Uganda Travel Guide

Give me Uganda any day! There is something so magical about it compared to the likes of Tanzania, Kenya and South Africa. You feel as though you are part of a secret when you are there, like you are the first discoverers - but with the added bonus of wonderful guides and hosts and great accommodation to stay in.

The only downside was driving distances - but I loved watching the country from the window anyway. Who needs to pay a masseuse when a 'bush massage' is included?!

It's like being on a really wonderful and special adventure.

There are only two places in the world where you can watch Mountain gorillas.
Uganda has 2 rainy seasons and is therefor so lush, plus you have Mountain, lakes and craters. There are 1061 species of bird with must be record.

On the rafting, which I recommend very much, you see only local villagers, almost no other tourists (except the english bar - also very nice..), dynamic view with great wildlife, and pure adrenaline. Besides this, you have also the chimps jungle and the great Safari I've talked about earlier.

Uganda is a very good (motorbike) safari destination. Beside all the other African wildlife you can see there, its one of the view country's where you can spot gorillas in the wild. We made an unforgettable safari through Uganda on motorbikes but the possibilities traveling by car or even bike are also good.

You won't be disappointed. You will see so many different animals and so many beautiful scenic. You will miss Uganda when you return home.

Uganda is a very green and fertile country, with wonderful scenery and friendly people (most of them speaking kind-of English). A minor downside is that the big wildlife is spread over several NP's (we didn't visit them all, so we didn't see girafs f.e.). I would recommend tracking Mountain Gorilla's in Mgahinga NP, a few days rest at the magical Lake Bunyonyi (we stayed at Byoona Amagara Island Retreat), tracking chimps at Kyambura Gorge (QE NP) and going for a whitewater rafting on the Victoria Nile (we went with Adrift).

In my opinion, the best travel guide to Uganda is 'Bradt Uganda'. We had so much use for this book: it's clever, informative and funny! It really added an extra dimension to our travelling in Eastern Africa!

Uganda was a pleasant surprise. I was there for 2 weeks and it was amazing. It is definitely in the top 5 places I have been in the world with it's beautiful layout in Kampala (the view of the city from one of the many hills is incredible), to the wildlife of the Nile.

Nice nature, beautifull kind people

Nice nature parcs, good weather!, nice accommodations in the nature!, I did the trip with a Dutch organisation: Matoke Tours. It was really nice!

Excellent for mountain gorillas, and for a good not too touristy safari experience

I found Uganda to be a fantastic place. The highlight was, without doubt, the mountain gorillas which were truly breathtaking when seen in their natural environment. I found the way the treks were organized to be very good, making the whole experience accessible, but without it feeling too sanitised. I also enjoyed the other parts of my trip - while the game drives are not up to the quality in terms of number of animals that you might find in other reserves (so I am told - this is my only experience of safaris so far) what is great is that they are a lot quieter than other reserves in other countries. We saw a post-kill pride of lions ripping apart a warthog carcass and there were only a total of 6 or 7 vehicles around - something I believe is not likely to happen in places such as Tanzania which are more developed. The lodges were, without exception, fantastic - great food, nice atmosphere and friendly staff. The trip was expensive, but we did a lot - several boat trips, chimpanzee trekking and of course the gorilla trekking. It might not be somewhere you consider unless you are either a birder (Uganda is meant to be great for birds) or going to see the Gorillas, but for me it was a perfect place for mixing safari and trekking.

Great "off the beaten path" destination away from the usual tourist traps

Though it is a country that is tourist friendly, it can be experienced in an "off the beaten path" way. The people are very friendly where ever you go. In Kampala there are low cost guest houses and hostels i.e. Makerere University Guest house for the thrifty traveler to 4-5 star accommodations like the Sheraton and Munyonyo Speke resort on the shores of Lake Victoria. The weather is moderate for the equator (low 80s during the day with about 30% humidity) due to the elevation which averages around 4,000 ft. Transportation is pretty much like anywhere you pay for what you get but generally it is a lot cheaper than other safari destinations like Kenya. The food is good especially the fruit. For fine chinese cuisine in Kampala I recommend Fang Fang restaurant which has two locations in the city. For good African fare any of the nice restaurants in the hotels will do. The scenery especially around Lake Victoria and in the west as you head to the Ruwenzori Mountains is exquisite with tall grass savannas with undulating green hills and terraced farming plots winding around the hills and valleys.. On the way to the north you will cross the Nile at Karuma falls a real spectacular site. The source of the Nile at Jinja is another must see. Uganda is a great place to see and experience. It's one place where the old and the new seem to thrive side by side in a tenuous yet complimentary harmony