Uganda Travel Guide

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Top Things to See

• Watch for rare mountain gorillas and other species of primate in the Bwindi Forest,
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Kibale National Park contains 12 different types of primate.

• View some of the best national parks in Africa - Uganda has 10, along with 10 wildlife reserves and seven wildlife sanctuaries. Ruwenzori National Park is regarded as one of the continent’s most spectacular.

• See the source of the Nile at the Owen Falls Dam, near Jinja.

• See the forest ecotourism projects at rainforest sites around the country. The Budongo Forest Reserve, situated near Masindi on the road to Lake Albert, is the largest mahogany forest in East Africa. Other forests worth looking at are the Kasyoha Kitomi Forest, near the Albertine Rift Valley and the Kalinzu Forest Reserve, in the southwest of the country.

• See a drum-making village and abundant wildlife in the Mpanga Forest, situated near Kampala.

Top Things to Do

• Explore Kampala, the capital. Set among hills with fine modern architecture, tree-lined avenues, cathedrals, mosques and palaces of the old Kingdom of Buganda, other sights include the Uganda Museum and the Kabaka Tombs on Kasubi Hill.

• Visit the second-largest town in Uganda, Jinja, on the shores of Lake Victoria. The town is somewhat under-populated but there is a very lively Saturday market.

• Enjoy the botanical gardens and lakeside beach at Entebbe, the major gateway to Uganda for air travelers.

• Set off for a climbing expedition in Kisoro, the starting point for trips to Mounts Muhavura and Mgahinga. Experienced mountaineers should head to Mount Elgon, the Rwenzoris and the Virungas for easy and medium climbs.

• Go fishing in the many inland waters. There are seven lakes around Kisoro, which also offer duck shooting. There is a great opportunity for sport fishing at Murchison Falls National Park.

• From Fort Portal, explore the Ruwenzori Mountains, the hot springs at Bundibugyo and the Semluke Wildlife Reserve.

• Go trekking in high mountains, lush hills, wetlands and arid lands. Treks include the Karamoja, the Central Circuit trail and the Sasa River Trail on Mount Elgon. Set in fertile and lush country near Mount Elgon, Mbale is popular.

• Experience huge waves surging around heavily forested islands while white-water rafting along the rapids of the White Nile, where the volume of water is equivalent to 10 times that of the Zambezi. Look out for hippos, crocodiles and monkeys along the way.