A group of tour operators from China’s top-ranking tour and travel companies have marveled at the abundance and diversity of wildlife species in Uganda’s protected areas after an exciting familiarization trip to Queen Elizabeth National Park.
These heaped praises on Uganda’s conservation efforts, noting that outbound tourists from the Chinese source market crave such a rich experience, pledging to popularize destination Uganda back home in China.
As part of a delegation from the Chinese Embassy in Uganda, the group embarked on the tour last month, hosted by the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, after the inaugural Uganda-China Tourism and Cultural symposium held at the Sheraton Kampala hotel on January 21.
Led by the Chinese Ambassador to Uganda H.E Zhang Lizhong, the delegation explored the western part of Uganda, starting with Fort Portal, which the former seems to have a soft spot for.
According to the organizers of the trip, when contacted about the post-symposium familiarization tour to a regional destination in the Country, the Ambassador’s preference fell on Western Uganda, a decision informed by his first visit to Semuliki National Park which left an indelible mark.
In his remarks, Ambassador Lizhong thanked the Ministry of Tourism for hosting Chinese tour operators for the first time and giving them an opportunity to interact with their Ugandan counterparts, to work out ways of partnering to attract more Chinese tourists into Uganda and vice versa.
“The tour operators from China have had the opportunity to visit the Western part of Uganda where there are so many tourist attractions. National parks are a masterpiece in the western region. Uganda’s national park system is something that China can pick a leaf from and I am glad that some of our tourism stakeholders have witnessed this,” the Ambassador said.
He noted that with each region presenting unique culture and heritage, Uganda stands to draw in more Chinese tourists whose interests in destinations are quite diverse.
Annually, more than 100 million Chinese tourists leave their homes to visit various destinations including South Korea, Malaysia, Cambodia, European Counties and the USA.
Africa, the Ambassador said, has a myriad of attractions that the Chinese tourists haven’t encountered anywhere else.
“When I first visited Semuliki National Park and the Rwenzori region I was left with a great impression. I have also had an opportunity to visit other National Parks like Murchison, Mount Elgon, each region showcasing diversified tribal culture. Wherever you go, you see people dancing, singing songs and that represents the richness of Ugandan culture. We can integrate these cultural elements into tourism offerings so that when Chinese tourists come here, they not only enjoy the natural beauty but also the beauty of the culture,” he said.
The Ambassador added that this familiarization trip was essential for Chinese tour operators to design tourism packages to sell to their clients back home.
What tour operators say;
Some of the tour operators from renowned travel companies in China including GZL International Travel Service and Shanghai Spring International Travel Ltd highlighted how they intent to market destination Uganda back home in China.
“Uganda is an amazing destination with beautiful sceneries and diverse culture. There are many wildlife species and the people are very charming. I enjoyed my journey here so much. And as a tour and travel company from Guangzhou, we are looking forward to more flights from Guangzhou to Entebbe. During our safari in Queen Elizabth National Park, we saw so many elephants, buffaloes, giraffes and so many birds. It’s so charming,” Chloe Wang said.
Wang also complimented the beautiful boat cruise after the game drive along the Kazinga Channel where “we saw so many animal species including crocodiles.”
Chen Yu, another tour operator noted that she has been to over 40 countries but Uganda has something unique about it.
“When we go back to our country, I will be happy to introduce my friends and clients to Uganda. I will share what we have seen here including the scenery and all the other tourist attractions especially the cultural performances,” Yu said.
Kyeganywa Hill – hiking for crater bliss
Sure, Kyeganywa might not be as charming as China’s famous Rainbow Mountains, but it’s table top makes for one of the best scenic views – overlooking 3 crater lakes surrounding the base of the hill.
And yes, the 20-30-minute hike is no easy feat for everyone, it’s steep and daring, with sliding spots and not much to hold on to other than reaching down for the moorland, sturdy on its mound.
Many of the Chinese cohort members were humbled by the hike midway – panting, bending, miserably trailing. But alas, there was a sun setting on the Nyakasula Horizon and its reflection in the still waters of Lake Nyabikere (frog lake) isn’t a spectacle to miss.
Persuasion from the faster hikers worked some magic. One foot in front of the other, the team, consisting of the Ambassador and his wife, head of the Chinese delegation in Uganda Dai Bin, female tour operators among others, finally summited.
Smiles and gaping mouths, cameras clicking away – the best view of the three crater lakes; Saaka, Nyabikere and Kigere. Imagine a silhouette shot – back to the camera, mild red sunset receding further behind the mountains as it casts color on the lake. Day one of the trip was a huge success, after all.
The treasures of Queen Elizabeth National Park
Nothing beats the freshness of the breeze wafting through the Mweya peninsula off Kazinga Channel, a new dawn in the estate for the Chinese delegates who were up and ready for the morning game drive.
Aboard an overlander, the excitement built with each sighting; a squirrel crossing the well-manicured hedge lanes at Mweya Safari Lodge, a warthog bending on it front legs burrowing, cattle egrets on an early morning errand, a 40-member herd of elephants casually (and dutifully) crossing the road, a waterbuck and her young picking foliage, and then, two lions soaking up the morning sun by the chalet.
Heads peeking out of the windows, hands on the phones, words flying by at frenzied speed and quick selfies before the elephant family moves away, on to their day’s next agenda.
After a filling lunch and a relaxing afternoon, a sundowner boat cruise awaited the already impressed tour operators. Two-piece linen outfits, large sunglasses, kaftan dresses, flowery beach shirts and free shorts dominated the upper deck of the boat where the Chinese delegation sat, joined by the Tourism Minister Hon. Tom Butime.
As usual, the two-hour cruise along Kazinga Channel didn’t disappoint. Hippos wallowed in the shallows, blowing off water jets into the air through their nostrils – showoffs! At the shores, loser buffaloes teamed up with nuclear elephant families for a sundowner stroll while crocodiles lay in some sort of mini hibernation, lazily sliding into the waters after a trigger.
Birds didn’t chirp (well, how uncliched!), Pied Kingfishers dove for their last catches, egrets cleaned buffalo hides for an early dinner, Swamp flycatchers treaded invisibly while Marabou stocks just, well, stood around – as they are known to do.
The boat cruise was the climax of the trip, its last minutes filled with beer, wine and a good laugh.
There is nothing extraordinary to write home about as regards the trip back to Kampala except that sumptuous buffet at Igongo Country Hotel, and a crafts shopping session thereafter.
