The Pearl of Africa got its title from its ever-brimming natural beauty that is pulled by the efforts of various national parks, sparkling water falls and other attractions like the famous River Nile that makes people cross borders just to come and glimpse on its waters.
All these splendid adventures can be undertaken from a wide range of travelers that span from budget to luxury travelers depending on everyone’s tastes and preferences. Besides getting travel documents like passports and visas ready, travelers should get vaccinated against yellow fever before getting into Uganda.
Tourist activities in Uganda.
Gorilla trekking.
One of the flag bearers of tourism in Uganda is gorilla trekking because these huge apes are usually seen in movies yet almost half of them can be watched in this Pearl of Africa. Watching a loved one get emotional causes empathy but tourists who embark on gorilla trekking cannot miss getting emotional if they watch gorillas cry, laugh or relate within their family.
These unforgettable moments all begin with a hard toil that starts with trekking over relatively hard grounds and baring pierces that come from forest tree branches, thorns among others. Time flies so fast in the one hour that visitors are given to critically watch these black apes, but tourists who are not convinced about this one hour can opt for gorilla habituation that gives tourists an exquisite four hours’ interaction and understanding these creatures.
Mountain Gorilla trekking in Uganda costs only $ 700 while gorilla habituation costs $1500. Tourists should endeavor to book gorilla trekking permits in advance if they are interested in watching one of the 22 habituated gorilla families that are available for trekking in Uganda.
Golden monkey tracking in Uganda.
Black and gold are a perfect match and that is exactly the beauty that visitors are blessed with when they choose Mgahinga as their safari destination. The phrase of “where silver meets gold” originates from the fact that mountain gorillas share a home with golden monkeys peacefully in the same national park.
Golden monkey trekking permit costs 60$ while golden monkey habituation permit costs $100 which brightens up the mood of visitors after they spot golden monkeys jump and play like kittens in the tree branches. Similar to gorilla trekking, these permits should be booked three months prior the date in which the tourist is interested in taking up the activity.
Briefing session is given to all the individuals who are going to take part in the activity and children below the age of 15 years are not permitted to undertake this activity because they might fail to adhere to rules and regulations.
White water rafting.
Visitors reminding themselves of the nursery rhyme of row the boat, just that this time round the stream they are going down on is not gentle because the pressure at which the waves whirl gives a white color impression hence the name – white water rafting. Ever-lasting memories of white-water rafting are experienced from the mighty River Nile.
The pristine waters of R. Nile provide a wide class of grades that best suit tourists. A family float is always available for children, first time rafters can opt for low grade rapids and tourists not scared of facing their fear definitely paddle through the gentle and violent rapids.
A family float is at most two hours sail on to the river, grade three and grade five rapids are both 15km and take a period of 4-5 hours but the grade five rapid can make a weak hearted individual say their last prayer on earth.
Game drives.
Game drives are a best opportunity of exploring wilderness while in the comfort of your car. This is offered in all savannah national parks in the country. These national parks have areas that are specifically for this activity and it’s just vital for tourists not to miss their binoculars because it gives them a wide range of view from different animals that can be sighted grazing like antelopes, buffaloes, elephants, focusing different bird species among others.
Game drives in Uganda are grouped into two – morning game drive that is common in all the parks as well as the amazing night game drive. There are only three parks in the country that offer this exclusively unique activity and that is Lake Mburo national park, Queen Elizabeth national park and Murchison falls national park. This also provides a rare feeling of visitors as they get the real meaning of wilderness while feeling the night loud cries made by animals, watching animal eyes light at night and meeting up with the real owners of the jungle including leopards, lions and other nocturnal animals like hyenas, porcupines, bush pigs and so much more.
Birding safaris
Uganda has ten national parks and they all inhabit a variety of bird species. With over 1073 bird species, Uganda brags about hosting 11% of the world’s bird species and 50% of African birds.
Besides national parks, birds like the shoebill, Rwenzori turaco, Karamoja apalis and many more birds can be glimpsed at Mabamba bay wetland, Lutembe bay wetland, African bird club, Lazarus forests and forests reserves like Mabira and Mpanga.
Hiking safaris.
Travelers who choose to undertake gorilla trekking, chimpanzee and mountain gorilla tracking definitely go through a compulsory hike via the strenuous landscape while they search for these apes that prefer staying in high risen areas especially mountain gorillas.
But avid mountaineers definitely book trips to the towering mountains that are found all around the country. Rwenzori ranges are considered the most challenging hike in Uganda because the hike lasts for over 8 days for multi-peak expeditions. A hike to this mountain is spectacular because the peaks are covered with snow and tourists should have a moderate to senior level of fitness because the upper Rwenzori side is tougher than the other side and has muddy landscapes.
Sipi falls hike.
This is a collection of three magnificent waterfalls that visitors are tasked with hiking to find them. Trails here are slippery and tiring but walking sticks are always available to support the tourists. Visitors can start off with the first water fall which is also the biggest and while they are above the normal ground, they get panoramic views of surrounding homesteads, coffee and banana plantations, dry areas of Kenya among others.
Magic photos can be taken near the water falls and the second fall has a gentle side of flow that individuals use for showering. The nature and environment of these falls is cool and relieving and tourists can briefly get lost with beautiful caves that are in the surroundings.
Moroto.
Karamoja is relatively a flat land but one of the miracles in the country is this extinct volcanic mountain that is found amidst the plains. Bird’s eye view of the surrounding communities of Tepeth people offers a scenic view that visitors can only get when they hike to the summit of mount. Moroto.
Hiking the Virunga mountains.
Mgahinga is blessed to be part of Virunga massif and tourists get a chance to hike Muhabura, Sabyinyo or Mount Gahinga while they are in the park and these hikes give visitors a chance to look at the surrounding environment from above, watch other Virunga mountains and lucky tourists can get a glimpse of the rare mountain gorillas.
Mountain biking.
Enjoy the company of friends and the cool wind that those ride past as they cycle through designated bike trails. These trails take tourists through magnificent hills and valleys, shimmering rivers flowing downstream, amazing forests and a lot more of nature and the homesteads of the local people. Some of the biking trails that visitors can undertake include trails around Mountain Elgon, Bwindi impenetrable biking trails, Lake Mburo trails and others.
NATIONAL PARKS IN UGANDA.
The country is graced with a total of ten national parks that tourists can choose from when planning their trip to Uganda, because each of the parks offers various gems that cannot be obtained from other areas.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
This is one of the highly visited parks in Uganda, because it protects over 600 mountain gorillas which are rarely found in some countries worldwide. The park also harbors more than 100 other mammals and about 500 plant species.
Queen Elizabeth national park
This is the most popular national park, hosting a wide range of gems found in this park. The most peculiar of all are the tree climbing lions that cannot be spotted anywhere else around the country.
Lake Mburo national park.
This is among the smallest national parks in the country and the fact that it is covered by a lot of savannahs, the park is blessed with a variety of grazers that can be traced almost everywhere in the park.
It’s entirely famed for the pretty colored zebras but buffaloes, impalas, antelopes, kobs, Topis and other animals gather to form amazing and spectacular views around the water points in the park during dry season.
Kibale forest national park
The park is covered by natural forest, harboring over 60 mammals, 280 bird species but most importantly the chimpanzees. While visiting this park travelers can easily access Semuliki, Queen Elizabeth and Rwenzori national parks since they are close to each other.
Mountain Elgon National Park.
Tourists visiting this park are over – joyed with the sights of mountain Elgon which is one of the tallest mountains on African continent. This park is isolated and found in the far east along the border of Uganda and Kenya.
Semuliki valley national park.
This is one of the smallest national parks in Uganda and found in a shadow of Rwenzori mountains. Visitors can catch sights of the grass-thatched huts, Semuliki river, oil palms and Ituri Congolese forest.
Kidepo valley national park.
Kidepo valley national park is a wonder to this country, comfortably situated in Karamoja in north-eastern region of Uganda. The park has two rivers that disappear during dry season but tourists are blessed with sights from over 400 bird species and 70 mammals.
Rwenzori national park
This park lies on the equator along Uganda-DRC border. Visiting Rwenzori gives tourists a 7-day hike challenge to the mountains of the moons peak – Margherita. More than 200 bird species and 60 mammals live a life while in this park and call it home.
Mgahinga gorilla national park.
This is the only national park in Uganda which is found in the Virunga massif and it is also here where “silver meets gold”. Besides Bwindi, the critically endangered mountain gorillas can be sighted in this park and as a supplement, the park is also glammed with the beauty from golden monkeys that are only found in this park.
Murchison Falls National Park
This is the biggest national park in the country, containing the Murchison falls that happen to be a main attraction. This is the most powerful waterfalls in the world with pressure that makes the ground tremble as an earth quake.
TOURIST ATTRACTIONS IN UGANDA.
Mountain gorillas.
These gems are widely seen by everyone in movies but the lucky few get to see them when they take a safari to one of the three countries blessed with harboring them. Uganda is entirely gifted when it comes to these creatures because almost half of their population remaining in the world is in Uganda.
Travelers can either flock the thick forest of Bwindi or Mgahinga to go through a life changing experience after taking a look at them and spending one or four hours studying them.
Golden monkeys.
These creatures are also endangered and it is only the Virunga massif that provides natural habitat to them just like mountain gorillas. In Uganda, they can only be spotted jumping from one bamboo tree to another when a visitor decides to have a golden monkey trekking itinerary in Mgahinga national park.
Sezibwa falls
Sezibwa falls are found on the way to Jinja and these falls are worth visiting because of the myths that Baganda attached to them. They believe that these falls were given birth to by a lady who produced Sezibwa and Bwanda.
Itanda falls
These are adrenaline risers because the famous white water rafting sport is carried out from here, after they replaced the Bujagali falls. Other adrenaline driving sports like kayaking and surfing are all undertaken on these series of falls.
Source of R. Nile.
The longest river in Africa definitely starts its flow from the Pearl of Africa. Ever since the colonial reigns till date, the country is flocked by many visitors that come to catch site of the source of R. Nile.
There are various theories about the true source of River Nile and it has been a century challenge that keeps being passed on over generations but currently tourists settle with traveling to Jinja because it’s believed that this is where the natural flow starts its journey from.
National parks in Uganda
Uganda has a collection of ten national parks, 3 wildlife sanctuaries, 12 wildlife reserves and five community wildlife management areas and these all harbor and protect wildlife. There are about 345 mammal species, 1020 birds, 142 reptiles, 1242 butterfly species that can be found in the country. Awe-inspiring ones are the tree climbing lions found only in Queen Elizabeth national park, mountain gorillas and golden monkeys in Bwindi and Mgahinga national parks.
Cultural sites.
There are various cultural sites found in the country that are affiliated to certain beliefs or culture since the country is scattered with a variety of cultures and tribes, each with a spectacular cultural practice.
Some of the famous cultural sites that attract the attention of tourists include Uganda museum, Kasubi royal tombs, Namugongo shrine, Baker’s Fort, Bigobya Mugenyi, Amabere Ganyinamwiru, Mparo tombs, Karambi tombs among others.
Rich climate
The country is to a large extent tropical and the rest of the regions experience a humid equatorial climate. The country experiences rains throughout the year but mainly in two rainy seasons that range between the months of March to May and September to December. The northern region falls in the semi-arid regions hence experiences rain in just one season that runs from March to October. Generally, the dry season spans from June to August and shortly from December to February offering the best climate for tourists to undertake their designated safaris.
When to visit Uganda?
Uganda can be visited all throughout the year but demanding expeditions like mountain hiking, gorilla trekking, chimpanzee and golden monkey trekking should all be under taken in the dry months of June to August and December to February when roads are dry and trails are passable.
