Paraa
Encyclopedia
Location
Paraa is located in Nwoya DistrictNwoya District
Nwoya District is a district in Northern Uganda. Like most districts in Uganda, it is named after its main municipal, administrative and commercial center, Nwoya, the location of the district headquarters.-Location:...
, Acholi sub-region, in Northern Uganda. It is located within Murchison Falls National Park
Murchison Falls National Park
Murchison Falls National Park is a national park in Uganda. The park lies in north western Uganda, spreading inland from the shore of Lake Albert around the Victoria Nile. It is named for the Murchison Falls waterfall, itself named for a president of the Royal Geographical Society...
, the largest wildlife reserve in Uganda, measuring approximately 5000 square kilometre. This location lies approximately 25 kilometres (15.5 mi), by road, southeast of Pakwach
Pakwach
- Location :Pakwach is located in Nebbi District, in West Nile sub-region, in Northern Uganda. It is situated approximately , by road, southeast of Arua, the largest town in West Nile. This location lies along the western bank of the Albert Nile, approximately , by road, southwest of Gulu, the...
, on the bank of the Albert Nile. and approximately 86 kilometres (53.4 mi), by road, northwest of Masindi
Masindi
Masindi is a town in Western Uganda, which lies on the road from Kampala to the Murchison Falls National Park. It is the 'chief town' of the Masindi District and the district headquarters are located there...
. The coordinates of Paraa are:02 18 00N, 31 33 00E (Latitude:2.3000; Longitude:31.5500).
Overview
Built in the early 1950s, Paraa, meaning the place of hippos in LuoLuo languages
The Nilotic Luo languages, or Lwoian, are a dozen languages spoken by the Luo peoples in an area ranging from southern Sudan via Uganda to southern Kenya, with Dholuo extending into northern Tanzania and Alur into the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They form one of the two branches of Western...
, is one of the main attractions of the park, in addition to the dramatic Murchison Falls
Murchison Falls
Murchison Falls, also known as Kabarega Falls, is a waterfall on the Nile. It breaks the Victoria Nile, which flows across northern Uganda from Lake Victoria to Lake Kyoga and then to the north end of Lake Albert in the western branch of the East African Rift....
and the large variety of bird and animal species.
Paraa is the location of Paraa Safari Lodge, a facility with 60 rooms and suites, located on a hill on the northern bank of the river, overlooking the River Nile and in close proximity to the Murchison Falls
Murchison Falls
Murchison Falls, also known as Kabarega Falls, is a waterfall on the Nile. It breaks the Victoria Nile, which flows across northern Uganda from Lake Victoria to Lake Kyoga and then to the north end of Lake Albert in the western branch of the East African Rift....
themselves. Amenities include a large swimming pool, a restaurant, a bar, en-suite bathrooms and balconies on all rooms. The facility, having been destroyed during the reign of Idi Amin
Idi Amin
Idi Amin Dada was a military leader and President of Uganda from 1971 to 1979. Amin joined the British colonial regiment, the King's African Rifles in 1946. Eventually he held the rank of Major General in the post-colonial Ugandan Army and became its Commander before seizing power in the military...
in the 1970's, has now been restored and is currently managed by the Madhvani Group
Madhvani Group
The Madhvani Group of Companies commonly referred to as the Madhvani Group, is one of the largest conglomerates in Uganda, with a total asset base in excess of US$275 million, as of April 2009. The group has investments in Uganda, Rwanda, Southern Sudan, Tanzania, the Middle East, India and North...
, who also manage Mweya Safari Lodge in Queen Elizabeth National Park
Queen Elizabeth National Park
-Location:The national park is located in western Uganda, spanning the districts of Kasese, Kamwenge, Bushenyi and Rukungiri. Its location is approximately , by road, southwest of Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city. The town of Kasese lies just outside the northeastern edge of the park,...
. Paraa Safari Lodge itself hosted the Queen Mother in the 1950s and by the 1960s it had attained mass popularity.
Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
walked the 86 kilometres (53.4 mi) from Masindi
Masindi
Masindi is a town in Western Uganda, which lies on the road from Kampala to the Murchison Falls National Park. It is the 'chief town' of the Masindi District and the district headquarters are located there...
to see Paraa in 1907. In 1864, the explorer Samuel Baker
Samuel Baker
Sir Samuel White Baker, KCB, FRS, FRGS was a British explorer, officer, naturalist, big game hunter, engineer, writer and abolitionist. He also held the titles of Pasha and Major-General in the Ottoman Empire and Egypt. He served as the Governor-General of the Equatorial Nile Basin between Apr....
, wrote of "a magnificent sight" suddenly bursting upon his party. Other famous visitors to the park were Emin Pasha
Emin Pasha
Mehmed Emin Pasha — he was born Isaak Eduard Schnitzer and baptized Eduard Carl Oscar Theodor Schnitzer — was a physician, naturalist, and governor of the Egyptian province of Equatoria on the upper Nile...
, Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
and the American novelist Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American author and journalist. His economic and understated style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the...
, whose plane dipped to catch sight of the Murchison Falls, went too low and caught a telephone wire and crashed. He and his wife survived the crash.
Landmarks
The landmarks within or near Paraa include:- Pakuba AirportPakuba AirportPakuba Airport is an airport serving Pakuba, in Amuru District in northern Uganda. Pakuba Airport has one runway measuring in length. It is a small civilian airport that serves Murchison Falls National Park....
- A public airport located at Pakuba, approximately 14 kilometres (8.7 mi), by road, west of Paraa. - Paraa Safari Lodge - A private safari lodge operated by the Madhvani GroupMadhvani GroupThe Madhvani Group of Companies commonly referred to as the Madhvani Group, is one of the largest conglomerates in Uganda, with a total asset base in excess of US$275 million, as of April 2009. The group has investments in Uganda, Rwanda, Southern Sudan, Tanzania, the Middle East, India and North...
- Murchison FallsMurchison FallsMurchison Falls, also known as Kabarega Falls, is a waterfall on the Nile. It breaks the Victoria Nile, which flows across northern Uganda from Lake Victoria to Lake Kyoga and then to the north end of Lake Albert in the western branch of the East African Rift....
- The Nile River squeezes through a narrow gorge, only 7 metres (23 ft) wide, then plunges 43 metres (141.1 ft) to form the falls.
External links
Photos
See also
- Nwoya DistrictNwoya DistrictNwoya District is a district in Northern Uganda. Like most districts in Uganda, it is named after its main municipal, administrative and commercial center, Nwoya, the location of the district headquarters.-Location:...
- Murchison Falls National ParkMurchison Falls National ParkMurchison Falls National Park is a national park in Uganda. The park lies in north western Uganda, spreading inland from the shore of Lake Albert around the Victoria Nile. It is named for the Murchison Falls waterfall, itself named for a president of the Royal Geographical Society...
- Murchison FallsMurchison FallsMurchison Falls, also known as Kabarega Falls, is a waterfall on the Nile. It breaks the Victoria Nile, which flows across northern Uganda from Lake Victoria to Lake Kyoga and then to the north end of Lake Albert in the western branch of the East African Rift....
- Acholi sub-region
- Northern Region, UgandaNorthern Region, UgandaNorthern Region is a region of Uganda. It is divided into the following districts:...