Kampala was built on seven breathtaking hills, cut up by delightful valleys, and swamps traversed by sluggish streams, giving it entrancing scenery. Kampala hills not only provide a back drop of the city and a panoramic view from any direction, but its living history and definition. The seven hills on which the city was gradually built are: Rubaga, Namirembe (Mengo), Makerere, Kololo, Kibuli, Kampala (old Kampala) and Mulago. The three hills are dedicated to God: The catholic hill of Rubagga; Namirembe hill provides the headquoters of the Bristish church missionary society, and Kibuli is Muslim. Kololo and Nakasero were assigned for diplomatic, residential and administrative purposes. Mulago was set a side as the hill of the sick and Makerere, the tower of knowledge. Kampala hill remains a Fort, Muslim new mosque headquarters and a small administrative centre.

Kampala the garden city of Africa grew into the Uganda capital partly from historic accidents that started over centuries ago in the Kingdom of Buganda. Thought slightly over a 100 years old, the city is now firmly established as one of the fastest growing commercial and business cities on the continent, home to more than 2 million people.

Its from this development that Kampala manage to host the Common Wealth meeting in 2007, which lead to the development and rehabilitation of New Hotels around.

The word Kampala come from the word “Impala” a type of antelope, which the 19th century Kings of Buganda used to graze on the slop of the hill near Mengo palace. Most of the are were the present day Kampala stands was wetland and mash, dominated by rolling hills, an ideal habitat for the impala, grazed on the hills and came down to the wetlands for water.

In those days places were named after events or things associated with them. So the Bristish reffered to the area as the Hill of the Impala Kasozi Kampala. So, whenever the Kabake (king) left his palace to go hunting, the Royal guards could tell his visitors that he had gone to Kampala to hunt; the name Kampala stuck.

The Name”hill of the Impala” was given specifically to the hill on which captain Fredrick Lord Lugard, a British admistrator, established his camp in December 1890. this hill was the imperial Bristish East African Company’s administrative headquarters until 1894, when the company collapsed and the headquarters of the protectorate was transferred to Entebbe. A small building existed on the hill was the new mosque is built; the building which is next to the mosques formed the first museum between 1908-1910. Unfortunately the site is not accessed to the public as it is the home of the Uganda Muslim Supreme council.

At this tinny Fort and administrative post, Lugard Hoisted the Imperial British East African company flag on December 18th, 1890; it was replaced by the union jack on April 1, 1893. The fort at Kampala hill (now known as Old Kampala) attracted several hundred people and a small township developed. Soon, traders erected shops at the foot hill.

After this foundation was laid just before the turn of the 20th century, kampala began a speed development. Its physical and climatological factors favoured it more than any other spot for modernisation. Kampala was also advantage as easy access to Entebbe (the colonial capital and gateway to Uganda for most international visitors), its central position. By 1900 the confines of the fort had become too small for the distractive purposes, so it was decided to move the colonial offices and government residences to Nakasero hill. Shops and other commercial premises followed and flourished.

Asian entrepreneurs flocked in and begun controlling part of the commercial activity. While the British planned and laid development for Kampala, the Asians implemented it. They monopolised the serene business life rapidly growing town.

With improvements of communication the growth of Kampala was assured. Between 1911 and 1945, Kampala’s expansion followed closely the Patten of international events. World wars led to the depressions, while post-war years saw a boom impetus and trade expansion.

The commercial and administrative growth was replicate in the Kampala’s population growth rate. The population stress in the city placed more additional demands on social and physical infrastructures, including housing, water sanitation, electricity, health units and schools. From 1930s steady progress was made to provide piped water, electricity (at first by generators) hard roads drainage services and water-born sanitation. The church missionary society had already established a hospital at Mengo hill in 1897; the British set up Mulago hospital in the early 1920s. These services contributed to the improvement of health and other social facilities, and subsequent status of all municipalities bestowed onto Kampala on January 1, 1949.

In the field of education, work on Makerere College (now Makerere University) started in 1922 at Makerere hill. Dozens of primary and secondary schools have been built in and around Kampala were also built till date. Missionaries and Asians took the lead in the sector were Luganda, gujrat, urdu, and English were the major languages of instructions in schools.

After 1945 Kampala’s development kept pace with increasing volume of commercial activities. This was particularly so in the 1950 s, which saw tremendous construction of new office block, residential houses, maintenance of 160 km of roads in the town ship and the landscaping of kololo Airstrip ( now the national Heroes’ cemetery).

To safeguard and protect the development work and projects, the British installed soldiers at strategic hill around Kampala. These military stations were transformed into fully-fledged barracks. These were: Makindye , Mengo ( later referred to as Lubiri ) ,Kireka and Mbuya .

Kampala has undergone a remarkable transformation since its conception in the 1890s. In physical size it has grown from 19 square kilometers to the present 80 square kilometers, an expansion that has been reflected administratively.

In 1906 the settlement was declared a township. In 1950 the first mayor of Kampala, Sir Amar Maini (C.B.E) was appointed. 9 the current mayor, Mr John Ssebagala-Kisito, is the seventh mayor) On January 1, 1962, Kampala became a city council. The City had kept its peace and had blossomed. Hence, on the day Uganda was granted independence, October 9th 1962, Kampala was finally declared capital of Uganda.

By: Dickson Richards

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Many European people go to Africa to enjoy all there is to see. There are five star resorts and great entertainment and most hotels have access to some of the best safari companies in Africa. In America, people are beginning to catch on to the idea of visiting Africa. A lot of the people that would like to go on a safari want to save money because the cost for Americans is substantially higher than for Europeans because of the cost of flight. Cheap African safari tours can be found however with a little searching and good decision making.

One way to look for different safari tours is by talking with a tour guide company. They are usually aware of any deals that are available. Sometimes people might cancel and a company tries to get new customers at the last minute. This saves the company money and it allows for cheap African safari tours for people who may be ready to book a trip at the last minute. The limitations of booking a cheap African safari tour will already be determined by the people who booked the trip originally. This is a great way to go on safari.

Options For Cheap African Safari Tours

For those people who will be booking a cheap African safari tour, consider all of the ways to cut costs that will allow for a great safari at a lower price. The easiest way to have a cheap African safari tour is to limit the length of the safari. Most safaris will last from as short of one day and can go as long as twelve days. The opportunity to see most of the wildlife is greater with a longer trip but booking a shorter trip doesn’t mean that people will see fewer animals, and the money saved on the cheap African safari tours means that there is more spending money available for other options while in Africa.

Another way to defray costs is to book safaris that will specialize in looking for only certain animals. An example would be the safari company who along with full safaris also has safaris to see valley animals. They may offer a safari that concentrates on the big cats of Africa. This is a great way to see a lot in a shorter period of time making the vacation for cheap African safari tours a lifetime experience.

When people decide to go to Africa and see the wonders that are there to see, the costs of the safari shouldn’t always be in the back of ones mind. Enjoy the beauty of the continent and save money and memories. Take a little piece of Africa home for the rest of ones life.

By: Low Jeremy

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Hundreds of thousands of foreign tourists visit Kenya each year for, what they hope, a great safari experience in one of those magical sounding places like Masai Mara or Amboseli National Park. As soon as they come off the plane, they are approached by hundreds of street tout who want to sell them a safari tour on the spot. In Nairobi and Mombasa, there are many hundreds of safari tour operators. But they aren’t all good.

While there are honorable companies that try to give you a valuable Kenya safari tour, many companies deliver bad service while others are outright crooks. Complaints range from ignoring reasonable client demands and terrible food to disappearing overnight with your money and sexual harassment by staff members.

There’s often quite some money involved. For a budget camping safari (meaning you’ll be staying in a tent at an open camp site instead of a luxury tented camp or lodge) the minimum prices are around $70 to $80 per person per night – which means at least $560 for a couple going on a 5-day safari (which I recommend is the minimum length to get the real bush experience). This is a lot of money for most Kenyans.

Bad Budget Companies

Most complaints are about budget companies in Nairobi and Mombasa. The ever increasing park entry fees (set by the Kenyan government) and the high gas prices limit their ability to cut costs. They instead try to cut costs by not maintaining their vehicles (so you’ll lose days waiting for a tow truck) or by illegally entering the parks, which may get you into trouble.

Other budget companies don’t have their own equipment, but wait until they have enough bookings and then quickly try to hire some gear. But who says you’ll get your money back in case they don’t succeed? Moreover, some companies don’t even organize the safaris themselves, but only function as a kind of brokers who work on commission for the actual tour organizers. Often, it’s hard to tell them apart. While this kind of agreements are not bad in principle, it may leave you with uncertainty who’s responsible in case of non-compliance.

Unfortunately, even among the best tour operators, quality is not consistent. It’s possible for good operators to perform bad, just like it’s possible for bad companies to shine occasionally. But good companies will at least actually take you out on a Kenya safari tour, and will try to compensate you if anything goes wrong.

Fixing Arrangements On The Spot

Except for the up market tour organizers with a stable track record, it’s better not to book a Kenya safari tour in advance. Though most tour operators allow internet and phone bookings, it’s better to do this on the spot. Visit the offices, talk to the staff and see what kind of people they are, and compare deals. Besides, booking your safari apart from your hotel and/or flight gives you more options and flexibility.

Ask them to set out the details of your plan in advance. Be polite and friendly, but make it clear you won’t take crap from anybody. And don’t pay all your money in advance. Keep at least a part to pay after delivery of service.

So Can You Name Names?

Many travelers ask us to name names: who are the good and the bad companies? That’s why we compiled a special report on which Kenyan safari tour operators are good. After due consideration we did not include a ‘black list’ of bad companies, as this is not without problems. Instead, we focused on those companies that get consistently good reviews of travelers (who submit these at our website and on many other online travel forums). This report is available for free to subscribers of our e-zine.

By: Arjen Koopman

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If you and your family would like to go on a luxurious African safari, the Conservation Corporation Africa is probably one safari tour company you should contact. They have more than 40 wonderful safari camps that you can enjoy.

One of their popular tours is the African walking safari in which you get to see everything that nature in Africa has to offer. They give you the opportunity to take part in five hour morning walks every day, plus a short walk before sunset and a night drive combination. By going on all of these you are guaranteed to see a wide range of wild animals.

In order to ensure that you are absolutely comfortable with your setting, they offer you luxurious en suite tents to sleep in which even have flushing toilets, comfortable beds, and enjoyable dinners around the fire. This is great for families, however all children must be 16 years of age or older.

The Savute Game Reserve is also another excellent choice because you are guaranteed to see beautiful leopards and cheetahs in their natural environment. If you go at the right time you might also be able to catch the amazing zebra migration in the rainy season, which is during the months of January and February. You will also get to see the kings and queens of the savannah, the lions.

However wild animals are not the only attraction and you will certainly find that out on the Okavango Delta in Botswana. It one of the largest inland deltas in the world. You get to see a maze of sparkling lagoons, overgrown islands and of course lots of wildlife.

The list of safaris that you can go on is endless.There are so many different adventures and expeditions that you can take part in. So if you are looking for something that will leave you stunned and with a lot of memories, go on one of the many luxury African safaris.

By: Munyaradzi Chinongoza

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The flora, fauna, and some of the most interesting people in the world, Kenya Safari has enough surprise to perplex even a globetrotter, who has seen world and its people.

Experts believe Kenya to be the birthplace of humanity. According to them, Kenya has evidences of some of the earliest human settlements from which descendants moved out to populate the world. However, it is the never-ending stretches of wilderness, the unbeatable forests, and some of the rarest varieties of wildlife, which has accumulated in this part of the world to account for Kenya being a wonderland. No other African country can boast such an incredible range of scenery, unique geographical features, and species.

A safari in Kenya is an extraordinary holiday for any wildlife lover. A beautiful thing about Kenya is its welcoming nature. In other words, Kenya has everything for every budget. There is no end of things to explore in Kenya. A Kenyan safari can start from the highlands of central Kenya to the Great Rift Valley, from the elephants of Amboseli to the vast shores of Lake Victoria, the second largest lake in the world. You can even get some spectacular views of Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest point, and laze down on the shimmering white sands along the Indian Ocean.

Accommodations on a Kenyan safari usually combine lodges and permanent or mobile tented camps. These luxury camp’s and lodges are all unique and in amazing settings. Most rooms have complete bathroom amenities as do most permanent tented camps. On the other hand, mobile camps can have either private en-suite facilities or shared bathroom. There is a shared shower tent. If you are in a Kenyan safari, do not expect a TV or phones with outside lines. Electric lights are though available and run on generators during the night.

By: Anirban Bhattacharya

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An Indian safari tour is a dream come true for those who love adventure and excitement. It is a great moment of enjoyment for people who want to get into sport and enjoy the actual thrill.

However, you need to take good precautions when it comes to going for Indian safari tours in order to ensure good safety and maintain the fun and excitement throughout the expedition. Here are some precautions you need to understand when it comes to setting out for and experiencing an Indian safari tour.

a) The most important thing to take into consideration are some special precautions during the journey. You need to carry certain important thing in order to make your event exciting. Make sure that you carry a full fledged medical kit. This will prove helpful in case you face certain unhappy events related to your physical health on the way.

b) It is advised not to wear bright colored clothes as this attracts insects. For instance, blue color attracts tsetse flies. Applications of lavender oil will minimize swellings and pain caused by its bite.

c) Trust only bottled water during safari.

d) Never ever eat raw seafood or meat at the visiting site.

e) It would be wise to swim only in chlorinated or rock salt treated pools or the ocean. Avoid lakes, streams, waterfalls and rivers because they usually have diseased plants and parasites. Deadly crocodiles may also cross your way.

f) Follow the instructions provided by your guide.

g) Check your shoes carefully before wearing them as they may give shelter to spider or scorpion. Always turn your shoes upside down.

h) If you must walk, you must wear long pants and high gum-boots in order to avoid coming across grass borne insects. Don’t sit on the grass or sandy soil.

i) It is advisable to stay away from scented soaps, deodorant and perfume because these have the tendency to attract insects.

j) You should not get down from the jeep while on the safari. Maintain pin-drop silence once you are inside the park.

k) Traveling in group is most enjoyable and provides you great safety.

l) The vehicle should be mechanized.

m) Make sure that you bar the windows and doors of the vehicle appropriately for good security.

n) The doors of the vehicle should have security lock.

o) The vehicle should also be equipped with supplementary gear and first aid facility.

By: Steve Manik

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The adventure tour in India is popular and especially the elephant safari trips. Elephant safari helps the visitor to travel through such difficult terrains where even jeeps cannot venture. And why not, riding an elephant takes you back to the royal era, when only the kings use to ride on these majestic beasts, since nothing can even compare to the majesty of a Pachyderm.

Equipped with a howdah, a large seat on which they would sit, complete with soft silk cushions, and with a ceremonial umbrella over the rider’s head, modern day elephant safaris may lack in comparison with the ones that use to be done by the kings, but are no less regal on that account.

The elephant moves slowly and steadily, that’s why this type of safari is ideal in and around the wild regions or within the vicinity of the wildlife sanctuaries, where riding the elephant can give you an easy excess for viewing the wildlife. More of all an elephant safari tour in the tropical wildlife sanctuaries of India gets you up, close and personal with these majestic animals.

During your ride, you can watch the wild elephants taking bath in the water ponds. The photographers can easily take pictures of the wilds while riding and as a souvenir of the amazing journey into the wilds, take one with the elephant too.

Elephant Safari in Kerala

Take a tour of the Periyar sanctuary in search of wildlife and you’d be surprised with what you see. Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary is the best elephant hub that any animal lover would love to check out. From the rooms of the forest rest houses provided by the Kerala forest department to the tourists within the vicinity of Periyar, you can get a wide-screen view of the whole sanctuary.

Visiting the Lake Palace in Kerala’s lake centered wildlife sanctuary of Thekkady, also referred to as the Periyar sanctuary is an experience to remember. When a Maharaja ruled this land, he had a dam thrown across the Periyar River. The backed up waters of the dam flooded a valley, partially submerging trees, leaving their bare trunk standing over their reflections like a Daliesque waterscape. Visitors put-put around this surreal lake, delight in spotting wildlife including herds of foraging wild elephants.

Periyar is, clearly, the safest elephant sanctuary of India and the world. Elephants have never been known to attack a tourist launch, even as the vehicle passes by a herd of elephants taking a royal bathe. Elephant, Wild Pig, Sambar and Guar are the four most popular at Thekkady.

By: Dev Sri

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With ‘modern life’ continually encroaching upon nature, it’s only natural (pun intended) to want to reconnect with the wilder side of the planet. What better way is there to do that than with a safari? Large expanses of wilderness teaming with wildlife lie barely a few kilometres outside of Cape Town, South Africa. These reserves put safari tourists within viewing distance of buffalo, rhino, giraffes, leopards, and karakul (also known as the lynx).

One interesting safari tour begins a short distance away from Cape Town, taking visitors across the Hex River Valley to the Aquila reserve. Aquila verreauxii (a rare Black Eagle) are found in abundance in the southern Karoo highlands. You can catch a glimpse of rhinos, lions, and giraffes on these game drives or spot herds of zebras, black wildebeest, klipspringers, duikers, greybucks and ostriches. Keep a close eye out for the resident troops of baboons as well. As part of the game drives, visitors are shown a number of bushman rock art sites that are thousands of years old. Game drives are offered by the Aquila Private Game Reserve for morning, sunset, or night time in an open Land Rover. For the truly adventurous, two hour long horse safaris for groups of up to nine people are also available in the evening and early morning. These have a minimum age requirement of nine years. Those aged 16 and above can opt for a quad bike safari in a group of up to 10 people.

Accommodation is available in the form of cottages that feature en-suite bathrooms, outdoor showers, ceiling fans, fireplaces and mini bars. The Aquila Private Game Reserve offers a luxury honeymoon suite (equipped with a private Jacuzzi), a Conference Centre that can support 40 to 80 delegates, a Cigar Bar, and the popular Boma Restaurant, which offers indigenous cuisine. Luxury chalets are also available. These are equipped with all the amenities of the cottages as well as tea and coffee facilities and high quality linens.

One or two day wildlife safari tours are also offered at the Inverdoorn Game Reserve. Luxurious en-suite chalets and guesthouses are offered, inclusive of full breakfasts, buffet lunches and five course dinners. Their tour packages include one or two two-hour game drives in an open four wheel drive vehicle as well as a trip through the wine regions and fruit regions near Cape Town. In addition to the game drives, guided nature walks can also be requested.

The Kagga Kamma private game reserve near Ceres is located about 40 minutes (by air) from Cape Town. The region is rich in culture and history as evidenced by the numerous Bushman/San rock paintings found here, some of which are as much as 6,000 years old. Experienced field rangers guide safari tourists, explaining the significance of these icons of South Africa’s cultural heritage.

By: Orson Johnson

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All other places described here have fixed sites. There are other Kenya safari options which involve moving from one campsite to another. These are typically up-market Kenya private safari offered by well-known safari guides and small safari companies. There are also more modest alternatives which involve a greater degree of “roughing it”.

In Kenya safari, you can travel on foot, by four -wheel drive vehicle, on camels, on horses, by ox wagon, by air… These Kenya safari can be focused on Kenya wildlife tours, bird watching tour, bird shooting tour, fishing trips, Kenya photography safari, mountain climbing adventures, and anthropology. Check with your Kenyan safari travel agents for more details.

Hot air balloon safari-Kenya

Early morning hot air balloon trips take off from several places in the masai Mara Kenya (including little governor’s camp, Mara Serena lodge, Mara safari club, fig tree camp, and masai mara sopa lodge). Transportation can be arranged to take you from other lodges and camps to the nearest balloon launching site. These trips are extremely popular and very pricey about USD 400 per person, including breakfast).

Kenya’s masai mara has become one of the busiest hot air ballooning centres in the world. While out on early morning game drives in the mara, you are bound to see one or more brightly colored ballons majestically rising at about the same time as the sun. They look so silent and romantic.

When you splurge on this unique adventure kenya safari, the excitement starts while it is still dark. Loud, bright flames roar as they heat the air filling the colorful skin of the balloon. Up to 12 passengers climb into the basket grinning in fear-tinged anticipation. While knuckles grip the basket edge. You lift up, the burners roar loud and close. You float over forests, savannah, river and game-sometimes soaring way up high, sometimes brushing branches of trees, and sometimes just skimming the tops of termite mounds.

Herds of animals scatter below you, a bull elephant with a long shadow crosses a field, there are hippo humps in the curve of the river. It is warmer than you expect-you don’t feel the wind when you travel at wind speed. It is also noisier than imagined-the burst and flare from the burners punctuate the commentary of the pilot.

You land for a champagne breakfast in the bush-holding tight to the sides and ducking down as the basket tips and is dragged along the ground. The sides are well -padded and passengers inelegantly crawl out to emerge laughing. A full breakfast is cooked over the ballon burners, animals dot the scene, large hawks fly down for tidbits, and there is a sense of camaraderie, complete with your own souvenir flight certificate.

Walking, hiking and trekking-kenya Safari

Another way to experience the adventure of Kenyan bush is to put one foot in front of the other as directed by knowledgeable guides.. Usually designed to make the most of Kenya’s safari spectacular scenery and wildlife, these foot(Kenya walking) safari give you the feeling of being part of the life of the bush. Very often, the hiking is combined with game drives either after a lunch in camp or when an early morning hike is designed to rendezvous with camp vehicles at a pre arranged place.

Depending on the guide or Kenya safari company you choose, you can be totally pampered in camp or you can be responsible for a certain amount of camp life, such as putting up your own tent. Typically, as with other kinds of adventure camping in Kenya wild, a new camp is set up every day, with the supplies and equipment being transported by camp staff in camp vehicles.

The pace for most walking Kenyan safari is considered suitable for hikers of average fitness. However, clients are encouraged to ride the camp vehicles for a rest day or enjoy staying in camp if the camp is to remain in one place for several days. All hikers are encouraged to have adequate medical insurance before coming to Kenya, and most companies require that a waiver form is signed before the beginning of the walking Kenya safari or trekking Kenya safari.

By: Robert Muhoho

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