Volcanoes Safaris launches Mount Gahinga Lodge in Uganda
A luxury lodge in the Virunga Mountains in Uganda has been upgraded and reopened, increasing the range of luxury options in the area. The closest international airport, Entebbe, is a five-hour direct flight from the UAE.
The Mount Gahinga Lodge has relaunched as the Volcanoes culture and hiking lodge. In conjunction with Volcanoes Safaris Partnership Trust, the lodge will offer new tours to visit the Batwa community, which was featured in last week’s travel section and is considered to be the oldest surviving people of central Africa.
Adventure activities include volcano hiking, golden monkey and mountain gorilla tracking and bird and wildlife watching.
Modelled on traditional African huts, the property’s nine bandas have been completely refurbished with fireplaces, private terraces and luxury modern bathrooms.
Locally sourced slate and volcanic rock were used in the construction, as well as locally grown and made bamboo and eucalyptus furniture.
Rooms cost from US$180 (Dh660) per person per night based on two sharing, in low season. The rate includes all meals and drinks, laundry, activities around the lodge and one complimentary massage (www.volcanoessafaris.com/lodges/mount-gahinga-lodge).
Learn to laugh on holiday in Greece
Struggling for what to do on holiday this summer? The tour operator Skyros is offering comedy courses on the Greek island of Skyros from June to September this year.
Professional comedians, including Arthur Smith, Logan Murray, Karen Hayley and Andy Ford, will offer guidance in the tricks of the comedy trade. Through a variety of practical exercises, guests will create a comedy persona, gain a greater awareness of different comic styles and write and perform original material.
"The comedy courses are a fantastic way to think outside of the box, hone communication skills and increase your self-confidence. You can learn how to use comedy to be more creative, think laterally, try a new skill, or generally just to laugh until your belly hurts," said a spokesperson for the company. Prices start from Dh3,800 for a week-long holiday, including courses and accommodation but excluding flights (www.skyros.com).
Malaysian resort revamped
The 99-room Tanjong Jara Resort near Kuala Terengganu on Malaysia’s east coast has reopened after a two-month refurbishment.
The area is known for diving and unspoilt beaches. Until March 31, there is a special reopening offer of Dh772 per room per night, including taxes and all meals with a minimum two-night stay (www.tanjongjararesort.com).
rbehan@thenational.ae
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SPEC SHEET: APPLE IPHONE 15 PRO MAX
Display: 6.7" Super Retina XDR OLED, 2796 x 1290, 460ppi, 120Hz, 2000 nits max, HDR, True Tone, P3, always-on
Processor: A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 6-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Memory: 8GB
Capacity: 256/512GB / 1TB
Platform: iOS 17
Main camera: Triple: 48MP main (f/1.78) + 12MP ultra-wide (f/2.2) + 12MP 5x telephoto (f/2.8); 5x optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out; 10x optical zoom range, digital zoom up to 25x; Photonic Engine, Deep Fusion, Smart HDR 4, Portrait Lighting
Main camera video: 4K @ 24/25/30/60fps, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps, HD @ 30fps, slo-mo @ 120/240fps, ProRes (4K) @ 60fps; night, time lapse, cinematic, action modes; Dolby Vision, 4K HDR
Front camera: 12MP TrueDepth (f/1.9), Photonic Engine, Deep Fusion, Smart HDR 4, Portrait Lighting; Animoji, Memoji
Front camera video: 4K @ 24/25/30/60fps, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps, slo-mo @ 120/240fps, ProRes (4K) @ 30fps; night, time lapse, cinematic, action modes; Dolby Vision, 4K HDR
Battery: 4441mAh, up to 29h video, 25h streaming video, 95h audio; fast charge to 50% in 30min (with at least 20W adaptor); MagSafe, Qi wireless charging
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC (Apple Pay), second-generation Ultra Wideband chip
Biometrics: Face ID
I/O: USB-C
Durability: IP68, water-resistant up to 6m up to 30min; dust/splash-resistant
Cards: Dual eSIM / eSIM + eSIM (US models use eSIMs only)
Colours: Black titanium, blue titanium, natural titanium, white titanium
In the box: iPhone 15 Pro Max, USB-C-to-USB-C woven cable, one Apple sticker
Price: Dh5,099 / Dh5,949 / Dh6,799
FA CUP FINAL
Chelsea 1
Hazard (22' pen)
Manchester United 0
Man of the match: Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
Paris Can Wait
Dir: Eleanor Coppola
Starring: Alec Baldwin, Diane Lane, Arnaud Viard
Two stars
THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
Hot Seat
Director: James Cullen Bressack
Stars: Mel Gibson, Kevin Dillon, Shannen Doherty, Sam Asghari
Rating: 1/5
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
Heavily-sugared soft drinks slip through the tax net
Some popular drinks with high levels of sugar and caffeine have slipped through the fizz drink tax loophole, as they are not carbonated or classed as an energy drink.
Arizona Iced Tea with lemon is one of those beverages, with one 240 millilitre serving offering up 23 grams of sugar - about six teaspoons.
A 680ml can of Arizona Iced Tea costs just Dh6.
Most sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, five teaspoons of sugar in a 500ml bottle.
When is VAR used?
• Goals
• Penalty decisions
• Direct red-card incidents
• Mistaken identity
