The solar Eclipse Guide to Uganda – November Uganda with Premier Safaris.

TOTAL ECLIPSE

On November 3, 2013 there will be a total Eclipse in Uganda. The eclipse can be seen near Murchison Falls National Park. Premier has group tours that you can join to the area, more notably a once in a lifetime 4 day Safari through Murchison’s national park that culminates in the eclipse viewing on the 3^rd of November 2013.

The trip includes game drives as well as Boat Safaris on the White Nile prior to the Eclipse event itself.  The national park where you would be staying for the duration of your trip is known for its fast Savannahs that seep into spectacular rain-forests. It’s also one of the most densely populated animal populations in Uganda, and the country is also known for its astounding primate variety including Chimps and Gorillas.

"Standing in these untouched landscapes - gazing up at the unreal fuchsia hues of the solar prominence's, the swirling wisps of corona around the black disk of the Moon - promises to be an experience you'll carry with you forever"

Details of the Eclipse

The track across Uganda descends from the high mountains along the border with the DRC, crosses the flat plateau north of Lake Albert, climbs over a lower set of hills to reach Gulu, descends again through the middle of the country and then climbs another set of peaks to reach the Kenya border. This makes selection of a site in northeast Uganda complicated but the satellite measurements are pretty clear on the best site - a location north of Lake Albert near Pakwach.

·         Getting Ready - Create a checklist:

These trips are essential for photographers and serious eclipse chasers.

• Make a pack list to ensure you remember all the essentials.  List them down on a notepad or save them in your smartphone, tablet, or laptop.
• ·         Choose the right equipment - optics and mount: To capture detailed, close-up shots of the eclipse’s partial phases, Baily’s beads, diamond rings, solar prominences, and inner corona, you’ll want a telephoto lens or telescope of sufficient focal length of about 500 to 1,000 millimeters (or even longer). This will give you a reasonably large image of the sun’s disk in the frame.
• ·         Make sure your tripod and head are sturdy enough to carry the load of your telescope and camera gear and that the tripod would fit inside your carry-on or check-in luggage. Carbon-fiber tripods are stronger and lighter than regular aluminium tripods, but they cost a lot more.
• ·         Keep your setup light and portable: Portability is essential if you need to move hastily to a different site to escape clouds.
• ·         Bring solar filters: Use a proper, visually safe solar filter when photographing or observing the eclipse’s partial phases. Keep the filter mounted securely in front of your telephoto lens or telescope objective (and finder scope). The only time it is safe to look at the eclipse directly without a filter is during totality, when the sun’s disk is fully covered by the moon. Be sure to put the filter back on as soon as totality ends.
• ·         Have extra memory cards and batteries handy: Don’t skimp on memory cards. Use a reliable, high-speed, large-capacity (8 gigabytes or more) memory card when shooting the eclipse. Pack your things carefully: When disassembling your gear, carefully pack each part so you don’t leave behind any essential screw, adapter, or cable. Also, place delicate optics and cameras in your carry-on baggage to ensure safe handling. Check with your airline or travel agent regarding baggage size and weight restrictions to avoid problems or delays during check-in and boarding. Also allow ample time for airport security screening.
• ·         Register your equipment: If you are bringing along expensive telescopes, cameras, or computers, you can register your equipment with the U.S. Customs prior to your departure. You have to bring them to the local customs office at the airport, where you need to fill out CBP Form 4457 “Certificate of Registration for Personal Effects Taken Abroad.” An officer will then stamp and the sign the form, which you need to present upon your return home. More Information here.
• ·         Monitor the weather: We will have experts on site to help ensure we have some insight into changing conditions. Get the latest weather update or satellite images and animations from the Internet to help you plan on where to go in case clouds or rain showers threaten your intended eclipse observing site.
• ·         Automate your imaging: Many eclipse chasers now use custom software that let them pre-program their entire imaging sequence in their laptop computer. Using USB or FireWire (IEEE 1394) connection, they let the computer control their digital SLR camera from start to finish. The captured images are then automatically downloaded and saved into the computer’s hard drive. All the eclipse chasers have to do is to sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.
• ·         For example, for Windows users there’s Eclipse Orchestrator. For Macs, there’s the freeware Umbraphile.
• ·         Protect your eclipse images and video: Immediately after the event, remove the memory card from your camera or camcorder, label it, and back up the eclipse images or video by copying them into your computer’s hard drive or pocket flash drive.
• ·         If you’re using videocassette tape for your camcorder, remove the tape for safekeeping; don’t forget to label the videocassette and “lock” it or break its tab so you can’t accidentally erase your recording.
• ·         Conduct public astronomy outreach: Premier Safaris partners have set up a programme to reach out to schools in the area. A solar eclipse is a perfect opportunity to enlighten the locals about astronomy and space exploration. If you plan to arrive a few days before the eclipse, make arrangements to give talks at a local school or astronomy club and bring a small solar telescope for the students, teachers, parents, and club members to observe with. Don’t forget to bring extra eclipse glasses so you can share the experience with the public.
• ·         Learn about the host country and its people: Solar eclipses crisscross some of the best destinations in the world. Depending on your budget and time, you can use the eclipse trip to explore a country you've never visited before. Try to learn more about its people, culture, language, and history, sample its cuisine, and visit its top natural attractions.

Warning: Never look directly at the sun, either with the naked eye or through telescopes or binoculars, without the proper filters. To safely view solar eclipses, you can purchase special solar filters or No. 14 welder's glass to wear over your eyes. Standard sunglasses will NOT provide sufficient protection.

Good luck and clear skies on Eclipse Day!

Premier does offer a Chimp and Gorilla trekking extension after the Eclipse programme. Contact them on gm@premiersafaris.com or visit www.premiersafaris.com 

Eclipse link at Premier http://www.premiersafaris.com/news/witness-rare-total-solar-eclipse-uganda

Gorilla Monday!

Why not have a gorilla Monday for this endangered species. Uganda is host to slightly more than half the world’s remaining population of mountain gorillas. With a wild population of just 880, mountain gorillas are one of the most critically endangered species on earth, according to Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, founder and CEO of CTPH (Premier Safaris Intimate gorilla experience partner) 

Inspired by the emerging field of “conservation medicine”, Kalema-Zikusoka launched CTPH in 2003. Today the initiative reaches some 40,000 people, teaching them how to prevent the spread of diseases from ape to human and vice versa, and recruiting them into conservation efforts that double up as economic opportunities. Recently Premier added the tourism arm to this incredible approach to conservation to ensure additional visibility and funds needed for the centre. 

Virtually untouched and pure, Uganda is still traditionally African and wild, something that has become a rare experience in Africa. The “pearl” as Uganda is known is the microcosm of Africa and its fitting that this unique approach to tourism, conservation and community health is born from the heart of true africa. 

Premier Safaris known for providing some of the most intimate Safari experiences on earth has joined forces with Ugandan this exciting conservationist “Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka” to ensure not only an informative Gorilla tracking experience, but also to provide a unique insight into gorillas, their health as well as other conservation aspects that impact on their survival. This unique new way of approaching Gorilla Safaris is only available to Premier Safari’s tour operators. 

Tracking gorillas is a small fraction of Gladys’ work. Next to Bwindi forest, CTPH reaches out to the local people, convincing them that healthy gorillas bring a better way of life to them. Instead of hunting gorillas and clearing the forest, keeping gorillas safe generates more income from tourism.

Some background on Dr Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka and her work.

Dr. Kalema-Zikusoka obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Veterinary Medicine from the Royal Veterinary College, University of London in 1995. She completed a zoological medicine residency and Masters in Specialized Veterinary Medicine at North Carolina State University and North Carolina Zoological Park in the USA in 2003. She also obtained a Certificate in Non-Profit Management from Duke University in the USA in 2003.

She pioneered the first wildlife trans-locations to restock Uganda's national parks following years of poaching during Uganda's civil wars. As part of her veterinary research, she identified parasite transmission from humans to mountain gorillas as a significant risk factor for gorillas.

Dr Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka became Uganda’s chief veterinarian when she was 26. The BBC even made a documentary about her first year on the job. Nine months into her role as the country’s chief veterinarian, she was called to treat a family of gorillas that was suffering from a troubling new disease.

Gorillas were losing hair and developing white, scaly skin. The baby gorilla had lost almost all its hair and was very thin. And the mother had also lost almost all of her hair where she was carrying the baby,” Kalema-Zikusoka recalls. “The baby was also making crying sounds, which is extremely abnormal for gorillas. I actually went and visited a human doctor friend of mine, because they could have picked it up from people. And she said it was scabies.”

Scabies is a minor skin infection for humans, but gorillas were new to the disease. For Kalema-Zikusoka, it was the first time she saw a human disease jump to mountain gorillas with fatal consequences. Recognizing this link between wildlife health and human health marked a turning point in her thinking. 

“It made me realize that you can’t protect the gorillas if you don’t think about the people living around the park, who have very little health care,” she says. “And because we’re so closely related genetically, we can easily get diseases from each other. The only long-term and sustainable method to improve the gorillas’ health is by improving the health of the people living around the park, and not just the people, but their livestock as well.”

“When you go to visit them in the wild, you actually feel like you’re connecting. They look at you. You look at them, and there’s some kind of connection. It’s actually very therapeutic watching them. And the infant gorillas are very playful, just like humans. When I see them playing, I think of my two children.”

Kalema-Zikusoka has received a number of honours, awards, and other public recognitions of her environmental and humanitarian work. In 2009, she won the Whitley Gold Award, the top prize awarded in what is considered the "Green Oscars". The San Diego Zoo gave her its Conservation-in-Action Award. Seed Magazine named her one of their eight Revolutionary Minds in Science.

Kalema-Zikusoka was profiled in the BBC documentary, Gladys the African Vet. She has also been featured in documentaries in National Geographic, Animal Planet, MNet and Uganda Television.

Why not include this exclusive Gorilla Conservation and Research access to your East African Safari or Ugandan exploration. Travel with a purpose - “Intimate Gorilla Experience” needs to be on the bucket list of any traveler to East Africa.  

For Gorilla tracking information or product information please contact operations@premiersafaris.com or visit the website at www.premiersafaris.com