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)

UGANDA WILDLIFE AUTHORITY OFFERING ADDITIONAL GORILLA PERMITS

KAMPALA, Uganda- What was once the world’s largest family of mountain gorillas, the Nshongi, located in the southern sector of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda, has been reconfigured into three families.  At the same time, another band, the Kahungye, has split into two.  “These additions bring the total family groups in this sector to five, meaning more gorilla permits and more tracking options for tourists,” says Corne Schalkwyk, general manager of Premier Safaris, a specialist in adventure/luxury safaris in East Africa

Of all the groups, Schalkwyk believes the most interesting is the Busingye, led by a chest-thumping Silverback, a veritable King Kong, whose legendary forays in the wild for adult females have earned him a privileged place among gorilla Don Juans.  “He mercilessly grabs females from groups that he encounters and has grown his turf (and his brood) faster than other gorillas. Visitors can expect great encounters and interesting animal behavior to absorb,” says Schalkwyk.

Research from the BMCA (Bwindi Mkahinga Conservation Area) monitoring team led by Research Warden Kato Raymond indicates no intention of the breakaway groups returning to their parent families in the future. (Unlike today’s college kids). Interactions between the “mother” families and their seceding factions have been characterized by fierce battles mostly restricted to dominant males guarding their turf. Each group tries to avoid direct interaction with one another for fear of losing members in a fight.

Premier Safaris will arrange gorilla treks into Bwindi with stays at Silverback Lodge, the largest property in Buhoma, comprising 12 self-contained rooms overlooking the Forest. The Lodge is excellently located, just a short walk to the forest park headquarters, and affords the best, most sweeping views of the valley

Mountain Gorillas are a critically endangered species. Of the 800 or so remaining in the world (none survive outside their natural habitat), more than half are to be found in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. F.Y.I. The word gorilla derives from the Greek word Gorillai meaning hairy women.

For more information:  contact gm@premiersafaris.com or visit: www.silverbacklodge.com