20-35 years of age
Review about Kaokoland by Jofie Lamprecht
Fantastic cultural experience visiting the Himba people, desert elephant and black rhino are very rewarding if you can find them.
20-35 years of age
Escape to the beach.. without the water
Kgalagadi, pronounced by making a "k" sound followed by 2 successive throat clearings, is the real Kalahari. Real as in the small trees and bush on the nearest town on the map, a town called Hotazel, are replaced by sand. So much sand that Sand Surfing is a local sport. The temps while we were there were just over 40C during the day, a hint of sun, but luckily the nights cooled off to the low 20's- desert living at its finest.
Along with the day drives where all the animals are fast asleep by the watering holes in the rarity that is the shade, the Kgalagadi comes alive in the night time. with only 1 night in the park, to the night drive we went.
The best way to make friends when stuck in a confined space? Beer. Between a dozen people 'stuck' in the moving elevator that was the open topped Land Rover for our night drive, we were the guys dragging a cooler of beer onto the bakkie (bakkie = truck in the SA). 15 minutes in, the whole drive was friends. Sadly this was about the same time we got away from the camp and back into park. While the temperatures fell the animals rose. The bakkie was equipped with a few spotlights, so we took turns spotting the animals. Over the course of the drive, of all the animals we saw, by far the most exciting was an African Wild Cat. More rare than lions, the african wild cat was out hunting alone, had a moment in the spotlight, and was gone.
From the beachless dunes, to the black maned lion, to the beers with paap 'n vleis, the Kgalagadi was an excellent escape from anything resembling a cookie-cutter holiday package and the memories I walked away with won't be found in any other park in Africa.
Klaar
Review about Queen Elizabeth National Park by Jess Hoffert
Didn't see too many birds, but saw a lot of everything else: giraffes, hippos, zebras, elephants, etc.
20-35 years of age
Review about Uganda by Jean-Pierre
The parks were more affordable than other countries. The country is small so it is easy to travel from Kampala, the capital, to the parks. The wildlife is diverse and the birding is fantastic. Best of all the Ugandan people are friendly and accomodating.
NL
35-50 years of age
Review about Mgahinga Gorilla National Park by gipukan
Comparable to bwindi with less accommodation but still interesting to visit
IE
35-50 years of age
Review about Queen Elizabeth National Park by Merv Colton
I have visted this park twice, once as a self drive, and once with a private tour. Both times I have been impressed with the park. While the birding may not measure up to some other parks, there was a great all round interest in this park, and we never travelled more than 10 minutes without something of interest.
DE
35-50 years of age
Review about Queen Elizabeth National Park by Marcus Richardson
A huge park, very diverse, very few tourists. Something for everyone here. It's very beautiful. The only problem is that humans "thinned out" a lot of the wildlife through appalling slaughter some years ago, and the populations are recovering only very slowly.
DE
35-50 years of age
Review about Kibale National Park by Marcus Richardson
A spine-tingling, magical place.
NL
35-50 years of age
Review about Uganda by gipukan
As it's a small park the number of different animals is limited but that makes one focus on more than just the big five.
IE
35-50 years of age
So Many People!
If you stop for a picnic in Uganda miles from any village or sign of habitation, be sure to take out some extra fruit because by the time your kettle is boiled, you'll have a handful of spectators. Ugandans love to see visitors to their country, some will beg, some will smile, but all will welcome you.
The climate is hot and humid for much of the time, so loads of light clothes is the order of the day. We had clothes washed a few times on our trip, and that made travelling lighter. Be ready for muddy streets, and tropical downpours, but you will be back to sunshine and dust within a few hours!
Uganda is a very green country, you will get to see just about everything growing there. It is seemingly possible to get 2 crops of potatoes per year from the same field. You will see many small households growing subsistance food right beside their homes, and you'll also see huge commercial tea farms.
The accomadation varies wildly. You can find small inexpensive bed and breakfast type places, and also plush luxury lodges. Many of these are a little dated and some are a little basic, but the food is generally very good. In a few weeks of travel, we had no tummy upsets, and really liked most of the dishes.
The road network is a bit haphazard, and off the main routes the roads may only be passable outside of the rainy season, so take this into account while planning. Traffic in Kampala is hectic enough to make Italians flinch.
The wildlife parks were superb. The tree climbing lions in QENP are well worth tracking down, and the Gorilla's are a "must see".
Overall, it's a great destination. Some of the parks can arrange walks with the rangers, and this is a superb experience as you get to hear and smell live in the game parks much more intimatly than when in the back of a Toyota or Landrover.