My adventure in Queen Elizabeth National Park

Nanyunja Sharon Priscilla who completed her Primary Seven was part of an exciting 3day safari to Queen Elizabeth National Park and couldn't help but share her wonderful experience.

“When we were briefed before taking off for the Safari, the distance scared me because I expected to get exhausted and tired. I also was scared on hearing of the lions especially when we were told not to move beyond some boundaries at the hostels. But I did not even feel tired throughout the whole journey. We made stop overs to see some interesting places like we stopped at the equator where we had photographs taken. We had fun all the way up to the park. I enjoyed watching animals. I had never seen an elephant but this time I was able to see very many of them moreover from a close distance. I was surprised to see that the elephant eats thorny plants and can even run with all that size.  

The three days we were in the park, we were able to see different animals. We saw buffaloes, warthogs, bush bucks, the kob, antelopes, hippopotamuses, and the king of the jungle (lion). Mr. Denis asked the driver to stop at one point and showed us a very beautiful bird called the black red bishop. We saw other birds but this one interested me most because of its colours and name.

On this Safari I really enjoyed the boat ride  on Kazinga channel to Lake Edward. I think this is a home for hippopotamuses because we saw very many of them in the water. The  was very nice and funny.

But I did not like the environment where we slept because it was all surrounded by bushes. In the night we could  hear  animals making scaring noise and even hear some moving around the house. During the day warthogs would move all over the compound. I suggest that Wild Life Authority fences the hostels so that the animals do not get to the compound. This also will make the people feel safe.

I really got to see the beauty of my country. Thank you very much.”

We know you too can have these blissful memories after a tour with us whenever you choose to have it.

Students at the Equator near Queen Elizabeth National Park

BIRDING TIME!!!!

This is a good time of the year to see some beautiful birds. Not too wet but not too dry either

some move in groups and others alone.....

 some as elegant as ever.............










others as cunning as ever............

some even fish better than you.....

some are really easily seen in the national parks while......










others are really hard to find unless you have a wonderful guide but you wouldn't know

unless you decided to take a birding safari too!

Create blissful memories for 2012

So far it has been really hot and dry for the first two months of the new year in Uganda. For those who have already had some tours, this was definitely the perfect time. With fuel prices going down and the perfect weather for traveling everyone is looking forward to the Easter break and hoping that it will still be dry but not too hot by then.

For those in love with culture this is a wonderful time to travel because you have a chance to meet people other than the rainy season when everyone is running to their houses for shelter. You will at least be assured of finding communities very active.

Jinja is a perfect destination with rafting and boat rides especially for a family get away there are a number of activities including biking and bungee jumping.

Ssese Islands would also be a perfect idea for a wonderful weekend get away and the beautiful scenery, sand on the beach, games on the beach, walks on the Islands would definitely leave you wanting for more.

Hiking would also be a must do for this year although one has to prepare for this by exercising early to prevent any problems with muscles, joints after the hike.

Visit the rare and endangered Mountain Gorillas and you get to choose whether its in Uganda or Rwanda. There are various families with names and you can also choose the family you want to visit according to availability of the permits. Note (they are on high demand so one has to book early)

Keep in mind that this is the perfect time to travel and get those bags packed!!!!!

Make East Africa a new years resolution....

Its the beginning of a great year. Everyone has made their resolutions, set goals, aims, targets, name it and everyone hopes to achieve at least 90% of the goals set. In Uganda our aim is to stay green, hospitable, loving, inspiring and giving. We also do not want to just shine alone but hope that the partnership that we have with our neighbours will also be a way of showing people out there that East Africa is the way to go. Speaking of all the great kind of adventures being gorilla safaris, fishing safaris, hiking safaris, bungee jumping, white water rafting, cruises on the Nile name it and you will not fail to find that in East Africa. The food is definitely something you want to try and not to mention that we are blessed with a lot of fruits and vegetables that are fresh and attractive.

Speke Uganda Holidays is ready to take you around Uganda, is it the culture you want? We shall give you those cultural tours that will leave you with a touch from Uganda. With all the different cultures we have, you have a variety that you can experience. Is it a wildlife tour? We do not just stop in Uganda but also take you to Rwanda the "Land of 1000 hills" and you still have a bigger variety to choose from. Is it a fishing tour or one that involves being near a lake?Is it a bird safari, primate safari, gorilla trekking safari, photography safari  or  it could even just be a relaxing safari where all you want to do is just relax ?That can be arranged to suit exactly what you are looking for. Our tours are tailor made just to meet the expectations of the clients and we are eagerly waiting to do that. Karibu

Happy festive adventurous holiday!!!

Christmas time is arguably more demanded for by gold. It is the time of the year that everyone looks forward to. The holiday season, where its about eating, laughing and having fun. There are a variety of things that you can do in this time. If you are the kind of person who is into adventure, a perfect tour to Uganda or Rwanda would do you just fine. There are a couple of activities to do in different places like bungee jumping, white water rafting, boat rides, game drives in the various national parks or better still gorilla trekking. If you are the person who just wants to relax by the lake and enjoy the cool breeze, you can try the Sese Islands which have lovely beaches with white fine sand and breath taking sunsets. You can take cruises to various islands in Kalangala or nature walks on the Islands.

If you are into spending time with chimpanzees, you can take a trip to Ngamba Island which is like a home for orphaned chimpanzees. The other destination would be any of the national parks which have a variety of other animals.

So if any idea to do with adventure comes to mind, you do not have to worry about how to get there, we will organise the tour for you. Just the way you like it.

A quick clip or a nice shot can tell the whole story...

Photography is a very important part of our lives. Every moment that we have, we would like to keep and look back and laugh or reminisce. This is not any different in tourism and travel. We always find pictures of lovely cities, national parks, towns, villages, animals, roads on post cards, websites and wall hangings, name it. This is because photography is a very powerful tool for evidence, entertainment, communication and clarity on various issues.

It can also be fun; for example take a photography tour to one of your favorite destinations in Uganda and Rwanda and then put the pictures up on your wall in your room. You can also put them up as unique pictures in a photo gallery or even make your own wall hangings and post cards of lovely shots you have taken on your trip.

Unlike any other visual image, a photograph is not a rendering, an imitation or an interpretation of its subject, but actually a trace of it. No painting or drawing, however naturalist, belongs to its subject in the way that a photograph does.
John Berger

So pick up that camera and take a tour just to have those lovely pictures that will store lifetime memories.

unforgettable memories with Speke Uganda Holidays

At Speke Uganda Holidays, our goal is to make sure that we take care of you and give you affordable tours designed to your specific need. We expose you to the various things like culture, scenery, beauty that the pearl of Africa has to offer. We do not just stop in Uganda but go an extra mile to the country of 1000 hills (Rwanda). In Rwanda you also get to see a people with rich culture, wonderful hills, lakes, rivers and national parks. We make sure that our guides are trustworthy, knowledgeable, patient enough to see that you get exactly what you are looking for. At Speke Uganda Holidays, aim to see that our clients leave with a longing to come back and see more and more.
Some of the people who have travelled using our services have these experiences to share with you;
“ three days safari to Murchinson Falls national park together with my parents was great. It was well organized and a lot of clear information given to us before the trip. Our driver and guide was a sweet man who knew his work well. when it came to driving and knowledge about the national park and its animals. I personally was impressed with how patiently he answered all the questions about anything, many that he probably gets to hear on every trip. Murchison Falls is a beautiful park with an incredible number of animals. We were only three people on this safari and we all thought it was pure luxury to do it with our private guide in a big car only to ourselves, the trip was simply excellent. Pamela West, Feb.2010.
“Ronnie, our driver, was very nice and a funny guy, who seemed to know a lot about a lot of things. At least he could answer any question we had. He was also very prepared, with books and maps and tips, and solved problems in quite a calm and reasonable way. Plus, he was a good driver too; we didn't suffer too much on the bumpy roads. :) You should keep that guy. I also liked our hotel very much. Great food and really nice people! I appreciated the lunch packages they gave us both on the trekking day and the day we left. It was also good to know the place was owned by local people, I prefer to give something back to the people in the countries I visit. In addition to this, I'd like to thank you for arranging out trip. It went smoothly and you did a great job even though we were a bit slow, undecided and had you calculate a lot of alternatives till the very last minute. Oh, I might want to complain about one thing: that the gorillas stayed almost all the time up in the trees. But I suppose there will be a couple of millions of years till you could make a deal with them directly. :)
I wish you good luck with your company, and hope that you stay well, safe and happy. I will recommend you to anybody that goes to Uganda! Ingela

Speke Uganda Holidays will show you the Wonders of Uganda that you may leave with memories to last a lifetime as we build a lifelong partnership with you.
The better part of it is that every experience is unique and you will never know if you will end up in a tent and telling a story about it or end up seeing something spectacular that you had never seen before. Whatever is comfortable, we are ready to do our best to see that you get it. So many places to visit, so many cultures to look into and so many types of food that you would definitely want to try. So why not Uganda for your next holiday and why not with Speke Uganda Holidays in particular.

for more information; www.spekeugandaholidays.com

Fishing tours

When most people think about coming to Uganda to tour the country, very few people consider fishing as an option. One can decide not to dwell on just fishing but also being able to see the various species of fish that we have in our country.

Almost 25% of Uganda is covered by water because Uganda has water bodies that include lake George, Albert, Lake Kyoga, Lake Edward and not forgetting lake Victoria, the second largest fresh water body in the world. River Nile can also be an option for fishing and tourism at some points for example in Murchison Falls National Park, one can fish at the banks. Some of the fish in this place include the Nile Perch, Tiger fish among others.

Uganda has over 262 species of fish and most of them in the fresh waters of lake Victoria. Some of the species include the tilapia fish which also has different species like the singida tilapia known locally as "Ngege", the Sabaki tilapia, the wami tilapia, victoria tilapia,red breast tilapia, red belly tilapia, mozambique tilapia among others. Other kinds of fish include; the marbled lung fish, the lake Victoria deep water cat fish, the elephant snout fish, the long tail spiny eel, the silver cyprinid, Egyptian mouth-brooder, Dwarf Victoria mouthbrooder,
Gray bichir, Dark stonebasher, to mention but a few.

Fishing is fun, but at the same time we also have to be mindful of the number of species so that we do not exploit too many so that some species are eventually extinct. Fishing is done alot as a means of getting food but it can also be done for tourism purposes so that people can see the great wonders of Africa and Uganda in particular. So when did you last go on a fishing tour?