Uganda, a land of pristine natural beauty is a tourist heaven, a perfect getaway for any kind of traveler. Described as “the Pearl of Africa” by Winston Churchill, Uganda offers some of Africa’s finest geographical and natural beauty. Home to the greatest concentration of primates on the planet (including half the world’s mountain gorilla population), source of the mighty River Nile, magnificent all year snow-capped Rwenzori Mountain, bird-watchers and big 5, adventure enthusiasts’ paradise, this country is a true African gem waiting to be discovered.
Tourists can witness the abundant wildlife that roam the country’s national parks and reserves. Rafting the Nile offers a world-class adrenaline adventure, but the country’s most unforgettable experience is tracking mountain gorillas in their misty habitat of Bwindi and nearby Mgahinga Forest. Indeed, Uganda is a tourist paradise! World-class accommodation facilities, (needless to mention) good food, hospitable people, good weather & climate, lush green countryside and abundance of wildlife make Uganda one of the most attractive tourist destinations in Africa. Contrary to what many think, Uganda is one of the safest tourist destinations in the continent. “In Uganda, we never once had the feeling of being ripped off” said a traveler giving her account of the trip into Uganda.
In a matter of days, you can see some of the world’s rarest creatures and unique to Uganda; visit Ishasha and look out for the tree-climbing lions, go tracking in the forest to see gorillas and chimps, search the marshlands for the elusive shoebill stork, wander the forest floor following the trail of forest elephants and visit a Karamojong tribe, a Batwa (pygmy) village among others to appreciate the cultural diversity. Just know, “This is a country worth knowing and it is definitely worth seeing”.
Rose Wax –
Let’s be clear right up front. Because Uganda’s parks suffered such a massive poaching scourge during the turbulent 1980s it is a second tier safari destination in comparison to its neighbors Kenya and Tanzania. Though that does not mean you shouldn’t consider it. Wildlife populations have rebounded in the national parks and the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary means you can score the Big Five in Uganda again. But, ironically, the safari animals are not the main reason to do a safari here; it’s a variety of other things that make Uganda a special destination. Scenically Uganda holds its own with any other country – the mountains and lakes of the southwest are postcard perfect, standing atop Murchison Falls is exhilarating and Kidepo Valley is simply amazing. The safari experience is also great because the national parks receive far fewer visitors than most parks in other countries. The day I went searching for the tree-climbing lions at Queen Elizabeth National Park I didn’t see another vehicle the
entire morning. Plus, the mix of Central African rainforest and East African savannah, hosting over 1000 species of bird, makes Uganda one of the best bird-watching destinations not just in Africa, but the world. But more than anything it’s the chance to see gorillas that makes Uganda excellent for safaris. Over half of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas live in Bwindi and Mgahinga Gorilla national parks where groups have been habituated to humans to allow up-close encounters. It’s one of the most amazing wildlife experiences a person can have. This unique combination of factors, not available anywhere else, is why overall, Uganda is solidly one of my favorite countries in Africa and I’ve met others who share this opinion. Whether it’s your first safari or your tenth, Uganda can make it special.
Benard j –
Primate Capital of Africa.
Dubbed ‘the pearl of Africa’ by Sir Winston Churchill, Uganda is one of the continent’s most beautiful and welcoming countries. This tiny landlocked East African nation possesses a staggering wealth of natural assets: foremost amongst these are the world-renowned primate safaris through the verdant rainforests of southwest Uganda, which lure intrepid visitors with the promise of unforgettable encounters with habituated families of critically endangered mountain gorillas and opportunities to trek in search of our closest living relatives, chimpanzees. With Kibale Forest boasting the highest primate density in the world and Bwindi home to half of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas, Uganda is a modern-day mecca for primate-lovers.
While primates definitely top the safari agenda here, Uganda is home to much, much more… Spilling out of gigantic Lake Victoria, the White Nile offers world-class whitewater rafting at Jinja and further downstream the impressive Murchison Falls thunders
through one of the country’s most scenically spectacular national parks. Uganda also lays claim to Africa’s highest mountain range, the Rwenzoris, along with some of the region’s more uncrowded and attractive wildlife areas.
I wholeheartedly agree that trekking to see the mountain gorillas is something that every safari goer should strive to experience at least once in their lifetime, but, in my opinion, Uganda’s greatest safari attraction remains hidden and undiscovered in a far-flung corner of this diverse country. Unknown to all but the most committed and adventurous safari-goers, the wild Kidepo Valley beckons to wildlife enthusiasts looking for an off-the-beaten-track safari experience in a world-class park that they can call their own. From Queen Elizabeth National Park, the country’s premier safari destination, in the east to the remote wilderness savannas of Kidepo National Park in the northwest, there is little doubt that Uganda truly has it all.
What I really like is that all these action attractions are bottled into a small, friendly equatorial country with a decent road infrastructure that enables safari-goers to drive between their chosen parks and safari lodges, thereby getting a much better understanding and appreciation of the country as a whole, while simultaneously keeping the cost of their chosen safari down by foregoing the need to take the usual expensive charter flights.
With the ‘Switzerland of Africa’ clawing its way back onto the global tourism stage, now is the time to visit this alluring country before the tourist hordes discover Uganda’s rich array of natural attractions
Alice –
Fantastic wildlife and some of the friendliest people in Africa make Uganda unbeatable
I spent a month travelling around Uganda with a self-drive, expedition-prepared Landcruiser and visited almost every national park in the country. Uganda was a revelation! I had not expected such a richness of wildlife or such great concentration. Uganda has everything that her more famous neighbour Kenya has…plus such once-in-a-lifetime sightings as gorillas and chimpanzees. Queen Elizabeth National Park and Murchison Falls are justifiably the country’s biggest drawcards but if you have time head for Kidepo Valley National Park (in the far north, bordering Sudan). I hesitate to make such a rash statement (with so much of Africa offering so much incredible safari potential…and with so much of it that I am still to see) but if I was pushed into a vote I would say that Kidepo is probably the most stunning national park in all Africa!
Linda Max –
Uganda’s biggest attraction is mountain gorilla tracking. Seeing these gentle giants has been one of my best wildlife experiences ever. With Congo being unstable, Rwanda is the only other country where this is offered. Aside from gorillas, the forests of Uganda are a good place for seeing a wide variety of primates including the charismatic chimpanzees. Many tourists pop over to Uganda for a quick gorilla visit after their Kenya or Tanzania safari, but Uganda is a worthwhile savanna safari destination in its own right. Both Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls national parks offer good sightings of lions, elephants, buffalo and other savannah wildlife. The quite recently established Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is a great place to see white rhino on foot. The game viewing might not quite be on a par with Kenya and Tanzania, but the stunning scenery makes up for that. One of my highlights is the boat trip on the Nile to the base of Murchison Falls, where the water forces its way through the narrow
gap in the Rift Valley escarpment. Tourist numbers are much lower and the industry doesn’t seem as mature as in its neighbouring countries, but if you can handle a few hiccups, that might be part of the appeal. With more than 1,000 bird species, Uganda is a fantastic birding destination – even non-birders will enjoy seeing specials like the prehistoric-looking Shoebill.
Brian USA –
Uganda’s central attraction is the opportunity to track one of the world’s last surviving mountain gorilla populations on the misty green slopes of Bwindi Impenetrable or Mgahinga National Park. This is arguably the ultimate African wildlife encounter: the simple exhilaration attached to first setting eyes on one of these gentle giants is difficult to describe. These are enormous animals – a male silverback weighs three times as much as the average man, its bulk is exaggerated by a shaggily luxuriant coat – but also astonishingly peaceable, with the initially disconcerting but ultimately winning habit of staring deep into the eyes of human visitors, with soft brown eyes that appear to be seeking out some sort of connection. True, that magical hour with Uganda’s gorillas is relatively expensive and the trek up can sometimes be hard work, but in almost 30 years writing about Uganda, I have yet to meet anybody who has gone gorilla-tracking and regretted the financial or physical expense.
Global
perceptions of Uganda are dominated by the excesses of the late dictator Idi Amin, who actually last set foot in the country way back in 1979. And contrary to popular perception, Uganda has emerged in recent years as one of Africa’s finest eco-tourist destinations, thanks to its exceptional biodiversity, combining elements of the East African Savannah and Central African rainforest Gorillas aside, several locations in Uganda offer excellent chimpanzee tracking, and a diversity of smaller primates abounds in Kibale Forest and Semliki Valley. The country is also perhaps the finest birding destination in Africa, with more than 1000 species recorded in an area the size of Great Britain. Certainly, there is no better place to see the rare swamp-dwelling shoebill, along with dozens of rainforest specialists associated with the Congo Basin.
Fully recovered from the turmoil of the Amin years, Uganda’s main savanna reserves – Queen Elizabeth, Murchison Falls and Kidepo Valley national parks – now support healthy populations of elephant, lion, buffalo, hippo and various antelope. Ishasha, in the far south of Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls national parks, is the most reliable place in Africa for tree-climbing lions – a magical sight that frequently reduces the most experienced safari-goers to slack-jawed awe. Other attractions include chimpanzee tracking in Kibale National Park and looking for rhinos on foot in the recently created Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary.