Uganda Travel Guide

The jewel of East Africa, a MUST-SEE travel destination!

We spent the first 3 days of our trip in Kampala with side trips to Jinja, Entebbe and Ngamba Island. On day 4 we were picked up by a private tour guide. He would be with us for the remaining 5 days of our trip which included Gorilla trekking in Bwindi, Queen Elizabeth NP and other sights along the way. Our guide spoke decent English, was very affordable and his knowledge of the local flora & fauna, wildlife and history made him an invaluable part of our Ugandan experience. We asked him to show us the ‘real’ Uganda and he delivered! He took us to visit with local families, we watched a group of local men make alcohol from fermented bananas and stopped by a wedding in progress where we were greeted by friendly locals and invited to join the party.
The weather was perfect, cool in the mornings and evenings and warm throughout the day (never hot). The Ugandan country side is simply stunning….green patchwork covers the mountainous terrain and the people are some of the friendliest I have ever encountered. We also had incredible food throughout our journey including a delicious tilapia dinner on the shore of Lake Victoria (for the low price of $1.30).
The gorilla trekking was the highlight of our week but we also did a boat tour of the Kazinga channel which was wonderful!
I've travelled all over the world and I can honestly say that Uganda was my absolute favorite destination. The friendly people, incredible scenery, affordability and abundant wildlife make Uganda a “must-see”!!

Lots to see, expecially if this is your first safari experience!

A relatively small country with an endless variety of landscapes and wildlife.

The wildlife was like nothing I've seen before in my life. Giraffes, lions, monkeys, wildebeest...just about everything you usually picture about Africa, except real and in close proximity. At one point, we even had an elephant blocking the road! That's just something you can't experience in the states. The weather in June was surprisingly mild with highs in the 80s. Scenery was fantastic. I couldn't believe the vast array of landscapes, from vast plains to craggy mountain ridges. Food was starchy and filling. Not the best food ever, but something you could handle for a few weeks. Overall, though, an incredible experience with wonderful people.

Uganda - the undiscovered beauty

We operate together with the inhabitants of a small village north of Mityana a humanitarian project in Uganda to improve their lives sustainably. In 2009, we have for the first time together with our children (teenagers) Uganda. An absolutely worth experiencing country. In Kampala, as in many cities of other developing countries to feel optimism. In the country however, the time has stopped and the people live largely in poverty and subsistence agriculture. It is striking that all the automotive business of Indians and Pakistanis can be controlled. The chinese start the exploitation of large oil deposits seen in the northwest. therefore, the roads built in the resource-rich regions very well. European hotels are found only in large cities. But who can get along without electricity and warm water does not necessarily need to take a shower, can also opt for an African hotel.

A beautiful country inhabited by freindly people and amazing wildlife.

We were there for 3 days upon arrival at the lodge we were greeted by stewards with a cold cloth and frosty beverage. Which was a nice touch after a 7 hr ride through rural Uganda from Kampala. The food here was excellent, we felt like kings. That evening we went for a 2 hr tour into the bush and saw plenty of gazelle's,Baboon's,elephants and giraffe's. I believe our guide's name was Simon, he was very knowledgable and carried arround an assault rifle which gave us a sense of security when nature called, plus a sense of Danger which really said this was a REAL Safari.

The next day we boarded a small boat for 1 1/2 jaunt down the Nile river where we saw Crocodiles,hippo's and even more elephants. Wer also saw many types of birds and monkey's as well, all in all no shortage of interesting things to see. Our guide was very knowledgable and freindly and our tripe ended at Murchison falls where we then turned around to head back. Unparalleled beauty! That afternoon we went for one more trip into the bush with Simon and saw Lion tracks. Excellent trip and I'd recomend it to anyone.

Many animals to look out for all in one country!

Stayed here in June/July 2011 during the dry season however due to unnatural weather patterns, we encountered some rain here and there which sometimes affected our itinerary.

I stayed in mid range types of accommodation ranging from bush lodges to tented (luxury) camps. They were a great way to live 'with' the environment and was a great experience.

We used a Ugandan safari company called Kazinga Tours for our stay in Uganda. The vehicle was perfect for the four of us for safari drives and normal travelling. Plenty of room in the van for our luggages and personal space. Highly recommend Hamid if he is available for your trip. He is a 'senior guide' with knowledgable guiding and experience under his belt.

There are plenty of animals to see in Uganda. Many bird species, lions, leopards, elephants, giffafes, zebras, warthogs, antelops, buffalos, gorillas, chimps and many many more!
We also got to experience the Nile River by rafting category 5 rapids. We went with the company, Nile River Explorers.

Would recommend going later in the dry season as the change from wet to dry is still not stable. Maybe around Aug/Sept onwards.

There's a great variety of things to see.

Uganda is not an obvious Safari destination. It's variety in scenery, people and wildlife makes it an truely recommended and unique travel, especially for someone who has already seen the big game Safari in Kenya or Tanzania. In Uganda you can see tree hanging lions in the morning and Mountain Gorillas in the afternoon, there is no other country in the world that has that. We went with drifters, a tour operator that uses very comfortable trucks (instead of jeeps) for groups up till 16 people. In my opinion, the trip was such a great experience because we camped almost every night and we had the most fantastic guide Anthony Washford to drive the truck, cook the food and plan all the excursions such as the astonishing Gorillas at Bwindi.

I have been to 4 other safari destinations and it is the most beautiful African country I have been to. Do not go if you wan to see the big five go to Kenya or Tanzania but if primates are your thing go to Uganda the people, the service is superb