to making your onboard experience as safe, comfortable and enjoyable

as possible. We shall always try to provide personal service, customer care and build your loyalty for our

airline. We want to serve you in a friendly, professional manner in the hope that you make Air Uganda

your airline of choice on all our routes.

With our courteous service, unmatched ontime punctuality performance, the new “Celestars” frequent

flyer programme and great value for money airfares, we in Air Uganda hope to provide more of your

travel solutions in 2010 and become your favourite airline in the region.

We look forward to welcoming you onboard again and hope you have a happy and successful year,

wherever you may travel.

Best wishes from all our cabin crew.

Ms Julie Odur

Cabin Crew Manager

EDITORIAL



4 POLISHING THE PEARLUganda justifiably markets itself as the ultimate eco-destination.

CONTENTS

REGULARS

Editorial by Cabin Crew Manager

Book World

Air Uganda Flight Schedule

Healthy Travelling

Route Map

Air Uganda News

Offices

Tips for the Traveller

Crossword Puzzle & Sudoku

1

30

45

46

47

48

50

51

52

11 WHERE SULTANS RULEDWhen walking in Zanzibar you come to love those curves.

14 MOMBASA AND THE SUNNY SWAHILI COAST These islands have been a ‘barefoot luxury’ hideaway for the rich and famous for many years.

18 A PERSONAL PEAKMountains provide grand platforms to enjoy some of the world’s most dramatic views.

22 DAVID LIVINGSTONEHis numerous contributions to the geographical knowledge of Africa are without equal, even today.

26 THE BIRDS OF PARADISEHere, world records for the number of species seen in a day have frequently been set and broken again and again.

32 ROMANCING THE ORANGEDo you wish to make someone love you forever?

34 HEALTH, WEALTH & HAPPINESSRevenue is vanity, profit is sanity, cash flow is key.

36 TIME MAGICIANSOnce you become consciously aware, then you learn to protect your time from being wasted.

38 TRAVELLING RIGHTTips for surviving that airbus ride.

40 TASTES OF UGANDASo if you’re visiting Uganda, don’t just stick to ‘safe’ western food – if you do you’ll be missing out on something special.

42 ARTS & CRAFTS OF UGANDAUganda’s rich culture features a variety of traditional arts and crafts.

Cover picture: A beautiful bishop bird, fairly

gregarious, nests in colonies and forages

in flocks.

Camerapix Magazines Ltd Rukhsana Haq

Roger Barnard

Cecilia Gaitho

Sam Kimani Fatima Janmohamed Azra Chaudhry, U.K Rose Judah

Rukhsana HaqJenifer B. MusiimeDesire Barugahare

Publishers:

Editorial Director:

Editor:

Editorial Assistant:

Senior Designer:

Design Assistant:

Production Manager:

Production Assistant:

Editorial Board:

ASANTE meaning ‘Thank you’ in Kiswahili

is published quarterly for Air Uganda

by Camerapix Magazines Limited

P.O.Box 45048,00100 GPO Nairobi, Kenya

Telephone: +254 (20) 4448923/4/5

Fax: +254 (20) 4448818 or 4441021

E-mail: [email protected]

Editorial and Advertising Office:

Camerapix Magazines (UK) Limited

32 Friars Walk, Southgate, London, N14 5LP

Tel: +44 (20) 8361 2942

Mobile: +44 79411 21458

E-mail: [email protected]

Correspondance on editorial and advertising

matters may be sent to either of

the above addresses.

Printed in Nairobi.

©2010

CAMERAPIX MAGAZINES LTD

All rights reserved. No part of this

magazine may be reproduced by any means

without permission in writing from

the publisher.

All photographs by Camerapix unless

otherwise indicated.

4 POLISHING THE PEARLUganda justifiably markets itself as the ultimate eco-destination.

WELCOME ABOARD

4 11

14 18

22 26 32

34

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36

4 | air uganda | february – april 2010

Uganda is a land

of high plateau and

heat-hazed lowland

plain, game-filled

expanses of savannah

and, in the west,

high mountains that,

for sheer scenic

enchantment, have

few rivals in Africa.

But that’s just the

start, says

Peter Holthusen.

Pearl

Uganda has the widest variety of primates anywhere in Africa, including

chimpanzees and the endangered mountain gorilla, while the remarkable

1,008 recorded bird species provide unquestionably the richest birdlife on the

continent. Much of the countryside is an extravagant, velvety green. Add the majestic

River Nile, the Ruwenzori ‘Mountains of the Moon’ and the vast expanse of Lake

Victoria, and it is easy to see why Uganda is known as ‘The Pearl of Africa’.

Uganda justifiably markets itself as the ultimate eco-destination. Its gorillas represent

perhaps the most powerful eco-image of them all. But there is much more to Uganda

than this. With 20 national parks and reserves, Uganda arguably has a greater diversity

of wildlife than any other African country, and the scenery varies from the dry savannah

lands of the Kidepo Valley National Park in the north to the rain forests of Semliki,

Kabale and Bwindi in the south.

The Republic of Uganda is a landlocked country which takes its name from the

Buganda kingdom, which encompassed a portion of the south of the country, including

the capital Kampala. The country is bordered by Kenya to the east, on the north by

Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by

Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. Uganda lies between latitude 4° North to 1°

Polishing the

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february – april 2010 | air uganda | 5

South and longitude 30° West to 33° East. It forms part of the

East African plateau, dropping to the White Nile Basin in the

north. Although landlocked, Uganda contains many large lakes,

besides Lake Victoria. Lake Kyoga, Lake Albert, Lake Edward and

the smaller Lake George lie in the Rift Valley and much of the

territory to the south is swampy marsh. To the east is savannah

and the western part of the country forms the margins of the

Congo forests. Generally speaking, the south is agricultural and

the north is pastoral.

Kampala, the sprawling Ugandan capital is a most handsome

city, set among seven hills, with a wide range of comfortable

hotels, al fresco eating places, exciting nightlife and one of the

finest public gardens in Africa. The city has plenty to keep visitors

with a cultural or historical interest occupied. The Kasubi Tombs

are a UNESCO World Heritage Cultural Site where four former

Bugandan kings lie buried. The Bahai Temple, often called the

‘Mother Temple of Africa’, with its panoramic views of Kampala,

is about 6 kilometres north of the city. On Buganda Road and

behind the National Theatre you can buy local handicrafts in the

African Craft Village. The nearby city of Entebbe is the home

of Uganda’s international airport and the spectacular Botanical

Gardens. Approximately 23 kilometres southeast of Entebbe on

Lake Victoria lies the Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary,

while birdwatchers can make a half-day trip to Mabamba, a good

site for seeking the illusive shoebill stork. The Ssese Islands

in the northwestern part of the lake is an increasingly popular

tourist destination.

The roads in Uganda are well-maintained with immaculately

clean verges, and the easiest way to see the country is by a four

by four safari vehicle, travelling with your own private driver cum

guide. High quality lodges are now found in most of the national

parks and game reserves. Flying by light aircraft between

reserves, although expensive, has become increasingly popular

as a means of seeing the country’s highlights in a single trip.

Six hours drive southwest of Kampala, the Semliki Valley

Wildlife Reserve lies in a flat crater bordered by the escarpment

of the Rift Valley which rises 1,500 metres on the eastern side;

the dramatic Ruwenzori foothills to the south, and Lake Albert

and the Congo to the north and west. Habitats here include

papyrus swamps, lakes, rivers, marshes, gallery and tropical

rainforest and savannah.

Semliki protects a variety of mammals such as chimpanzees,

colobus monkeys, giant forest hog and leopard. There are also

populations of Uganda kob, lion, elephant, buffalo, reedbuck,

bushbuck, sitatunga and waterbuck. Large wildlife is fairly shy

here. Semliki is the only Ugandan park where visitors can take

night drives. Of particular significance to birdwatchers are

16 species of the Guinea-Congo forest belt, which reach their

easternmost limit here.

In western Uganda, the Kibale Forest National Park is one of

the most beautiful forest parks in Africa. Perhaps best known

for its chimpanzees, it contains another 12 primate species

– the greatest variety of any forest in central-eastern Africa,

including the rare blue and red-tailed monkeys and grey-cheeked

Right:

Women

joyfully display

vegetables for

sale.

Kampala, the sprawling Ugandan capital is the most handsome city set among seven hills

country focus: Uganda

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chimpanzees and a wealth of forest birds such as the

golden-breasted starling, D’Arnaud’s barbet and red-billed

hornbill. Further north there is excellent game-viewing around

Mweya. A launch trip down the Kazinga Channel provides an

opportunity to see elephants, hippos, waterbucks and many

waterbirds.

In the early 1930s, the British explorer Sir Vivian Fuchs

discovered fossils from the

early Pleistocene period along

the Kazinga Channel, but it

was not until some years

later that prehistoric material

was found. From the finds,

and from work in the Queen

Elizabeth National Park, it is

possible to indicate a little of

the prehistory of this area.

Fossils of water snails and

other molluscs, crocodiles

(which do not occur in Lake

George or Edward), hippos

(including the pygmy variety),

members of the pig family

and various fish, including Nile

perch have been found.

On the eastern edge of the Albertine Rift, the Bwindi

Impenetrable Forest National Park – one of Uganda’s UNESCO

World Heritage Sites – holds roughly half of the world’s

remaining mountain gorillas. The rest find sanctuary in Rwanda’s

Parc National des Volcans. This dense jungle contains another

10 primates, notably chimpanzees, black-and-white colobus and

blue monkeys. Around over 80 other mammals are present,

mangabey. Kibale protects virgin lowland tropical rainforest,

montane evergreen forest and mixed tropical deciduous forest.

Among the over 300 bird species present are the African grey

parrot, black-billed and great blue turacos and green-breasted

pitta. The guided walking trails focus on tracking habituated

chimpanzees, and provide access to Kibale’s different habitats,

with the chance to see birds and other primates.

South of Kibale, the

spectacular Queen

Elizabeth National Park

contains a rich diversity

of ecosystems – acacia

grassland, papyrus

swamp, rainforest,

flamingo-lined volcanic

crater lakes and

magnificent scenery.

It is bordered to the

southwest by Lake Edward

and to the northeast by

Lake George, and has

the greatest variety of

mammals in Uganda,

including sitatunga,

elephant and great herds

of Uganda kob. Among the primates there are black-and-white

colobus, L’Hoest’s, red-tailed and blue monkeys. Twenty species

of predator include spotted hyena, lion and leopard. Among

the 568 birds are papyrus and black-headed gonoleks, lowland

akalat, swamp flycatcher and black bee-eater. The Ishasha

sector, in the southern part of the park, is home to a population

of tree-climbing lion, while the Maramagambo Forest contains

Left:

The endangered

mountain

gorilla.

Below:

Rüppell’s

griffons are

among the most

gregarious of

raptors – they

roost, feed and

breed in flocks.

It’s gorillas represent perhaps one of the most powerful eco-image of them all


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including elephant, bush pig and various duikers. Clouds of

butterflies are often seen at bush pig mud wallows near the

trails. Bwindi is very rewarding for forest birding. Among the

over 345 recorded species are 23 Albertine Rift endemics,

with 14 found nowhere else in Uganda. Birdwatchers should

stay at least two nights in Buhoma – the lower sector of the

park for gorilla tracking – followed by an additional two nights at

simple, well-tended accommodation in high-altitude Ruhija. The

mountains of Ruhija hold localised species of bird such as the

rare African green broadbill and dusky twinspot. Because gorillas

are Bwindi’s main attraction, lodges servicing the park are near

the park office from where gorilla tracking commences daily.

The Murchison Falls National Park is the largest national park

in Uganda, covering an area of nearly 4,000 square kilometres

in the north, and offers some of the most spectacular scenery

in the country. The park was briefly known as Kabalega Falls

National Park in the early 1970s, having been renamed by

President Idi Amin after the King of Bunyoro, famous for resisting

attempts to colonise his kingdom. Here, the waters of the Nile

are forced through a narrow gap in the rocks to fall through a

series of foaming, roaring cascades down a drop of about 50

metres, creating one of the world’s most spectacular waterfalls.

The Murchison Falls is another good spot to see the rare shoebill

stork and the solitary hammerkop.

Fishing for Nile perch and tilapia attracts many anglers to the

Murchison Falls National Park. The fast-flowing waters above

and below the falls are probably the best places from which to

cast off. The king of the freshwater fish is without doubt the

Add the majestic River Nile, the Ruwenzori ‘Mountains of the Moon’ and the vast expanse of Lake Victoria

Right:

Fishing for the

massive Nile

perch attracts

many anglers to

The Murchison

Falls National

Park. Pho

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massive Nile perch, while the much smaller, rather bony tilapia

which makes good eating, can be found on the menus of many of

Kampala’s finest restaurants.

The White Nile near Jinja has become known as the adventure

sports capital, for the river here has several grade five rapids

which offer exhilarating white-water rafting at par with the

world-renowned Zambezi Gorge. All the rapids at the Bujagali

Falls are named to heighten the anticipation, for instance: ‘Total

Gunga’, ‘Silverback’, ‘Rib Cage’ and ‘Surf City’. Jinja is located

at the head of the Napoleon Gulf on the northern edge of Lake

Victoria and lies on the east bank of the Victoria Nile. The town

is perhaps best known for being close to the source of the Nile.

Even as it leaves the lake, the river is surprisingly large and it is

hard to imagine that it wanders north for 4,000 miles until it

reaches the Mediterranean sea.

In southern Uganda, the Lake Mburo National Park by

comparison, lies in dry acacia woodland. The 68 mammal

species include topi, roan antelope and giant eland. Jackals,

leopards and hyenas prey on the abundance of herbivores.

A cruise on Lake Mburo may reveal crocodiles, hippos and

aquatic birdlife. The park supports 310 bird species in its acacia

woodlands, papyrus swamps, grasslands and on its open waters.

Uganda has a fantastic climate, an ever-changing landscape

and people who are honest, polite and genuinely pleased to

welcome you. Whether you want to concentrate on Uganda’s

primates, tick off Albertine Rift endemics, land a giant Nile

perch, explore the ‘Mountains of the Moon’, experience the

vibrancy of its people, seek adventure or observe the diversity of

its game, Uganda will not disappoint. It will leave you with a deep

sense of respect for the lands and the people who safeguard its

wonderful natural heritage.

Above:

A launch

trip down

the Kazinga

channel in

Queen Elizabeth

National park

provides an

opportunity to

see Hippos.

Far left:

The magnificent

Murchison

falls where the

mighty Victoria

Nile drops 43

metres (141

feet).


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Conveniently situated in the leafy, up-market residential suburb of Kololo, within 5 minutes of the CBD and close to all major embassies.

Protea Hotel Kampala is the brand new alternative in luxury accommodation, offering a variety of services and facilities. GUESTs can unwind and refresh with a cocktail on the terrace, overlooking the plush

landscaped garden.

For more information, visit www.proteahotels.com

>>



Conveniently situated in the leafy, up-market residential suburb of Kololo, within 5 minutes of the CBD and close to all major embassies.

Protea Hotel Kampala is the brand new alternative in luxury accommodation, offering a variety of services and facilities. GUESTs can unwind and refresh with a cocktail on the terrace, overlooking the plush

landscaped garden.

For more information, visit www.proteahotels.com

*Rate is for a single and double rates are higher. **The approximate dollar rate will fluctuate daily.


destination: Zanzibar

Zanzibar! It’s the kind of place you feel compelled to visit,

if only for its name. The word ‘Zanzibar’ smacks of

exoticism and intrigue. Did Bob Hope and Bing Crosby

really go there to make The Road to... film? If so, the town they

were in would have looked just like the one that I was seeing

now. Zanzibar is virtually unchanged in the last 200 years. It’s a

UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The old Stone town, Arabic in origin, is a maze of curved

narrow streets, some so skinny only one can pass at a time. The

curves, it is said, are there to ensure the broiling sun can’t sting

you for too long as you walk.

When walking in Zanzibar you come to love those curves.

Each one leads to what, for you, is a brand-new part of the

ancient town. There are minarets and spires, and crumbling

ruins; there are great hanging balconies, some overhung with

tropical shrubs; there are sets of window shutters, some warped

and flaky, while others freshly painted green, grey or blue; there

are bulging whitewashed coral walls, and doors – fabulous

doors – intricately carved with either Indian or Arabic motifs.The

bigger doors are studded with sharp brass bosses, which in India

stopped the elephants (of which there are none in Zanzibar) from

rubbing up against them. They certainly stopped me from rubbing

up against them!

You are hot in this town. The temperature averages 30ºC;

You sweat and walk, and sweat some more, and still you walk,

always around the curves. You come to busy little streets, like

Kiponda, where cloves amortise the air; you come to Baghani

Street where curios and batik cloth are sold. You see the famed

Zanzibar chests stacked in the doorways of the shops. They

are exquisitely crafted from teak or mahogany, and lavishly

embellished with brass. You would love to buy one.

You come often to the foreshore – in the north to the ‘Big

Three’ - the Sultan’s Palace, the ‘House of Wonders’ and the

18th century Arab fort; or in the south to the grand white

frontage of ‘Africa House’, its rear upstairs terrace giving hotel

guests the same spectacular sunset view that its club members

It was from here that Dr. Livingstone launched his

expedition to the Zambezi and Victoria Falls; from here

Sultan Sayyid Said ruled the Omani Empire; here where

Britain first gained its foothold in East Africa; here too, a

quarter of a million native Africans were sold to slavery.

Tom Cockrem reports:

Where Sultans Ruled

>>

When walking in Zanzibar you come to love those curves



got a 100 years ago. You are reminded that old Zanzibar

straddles a peninsula which, located on the west of the island,

points directly to the African coast 30 kilometres away across

the channel.

The island where the town is situated, Unguja (86 kilometres

by 39 kilometres), is one of a pair that make up the province.

The other is Pemba. Zanzibar now belongs to Tanzania but it

didn’t always for Zanzibar once exerted considerable power over

much of East Africa.

In the mid-19th century, when Britain first became interested

in Africa, it was from the Sultan of Zanzibar that they had to

lease their land. The Sultans had been there for at least 900

years. Apart from the 16th and 17th centuries (not too long

when you say it fast), when the Portuguese held sway, the island

was their power base. Control of Zanzibar meant control of trade

to India, Arabia, Persia and the West; control of trade in spices

(especially cloves), copra and in human beings.

The notorious Arabian slaver, Tippu Tip, had around 10,000

African slaves working on his plantation. You can see his house in

town. Of course, it has a gorgeous wooden door, complete with

pointed studs. You wish someone had rubbed him up against them

– very hard.

You can also visit the old slave market, a Mkunazini. A big

Anglican Cathedral now occupies the auction site. But the

dungeons are still there – small and almost airless. Scores of

people died here, as my guide informed me, just waiting to be

sold. Only the strongest survived – just as the crafty slavers

would have liked. Slavery was abolished many times – in 1845,

in 1876 and finally for real in 1897. By this time the island

was a British protectorate, the Sultans having undermined their

own authority through feuds and usurptions. The last of the

long-serving Sultans, Say Caliph, was reduced to the status of a

figurehead. His palace is now a museum. Its furnishings, half of

them exquisite Indian pieces and the other half ‘contemporary’,

reflect the taste of his two wives, Bi Matuka and Bi Nunu

respectively.

Between the palace and the fort is the imposing ‘House of

Wonders’, so called because it was the first building in town to

have electric lights. It also had an electric lift, a ride on which

necessitated prior notice to an engineer who would have to

crank the generator into gear.

Zanzibar is a Muslim town. Around 95 per cent of its

citizens follow Islam. A few are Christians and even fewer,

Hindu. Zanzibaris are a dignified people, hospitable and polite.

They also like to have some fun.

On my last afternoon in town, my wanderings drew me down

to the foreshore yet again. The sun was big and low, and the

‘big Three’ were getting freshly painted in a glowing tangerine.

But my focus was elsewhere. In the Jamhuri Gardens across

the road, a crowd had gathered, as they do around this time.

>>

Above:

‘Their women,

segregated

and in purdah,

dressed in

simple Islamic

robes’.

Left:

Fisherman’s

nets hanging up

to dry.

Top right:

Visitors might

laze on the

coral sands,

lulled by the

soporific surf

and the rustle

of the palms.

© C

amer

apix

© C

amer

apix



There was music, and hawker stalls were already doing a

sprightly trade. There were barbecues – fresh squid sizzling in

spicy oils, meat balls and kebabs getting dipped in spicy sauce. I

was shown how to make my own chapati sandwich – laughter as

my meatball dropped into the salad bowl.

I sat and ate. A string of promenaders, aglow with smiles,

asked my opinion of the food – ‘really delicious!’. Here in this Air Uganda flies twice a week to Zanzibar

© C

amer

apix

leafy park, away from walls and skinny streets, Zanzibar was a

very different place. Here was space for congeniality, or space

enough for me to notice it. There was a place to simply sit, as

visitors and Zanzibaris like to do, to watch the sun go down, and

across Shangani street, to watch it painting crimson now the

Sultan’s Palace, the ‘House of Wonders’ and the old Arab fort.

The Onyx Jewellers has been established for over 35 years and has earned the reputation

as one of Kenya’s most prominent retailers of fine jewellery, precious and semi-precious

gemstones namely Tanzanites, Tsavorites and Diamonds as well as exquisite hand-

crafted sculptures and carvings.

Boasting a range of jewellery that is as diverse as its client base, our shops have

over the years, been frequently visited by various heads of state, dignitaries

and other high-profile personalities who have all enjoyed the Onyx

shopping experience and regularly commission pieces that today serve as

a continued testament to our commitment to, aesthetic designs, expert

craftsmanship and attention to detail.

The Onyx Jewellers remains dedicated to creating exquisite and delicately

designed pieces of fine jewellery that would suit any occasion.

Today these prestigious jewels and more are available from our shops at

the Nairobi Hilton Hotel, at our fine jewellery gallery located in Nairobi’s

ABC Place on Waiyaki Way and at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

If you would like to make an appointment or to visit any of our shops please contact us on;

+ 254 (0)733 786 117/118/119 or email: [email protected]

We look forward to seeing you!


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This is a place of great traffic and has a good harbour in

which are moored small crafts of many kinds and also

great ships . . .’ This was how a 15th century Portuguese

adventurer described Mombasa, and it is just as true today.

Kenya’s second city and East Africa’s largest port has a setting

that sounds as if it has come straight out of the ‘1001 Arabian

Nights’ stories.

The heart of Mombasa is an island situated at a river mouth

fringed with coconut palms and mangrove forests. The river silt

created a break in the great series of coral reefs and white-sand

beaches along East Africa’s coast, and for questing sailors,

whether from the east or the west, the opening must have

seemed like an invitation to explore and eventually to trade. That

feeling of openness remains one of Mombasa’s most hopeful

characteristics. Karibu! (meaning ‘welcome!’ in Kiswahili), can be

heard all along the coast, and far beyond Kenya’s borders.

Mombasa City has now spread well beyond its original island

base, and modern port facilities dwarf the original Dhow Harbour

by the Old Town. Business visitors or those looking for big city

buzz often opt for modern hotels, perhaps around Moi Avenue

and Mombasa Railway Station. Those in search of something

quieter with a more traditional ambience before ultimately hitting

the beaches may prefer a night or two in the Old Town. Many of

the old merchants’ houses have been

renovated back to their Swahili glory days

– all dark wood furnishings, glowing brass and drifting

white draperies – with of course every modern

convenience and delicious ‘fusion’ cuisine.

The Old Town was always Mombasa’s main attraction, from

the days of the great explorers such as Burton, Livingstone and

Stanley, to Karen Blixen of ‘Out of Africa’ fame and her colonial

contemporaries. Renovations are continuing, and while it is not

as extensive as Zanzibar’s Stone Town, the Old Town’s

atmospheric narrow streets offer lots of photographic

opportunities in the form of fine old houses with their iconic

brass-studded wooden doors, antique treasure trove

boutiques and craft workshops. The highlights include the grim

old Portuguese-built Fort Jesus, the Dhow Harbour with its fine

views across the creek, and other reminders of colonial times

such as the Mombasa Club, the Levens House (formerly

Government House) and the Old Post Office.

Other attractions in the city itself include the famous

ceremonial arch over Moi Avenue shaped like massive elephant

tusks forming an ‘M’ for Mombasa, and many fine mosques,

colourful temples and local markets. The oldest mosque in

Mombasa (the Mandhry Mosque, 1570) is in the Old Town,

Mombasa and the Sunny Swahili Coast

By Kate Nivison

destination: Mombasa

Above: Shanzu beach, home to a wide range of World Class resorts with fine cuisine and beaches.

‘

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as is one of the newest, the Ithna Asheri, with its shady

courtyard overlooking the Dhow Harbour, and there are

many others.

For visitors in search of sun and sand somewhere along Kenya’s

400 kilometres (250 miles) of Indian Ocean beaches, the range

of accommodation is growing, with around 500 hotels along the

coastal zone. The first decision is whether to head north or south of

Mombasa. Some claim the best beaches are to the south because

the reefs are further off-shore here than to the north, giving wider

stretches of pure white sand. On the other hand, the north has

even longer swathes of beaches and reefs, although in many places

the reef is very close to the beach. This results in considerable

expanses of coral being exposed at low tide, making swimming

difficult at that time. To compensate, the northern coastal scenery

is more varied. The beach-fringed low coastal forest skyline is broken

at intervals by winding freshwater creeks, rugged promontories and

occasional off-shore islands,with sisal plantations and giant baobabs

along the road.

South of Mombasa

There isn’t a bridge from Mombasa Island

across Kilindini Creek to the southern beaches,

but many travellers consider that taking the

Likoni Ferry is a holiday experience in itself.

These venerable vessels make the crossing

from where the matatu (minibus) terminal

disgorges its passengers in a lemming-like rush

down the slipway. If you’re in a vehicle, it’s worth

getting out and hugging the rails for a

panoramic view of modern Mombasa’s skyline.

It’s also a fine opportunity to people-watch and

reflect on the city’s more ancient role as a

great mixing pot for different ethnic groups and

cultures.

The road south is almost straight and flat,

through the dappled sunlight of palms groves

and patches of remaining forest. Wayside villages and schools flit

past among mango, banana, citrus and cashew nut trees, with

new villa complexes marked by bright splashes of bougainvillea.

At intervals to the left are the entrance gates to the many beach

hotels large and small that have access to the long stretches of

fine sands. The best known of these is Diani Beach, with high-end

luxury on Chale Island at its furthest point. The road goes on to

Msambweni and yet more resorts before it runs out at Shimoni

near the Tanzanian border.

North of Mombasa

The airport road leaves Mombasa for the north by the New

Nyali Bridge where, understandably, there is no stopping for

photographs. Nyali itself, with its famous beach, has now

become more or less a satellite of Mombasa. Old Nyali is still

rather grand with its good schools and clubs among huge shady

trees, while New Nyali is an up-and-coming residential area

served by good shopping malls and other urban facilities.

It is worth noting at this point that all Kenya’s beaches are

public unless stated otherwise by a particular resort hotel. Jomo

Kenyatta beach is less than 30 minutes from the city centre and

obviously gets very crowded. Now that much of the road north

has been resurfaced, the journey time to the northern beaches

has been reduced and is much more comfortable. Popular stops

along the way include Bamburi, home to Kenya’s largest cement

producer, with Mijikenda public beach.

Shanzu Beach has a line of resort hotels, often with shared

facilities such as pools and restaurants, ranged along its narrow

public sands and tidal coral foreshore. Sun-loungers are spread

among the coconut palms, while troops of resident monkeys

cause amusement and occasional havoc among the guests’

poolside snacks and belongings. Itinerant Somali camel owners

offer an exotic version of donkey rides along the sands.

Mombasa and the Sunny Swahili Coast

>>

Above: Windsurfing along the North Coast.

Right bottom:Metal tusks mark the 1952 visit of Queen Elizabeth to the city.


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Further up the coast, the former port of Malindi, visited by the

great Portuguese navigator Vasco de Gama on his way to the

Indies, has some buildings of historic interest and a small museum

whose most engaging exhibit is a rare Coelacanth ‘fossil fish’

caught locally, now eyeing the world from a preserving tank. Also

fascinating is a large reproduction of a 15th century Portuguese

map featuring the Indian Ocean, guaranteed to make anyone

wonder how these intrepid sailors ever got home again to tell the

tale. Of course, many didn’t and some of them are buried in a tiny

churchyard in Malindi by courtesy of the local sultan.

At the far end of the north coast road towards the Somalia

border is the beautiful and largely unspoilt Lamu archipelago.

These islands have been a ‘barefoot luxury’ hideaway for the rich

and famous for many years. Clients usually fly from Mombasa to

one of the small airstrips in the location such as Manda. This far

north, the climate is less humid and the skies more often a vivid

desert blue, picked up by the warm clear seas around the islands.

Whether staying north or south of Mombasa, visitors who want

something more than a poolside bar and a headset or book under

the palms have a choice of several ways to make their holiday truly

memorable. Water-based activities include snorkelling, scuba

diving and glass-bottomed boat trips to the better reef areas.

Some of these are now protected, such as the Mombasa Marine

Nature Reserve or Watamu National Park off Malindi. Dhow

sailing, creek trips, deep-sea fishing and water sports are also

popular.

For a ‘1001 Arabian Nights’ experience, Kilifi Creek on the

north coast offers a sunset dhow cruise and entertainment at a

pretty mini-palace that was once the summer residence of the

Sultan of Oman, complete with dancing girls and traditional food.

In Mombasa itself, sunset cruises round the Old Fort and up the

creeks vary from the sedate to full-on party mode.

It goes almost without saying that in a country as famous for its

wildlife as Kenya, many hotels offer drive/safari or fly/safari

packages for one or more nights. For a local forest safari

experience, Shimba Hills National Reserve is a reasonable drive

from the Diani Beach area, while north of Kilifi Creek, the Arabuko

Sokoke Forest Reserve offers something similar. For ‘Big Five’

game safaris, flights from local airstrips go to Tsavo East and

Maasai Mara National Parks.

>>


Above: Laid back Swahili coast style, near Malindi.

These islands have been a ‘barefoot luxury’ hide away for the rich and famous for many years

Air Uganda flies every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday to Mombasa


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destination: Kenya

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In 1866, Britain’s foremost explorer Dr David Livingstone, went

in search of the answer to an age-old geographical riddle:

where was the source of the Nile? Livingstone set out with a

large expedition on a course that would lead him through nearly

impenetrable, unmapped terrain and into areas populated by

fearsome man-eating tribes. Within weeks his planned itinerary

began to fall apart, his entourage deserted him and he vanished

without a trace into the African interior. Livingstone would not be

heard from again for two years.

David Livingstone had originally come to the notice of the

Royal Geographical Society (RGS) in London in 1849, when he

had been the first European to cross the Kalahari and to stand

on the shore of Lake Ngami. He was born on 19 March 1813

on the top floor of the tenement called ‘Shuttle-Row’ in the mill

town of Blantyre, near Glasgow in Scotland, the second son of

Neil Livingstone and his wife Agnes Hunter. They were a family

of straitened means, strict living and religious fervour. Largely

self-educated, he qualified as a doctor and was accepted for

service with the London Missionary Society (LMS) – a Protestant

interdenominational body with interests in southern Africa.

When Livingstone arrived in Cape Town in March 1841, the

LMS had been in southern Africa for 42 years. The first party

of LMS missionaries, led by Dr Johannes Van Der Kemp, had

arrived in Cape Town on 31 March 1799. They found that all

the peoples south of the Zambezi were in the midst of major

political and social changes and by the time Livingstone arrived,

this had had a severe impact on society as far north as what

are now Zambia and Malawi. Livingstone had arrived at the

Cape on the way to Kuruman (in Bechuanaland) some 1600

kilometres (1000 miles to the north), the station built and run

by the veteran missionary Robert Moffat whose daughter Mary

was to marry Livingstone in 1845. The young couple were

perpetually on the move, building three successive mission

stations in an effort to establish themselves beyond territory

constantly in dispute between Boer farmers and the local

people, with the missionary in the unenviable role of ‘piggy-in-the

middle’.

In 1849 David embarked on his first Lake Ngami expedition in

company with William Cotton Oswell, a wealthy big game hunter

who paid all expenses and was to become a life-long friend. In

1850, Livingstone again visited Lake Ngami taking his wife and

four children with him. In 1851, the same party reached the

Chobe and Zambezi rivers beyond which lay a ‘blank on the map’

which would have intrigued the African Association. Here spring

David LivingstoneThe Life Behind the LegendText and images from Peter Holthusen

history

Left:

An artist’s

impression of

an ailing David

Livingstone

being carried to

his hut on the

shores of Lake

Bangweulu.


the headwaters of the Zambezi flowing south and east to the

Indian Ocean and those of the Congo/Zaire flowing north and

west to the Atlantic. The region contains a vast watershed

abounding in streams, swamps, rivers and seasonal floods.

It was Livingstone’s understanding of the nature of the ground

he was to traverse, his careful notes and well designed maps that

have placed him in the front rank of geographers. In his steady

foot-slog across Africa he studied the lie of the land as it unfolded

before him, fitting its features into the great jigsaw which was to

become the map of Africa. It is often claimed that others – the

Hungarian László Magyar, for instance, and the Portuguese

Candido – reached the source of the Zambezi and crossed the

continent before him, but it was Livingstone who recorded the

geography and gave it to the world. What he saw on his 1851

journey convinced him that only by prospecting further north

could he find sites for mission stations out of the range of Boer

harassment. This was a task beyond the capacity of women and

children; he sent his wife and family off to England and prepared

himself for his great adventure.

Collecting supplies in Cape Town, Livingstone set out alone for

the homelands of Sekeletu, chief of the Makololo, between the

Chobe and the Zambezi rivers. Here, he hoped to establish a

mission out of the reach of land-hungry Boers. From Sekeletu’s

capital of Linyanti he travelled west with a hand-picked group

of Makololo – companions, not hired porters – to prospect an

avenue of trade with the coast which might be the means of

combating the slave trade that was beginning to penetrate inland.

It was in Angola that he first met this scourge of Africa, and

coming back disappointed to Linyanti, he made his way down the

Zambezi . As he went he visited the great falls of Mosi-oa-tunya or

‘the smoke that thunders’, which Livingstone named Victoria Falls

after the British Queen – ‘the only English name I have affixed to

any part of the country’, he later wrote.

Conditions in Mozambique were even worse than in Angola, and

Livingstone reached England in 1856 convinced that his purpose

in life must be to fight the slave trade. He received The Royal

Geographical Society’s Patron’s Medal for 1855 for his great

enlargement of geographical knowledge, and spent most of his

time stirring up the British public against the trade in humans

which was destroying Africa.

Livingstone was back in Africa in 1858 as the leader of an

expedition sponsored by the British Government and the RGS,

dedicated to opening up the Zambezi as a highway into the

interior. Circumstances were as unfavourable to his solitary

genius as can well be imagined. He was to have six colleagues all

wanting directions and encouragement; there were relations to

be established with the Portuguese authorities who controlled the

Zambezi some way beyond Tete (now in Mozambique). Livingstone

had neither the gift for handling colleagues and subordinates

(nor the wish to acquire it) and he simply detested the

Portuguese. Moreover, the whole project was ill-conceived from

a practical point of view.

The extent to which the idea of navigating the Zambezi had

taken hold of Livingstone’s imagination can be measured by the

extent to which it upset his geographical judgement. He allowed

himself to assume that the river was navigable as far upstream

as the Victoria Falls, although on his way downstream in 1856

he had cut across the country between Zumbo and Tete and so

Above:

David

Livingstone on

his return from

the Zambezi

in 1864,

photographed

by Thomas

Annan, one of

the pioneers of

photography in

Scotland.

Right:

In perhaps the

most famous

encounter in

the history of

exploration,

Henry Morton

Stanley

greeted

Livingstone with

the question,

“Dr Livingstone,

I presume?”.

history

>>


had never reconnoitred the part of the river which contains the

steep fall of the Kebrabasa (Cabora Bassa) gorge; the river was

impassable at this point and the energies of the expedition were

diverted to the ascent of the Shire river into Lake Nyasa (present

day Malawi).

Many things went wrong: the steam launch from which much

was expected, the ‘Ma Robert’ (called after the African name for

Mrs Livingstone), gave endless trouble; the University’s Mission

which was one raison d’être of the expedition failed to establish

itself on the Shire; Mary Livingstone died of malaria. Not even the

ascent of the Shire and the geographical information gained on

the lake could redeem the Zambezi Expedition which was recalled

in 1864, in time for the fatal meeting of the British Association.

Sir Roderick Impey Murchison, President of the RGS, was one

of Livingstone’s few close friends and between them they worked

out a scheme for finding the source of the Nile, centring on Lake

Tanganyika (Richard Burton’s choice) as being the most likely

origin of the river. Livingstone liked the idea of working Tanganyika

into the Nile system, lying as it did within reach of a country he

knew. He was to make his way by the Rovuma

river which was not in Portuguese territory and

which might turn out to be that highway into the

interior (this was one of Livingstone’s fixed

ideas) – in fact it proved as impracticable

as the Zambezi. He was then to make

his way to his own Lake Nyasa and so

north to Lake Tanganyika. He left in

1867. The expedition was modestly

equipped, but it was not thought

that an experienced traveller like

Livingstone, on partly familiar ground,

need be away long. As things transpired,

he spent six years on his last journey,

drifting here and there in the wake of

the Arab caravans which traded

around Ujiji on Lake Tanganyika,

isolated in an Africa ever more

demoralised by the slave trade

and swept by disease. His

powers, morale and physical

began to fail him, supplies

ran out, communications

with Zanzibar were cut, his

porters mutinied. Livingstone

was destitute.

On 10 November 1871,

Henry Morton Stanley, a

reporter for the ‘New York Herald’ who had come to Africa to find

the famous explorer, arrived in Ujiji and found a tired and broken

man. According to Stanley’s journal, it was a day that would

change the world. Livingstone was wearing a sun-faded blue cap

and red Jobo jacket like the Arabs. His clothing showed signs of

being patched and repaired. The explorer’s hair was white, he had

few teeth and his beard was bushy. He walked ‘with a firm but

heavy tread’, as if stepping on thorns.

Stanley stepped crisply towards the old man, removed his

helmet and extended his hand, striving desperately to say exactly

the right thing to such a distinguished English gentleman. His

greeting would become the most famous line in the history

of exploration. With a grave formal intonation, Stanley spoke

the most dignified words that came to mind: “Dr Livingstone, I

presume ?” “Yes”, Livingstone answered simply. “I thank God,

Doctor”, Stanley replied, appalled at how fragile Livingstone looked.

Livingstone revived in Stanley’s bracing company and together

they visited the northern end of Lake Tanganyika and ascertained

that the Ruzizi flowed into and not out of the lake, which could

not therefore be connected to the Nile. Livingstone became ever

more convinced that the Lualaba to the west of Tanganyika was a

headwater of the Nile, and that somewhere at its source were the

four fountains from which Herodotus claimed the great river rose.

Yet, he doubted.

‘I am oppressed’, he wrote, ‘by the apprehension that it may,

after all, turn out that I have been following the Congo, and who

would risk being put into a cannibal pot and converted into a black

man for it ?’. His last journals are full of such self-communication,

and while obstinacy hardened, confidence ebbed. He would not

take Stanley’s advice to return to England to restore his health.

He was determined to trudge on until he found the Nile fountains.

Unbeknown to Livingstone, he would never discover the source

of the Nile. In the predawn hours of 1 May 1873, in a village

near Lake Bangweulu, Livingstone’s companions found him dead,

kneeling beside his bed in prayer. Before carrying his body back

to the coast for transport to England, one of his followers, a

tribesman named Farijala, who had once been a surgeon in

Zanzibar, removed his heart and viscera and buried them under

a sprawling Mpundu tree on which he carved his name and the

date. The outer bark with the inscription is now preserved at the

Royal Geographical Society. He was buried in Westminster Abbey

on 18 April 1874.

David Livingstone, on his own account, failed in many ways.

He did not find the source of the Nile, end the slave trade,

or establish permanent missions in Africa, but his numerous

contributions to the geographical knowledge of Africa are without

equal, even today.

Left:

The memorial

statue of

Livingstone in

the Princes

Street Gardens

of Edinburgh,

Scotland.

Circumstances were as unfavourable to his solitary genius as can well be imagined

history

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paradiseThe birds of

As you fly south from Europe across the deep blue bowl of the Mediterranean, Africa rises from the depths like a lifeless brown moonscape. From this great height, it is a

brutal land. The sands of the Sahara suck the precious rain into the earth and the sun bakes its surface without respite. It’s hard to imagine any living thing surviving in this savage wilderness. But look closely, and you’ll see some remarkable life not only surviving but thriving.

Where small oases defy the desert, bee-eaters, sunbirds, babblers, sandgrouse and scrub warblers quench their thirst and feed on insects and nectar. During the autumn migration thousands of swallows, swifts and other species will gather here

to refuel before braving the vast Sahara on their way to the green pastures of their wintering grounds.

Even the desert itself is alive with birds. Most of these are seed-eaters, although few can rely entirely on seeds, which contain very little water. Sandgrouse and Namaqua doves must drink regularly, as they eat nothing but seeds. This restricts their range and distribution. However, most desert birds supplement their diet with insects, allowing them to be independent of drinking water. These birds include an enormous variety of larks, wheatears and social weavers.

Perhaps the most spectacular birds of the desert are the bustards and their close relatives, the korhaans. The Kori bustard

nature & wildlife

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is the world’s heaviest flying bird, although unsurprisingly it is usually reluctant to take off unless it is absolutely essential. The male engages in astonishing courtship rituals that involve fluffing out its tail and neck feathers, giving the appearance of a giant cuddly toy. Then with wings drooping and head held high, the male struts around, sounding a deep resonant ‘wum-wum-wummmm’ which females apparently find irresistible.

Africa’s change from desert brown to forest green is subtle. At this transition point are some of the richest birding sites on earth: the savannahs. Hornbills flit from branch to branch, fiscal shrikes survey the ground from their high perches, tawny eagles and augur buzzards soar on the thermals. In East Africa alone there are some 1,500 bird species. Here, world records for the number of species seen in a day have frequently been set and broken again, with tallies in excess of 300 quite common. One tour group advertises its bird excursions to East Africa as the ‘700 Safari’, referring to the number of species they expect to see in a short holiday – a figure higher than the entire British Isles, or almost any other European country.

Birds have no respect for political boundaries. The gift of flight gives them the power to explore new lands. On a continental landmass, it is rare for any species to be confined to one country.

The Great Rift Valley marks its passage through the lakes of Turkana, Baringo, Bogoria, Nakuru, Naivasha, Magadi, Natron and Manyara. These are names engraved on the heart of every globetrotting birdwatcher. The lakes attract avian migrants, together with a marvellous resident birdlife that depends on their fish and algae-rich waters.Each lake is different and worth a visit for its own specialities. Ferguson’s Gulf on Lake Turkana has an amazing list of rarities to its credit, including pomarine and long-tailed skuas from the Arctic and great black-headed gulls

from the great lakes of Central Asia. Nakuru is famous for the huge numbers of flamingos that turn its shorelines into seas of pink. Naivasha is one of the most exciting places that anyone with an interest in birds could visit; 100 species can be seen before breakfast with ease.

The greatest rainforest in Africa stretches along the Equator from the Atlantic coast to Kakamega forest in western Kenya. This fabulous forest is rapidly being eaten away by timber and farming enterprises, but there is still a great deal of avian interest. Sometimes the forest can appear lifeless, then suddenly the canopy is filled with a mixed feeding party of a dozen different species.

The splendour of some forest species must be seen to be believed. Among the greatest treasures are the turacos. Known as louries in South Africa and plantain-eaters in West Africa (despite the fact that they never eat plantains), the turacos are large, brightly coloured birds with exaggerated tails that they expand in flight or use to keep balance as they run like squirrels along tree branches.

Uganda has a large and diverse avifauna. More than 1,000 species, including many migratory species from Europe or Asia, have been recorded. Given the relatively small size of the country, this number is exceptionally high.

Human activities, especially forest clearing, have had an effect on the abundance and distribution of Ugandan birds. Some ubiquitous, open-country species, like the common bulbul (Pycnonotus barbatus) and the mousebird (Colius striatus), have been able to proliferate and to extend their distribution widely, but many forest species are now confined to small relict patches of forest. Until now, no species has become extinct, however, and birds are still abundant in most areas of Uganda.

Right:

A grey headed

kingfisher

in Kenya’s

Samburu

National

Reserve.

Further right:

The crested

crane, Uganda’s

striking national

bird.

nature & wildlife


Africa’s change from desert brown to forest green is subtle

One of the first impressions of most visitors, even the non-bird watchers, is the abundance of birds around Entebbe and Kampala. Small birds like sparrows, bright yellow weavers, metallic-blue starlings, and colourful sunbirds are everywhere. Woodland kingfisher, broad-billed roller, black-and-white flycatcher, black-headed gonolek, and Heuglin’s robin chat are common garden birds. Large fruiting trees in the middle of Kampala attract black-and-white casqued hornbill, crowned hornbill, great blue turaco, and Ross’s turaco. Abdim’s stork, black-headed heron, and hadada ibis are regular visitors on golf courses. Large birds like marabou stork, hooded vulture, black kite, and even African fish eagle are rarely absent from the sky. The marabou, the largest of all storks in Africa but also the most repulsive, with its large, fleshy pouch hanging from the neck, even breeds on some trees in the overcrowded city streets of Kampala. Outside towns and villages, birds are mainly distributed according to the occurrence of broad vegetation types.

Most birds of the woodlands and wooded grasslands – the most extensive type of natural or semi-natural habitat in Uganda – have a very broad distribution, both geographically and ecologically. They range widely outside Uganda: some are found all over East Africa; others reach South Africa or West Africa, and still others are found throughout tropical Africa. This is the case with many raptors like the black kite and black-shouldered kite, the African cuckoo falcon, most vultures, the harrier hawk, the splendid bateleur eagle, brown snake eagle and banded snake eagle, African hawk eagle, tawny eagle, several sparrowhawks and goshawks, lizard buzzard, long-crested eagle, crowned eagle, and martial eagle. Vultures and large eagles are now mainly confined to the national parks, except for the hooded vulture and palmnut vulture, which still have a wide distribution.

In the moist savannahs of southern and south-western Uganda occurs the black-headed olive-back, a small greenish, finch-like

bird with a black head and a narrow white collar. It lives in rank, lush vegetation on edges of swamps, around forests, and in cultivated areas and has a very restricted distribution. In the much drier acacia savannahs of Lake Mburo National Park are found other interesting species. The most peculiar is the red-faced barbet, a plump, black bird with a stout bill, yellow shafts to the primary feathers, and a bright red face. It is a rare species, restricted to a small area of south-western Uganda, eastern Rwanda, north-eastern Burundi, and north-western Tanzania. A much less spectacular species found in the Lake Mburo area, is the tiny Tabora cisticola, a small greyish warbler with a fairly long narrow tail and a russet crown. It is endemic to Uganda.

The bright blue Abyssinian roller, the large Abyssinian ground hornbill with its blue face wattles, black-billed barbet, white-fronted black chat, and black-faced firefinch occur all over the northern savannahs, from the Zaire border to Kenya.

In the areas around Lake Albert and the Murchison Falls National Park are found many species from west and central-west Africa, like the red-necked buzzard, which is mainly a non-breeding visitor to the area, Heuglin’s francolin, black-bellied wooddove, Bruce’s green pigeon, white-crested turaco, long-tailed nightjar, red-throated bee-eater, piac-piac, Emin’s shrike, dusky babbler, red-winged grey warbler, white-rumped seedeater, and grey-headed olive-back. This last species closely resembles the black-headed olive-back, but most of the black of the head is replaced by a pale grey.

In the semi-arid areas of Karamoja in the north-east – in and around the Kidepo Valley National Park – are found typically dry country species like the ostrich, swallow-tailed kite, the tiny pygmy falcon, fox kestrel and white-eyed kestrel, Clapperton’s francolin, stone partridge, kori bustard, Hartlaub’s bustard, white-bellied bustard, Abyssinian scimitarbill, red-and-yellow barbet, red-pate cisticola, and Karamoja apalis.

nature & wildlife

Above

left to right:

A grey heron,

known to nest

in colonies.

The weaver

bird, has the

most elaborate

nest of any

birds.

The strikingly-

coloured

saddlebilled

stork with a

blade-shaped

bill.

The Murchison

shoebill, derives

its name from

its massive,

shoe-shaped

bill.

The fish eagle,

perches on

exposed

waterside

trees.

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nature & wildlife

The splendour of some species must be seen to be believed

Uganda is especially rich in forest birds. They form a very substantial part of the avifauna and are one of the best reasons for a birdwatcher to visit Uganda. Some species have a widespread distribution, occurring in many different forests. Others are restricted to one, two, or three forest blocks, mostly along the western Rift — the richest being the Budongo, Kibale, Semuliki, Maramagambo-Kalinzu, and Bwindi forests. These forests harbour many central or west African species, which reach their easternmost limit of distribution in western Uganda.Especially in the lowland forests of the Semuliki National Park, which are an extension of the forests of the Zaire Basin, there are many species that don’t occur elsewhere in East Africa. These include the spotted ibis, Congo serpent eagle, chestnut-flanked goshawk, long-tailed hawk, Bates’ nightjar, black-wattled hornbill, red-billed dwarf hornbill, black dwarf hornbill and white-crested hornbill, African piculet, Gabon woodpecker, yellow-throated nicator, black-winged oriole, Sassi’s olive greenbul, bearded greenbul and capuchin babbler, northern bearded scrub robin, forest ground thrush, grey ground thrush, red-eyed puffback, pale-fronted negrofinch, and Grant’s bluebill. Cassin’s spinetail is known from only Budongo Forest.

Montane forests harbour more species with a restricted distribution. The high-altitude forests along the western Rift have many species that occur nowhere else: the Kivu-Ruwenzori endemics.

The best places to spot them are the forests of the Ruwenzori range and those of Bwindi. There one can find the handsome francolin, Ruwenzori turaco, Ruwenzori batis, white-bellied crested flycatcher, yellow-eyed black flycatcher, Ruwenzori apalis, red-faced woodland warbler, red-throated alethe, Archer’s robin-chat, mountain black boubou, stripe-breasted tit, purple breasted sunbird, regal sunbird, blue-headed sunbird, strange weaver, dusky crimson-wing, Shelley’s crimson-wing, and dusky

twinspot. The Tanganyika ground-thrush is restricted to Bwindi and the volcanoes. The dwarf honeyguide, short-tailed warbler, and Grauer’s warbler are found only in the Bwindi Forest.The rarely seen green broadbill is found in only the higher parts of the Bwindi Forest, mainly around Ruhija and the Bwindi swamp.

The extensive and diverse wetlands attract a rich waterbird fauna. Most of the species of pelicans, cormorants and darters, herons, storks, ibises and spoonbills, ducks and geese, plovers, waders and gulls, raptors, and passerines known to occur in the eastern and southern African wetlands exist in Uganda. The African fish eagle is abundant, and some rare species like the rufous-bellied heron are also quite widespread.

Some species typically restricted to papyrus swamps and virtually endemic to the Lake Victoria basin, like the papyrus gonolek, the white-winged warbler, and the papyrus canary, are also widespread. The striking shoebill stork is known from the Victoria Nile and the larger swamps around lakes George, Edward, Victoria, and Kyoga. It is a large bird, about the size of a marabou, silver-grey with a conspicuous broad bill. It can stand motionless for hours on floating meadows or on the water’s edge, waiting for fish.

In the montane swamps of the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park occurs the very local, unobtrusive and skulking Grauer’s rush warbler, known from only a few places in south-western Uganda, western Rwanda, and northern Burundi. On the Semuliki River Hartlaub’s duck has been recorded, and along the edges of swamps north-east of Lake Kyoga lives the only strictly Ugandan endemic species: Fox’s weaver.

Africa is a land of contrasts, beauty and delicately balanced ecosystems, which serve as home or resting place to great numbers of endemic and migrant species. So when you’re packing your bags, whatever you do, don’t forget the binoculars!


For more information contact: Books ’R’ Us LTD, | P.O. Box 45048, 00100 G.P.O. Nairobi, Kenya Tel: +254 (20) 4448923 / 4 / 5 | Fax: +254 (20) 444 8818 or 4441021 Email: [email protected] www.camerapixpublishers.com

Books‘R’Us

Uganda was described by Winston Churchill in 1907as the

‘Pearl Of Africa’. One hundred years later the accolade is still valid;

the East African Savannah meets the West African Jungle.

Journey Through Uganda takes you around this remarkable

country, from the islands of Lake Victoria to the far south-west, home

of the rare mountain gorilla, to the snow-capped Mountains of the

Moon, through lush rainforest, national parks and fertile farmlands

to the arid extremes of its borders on the edge of the Great Rift

Valley.

The superb photography is the work of David Pluth who has made

many visits to Uganda over the years, recording the people, wildlife

and spectacular beauty of the ‘Pearl of Africa’. The authoritative text

has been compiled by Philip Briggs and edited by Roger Barnard.

Karamoja: Uganda’s Land of Warrior Nomads stands on the edge. A

work of 10 years in the making, this ground-breaking book of stories

and photography brings into focus the proud Karimojong warriors

and herdsmen of the remote semi-desert plains in north-east

Uganda.

Karamoja reveals both everyday and extraordinary scenes with

the stark magnetism of photojournalism and the timeless beauty

of African imagery. The photographs accompany dramatic tales

based on actual events in the region. Follow the paths of such young

warriors as Amaese, who is forced to fight for his family’s existence

and to rid his kinsman’s house of evil spirits. The stories embody

everything from Karimojong traditional religion to concepts of beauty

and justice, from child rearing to the mysticism of the gun.

Featuring two large-format hardback coffe table books, portraying a

journey through Uganda, acting as a stimulus to tourism,

as well as being the ideal souvenirs of a visit.

Journey Through Uganda Size: 241 mm length 318 mm widthPages: 192 printed 4/4 with full colour illustrations Cost: USD 50.00

Uganda’s Land of Warrior NomadsAKARAMOJ

Photography by David PluthStories by Sylvester Onyang and Jeremy O’Kasick

KaramojaSize: 290 mm length 265 mm widthPages: 276 printed 4/4 with full colour illustrations Cost: USD 65.00

book world


Romancing the Orange

Do you wish to make someone love you for ever? Trust the

orange – the golden apple of Hesperides. An elixir of love

can easily be concocted with a few gratings of candied

orange peel. But if your wish is just to dream of your beloved

at night, you can make it come true by carrying two pieces of

orange peel in your pocket during the day. In any event, the

orange boasts a long record of appreciation, and is traditionally

regarded as a symbol of fecundity. Orange blossoms are tucked

to bridal head-dresses, bouquets and even the wedding cakes.

After all, Zeus had presented Hera with an orange at their

wedding.

On a more everyday basis, the versatility of the orange is

virtually limitless – orange juice, fresh or frozen, orange in

cakes and puddings, orange in sauces, orange liqueur,

orange essential oil... surely, the orange deserves to be

taken seriously.

Roman naturalist, Pliny the Elder, spoke of citrus as a

medicinal fruit, antidote, moth repellent and source of aroma.

He was the first to use the word ‘citrus’. One of the earliest

scientific treatises on the citrus fruits was presented by the 12th

century Chinese who suggested that the peel of the chu (orange)

was very good when prepared and used as a tonic. A Roman

Jesuit, Ferrarius in 1646 recorded interesting juicy orange

anecdotes of his times. He mentions the use of orange flowers

(by fermentation) as a remedy for the heart and the production of

snuff from the orange rind. Fresh or dried orange flowers added

to a bath is believed to make one

attractive.

Because of its colour (an

aircraft’s ‘black box’ is not black

but orange for easy detection),

aroma and flavour, the orange

is a very appetising fruit. The

most important orange derivative

is its oil for essence and used

in perfumes, candies, food

products, and juice. Andulasian

women (noted for their fiery

glances) add few drops of

orange juice to their eyes to

make them sparkle. Because

of the high concentration of

nutrients found in orange juice

it is commercialised as fresh,

pasteurised, concentrated, with

or without pulp and powdered.

At its earliest, oranges (the

bitter variety) are believed to

have been used for the fragrance

of their rind. They were treasured as perfume and also used in

flavouring. The sweet smell of orange grove can be created by

putting orange peel (better if you can procure the Seville variety)

in a small pan of water and allow it to simmer on the stove. Your

house will smell as good as a grove.

For all the attention the orange has attracted throughout its

long history, the controversy regarding its birthplace remains

unsettled. Perhaps, as some historians believe, the orange tree

is native to southern China or Indo-China. It has also been argued

that the orange first saw the light of day beyond Mohenjodaro.

From there, the seeds were purportedly taken north and south

in Sumeria. The theory has also been advanced that the orange

originated in the Malay archipelago and then migrated to India,

the eastern coast of Africa and the Mediterranean region. The

Japanese believe that the orange was brought from the eternal

land at the request of their Emperor.

Oranges are eaten as emblems of good fortune on the second

day of the Chinese New Year. It is revered as a sacred, heavenly

fruit responsible for everlasting life. Greatly helped by the Roman

conquests, the opening of the Moslem trade routes, and Islamic

expansion, the golden fruit began to spread. And in 1399, the

orange was the peer of the distinguished delicacies that graced

the banquet table at the coronation of King Henry IV. A guest in

Imperial Rome could evaluate himself by the number of oranges

placed on the host’s table.

by Shaheen Perveen

healthy living


Few species, however, are as extensively cultivated as the

mandarin and the common sweet China orange varieties. Much

before the sweet orange made its debut, the sour variety had

travelled throughout and was equally well received. Seville (Spain)

is still famous for the bitter variety. These bitter oranges are

exported to England where they

are processed for marmalade and

medicinal uses.

Vasco da Gama’s return to

Portugal after the discovery of the

sea route produced a superior kind

of sweet orange. The Portuguese

orange was referred to as ‘China

orange’ and was popular throughout

Europe. In Greece it is still called

Portukali.

Too exotic to be afforded, the

orange rested its laurels until it

began to make an appearance in

English theatres, where Elizabethan

young women sold them to the

audiences. Baskets filled with

colourful oranges became part

of the theatre setting, and so

remained for a long time. The

first greenhouses were called

‘orangeries’ because the fruit

becomes damaged by frost and so

the nobles of Europe would not risk

such a delicious fruit.

The orange has a modest mineral content. One cup of orange

juice provides up to two times your daily Vitamin C requirement

(60 milligrammes) which disables the free radicals that harm

the blood vessel linings. A cup of

frozen orange juice provides around

100 microgrammes of folic acid,

which is vital to pregnant women,

as it reduces the risk of premature

delivery and of birth defects. Orange

juice lowers the blood levels of

homocysteine – an amino acid

linked to an increased risk of heart

disease and stroke. Besides being

a cardiac medicine, orange juice is

also a hepatic tonic that provides

a sense of well being by purifying

the blood and keeping in control the

extra production of bile in the liver.

Intake of orange juice also controls

high blood pressure as it is rich in

potassium that helps to maintain

the body’s proper fluid balance and

to transfer nutrients to the cells.

Orange juice is specially

recommended for winter months

to ensure a regular supply of

Vitamin C. Prefer honey to sugar if

a sweetener is desired. When one is not

able to digest anything, orange juice

can be considered as it exerts the

least pressure on the stomach while

transforming it into body elements.

In fact, the orange refreshes the

body and purges the system of toxic

substances that feed on the blood and

muscles of the human structure and

are the root causes of excessive thirst.

Orange juice can also be mixed with

barley. It is used in rituals in place

of wine.

Unripe oranges are believed to

benefit the teenage pimples and adult

acne. After extracting the pips, dry

them in the sun and grind them. Milk is

added to make paste which is applied

on the eruptions. Those suffering from

bronchitis can place a split orange

in a saucepan. Stir in a teaspoon of

raw honey and a quarter cup of extra

orange juice. Simmer until very soft.

Consume the whole preparation,

including the skin, twice daily. Varicose

veins can be prevented by the intake

of orange peel. The peel can be made palatable if it is drunk as

orange wine.

Cellulose of oranges or lemons impart a laxative effect and for

this reason the Mediterranean people

prefer the white peel. They remove the

outer rind while leaving the white peel

intact on the orange and consume it

together with the fruit.

Mughal King, Mohammad Shah

Rangila was fond of oranges and after

procuring the best ones, he got them

peeled and immersed the pulp in syrup

so that it absorbed sweetness and ate

it after three hours. Oranges, if kept

in an earthen pot in ice for sometime,

become exquisitely fragrant. Teeth can

be saved from the effects of acidity if

oranges are taken along with a pinch of

salt and pepper.

Not to worry if you have consumed

too many oranges. Any such indigestion

can be counteracted by taking salt

or jaggery.


Linguists today think that all languages have the same

purpose and deep structure; and are, at heart, doing the

same thing.This appears to be true of healthy businesses

too. All healthy businesses have the same purpose: to grow

and maximise profitability within the markets in which they are

operating. There’s plenty of practical empirical evidence to

suggest that healthy businesses also share common structures

and the way they organise their activities.

Management skills, are thus widely regarded as transferable

between different vertical sectors. Senior executives tend to be

recruited (or appointed to Boards) based on their successes

in roles where by it is their positive impact on a particular

organisation that matters rather than the sector in which the

organisation operates. This suggests that healthy businesses

have in common, organic things which good managers can

consistently nurture and develop, whatever the nature of the

vertical sector where the business operates.

Similarly, university and business school courses focus on

management skills in a general sense. ‘Serial entrepreneurs’

are, by definition, fabled for their expertise at forming, growing

and then selling businesses in a wide variety of sectors. Indeed,

At heart all healthy businesses are trying to do the same thing, says David Ollerhead.

The simple route to a business’s

health, wealth & happine$$

the very existence of management consultants who are geared

to consulting in any sector where managers need assistance

or guidance, is perhaps the most decisive evidence of all thus

‘management skill’ is a tangible, discrete and specific thing which is

basically sector-independent.

Further evidence that healthy businesses are all doing much the

same thing is found in how brands operate. Major brands positively

exult in their ability to win a presence in markets that on the face

of it are disparate but in practice tend to become linked when a

brand successfully establishes a loyal, enthusiastic, customer base.

Taking two examples, the Virgin brand (including music, travel,

publishing, financial services and soft drinks) has come to be

associated with fun, youthfulness, value for money and Richard

Branson, while the Saga brand (including travel, publishing,

financial services) is seen by many adherents as signifying reliability,

good quality, and a square deal for the over-50s. Brand-loyal

customers willing to buy from more than one and very possibly all

the different businesses under one particular brand obviously feel

that the brand is more important than what’s being sold.

The science of linguistics that originated the idea of, deep

down, all languages being the same is a fascinating science,

biz sense


but ultimately simply an academic pursuit. Business, on the

other hand, powers the world’s wealth and is, for most people,

the source of their income and economic security. Big-picture

conclusions about businesses and how they work consequently

have massive implications for all of us.

The route to growing and maximising profits is to sell more

products or services to more customers, given that neither the

business nor its customers will want there to be any negative

changes in the quality of the products or services being delivered.

Equally important, in the case of a service, the business will not

want customers to be over-serviced, which will increase the

quality of what is being supplied but make supplying it much less

profitable. The organisation will also want to sell more things to

more customers without disproportionately increasing the time

taken to supply what is being sold.

For healthy businesses, a melodious and useful mantra is:

‘Revenue is vanity, profit is sanity, cash-flow is key’. Chasing

revenue for its own sake makes no sense if the revenue does

not come accompanied by a healthy profit and a correspondingly

healthy and positive cash-flow.

Above all, it makes no sense for a business to succeed in its

aim of selling more products or services to more customers

unless the business can do so without disproportionately

increasing the cost of supplying what is being sold. Similarly, the

business will want to avoid disproportionately reducing the prices

of what is being sold. Selling more things to more customers by

slashing the price (such as through a ‘buy one get one free’ offer)

can easily reduce profit and so be self-defeating.

Within the constraints of these qualifications, the aims of

healthy businesses are clear. All healthy businesses are trying to

sell more things to more customers without:

Compromising the need for the business to supply •

products and services to the required (rather than

excessive) level of quality.

Incurring costs that make supplying the products and •

services unprofitable.

Reducing prices to a level where supplying the product or •

service becomes unprofitable.

How does a healthy business achieve these vital objectives?

Ultimately, the very nature of what a healthy business actually

is suggests there can only be one answer to this question.

The only way for a business to sell more products and

services to more customers is to have a total focus on its

customers. The fact that this answer, baldly stated, sounds

straightforward does not make it any easier to achieve, or

lessen its importance.

The first challenge in achieving this vital customer focus is

knowing who your customers are, which includes your existing

customers (i.e. the ones you’ve won already) and also your

potential customers (i.e. the ones you could win). The second

challenge is knowing what your existing and potential customers

need, at least in the context of what you are able to sell to them.

This challenge may well be more difficult than the former, but

mastering this second challenge is vital to your success, because

until you truly understand what your customers need, it is always

possible that:

You might be offering customers things that they don’t •

actually want, or that are not enough to customers’ wants.

You might be focusing on irrelevant issues (e.g. cost-•

discounting things customers don’t really want) instead of

getting to grips with finding out what customers do want.

You might start improving areas of your business that have •

no ultimate effect on customers and the improvement of

which will therefore not lead to you selling more things to

more customers.

The third challenge, once you know what your customers do

want from you, is to work out how you can meet these needs by

profitably producing goods and services as efficiently as possible.

The fourth challenge is the need to commit yourself to

ensuring that your responses to the first three challenges are

subjected to a continual state of interrogation that involves

making sure your responses are undergoing a continual state of

improvement.

The four challenges are fairly easily stated but by no

means easy to meet. They involve, above all, establishing and

maintaining a focus on your customers rather than on internal

matters at the business or on your own personal concerns. But

businesses that really do rise to the challenges – businesses that

become, in effect, experts at focusing on customer needs – can

enjoy prodigious success.

biz sense


One of the obvious themes amongst those who are winning

their games in life is that they are able to achieve so

much with their days. How is it that a few seem to

achieve an enormous amount of work whilst the majority remain

frustrated by their lack of achievement? Why is it that a few

seem to be able to fit in work, family, sports and friends with

ease, whilst many fail to even cope on one of these aspects

alone?

How do these magicians of time achieve what they set out to

do? What is it that they do?

They use the art of effective time management. Let me share

with you six tips to help you become more effective with your time.

Apply these six tips and you will see the difference in your results.

Be aware of your timeSuccessful people are aware of their time. The question you

must first reflect on is, how are you spending your hours? For the

next week, get your diary and note exactly how you are spending

your time. Split your time in segments of 30 minutes using an

alarm timer on your watch or mobile phone. Take notes of what

you have done during each period.

You will become aware and amazed as to how you are spending

your time. Once you become consciously aware, then you learn to

protect your time from being wasted.

Plan in advanceSuccessful people plan their months, weeks, days and hours

in advance. By planning in advance they save themselves from

wasting time, not knowing what to do next. They reduce the

amount of time they spend frustrated and overwhelmed because

they simply follow a list of pre-planned events.

80/20 Principle – busy versus productiveThere is a difference between being busy and being productive.

So many people are caught up being busy. Being busy is being

robbed of your time with no return. Being productive is utilising

your time to achieve your goals.

Most people live under stress. They are overworked,

overwhelmed and feel under rewarded. This is because they put

too much energy into tasks that generate little value towards

their desired end result. In many instances, only 20 per cent of

your work is getting 80 per cent of your results. With that in

mind, figure out what 20 per cent of your day to day work gives

you 80 per cent of your bottom line. Focus on that.

Prioritise, eliminate, systemise and delegateWhat can I eliminate? Elimination is fun and yet difficult.

Fun because you will remove the clutter from your life.

Difficult because you will not be used to having so much free time

once you correctly apply this method.

What can I systemise? Of the tasks that remain, what can be

systemised? For example, could you have an auto responder

setup on your email to confirm the receipt of emails on behalf of

you, rather than have you reply to every single one of them?

What can I delegate? What tasks don’t require your level of

expertise? What can you delegate that will not be affected if you

have someone else do it. If it is making customer service calls

or getting the cleaning done around the house, could you have

someone else take care of that whilst you focus on what you do

best to achieve maximum results.

What can I prioritise? With the tasks you have left to do,

prioritise everything you do and ask yourself what actions you

need to take, to get the results you desire. Prioritise them in

order and get working on them. Spend your time working on high

value activities before attending to low value activities.

You must ask yourself, what is worth doing? What can I

cut back on? How can I remove the clutter that is bogging

me down? What should I focus my attention on? Working on

your best 20 per cent should see you increase your results

dramatically.

TIME Can we achieve more with our time?

asks Kevin Abdulrahman

Magicians

feature


Get the worst out of the way firstIt is easy to remain in the cycle of

being busy because it is a habit and

an easy to do so. The tasks that

result in our being productive are the

tasks we tend to put off. If you are

fearful of something, or are feeling like

you are putting off an important action,

then you must do it first. Get it out

of the way.

Drop your excusesBe true to yourself. Ask yourself, ‘to

achieve what my heart desires, am I taking

the actions that I need to be taking?’ If you

are not, you can actively do something about it.

You already know people who achieve so much in

the same 24 hours that you live. The proof is

already there. Successful people take action. Use the

knowledge to start achieving more.

So in closing, remember to be assertive with

your time. Respect your time for others to

respect it. Protect your time for others to protect it.

Do what only really matters. Do the above and you will be

well on your way to achieving more in your life.

https://www.KevInspire.com

Once you become consciously aware, then you learn to protect your time from being wasted

feature


As air travel becomes ever more like taking a trip down the high street, Graham Hancock offers six suggestions for surviving

that airbus ride. International jet travel can be an exhausting business. It’s not just the flying for hours and hours – which is

bad enough – but also what happens to you after you get to your destination. Arriving in a country you’ve never visited before

can be like landing on the moon. The disorientation gets much worse if you’re also jet-lagged, or just plain pooped.

However, there are things you can do to make both the going and the getting there easier. Over the 20 years of heavy-duty travel

(including numerous visits to East Africa), I’ve developed a number of hard-fast rules to minimise the aggravation.

Rule number one is always travel light. Nothing makes

a journey more unpleasant and difficult than a 20-kilogramme

suitcase (except, of course, a 30-kilogramme suitcase). The

problems begin the minute you start trying to lug your bags to the

airport: blistered hands, sore back, bruised shins, aching arms,

shortage of breath, perspiration – and that’s before you get to the

front door!

Then you have to check it in (excess baggage charges if you’re

over your allowance). Then, when you’re airborne, you always find

there’s some item or other in the hold that you would really like to

have in the cabin with you.

And finally, when you arrive, there’s the worry that your

suitcase might have gone elsewhere (you’ve heard the stories

– breakfast in London, lunch in New York, baggage in Buenos

Aires).

At the very least you’re going to have to hang around the

conveyor belt with all the other passengers waiting for the

luggage to turn up – and depending on the efficiency of the

airport this can involve anything from minutes to hours. If it’s hot

(Khartoum in August) or cold (London in January with the central

heating broken down), then the waiting time can be very

uncomfortable. And the problems don’t end here.

You still have the ordeal of customs ahead of you (if the

customs officer got out of bed on the wrong side that morning

you might end up having to repack your suitcase completely; and

you can almost be sure that you won’t be able to close it prop-

erly). Thus, flustered, tired, hot (or cold), bruised and blistered,

you emerge from the airport clutching your

bulging suitcase and in no state to resist the

various hustlers, grifters and

crooked taxi drivers lying in

wait for you.

Ask yourself if you need

all this (you don’t) and

resolve next time to travel

with hand baggage only.

If you think about what

you’re doing before you

start packing you’ll realise

that for nine trips out of

10, you just don’t require all those changes of clothes and other

gear that you usually take with you. And if that’s true then you

don’t require a suitcase either.

I travel only with my briefcase (for papers) and a soft squashy

shoulder bag into which I can get five shirts, five changes of

underwear, five pairs of socks, a couple of pairs of slacks and,

when visiting Uganda, a woolly or two to ward off the chill in the

evenings. I wear a lightweight washable suit onto the plane (I’ve

rarely found I need two suits with me) and usually don’t bother to

bring a spare pair of shoes.

Even for trips lasting two weeks or more this minimal

wardrobe is enough to suffice – I’ve never been in a backwater

so remote that I couldn’t get laundry done by someone.

The great advantage is mobility and speed – with just hand

baggage you can afford to check in later than you otherwise

might and, of course, you’re off the plane and straight out of the

airport at the end. But there are definite psychological benefits

as well.

Unencumbered, you feel – and in fact are – less vulnerable

to hustlers. You don’t need to depend on porters and, if you

don’t like the look of the first taxi driver you see you

can always walk over and start bargaining with the

second. All this means you’re more in control –

and that’s important when you’re arriving for

the first time in a strange place.

Rule number two is for people like me who wear glasses.

Always, always take a spare pair with you when you travel abroad.

If you have only the one pair and they get broken in Ouagadougou

or, for that matter, Washington DC, then you’re letting

yourself in for major inconvenience and possibly

major expense as well. In some destinations

– Far East is a good example – you can get a

replacement pair of spectacles made up quickly

and cheaply but even there you’re going to have

to do without them for atleast 48 hours.

In remote rural areas you simply won’t be

able to get a replacement – and the shorter

sighted you are the more crippling that

will be.

Travelling Right

travelling


The solution, as I say, is to bring along a spare pair (in fact I’m

so obsessional about this that I usually bring two spare pairs).

Rule number three is that you should carry at least a

dozen small passport-sized photographs of yourself in your

wallet. This rule is for any traveller in Africa who intends to visit

not only cities but also the provinces.

Remember that many African states (often with good reason)

are suspicious of foreigners who want to trample around outside

the capital. The result of this suspicion is that more and more

countries now require that special permits be issued for internal

travel (this particularly applies to journalists but also to tourists

or business visitors whose interests take them off the beaten

track).

While I’m afraid I can’t offer any magic bullet for dealing with

the bureaucracies that administer internal travel permits (just

be polite and patient), rule number three will help to iron out

one of the problems – namely that the forms you have to fill

in invariably require that you also affix a small photograph of

yourself.

Almost all cities in Africa are now

equipped with those automatic

booths that will take your

photograph for a few cents

but it still makes sense to

carry some photos with you.

While I’m on the subject, I

would also advise the well

prepared traveller to take some

carbon paper along. It really

does make life easier when you

have to fill out forms in triplicate.

Rule number four concerns the

care and maintenance of your stomach.

I don’t know about you, but I find it is better

to request a vegetarian meal when you fly.

Most airlines will willingly oblige as long as you

notify them a day or so before departure and, in

my experience, the results they come up with are

generally very pleasing.

Quite a lot of imagination goes into catering these

‘special meals’ and, precisely because they are special,

they don’t have that production-line feel about them.

There’s another benefit too: unlike meat, vegetables are low in

saturated fats and there’s now a lot of evidence to suggest that

avoiding saturated fats before and during long air journeys helps

cut the effects of jet lag down to size.

Rule number five is about smoking and drinking. If you

want to arrive at your destination in good condition then you

should swear off tobacco (which is not allowed on any flights

these days) and alcohol for the duration. Physiologically, alcohol

has a dehydrating effect on the system (which is what causes

hangovers). When account is taken of the added dehydration

that results from the pressurised atmosphere inside airline

cabins, you can see why it is that in-flight drinking sprees so

often result in really bad headaches.

Cigarettes make things worse by reducing the amount of

oxygen in your bloodstream and, if you’re the masochistic type,

you can go on to deliver the coup de grace to your system by

drinking lots and lots of airline coffee (which will further

dehydrate you and virtually guarantee you a mega-hangover

on arrival).

The only answer, I’m afraid, is to sit and quaff lots of fruit juice

or water (both of which will help to rehydrate you). Carbonated

soft drinks, however, should be avoided. This is because

pressurised atmospheres not only dehydrate you but also have

the effect of expanding the natural gasses in your stomach – an

effect that is worsened by the fizz in fizzy drinks.

Rule number six is very much a personal preference: if

I have a choice I always opt for an aisle rather than a window

seat. When I first started travelling I wanted to sit by the

window in the belief that I would see picturesque views out of it.

I quickly found, however, that I was mistaken in this belief.

The fact is that for the bulk of the journey in any modern

aircraft you’re just too high to make out anything of interest on

the ground. The few minutes of sightseeing that you may get on

take-off and landing are, in my opinion, not worth the discomfort

and claustrophobia of being hemmed in beside the window for

eight or nine hours.

In the aisle seat, on the other hand, you can stretch out your

legs that bit further and get up and walk around the cabin

without having to worry about disturbing the people next to you.

On a long flight, the little bit of extra freedom this affords can

make a big difference to your general comfort and state

of mind.


Visitors wanting to discover the traditional dishes of

Uganda will not be disappointed. Uganda’s fertile soils

and abundant freshwater lakes provide a true cornucopia

of good things to eat, and visitors are sure to be delighted with

what they sample – whether it be the country’s unique traditional

dishes or even the more familiar Western-style dishes, made

special by local ingredients.

From Africa’s largest freshwater lake, Victoria, come two

mainstays of many a Ugandan’s diet: Nile perch and tilapia.

Fishermen can often be seen near the lake in the late afternoon,

carrying their day’s catch of Nile perch – a single specimen of

which may weigh more than 80 kilogrammes (176 pounds) – to

the market. It is usually served fresh, but a small-sized perch

may be smoked. The much smaller – but equally tasty – tilapia,

known locally as ngege, is normally consumed fresh and rarely

dried.

Uganda’s waters are also home to another – perhaps not

so conventional foodstuff: the Nile crocodile. Ugandans are

beginning to discover the versatility of crocodile meat, which

is much nicer than it would seem, with a flavour variously

described as resembling chicken, veal, or fish. As the number of

commercially raised crocodiles increases, in a few years time its

meat will undoubtedly be appearing in some supermarkets.

For snacks, local people are somewhat addicted to

muchomo, charcoal-roasted beef, pork or chicken. Young

men in the urban areas can often be seen selling skewered

pieces of meat, which they grill on portable charcoal stoves.

Roasted meat can be found at a number of roadside markets

Tastes of Uganda

So if you’re visiting Uganda, don’t just stick to ‘safe’ western food – if you do you’ll be missing out on something special

along the main roads. While travelling from Kampala to Jinja,

you can make a stop-over at Nabiwojjojo – almost at the

halfway point of the journey – and enjoy roast chicken meat,

gizzards, cow liver, beef, or pork. This can be accompanied

by grilled bananas – the

sweet speciality locally

called gonja – or fresh

banana wine.

The colourful roadside

markets are also the

place to buy the incredible

variety of fresh tropical fruits

and vegetables grown in the country,

such as several types of banana, passion fruit, oranges,

mangoes, onions, tomatoes, juicy pawpaw (papaya), avocados,

potatoes, and many more.

Uganda’s traditional ethnic dishes are basic and simple. Beef

stew is the staple diet for the more well-to-do, while ground

peanuts (groundnuts) and beans, boiled and seasoned with ginger

and cooking oil, is the most popular vegetarian dish.

But what has become the ‘national dish’ is matoke – peeled

bananas boiled in water while wrapped in banana leaves. Every

visitor should try it at least once, preferably as a guest in a rural

home, eating with the fingers. When eaten in a private residence,

matoke is often accompanied with a variety of tasty relishes

and vegetables not often found in more conventional tourist

surroundings. Matoke is eaten in most parts of the country,

but particularly in the Buganda, western, and eastern regions.

The special matoke bananas are grown mostly in Buganda

and western Uganda on well-watered land: the banana plant

requires much rain to yield a good crop. In the drier, northern

parts of the country, millet, sorghum, and cassava are grown

as food crops. They are cooked and eaten with a sauce made

out of groundnuts, simsim (sesame), different meats and fish,

as well as leafy greens.

If you really want to throw all caution to the wind, make sure

you try such local delicacies as green grasshoppers, locally called

nsenene (particularly abundant during the rainy seasons), and

white ants (actually, termites). The Bagisu tribe also relish young

bamboo shoots, which they call amaleewa. If any of these are

offered to you, don’t let the opportunity pass you by; they are

nicer than you might expect.

Cultivation of maize has become popular in all regions of the

country. Maize is served in local restaurants and if cooked well

food


Ingrediants8 green or unique bananas

50 grammes butter or margarine

300 grammes groundnuts

2 onions, chopped

1 cup milk or cream

salt and pepper

Aromat

Direction1. Boil the bananas until they become soft. Drain water and

add margarine and salt. Mash until smooth.

2. For the groundnut sauce, fry onions with margarine until

brown, add groundnuts and stir for about 10 minutes. Add

the milk cream until the paste is smooth. Add salt, pepper

and Aromat to taste.

seven days it is ready to drink and is filtered into gourds or

jerrycans and taken to the market.

Making the most of what they grow, the rural people in the

north and north-east parts make a similar alcoholic drink out

of millet. When it is ready, the drink is put in pots and sucked

out through locally made straws or tubes. Hot water is added

periodically while three to six people sit around the pot, sucking

in the drink, locally called malwa.

So if you’re visiting Uganda, don’t just stick to ‘safe’ western

food – if you do you’ll be missing out on something special.

Be adventurous, and try the local cuisine. Uganda really does

have some unique specialities that you cannot find elsewhere,

and if you cannot bring yourself to try green grasshoppers and

millet beer, at least try the matoke and the excellent locally

brewed lager.

Matoke Recipe

can be tastier than the more expensive matoke. In most boarding

and day schools in Uganda, maize porridge is served at breakfast,

with maize meal a regular feature at lunch and dinner. It is often

accompanied by a sauce made from groundnuts, simsim, meat,

and leafy green vegetables.

To wash everything down, try the locally brewed beers, which

are first class if you like light, lager-type beers. Two large

breweries produce a variety of beers, with ‘Nile’ and ‘Bell’ being

the most popular brands.

The well-known ‘national drink’ is called Uganda waragi, a

distillate or gin made out of cassava, banana beer, and brown

sugar. The raw material out of which Uganda waragi is made

is locally called enguli – a potent white stuff that is almost 100

per cent pure alcohol. Some people say enguli can be used to

generate electricity or power your car! When the enguli is taken

to the commercial distillery, it is purified, its alcoholic potency is

drastically reduced (to less than 40 per cent), and it is given

different flavours. Waragi is either bottled or packed in small

plastic bags and is sold in almost every supermarket, bar, or

restaurant. Rather than drinking it neat (which could be

eye-watering!), mix it with soda, tonic or even Coca-Cola.

Another local brew is banana wine, made in the banana-

growing rural areas in a wooden container. It is essentially juice

from bananas which is fermented with sorghum flour. After

Right:

A woman

carrying a

massive stem of

a great, green,

cooking plantain

on her head.

food


BarkclothA unique Ugandan craft is the making of barkcloth. According to

Buganda folklore a hunter in the region invented the art after

coming across a species of fig tree in the forest. He noticed its

bark had criss-crossing fibres, similar to the warp and weft of

manufactured cloth.

Barkcloth is made by stripping long lengths of bark from the

tree, now known as the ‘barkcloth tree’. The strips are first soaked

in water and then beaten on a smooth log with a corrugated

wooden mallet called a nsaamo. Beating thins out the bark and

makes it firmer. The resulting soft material is often painted or

decorated. The strips are then sown together to make larger

pieces.

Barkcloth, decorated with bold patterns in black dye, was once

reserved for the royal family, but it is still in use to this day.

Peasants in rural areas who cannot afford to buy a wooden coffin

wrap their dead in barkcloth before they are buried. Barkcloth is

also still worn on important cultural events and is used for making

beautifully decorated tablecloths, curtains, handbags and floor

mats

Gourds One of the most useful natural objects in Uganda is the

calabash or gourd. It grows well in most parts of Africa and,

owing to its diversity of shape, can be put to a large number of

uses. The beauty and utility of a well-shaped gourd has been so

appreciated by many tribes that artisans have copied it in

earthenware.

Large gourds are also used as musical instruments in several

parts of northern Uganda.

Basketry

Basketry is possibly the oldest and most highly developed craft

in Uganda. This type of weaving is a foundation of homemaking,

building and defence. Stockades, enclosure fences, and houses

are often woven, as are portable shields. Fences, granaries,

reed-work, thatching, traps, and heavy field baskets are made

by men. Smaller baskets for storing food in the house are made

by women. The delicate fancy baskets, pot lids, and pot stands –

whose use is almost more ornamental than functional – are the

product of endless hours of concentrated effort.

Arts & Crafts of UgandaApart from depicting beauty, the arts and crafts of Uganda have religious, cultural, and psychological significance – as well as a practical use Asante reports.

Left:

Uganda’s rich

culture features

a variety of

traditional arts

and crafts.

arts & craftsPho

tos

© D

avid

Plu

th


PotteryAmong Ugandans, potters were a distinct class of workmen.

The king had his own potters; many chiefs also had their own

earthenware workers.

The land provides potters with many different kinds of clay:

red soils for large red earthenware, kaolin for white clay, and

black soils for dark bluish clay, a substance much favoured for

making certain articles.

An earthenware article is made by rolling clay into long strips

and coiling them into the desired shape. The surfaces are

smoothed, and the product is then dried and fired.

Earthenware pots are used for carrying and storing water,

making and storing beer, and storing grain and other foods.

Small pots, called kibya in Ganda, are used as drinking vessels

or as receptacles for food, vegetables, or gravy.

Several tribes in Uganda use clay to manufacture tobacco

pipes and pipes for use in temples and shrines.

WoodFrom the many types of wood found in the country, Ugandans

make a wide variety of utensils, including spoons, ladles, beer

tubes or straws, mallets used in the making of barkcloth, and

long boxes used for jewellery and similar items.

Wooden stools are also popular items. There are two types of

stools in the Buganda kingdom: the leg and base stool and the

‘cotton-reel’ stool (so named because of its shape, and carved

out of logs).

Namulondo, the sacred stool used in Ganda coronation rites,

is of the cotton-reel variety.

WeaponsBefore the arrival of Arab traders and European colonisers

and missionaries, the weapons found in a typical armoury were

shields, sticks, spears, bows and arrows, and simple guns.

Miniature shields were sometimes kept near their beds by

women as charms.

Wooden clubs shaped like a knobkerry were formerly used in

warfare and as a weapon of execution. On their ‘walkabouts’,

men from several tribes carried walking sticks, one ends of

which was either club-shaped or pointed.

Spears were common among the tribes of ancient Uganda.

Even today spears are used in traditional hunting and in

poaching wild game.

The spear has a narrow and tapering blade; the widest

portion is not at the extreme base, so that the shoulders

slope upwards. It usually has burnished edges and

often gives the appearance of having two wide,

shallow blood courses. The sockets are heavy,

with an open split and one nail at the back.

Bows and arrows are still commonly

used in defence and hunting wild animals.

Musical InstrumentsThere are as many types, shapes, and varieties of traditional

musical instruments in Uganda as there are tribal groups. The

most common musical instrument is the drum, which is made out

of wood, with its two hollow ends covered by hides or skins. Drums

are not only used to produce music for entertainment or dancing,

but they are also used for communicating different messages.

Ggwanga mujje, for example, is beaten to summon all the people

residing in an area in case of trouble or the need for communal

work.

Fine ArtEarly Ugandan artists, influenced by the foreigners around

them during colonial times, often imitated European statuary and

paintings. A good example of this type of art is that of Joachim

Basasa Kalange, whose work adorns many churches in the

diocese of Masaba. Others of note include Charles Ssekintu,

Ignatius Sserulyo, F Musango, and Kivubiro.

An interesting style of representational art evolved from the

need the Baganda felt to illustrate their numerous pithy

aphorisms. In the mid-1920s, people started writing these short

wise sayings in form of riddles, known as bikokyo, many of which

were printed in the local Gambuze newspaper. Later these

sayings were copied on paper, mounted, and hung on many a

living room wall as both maxims and decorations. Between 1936

and 1940 artists began adding pictures to illustrate the sayings.

The desire to have clan totems illustrated in pictures was also

a big factor in this development. With their roots at Mukono in

the Bishop Tucker College, these pictures were later brought to

Kampala and finally spread throughout the country.

Gradually the occupation of making ‘mottos’ became popular

and commercially practicable; even today you meet people selling

these articles anywhere in the country.

Where to Find Ugandan Arts and CraftsArts and crafts in Uganda are found everywhere – in everyday

use, displayed and being exchanged for money in marketplaces,

people’s homes, public and private galleries, and museums. >>


Ballroom. Some of the best paintings, batiks, and sculptures

produced by local artists can be seen here, and the exhibitors or

their representatives are often at hand to negotiate prices with

serious and potential customers.

National Theatre/Arts and Crafts VillageIn addition to hosting performing artists, the lobbies of the

Uganda National Theatre are often adorned with the works of the

country’s finest artists. In the grounds behind the theatre is the

permanent Arts and Crafts Village where a great variety of crafts

and artwork are for sale in kiosks. It is a fascinating experience

to stroll around and talk to the artisans or members of the many

self-help groups that run the small shops. They are more than

happy to answer your questions and show you their work.

Nnyanzi Art StudioThis outstanding private gallery is located in the heart of

Kampala. The gallery/studio was established by a self-made

artist, Nuwa Wamala Nnyanzi, who is president of the Uganda

Artists Association and also the minister for local government in

the Buganda kingdom government. His original batik paintings,

which have become world famous, often depict family life themes

and the scourges of modern city life.

Uganda National MuseumThe Uganda National Museum, in the north-east section

of Kampala on Kitante Hill, is home to many of the country’s

treasured historical arts and crafts, including fossils and cultural

artefacts.

Roadside MarketsMany artisans making items such as baskets, drums, or

pottery can be found on the roadside markets along the country’s

main roads. Straw furniture makers, for example, are flourishing

on the Nsambya-Kabalagala-Kansanga road. Craftspeople

specialising in mats and baskets can be found at Mukono

shopping centre along the Kampala-Jinja main road.

School of Fine Art at MakerereThe School of Fine Art at Makerere University is one of the

oldest schools at Uganda’s highest institution of learning. It has

played a leading role not only in producing some of the country’s

greatest artists but also in Uganda’s varied cultural and social

transformation.

A five-minute walk from the centre of Kampala, the Margaret

Trowell School of Fine Art houses a permanent gallery of some

of the best works of art left behind by the former students of the

school. Outside the gallery are numerous sculptures and statues

made out of clay, wood, and metal in all shapes and sizes.

Collectors can easily be put in touch with the artists so that they

can see more of their work.

Nommo GalleryFor a long time, Nommo Gallery at Nakasero Hill, near State

House in Kampala, has been a regular meeting place for artists,

buyers, and admirers of art. Almost every week this public gallery

exhibits the work of one or several well-known and up-and-coming

artists, and it is the perfect place to get an introduction to

Ugandan art.

Sheraton HotelThe Kampala Sheraton allows artists to exhibit their works in

its spacious public areas – particularly the foyer of the Ruwenzori

>>

Top left:

A drum is made

out of wood

with its hollow

ends covered by

hides and skins.

Left:

A wood carver

at work.

arts & crafts


AIR UGANDA FLIGHT SCHEDULE

For any information contact your preferred Travel Agent or our Sales & Reservation Office on +256 (0) 412 165 555 in KAMPALA

ENTEBBE – NAIROBIFLIGHT NUMBER DEPARTURE TIME ARRIVAL TIME FREQUENCY

U7 202

NAIROBI – ENTEBBEFLIGHT NUMBER DEPARTURE TIME ARRIVAL TIME FREQUENCY

ENTEBBE – JUBAFLIGHT NUMBER DEPARTURE TIME ARRIVAL TIME FREQUENCY

JUBA – ENTEBBEFLIGHT NUMBER DEPARTURE TIME ARRIVAL TIME FREQUENCY

ENTEBBE – ZANZIBARFLIGHT NUMBER DEPARTURE TIME ARRIVAL TIME FREQUENCY

ZANZIBAR – ENTEBBEFLIGHT NUMBER DEPARTURE TIME ARRIVAL TIME FREQUENCY

ENTEBBE – DAR ES SALAAMFLIGHT NUMBER DEPARTURE TIME ARRIVAL TIME FREQUENCY

DAR ES SALAAM – ENTEBBE FLIGHT NUMBER DEPARTURE TIME ARRIVAL TIME FREQUENCY

ENTEBBE – MOMBASAFLIGHT NUMBER DEPARTURE TIME ARRIVAL TIME FREQUENCY

MOMBASA – ENTEBBE

U7 20206:45 Hrs08:45 Hrs

07:50 Hrs09:50 Hrs

Monday – FridaySaturday

U7 204 18:30 Hrs 19:35 Hrs Monday – Thursday & Sunday

U7 203U7 203U7 205

08:25 Hrs10:25 Hrs20:15 Hrs

09:35 Hrs11:35 Hrs21:25 Hrs

Monday – FridaySaturday

U7 120U7 120

10:25 Hrs15:00 Hrs

11:25 Hrs16:00 Hrs

Monday – ThursdayFriday & Sunday

U7 120 12:15 Hrs 13:15 Hrs Saturday

U7 119U7 119

12:05 Hrs17:00 Hrs

13:05 Hrs18:00 Hrs

Monday – Thursday

U7 119 13:55 Hrs 14:55 Hrs

U7 322 10:30 Hrs 12:15 Hrs Monday & Friday

U7 323 12:45 Hrs 15:30 Hrs Monday & Friday

U7 322U7 320

10:30 Hrs10:30 Hrs

13:15 Hrs12:15 Hrs Tuesday – Thursday

Monday & Friday

U7 323U7 321

13:45 Hrs 15:30 Hrs14:35 Hrs

Monday & Friday12:50 Hrs

U7 340U7 340

14:00 Hrs11:00 Hrs

15:30 Hrs12:30 Hrs Sunday

Tuesday & Thursday

FLIGHT NUMBER DEPARTURE TIME ARRIVAL TIME FREQUENCY

U7 341U7 341

16:10 Hrs13:15 Hrs

17:40 Hrs14:45 Hrs Sunday

Tuesday & Thursday

ENTEBBE – KIGALIFLIGHT NUMBER DEPARTURE TIME ARRIVAL TIME FREQUENCY

KIGALI – ENTEBBEFLIGHT NUMBER DEPARTURE TIME ARRIVAL TIME FREQUENCY

U7 350U7 352

08:00 Hrs16:15 Hrs

07:45Hrs16:00 Hrs Friday – Sunday

Monday – Friday

U7 351U7 353

08:15 Hrs16:30 Hrs

10:00Hrs18:15 Hrs Friday – Sunday

Monday – Friday

U7 320 15:30 Hrs 17:15 Hrs Sunday

U7 321 17:50 Hrs 19:35 Hrs SundayTuesday – Thursday

U7 204 18:45 Hrs 19:45 Hrs Saturday & Sunday

Monday – Thursday & Sunday U7 205 20:30 Hrs 21:30 Hrs Saturday & Sunday

Friday & SundaySaturday


Knee to chest: Bend forward slightly. Clasp hands around the left knee and hug it to your chest. Hold stretch for 15 seconds. Keeping hands around knee, slowly let it down. Alternate legs. Repeat 10 times.

Shoulder roll: Hunch shoulders forward, then upward, then backward, then downward, using a gentle, circular motion.

Shoulder stretch: Reach right hand over left shoulder. Place left hand behind right elbow and gently press elbow toward shoulder. Hold stretch for 15 seconds. Repeat on the other side.

Arm curl: Start with arms held at a 90-degree angle: elbows down, hands out in front. Raise hands up to chest and back down, alternating hands. Do this exercise in 30-second intervals.

Forward flex: With both feet on the floor and stomach held in, slowly bend forward and walk your hands down the front of your legs towards your ankles. Hold the stretch for 15 seconds and slowly sit back up.

Overhead stretch: Raise both hands straight up over your head. With one hand, grasp the wrist of the opposite hand and gently pull to one side. Hold stretch for 15 seconds. Repeat on the other side.

Ankle circles: Lift feet off the floor, draw a circle with the toes, simultaneously moving one foot clockwise and the other foot counterclockwise. Reverse circles. Do each direction for 15 seconds. Repeat if desired.

Neck roll: With shoulders relaxed, drop ear to shoulder and gently roll neck forward and to the other side, holding each position about five seconds. Repeat five times.

Other Tips for a Comfortable Flight

For your own comfort try • and travel light.

Wear loose clothing and • elasticated stockings made of natural fibre.

Increase your normal • intake of water and only if need be, drink alcohol but in moderation.

Use moisturising cream to • keep your skin from drying out.

Take off shoes in the • plane to prevent your feet from swelling up or wear shoes that will cope with expanding ankles.

Avoid heavy meals during • the flight.

Short walks once every • two hours are excellent for circulation.

Try to touch your toes • when waiting in the aisle to stretch your hamstrings.

On arrival at your • destination, have a hot shower or a relaxing bath.

On arrival a quick jog, • brisk walk, or a vigorous scrub will help stimulate your circulation.

These gentle exercises, which you can carry out easily during your flight, will help blood circulation and reduce any tiredness or stiffness that may result from sitting in one place for several hours. Check with your doctor first if you have any health conditions which might be adversely affected by exercise.

Foot pumps:

Start with both heels on the

floor and point feet upward

as high as you can. Then

put both feet flat on the

floor. Then lift heels high,

keeping the balls of your feet

on the floor. Continue cycle

in 30-second intervals.

Knee lifts:

Lift leg with knees bent while

contracting your thigh muscles.

Alternate legs. Repeat 20 to 30

times for each leg.

HEALTHY TRAVELLING


HEALTHY TRAVELLING ROUTE MAP

48 | air uganda | february - april 2010 february - april 2010 | air uganda | 49

AIR UGANDA NEWS

Several exciting features will be unveiled over the coming weeks, in particular a new-look, streamlined booking engine offering easy access to book U7 flights on-line as well as an informative, integrated HTML e-Newsletter service for our valued customers.

The new home page http://www.air-uganda.com features inviting images from our popular destinations as well as static promotional messages and animated image sequences depicting the welcoming, friendly look and feel of Air Uganda. You will also find a comprehensive snapshot of our ever-popular Smart Buys.The site contains several new pages with lots of interesting and useful information, including:U7 Flights and Fares Schedule http://www.air-uganda.com/content/flights-fares Current Promotions http://www.air-uganda.com/content/promotionsZanzibar Holiday Packages http://www.air-uganda.com/content/holidays

Air Uganda is Proud to Announce the Launch of Our Brand New Website http://www.air-uganda.com

Fan page is here:

http://www.facebook.com/pagesTravelCare/

170378613429?ref=ts

To become a friend - main page is here:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/profilephp?

ref=name&id=100000523273802

The most important aspect is to build up a fan base that

we can interact with via Fan Page which is also

automatically linked to our Twitter page.

Twitter Page Is Here:

https://twitter.com/AirUganda

Latest News http://www.air-uganda.com/newsCelestars Frequent Flyer Page Where customers can register and manage their account on-line http://www.air-uganda.com/contentcelestars-frequent-flyer-program

About Us page You can read about our growing fleet on the http://www.air-uganda.com/content/about-us

To complement our new-look website we have incorporated links to our New Facebook Social Media Page http://www.facebook.com/search/?q=air+uganda&init=quick#/ pages/Air-Uganda/193472814930? ref=search&sid=1198403546.2259493304..1

Also you can check out our new Twitter Page with custom theme https://twitter.com/AirUganda

If you have recently flown on an Air Uganda flight, take part in our On-Line Survey http://www.air-uganda.com/content/survey

We welcome you to navigate our site http://www.air-uganda.com/ and provide any feedback via our Contact Us Page http://www.air-uganda.com/cotent/contact-us

48 | air uganda | february - april 2010 february - april 2010 | air uganda | 49

Air Uganda opens new direct flights between Entebbe and Mombasa

In a bid to serve our Ugandan and Kenyan customers better, Air Uganda has unveiled another new route within East Africa, flying between Entebbe and Mombasa. This route brings to five the number of routes operated from Entebbe, along with Juba, Nairobi, Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam.

Air Uganda as usual is committed to offering excellent value-for-money fares on the route, of $ 299 return and $ 199 one-way, targeting leisure travellers, traders, shipping and forwarding companies. The airline operates direct flights from Mombasa to Entebbe three times a week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.

The launch of the Mombasa-Entebbe route shows that we are growing stronger. We are grateful to all our customers for their support and look forward to serving them even better in the years ahead.

The airline recently unveiled a new Bombardier CRJ jet aircraft with a seat capacity of 50 passengers, to support its commitment to expanding its route network serving Uganda and East Africa. The new modern jet will strengthen the airline’s current fleet and provide fast convenient flights to more destinations such as Mombasa.

Above: A workshop and dinner was hosted on 28 November 2009 by Air Uganda for Travel Agents from Mombasa. From left: Cyprian Kabeera, Sales Executive Air Uganda; Harshit Kanabi, Sales Executive Mantra Travel; Meera Nathwani of Mantra Travel; Jenifer Musiime, Head of Sales & Marketing Air Uganda; Goolzaar Rattanashi from Express Travel; Pervis Vatchha of Bunson Travel with Mr. Hugh Fraser, Chief Executive Officer Air Uganda.

Above: Water spray celebrates Air Uganda’s arrival at Moi International Airport, Mombasa.

AIR UGANDA NEWS

Enjoy this great companion offer on our direct flights between Mombasa and Entebbe.

This offer is valid until 31st March 2010. Contact us for further information.

Kampala: +256 (0) 41 216 5555, IPS Building, Plot 14,

Parliament Avenue, Kampala.

Nairobi: +254 (0) 20 313 933,5th Floor, Jubilee Insurance Building,

Wabera Street, Nairobi.

*


AIR UGANDA CONTACTS AND OFFICES

Uganda

Kampala

Head Office

Plot 11/13, Lower Kololo Terrace

Tel: + 256 (0)414 258 262

Fax: +256 414 500 932

Email: [email protected]

Sales Office

1st Floor Plot 14,

Jubilee Insurance Centre,

Parliament Avenue.

Tel: +256 (0) 412 165 555,

+256 (0) 312 222666

Ticketing Office

Entebbe International Airport

2nd Floor,

Passenger Terminal Building

Tel: +256 (0) 414 321 485

Email: [email protected]

Tanzania

Dar es Salaam

Sales Office

c/o Holiday Africa Tours & Safaris

Indiragandhi Street,

Tel: +255 (0)22 213 331/5/6

Southern Sudan

Juba

Sales Office

Hai Suk Street (opp. The Mosque)

Tel: +256 (0)47 712 0036

Kenya

Nairobi

Sales Office

5th Floor,

Jubilee Insurance House,

Wabera Street

Tel: +254 (0)20 313 933

Ticketing Office

Jomo Kenyatta International

Airport c/o Swissport

Kenya Unit One

Tel: +254 (0) 735289125

+254 (0) 735289130

Mombasa

Sales Office

c/o Jetlink

2nd Floor, TSS Towers

Nkurumah Road

Tel: +254 (0) 714 111 555

Rwanda

Sales Office

c/o Satguru Travel and Tours Services

Opposite Bank de Kigali

Tel: +250 577 497, 511 002,

+250 572 643

Zanzibar

Sales Office

Cine Afrique Cinema Malindi

Tel: +255 (0) 24 22 33506/7


LandUganda is a compact country, with an area of 236,580 square kilometres – roughly the size of Great Britain.

ClimateAlthough situated on the equator, Uganda’s relatively high altitude tempers the heat, and humidity is generally low. Throughout the year sunshine averages about 6 to 10 hours a day. There are two rainy seasons: the main long rains, which start late in February and end in April, and the short rains, which start in October and run until about the middle of December. The region around Lake Victoria, however, receives rain at almost any time of the year.

TopographyIt is located on the equator, within the eastern plateau region of the African continent and between the eastern and western ridges of the Great Rift Valley. Near the borders several mountain masses stand out strikingly from the plateaux.

EconomyUganda is blessed with fertile soils that support a wide variety of food and export crops, both annual and perennial. Agriculture is the dominant sector of Uganda’s economy. The major traditional export crops are coffee, cotton, tea, horticulture, tobacco and sugar cane, while groundnuts, maize, beans, sorghum and millet have emerged in recent years as cash crops for the peasant farmers.

LanguageEnglish is the official language and is also the medium of instruction in Uganda’s education system, from primary school up to university level. Swahili is also spoken. There are some 30 indigenous languages spoken in the rural areas. The most common of these are Luganda and Luo.

Electric supplyAll installations are of British standard and appliances should be fitted with the square, three-pin plugs of British specifications. The voltage is 240 volts, 50 Hz for domestic use. The voltage fluctuates continually, however, and proper surge protectors are advisable for any expensive equipment.

TimeUganda is three hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). Timeremains constant throughout the year.

PeopleThe people are warm, friendly, and full of humour. They are anxious to make friends with visitors and are continually asking guests whether they are comfortable and enjoying themselves. A large number of people speak English.

ExcursionsUganda is beginning to develop an excellent tourist infrastructure, with first-rate roads and communication facilities. Uganda’s national game, forest and recreational parks are indeed some of the spectacular showpieces Africa has to offer. They do have regulations regarding off-the-road driving, game watching, and so on, which are clearly stated at the entrance gates of parks or on leaflets supplied by the tourist offices. Mountaineering safaris to the Ruwenzori Mountains in the western Rift Valley are now becoming a favourite Ugandan expedition. Similar safaris can also be organised to climb Mount Elgon in the east, sharing the border with Kenya.

HotelsThere are international-standard hotels in Entebbe, Kampala and Jinja, as well as in many of the smaller towns. Camping, rustic bush camps and guest houses are also available. The Kampala Sheraton, the Serena Kampala, the Grand Imperial, and the Nile Hotel, all in the national’s capital are by the best. There are many other less expensive, but quite nice hotels in the city. Outside Kampala, most towns also have a variety of moderately priced and budget hotels.

Banking hoursThere is a wide range of banks in Uganda, particularly in Kampala. Their hours are generally from 0830 to 1400 on weekdays, and Saturdays from 0830 to 1200. Forex bureaux keep longer hours – 0900 to 1700 on weekdays and 0900 to 1300 on Saturdays. ATMs are available in the larger cities.

CommunicationsTelephone, Telex, fax and airmail services connect Kampala to all parts of the world. Services are available at the General Post Office and its many branches, as well as in the main hotels. International direct dialling is available and now there are a number of Internet cafes.

Medical servicesUganda has good health services, with some good government and private hospitals and clinics in the major cities. Air rescue services are available.

CurrencyUganda Shilling (UGX). Notes are in denominations of UGX 50,000, 20,000, 10,000, 5,000 and 1,000. Coins are in denominations of UGX 500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1. You can change money at banks and hotels. Although the forex bureaux usually have better exchange rates.

Credit cardsInternational credit cards are accepted in major hotels and shops.

Working hoursShops and businesses are generally open from 0830 to 1730 on weekdays, with a lunch break between 1300 and 1400. Some businesses are open on Saturday, at least until midday. Small, local shops or kiosks on the side of many roads are generally open much later, until about 2130 and on weekends and holidays as well; they stock basic food and household items.

Public Holidays

20101 January New Year’s Day26 January Liberation Day8 March International Women’s Day2 April Good Friday5 April Easter Monday1 May Labour Day3 June Martyrs’ Day9 June National Heroes’ Day11 September Eid al-Fitr (End of Ramadan)9 October Independence Day17 November Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice)25 December Christmas Day26 December Boxing Day

Note:The two Muslim holidays, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha are timed according to local sightings of various phases of the moon and the dates given above are approximate.

CustomsBesides personal effects, a visitor may import duty-free spirits (including liquors) or wine up to one litre, perfume and toilet water up to half a litre and 270 grammes of tobacco or 200 cigarettes. Other imported items, not exceeding US$100 may be brought in duty free and without an import licence, provided they are not prohibited or restricted goods, are for personal use, and are not for resale.

Note: A special permit is required to export game trophies.

Health requirementsVisitors from areas infected with yellow fever and cholera required certificates on inoculation. All visitors are advised to take an antimalarial prophylactic beginning two weeks before their arrival and continuing for six weeks after their departure. A gamma globulin injection provides some protection against possible infection by hepatitis and is well worth taking.

Visa and immigration requirementsVisa applications may be obtained at Uganda diplomatic missions. Two photographs are required for visas, which are usually issued within 24 hours. Visas are also available at the country’s entry points. Check with the Uganda diplomatic mission in your country if visa is required as some countries are exempted.

Taxi servicesTaxis are immediately available at Entebbe International Airport. They can also be found outside most hotels in Kampala and at most of the country’s major centres. All don’t have meters, so make sure the fare is negotiated in advance.

Car rentalSeveral firms operate car hire services in Kampala. Vehicles may be hired with or without driver. For trips outside the city it is possible to hire insured cars appropriate for the trip (a four-wheel-drive vehicle with a driver-translator is recommended).

Entebbe International AirportThe main point of entry is Entebbe International Airport, about a 30-minute drive south of the capital, Kampala. Although modest, the modern airport does provide automated passenger facilities, currency exchange, postal services, banking facilities, telephoned, duty-free shops, gift shops and a restaurant and bar.

SecurityThe same rules apply for Kampala as for almost any city anywhere.Becareful and take the usual precautions to safeguard yourself and your belongings. Do not leave valuables in your car. Walking at night in all major centres is reasonably safe.

TIPS FOR THE TRAVELLER IN UGANDA


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27

29

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30

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12

11

9

7 81 2 3 54 6

10

17 18

Clues Across

1. Drat! A mist stirred for playwright (9)

9. Gloomy medical officer with flower (6)

10. Not a quick month for funereal pace (4, 5)

11. Flag for the commissioned officer? (6)

12. Followed winding course ere demand broken (9)

13. Shun wellies – they make you ill inside! (6)

17. A little common painkiller for venomous snake (3)

19, Keep possession of everything, just in case (7)

20. 1 writes words for her! (7)

21. Prayer aer gone to snoop (3)

23. Drink this country dry? (6)

27. Illumination with which to check one’s pimples? (9)

28. Nothing back to the listener is one-dimensional (6)

29. Does this paint make animals ill? (9)

30. Broken slates for upholstery decoration (6)

31. Altered at mix-up some time afterwards (5, 4)

Clues Down

2. Rolls-Royce (slang) and a wave (6)

3. New Mig makes a high-pitched cry (6)

4. A part of London that is always wet (6)

5. 20 minus A plus E, stirred for hidden things (7)

6. Weighty paper currency? (5, 4)

7. They may clock you if you speed! (9)

8. Not quite enough money? You’re broke! (9)

14. Cool cheat for a sweet tooth (9)

15. Window covering and Scottish loch produce

this affliction (9)

16. Do you read this in the desert? It’s rough (9)

17. Mountain in an external place (3)

18. Bark back to get what you have earned (3)

22. Confused Alec RIP at the double (7)

24. First at UEFA provides sculpture (6)

25. Conifer by the sea is made stronger (6)

26. Hydrogen in the special celebration

becomes hostile (6)

CROSSWORD PUZZLE & SUDOKU

Place a number from 1 to 9

in every empty cell so that

each row, each column and

each 3x3 box contains all the

numbers from 1 to 9. No

number can appear twice in a

row, column or 3x3 box.

Do not guess – you can work

it out by a process of

elimination.

Crossword

Answers across1. Dramatist; 9. Morose; 10. Slow march; 11. Ensign; 12. Meandered; 13. Un-well; 17. Asp; 19. Holdall; 20. Actress; 21. Pry; 23. Canada; 27. Spotlight; 28. Linear; 29. Distemper; 30. Tassel; 31. Later date

Answers down2. Roller; 3. Mewing; 4. Thames; 5. Secrets; 6. Pound note; 7. Policemen; 8. Penniless; 14. Chocolate; 15. Blindness; 16. Sandpaper; 17. Alp; 18. Pay; 22. Replica; 24. Statue; 25. Firmed; 26. Threat

Sudoku



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10

LAKE VICTORIA SERENAR E S O R T

A WORLD AWAY FROM THE CITYJust 15 Kilometres from Kampala and 35 Kilometres from Entebbe, on the shores of lake victoria, rests a

resort of ultimate beauty, tranquility and peace. This newest addition to the Serena family is the perfect resort to unwind and escape the stresses of city life.

PO Box 37761, Kampala, Uganda, Lweza-Kigo road, Off Entebbe road or Call +256 41 7121000, Fax +256 41 7121550 e-mail: [email protected]

The central lounge and reception The rooms and suites

Maisha Mind Body and Spirit Spa The pool and garden view

y o u r c o m p l i m e n t a r y c o p y

Asante 001

Documents

Transcript of Asante 001