After close to three months of closure of Uganda’s parks for tourism due to the Corona Virus, the savanna national parks have been reopened for tourist visits. The Uganda Wildlife Authority has announced the reopening of the savannah parks which have been on suspension since the outbreak of the Coronavirus which has hit the whole world.
Before the reopening of Uganda savannah parks, UWA had consultations with various stakeholders experienced in wildlife and it has assured that there is safety of wild animals from coronavirus in national parks. National parks that are now open include Queen Elizabeth National Park, Murchison Falls National Park, Kidepo Valley National Park, Lake Mburo National Park as well as wildlife reserves.
These savannah national parks are known to be among the top best destinations with high concentration of wild animals.
Despite the reopening of the savanna national parks in Uganda, primate parks are still closed and these are mgahinga national park and Bwindi Impenetrable national park, home to mountain gorillas as well as Kibale national park, a popular spot for chimpanzee watching in Uganda. In addition, the Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary is also still closed since it hosts chimpanzees.
Chimpanzee and mountain gorillas are located in these primate parks and these creatures are known to be 98%humans so there are high chances of the easy spread of virus to these touristic attractions. Thus the continuous suspension of the primate parks.
Due to the fact that Corona Virus vaccine has not yet been discovered, the Ministry of Health agreed with UWA to reopen the savanna parks on a condition of putting strict rules to follow during tour safaris in the parks. The recommended guidelines were made by UWA after the consultation with various related stake holders about wildlife.
The rules and regulations of visiting Savannah parks in Uganda;
- Mandatory hand washing/sanitizing at all entrances of all UWA premises and protected areas. This helps to safe guard the lives of other visitors in case one of them is affected by the virus.
- Mandatory face masking while in the park. No visitor will be allowed to tour the park without a mask.
- All vehicles doing game drives in the park will carry half the normal carrying capacity as directed by the president of Uganda
- Boats in Murchison Falls, Queen Elizabeth and Lake Mburo National Parks will also carry half the carrying capacity to avoid congestion which spreads the virus at a high rate.
- Saloon cars will not be allowed to do game drives in national parks.
- People allowed to be in the park are limited to 25 individuals only and another group is allowed when the first group is through with the touring to ensure social distancing.
Destination events such as wedding, birthdays and photo-shoots will not be allowed in the parks
Visitors are reminded to carry personal sanitizers during the tour safari in the park. - Mandatory Temperature screening using non-contact infrared thermometers at the key tourism gates of the different protected areas.
How sure you are that savanna places are safe?
Due to the fact that UWA is the government agent, its rules and regulations are highly restricted. UWA not only gave rules to visitors but also to game rangers and game drives to ensure the safety of everyone. It has ensured the staff members at all National parks to wear masks and to keep social distancing of the staff. All UWA staff individuals on duty shall sanitize visitors when entering the park. Uganda Wildlife Authority has gone further to train their staff on how to check temperatures for the incoming travelers. Hence UWA makes savannah places secure and safe for not only visitors but also staff members.
Tour Operators have welcomed the move of opening up savanna national parks. The reopening of Uganda’s game parks gives hope for rebound of tourism in the country. Potential travelers with prebooked safaris in Uganda are urged not to cancel trips but rather postponed and travel anytime to promote sustainable tourism in the Pearl of Africa.
