SHUTTERBUGS CAN GO WILD WITH STEVE BLOOM ON STEPPES' MIGRATION AND GORILLA TREKKING CIRCUIT IN AFRICA

ARUSHA, Tanzania (9/13) The African continent is a veritable cornucopia of nature, and Steppes Discovery can take you on the tour of a lifetime to discover two of the continent’s most spectacular sights with the inimitable Steve Bloom: The Great Migration and Gorilla Trekking in Uganda. The trip consists of eight exhilarating days beginning in the northern Serengeti and ends with a trip to see gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.

Visitors will obviously want to document this once in a lifetime experiences, and attempting to capture the teeming masses of wildlife as they race through the Serengeti can seem daunting. Capturing the elusive gorillas on film is no easy feat either. Luckily legendary photographer Steve Bloom will be on hand to teach the group some of his best tricks and techniques. Bloom has had a storied career as a wildlife photographer. He has published several compilations of his images and has even produced eleven critically acclaimed outdoor exhibitions, entitled Spirit of the Wild, all aimed at raising awareness about environmental issues.

The adventure starts at the Serengeti Wilderness Camp, located in the epicenter of the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. The camp is mobile, and only exists during the Great Migration so it can follow the animals’ migratory patterns, ensuring that travelers are constantly in a prime gameviewing area. Serengeti Wilderness Camp is comprised of ten tents, all outfitted with ensuite bathrooms and luxurious verandahs that are highly conducive to appreciating the stellar views. The camp offers a variety of activities like balloon safaris, bird watching, game drives, and walking safaris.

Thanks to new flights between the Serengeti and Entebbe, travelers can easily jet off to the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest for the ultimate day trip. Bloom will travel with the group as they track and photograph the elusive gorillas.

The trip costs $7,392.60 excluding international flights, and $8,532.20 including international flights. The trip is from June 12-19, 2014 and available for a maximum of ten people.

For more information please contact http://www.steppesdiscovery.co.uk/ or call 1 855 2527606 (toll free)

GORILLAS UP; PRICES DOWN: TIME TO GO TO BWINDI IMPENETRABLE FOREST/UGANDA

According to the just-released 2011 Census by the Uganda Wildlife Authority, the critically-endangered mountain gorilla population in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is confirmed at 400. The prior census in 2006 put the number at 302.  Part of the increase is due to improved census methods and conservation through daily ranger monitoring, but it is also due to actual population growth.  Aiding in the rising numbers is veterinary care provided by Gorilla Doctors. Their Uganda field team, led by Dr. Fred Nizeyimana, regularly monitors all of the habituated gorillas in the Park for health problems and performs medical interventions when it is determined that an individual has a life-threatening disease or illness.

Those travelers who have placed on their bucket list seeing the mountain gorillas should plan a trip to Uganda now.  The Uganda Wildlife Authority, in celebration of the country’s 50^th anniversary of independence next year, is cutting gorilla fees in April and May 2013 by $150, thus putting gorilla fees in Uganda during those two months at $350.  Beyond that, Ugandan gorilla fees, usually $500, are substantially below those of Rwanda and the Republic of the Congo – now at $750.

There are other reasons to go, too.  Marasa Africa, one of the largest diversified private-sector investors in Uganda, is offering a special fly-in three-day package to track the gorillas in the Park at $2,156 per person sharing.  The rain-forest is spectacular with a heavily vegetated and dense landscape and spending time with the shy and peaceful gorillas is an unforgettable experience.

Marasa’s fly-in four-day package at $2,693 per person sharing includes everything on the three-day package and an additional day on an escorted trek with the Batwa, the pygmies who live just outside the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.  The Batwa guides will discuss how they hunt and the medicinal plants they use.  They will also share a traditional meal and relate ancient legends and traditional songs.   It is a cultural experience like no other.

Accommodations for both packages are in the recently purchased and refurbished Silverback Lodge, part of the Marasa portfolio of quality tourism products in East Africa.  Silverback is situated in the Buhoma section of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, a UNESCO site home to almost half of the world’s mountain gorilla population.  In Bwindi that includes 36 family groups and 16 lone males. Ten family groups totaling 168 gorillas are habituated to human presence for tourism. The 124-square-mile Bwindi is also inhabited by non-habituated chimpanzees, more than 100 other species of mammals, 346 species of birds, and 163 species of trees.

The rates includes accommodation with meals while on safari, domestic scheduled flights and ground transfers in custom built safari vehicles with English speaking guides, gorilla permits, all park fees, and government taxes.

There are many other reasons to go to Uganda, including a safari on the Nile River.  More internal flights are being offered there than ever before.  Premier Safaris is ready to assist.  Please contact:  operations@premiersafaris.com for itinerary suggestions and quote.