Month: July 2023

It was a precious moment for Scenic Luxury Vacation to be part of this 2 Days Spotlight Travel Expo in Nairobi at Safari Park Hotel & Sarova Panafric Hotel on 13^th & 14^th July 2023, respectively.

Scenic Luxury Vacation was an exhibitor in these expos where we showcased the services that we offer in both Rwanda & Uganda to our travel partner in Nairobi as a way of cementing our brand to this industry.

All our partners who passed through our table had a great moment with us as we shared product knowledge about both destinations Rwanda & Uganda, Unique selling point, our flexibility in terms of prices & tailor-made itineraries and strengthened our business relationships.

It was an excellent moment to meet and to know each other, especially those who are behind the shared emails over the times. Our discussion went through about Scenic, our luxury tailor-made presentations & travel journeys for Rwanda & Uganda, promotional pictures, hotels & lodges we use in Rwanda & Uganda. We also shared insights on popular/trending safari packages for Rwanda & Uganda, our discovery video for gorilla trekking in Rwanda, and safari experiences in Uganda, travel tip in both destinations and much more.

All the above were assembled into memory sticks of 4GB and were given to our travel partner for their revision at their convenience. For any further guidance, don’t hesitate to reach out to us to assist you further. And for those who missed to reach out to us or who would like to have the above, please contact us and we share this to you.

We would like to extend our gratitude to our travel partners who paid us a visit to our table at Safari Park Hotel & Sarova Panafric Hotel in Nairobi thank you so much for your time you offered us during the expo, and it was a great pleasure meeting you and we are looking forward to a great collaboration.

Check out our YouTube channel to watch our experience at Spotlight Travel Expo in Nairobi, Kenya 2023.

We can show you Rwanda.

We deliver travel experiences in remarkable Rwanda & Uganda which means SLV can take you anywhere you dream of visiting — and more than a few places you never imagined you’d experience in Rwanda and Uganda.

We’re with you every step of the way.

What sets SLV journeys apart is our people and the role they play in every part of your journey: the experts who inspect each location and hotel, plan each itinerary and work alongside you or behind the scenes to make sure every hour of your adventure is as rewarding as it can be.

Expert local guides bring every destination to life with one-of-a-kind insight.

Joining you in every destination is a resident expert guide with their own unique firsthand perspective. Both an expert planner and an adept improviser, your local SLV guide also brings a sincere love for the places they call home — something you’ll soon come to share.

In addition to your SLV guide, your client’s journey includes an entire team of experts you don’t see, each working tirelessly to keep your itinerary running without a hitch, managing everything from the day-to-day logistics to seamless transfers to the surprise moments we so love to create for your guests. Your guest will feel the difference from the moment they arrive and throughout each expertly arranged day.

Trek Uganda Gorillas via Rwanda: Trekking Uganda mountain gorillas via Rwanda is the most awesome and affordable experience to explore two countries at the same time, while discovering the home of the mountain gorillas – Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda.

Uganda hosts nearly 50% of the world’s population of mountain gorillas living in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. That equates to around 500 individuals, according to the last official census in 2019, with 21 gorilla families currently habituated for tourism — more than in any other area of Africa. However, the driving distance from Entebbe to Bwindi is over 8-10 hours, yet it is only a 4-hour drive away from Kigali, Rwanda. As a result, it makes Entebbe to Bwindi a longer and unbearable route for visitors especially the first-time visitors to the country. Many travelers therefore prefer to trek Uganda gorillas via Rwanda.

This is one of the reasons for choosing this option. It is therefore more convenient to fly into Kigali International Airport then travel for 4 hours to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or Mgahinga Gorilla National Park for gorilla trekking. This therefore makes it possible to achieve a one-day gorilla trekking tour which would have otherwise been impossible if starting and ending the trip from Rwanda.

If cost is an issue, you can trek Uganda Gorillas via Rwanda. The price of gorilla permits in Rwanda is $1,500 per person while in Uganda, it costs $700 per person for foreign non-residents, $600 per person for foreign residents and Shs. 250,000 for East African Community residents.

Another thrilling reason to trek Uganda Gorillas via Rwanda is the opportunity to experience the two African countries at a go. During your trip, you will drive from Kigali City while admiring the natural beauty of the rolling hills – from where the country derived the name “land of a thousand hills”. Then through the Northern Province to southern Uganda filled with densely forested and terraced slopes.

Rwanda’s gorilla trekking permits destination is the most accessible, just 3 hours’ drive from the city, but the high price of gorilla permits ($1,500 per person) makes it costly for budget travelers.

Due to countless direct flights Rwanda has, this has made it more accessible to arrive in Rwanda and trek Uganda gorillas. Such direct flights include those from London, Paris, Qatar, and Johannesburg among others.

Visitors to Rwanda have an exceptional opportunity to book a mind-blowing helicopter transfer in Rwanda to take in the country’s jaw-dropping sceneries and moving from one destination to another. Helicopter transfers in Rwanda are offered by Akagera Aviation, allowing guests to take scenic tours from Kigali to Akagera, Nyungwe Forest and Volcanoes National Parks or between the national parks, especially those who can’t stand the long distances.
Akagera Aviation’s fleet is made up of the Robinson 44 with a seating capacity of 3 passengers, Agusta 139 with a capacity of 5 passengers and the Agusta 109 with a seating capacity of 6 passengers. Helicopter transfers in Rwanda range from half an hour to two and a half hours with endless opportunities of providing bird’s eye view of the beautiful country, dubbed ‘the land of a thousand hills’.

Akagera Aviation is a privately-owned Company that was established in 2004 and located just out of Kigali International Airport. The company’s offices are found in the main terminal building and most of its operations are conducted from their steadfast hanger on the airside of Kigali International Airport.

The aviation is licensed by Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority (RCAA), a signatory entity to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and for this reason, travelers can be guaranteed of receiving good quality services that meet up with International best practices.
Thanks to its experience of undertaking safe and rewarding helicopter transfers in Rwanda, Akagera Aviation was chosen as a “Robinson Helicopter Dealership and Service Center” in 2008 hence making it one of its kind in East Africa. Besides scenic tours, the Airlines also offers surveys, Aerial photography and videography, as well as medical/emergency services across the country.

Helicopter Transfers from Kigali to Akagera National Park lasts about 20 minutes. Here, there are opportunities of enjoying the stunning scenic views of rolling hills and the diverse ecosystems in Rwanda’s only savannah-dominated national park. This 1,122-square-kilometer Protected Area is known for sheltering the big five game, different antelopes (that include Kobs, impalas, bushbucks, Topis, giant elands, duikers, waterbucks, hartebeests and others), zebras, Masai giraffes, and over 500 species of birds. Here, you can enjoy game drives, boat cruises, sport fishing, Bush Camping, Hot air balloon tours, guided bush walks, and others.

The helicopter transfer from Kigali to Volcanoes National Park is only about half an hour, providing an opportunity of enjoying a wide range of exceptional activities such as tracking the endangered mountain gorillas, tracking the golden monkeys, hiking to the Dian Fossey Gravesite, climbing the Virunga Volcanoes, watching different bird species and many others.

For visitors interested in a helicopter transfer to Nyungwe Forest National Park, it is interesting to know that it takes only About 45 minutes. In this Park, chimp treks monkey tracking, canopy walks, forest hiking, forest birding are some of the activities that await travelers. There is a possibility of having a helicopter transfer between this Park and Volcanoes National Park.

As of June 2023, Mount Elgon makes it to the list of 23 Transboundary Biosphere Reserves designated by UNESCO. The designation of this mountain with the largest volcanic base in the whole World (4,000 square kilometers) is a tangible proof that humanity can thrive in balance with Mother Nature. Just like all Biosphere Reserves, Mount Elgon promotes innovative local solutions so as to conserve Biodiversity, preserving unique ecosystems as well as tackling climate change while improving the livelihood of the people through developing agro-ecology, renewable energy sources and green industries.
Of the 23 Biosphere Reserves, Mount Elgon is the only Transboundary Reserve on the list. The recognition of Mount Elgon as a Transboundary Biosphere integrates the water tower functions of this Biosphere Reserve in Kenya as well as Uganda, support the livelihoods of the people, survival of forests and wildlife, and offering a wide array of ecosystem functions.
Mount Elgon is haven to more than 300 species of birds that include the endangered Lammergeyer, a number of mammals such we forest elephants, forest buffaloes, rodents and others, attributed to its incredible diversity of unique ecosystems as well as species of wildlife and flora that are distributed across the four different ecological zones marked by different vegetation types that change with altitude. There’s a mixed montane forest, a Bamboo forest, a low canopy forest, a sub-alpine montane heath as well as an Alpine Moorland in areas of higher altitudes.
The slopes of the Mountain and the surrounding areas has a population of about 1150000 living between Uganda and the neighboring Kenya. These areas are mainly occupied by Bagishu, Sabiny, Sabaot, Teso, Sebei and Luhya among other local communities that primarily depend on Agriculture for subsistence and livelihood. While these local communities rely on Mount Elgon for its bamboo shoots, medicinal purposes, firewood/timber, vegetables, fodder, mushrooms, salt for cattle and thatching grass, there are also a number of conservations programmes and initiatives implemented to secure community support to ensure proper conservation of the ecosystem.
Mount Elgon used to be the highest Mountain in Africa (even more that Mount Kilimanjaro’s present 5895 meters above sea level) but due to years of erosion, its height reduced to the current 4321 meters above sea level hence making it the 4th highest mountain in the East African region and the 8th highest in Africa. Besides Mount Elgon, Queen Elizabeth National Park is another UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in Uganda, designated in 1979. Other sites awaiting approval from UNESCO include Lake Mburo National Park, Budongo Forest, Mount Morungole, Mabira Forest, the Lake Victoria Basin, Mount Moroto, Sango Bay, to mention but a few.