TEMBERA U RWANDA (VISIT RWANDA) CAMPAIGN

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Traveling is fantastic. If you’ve never had the travel bug hit you!!!, or feel just a little apprehensive planning a trip to a country you’ve never been to . Tourism allows wealth to be injected into a community in a variety of ways. Tourism supports the conservation of the local area. And some Africans countries are trying to build tourism among their citizens as it was always reserved for western population to travel and enjoy the nature themselves while many Africans were not aware of this relaxing activity. Some local and foreign tourists visiting some beautiful places in Rwanda Here we are going in Africa specifically in Rwanda as our case study to see how this country is surely motivated to tell Rwandans to participate in “ Tembera u Rwanda’ in local language aimed at motivating Rwandans to explore their own country and put the spotlight on domestic travel .  Camping is also another interesting activity that local people can enjoy a lot! Nyungwe canopy...

Reintroduction of lions in Akagera National Park (Rwanda) excites tour operators

It was 1999, exact date unknown. A group of farmers from Kageyo village in eastern Rwanda were tiptoeing through Akagera National Park on Tanzania’s border, returning to the carcass of a cow they had laced with poison the previous night.

Lions have been on top of the must see list for many tourists visiting Rwanda and their reintroduction is a milestone for the country’s tourism sector
As the contaminated corpse came into sight, the farmers noticed that their bait had been taken four lions lay dead in the dusty earth beside their final, fatal meal. Mission accomplished. Or not. “Next to the dead lions were the footprints of another lion, which had walked away,” recalled Kalisa Emmanuel, one of the farmers. “It hadn’t eaten the poison.”

A pursuit ensued and the men soon located the lion. “It attacked us and one of us went down,” Emmanuel said. “The lion tried to kill him. It crushed his arm.” In the panic, Emmanuel scurried up a tree while another farmer speared the animal. The lion died and three of the farmers were injured; one seriously, with deep cuts to his abdomen. The unscathed men took the wounded to hospital and they survived. Their heroic story was reported on local radio that night. The last lion was seen in 2006.

Lions were poised to make a comeback in Rwanda in June 2015, as part of a project that will also see rhinos reintroduced to the park. Seven lions – five females and two males, imported from Beyond Phinda Private Game Reserve and Tembe Elephant Reserve of South Africa were released in Akagera National Park, the country’s only protected savannah region.




The development puts Rwanda in position to compete with other national parks in the region like Serengeti National Park in neighbouring Tanzania which dwarves this humble reserve and is already home to the Big Five (Lion, Elephant, Leopard, Buffalo and Rhino), Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda and Masai Mara in Kenya. But Akagera has its own appeal. Though small, it has an extraordinary diversity of landscapes – lakes, mountains, savannah and wetlands that harbour a staggering array of wildlife. Joseph Birori, the chairman of Rwanda Tour and Travel Association, said reintroduction of lions (brought from South Africa) in Akagera National Park is an added value to tour operators ‘menu’, noting that the country has been relying on other national parks in neighbouring countries.

Lions have been on top of the must see list for many tourists visiting Rwanda and their reintroduction is a milestone for the country’s tourism sector. Birori said the development is a great stride for the country, adding that it will boost tourism revenues. “We can now proudly recommend Akagera National Park to tourists because anyone visiting a savanna national park expects to see lions. The lions that have been donated to the Akagera National Park were carefully selected and are very tourist friendly, disease free and genetically diverse said Phinda Conservation Management.

The reintroduction of Lions in Rwanda is in position to compete with other national parks in the region 
There are approximately 500 species of bird:  African fish eagle to the flamboyant lilac breasted roller. Driving into the hills zebra and bushbuck grazing in the long grass are able to be seen, common eland the largest antelope in the world, and a black mamba, the most dangerous snake on Earth. “They can jump into cars,” said one of the field guide promptly winding up the window.

Akagera National Park is the  only protected savannah region in Rwanda.
There is every reason to be confident in the government’s ability to develop a sustainable tourism industry in Akagera: its advancement of gorilla tourism in northern Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park is regarded as one of the most successful conservation projects in Africa. Like Volcanoes, Akagera is also donating 5% of all tourism revenue to local communities. That money will fund schools, hospitals and farming cooperatives, making conservation pay for everyone.
The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily of the scientific studies

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