• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Uganda birdwatching: safety (2 Viewers)

katastrofa

Registered User
Supporter
Norway
I'm interested in going on a birdwatching tour to Uganda this summer, but noticed that the UK Foreign Office issued advice against non-essential travel to some areas in Uganda which are common destinations for such trips (Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kibali Forest): Uganda travel advice

Is this excessive caution or should I rethink the plan? Any recent experiences with travelling to these areas?
 
Queen Elizabeth NP is included because occasional attacks have happened there, a British/South African couple and their guide killed last year. However, overall, the risk does have to be put into context - the country is very friendly, incidents are very rare, large numbers of tourists go there.

Rare incidents also happen in Paris, London, etc etc, but still we visit. It is naturally important to know current situation, but personally (accepting I have not been in Uganda for a few years) I would still visit - it is an amazing country.
 
Is this travel advice new. I’m booked on an organised Uganda tour later in the year and while my own thoughts would be in line with Jos’s post I haven’t got travel insurance yet and don’t want that jeopardised
 
Travel insurance is a good point - check the company's specifics as some policies will not cover you if you visit areas where govt recommends against.
 
AFAIK, not many (none?) will cover you for any, terror related attack.
There are a quite a number of insurance companies that will cover you for travel in countries/regions that are included in government advisories, but it really is necessary to read the policies/check with the companies as there are broadly two categories of cover for such trips:

(a) you have normal insurance for medical/accident, etc, but not for the specific events that are the reason for the government advisory (eg if government advisory is to avoid because of risk of cross border insurgency, you are not covered for that, but would be for any other accident/medical issue, etc). In the case of Uganda, I would say this kind of policy is okay because the real risk of such attacks is really very small indeed, but you are covered for malaria/road accident/mauled by a lion, etc, which are obviously more likely to happen.
(b) all risk, including for what the government advisory is for. I don't know much about this kind of policy, but generally there would still be some exclusions and probably they ask exactly what countries and would not insure for some regions, eg if you fancied some birding in Syria or something.

My credit card, more or less, includes the first kind of insurance - no restrictions on which countries or regions, no restrictions regarding government advice or not, but pretty sure warfare and terrorist activities not covered.
 
AFAIK, not many (none?) will cover you for any, terror related attack.

Yeah that’s fine. I think the risk of an attack is tiny. My tour company insists on travel
Insurance and if the insurers won’t insure for places govt saying to avoid non essential travel im stuck. I’ve emailed them to see
 
Yeah that’s fine. I think the risk of an attack is tiny. My tour company insists on travel
Insurance and if the insurers won’t insure for places govt saying to avoid non essential travel im stuck. I’ve emailed them to see
Owene, the point is that if you don't get cover and god forbid, survive an attack of any kind, you'll be on your own for medical care or medical repatriation flight etc.
 
My travel insurance covers terror-related losses UNLESS I travelled to an area after the terror threat has become known (I assume from government guidance).
 
I contacted naturetrek about this issue and apparently their tours have been slightly changing locations visited to avoid the risky areas. Still not totally sure what the travel advice means for getting insurance though
 
I hiked in the Polish Tatra Mountains when a teenage girl was raped and murdered there. Ofc nobody thought about warning people "don't go to Tatra Mountains".
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top