- Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Located in the southwestern part of Uganda and on the edge of the great western rift valley, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is home to the biggest ape population in the world with over 400 mountain gorillas. This ranks it top on our bucket list for a once-in-a-lifetime tour experience. Bwindi offers an amazing experience for visitors to stand just meters away from the gentle giants – the mountain gorillas.
Of the about 400 mountain Gorillas found in this forest, an estimated 116 are habituated. At the park, visitors are always thrilled by the cool mist-filled mornings and mist covered hillsides encamping the thick rainforest. Over 120 mammals are found at Bwindi impenetrable NP with 350 species of birds recorded, including 23 endemics.
The Local communities like the Batwa pygmies and Bakiga living around the forest make a village tour around the park worthwhile. One can enjoy great cultural encounters after a Gorilla trekking experience. More so, Nature walks & hiking along the trails of Buhoma or mountain biking make your adventure worth it.
2. Queen Elizabeth National Park
Queen Elizabeth National Park is Uganda’s largest protected area and boasts of a high biodiversity rate not forgetting its stunning landscapes, fauna, and flora. This is bound to give you a safari of your lifetime! This is Uganda’s most popular destination with the famous “Tree Climbing Lions” in Ishasha and the Kazinga Channel where you can get to see a bunch of hippos floating in the water.
Queen Elizabeth Park has a diverse ecosystem which includes sprawling savanna, shady, humid forests, sparkling lakes and fertile wetlands. These make it the ideal habitat for classic big game, ten primate species including chimpanzees and over 600 species of birds. Queen Elizabeth national Park has very many areas of interest to any visitor and its location is set against the backdrop of the Rwenzori Mountains. Gorges, explosion craters, forests, wildlife, birds and a lot more make this an interesting destination for any visitor coming to Uganda. Who could forget the park’s stunning and unique thick savannah grassland landscape?
3. Kampala City (City that never goes to sleep)
Kampala is also known as East Africa’s nightlife capital. Kampala is Uganda’s national and commercial capital bordering Lake Victoria, Africa’s largest lake. Phenomenal scenes of hills covered with red-tile villas and trees surround the urban centre of contemporary skyscrapers. Some of the most thrilling activities you ought not to miss out while in Kampala include the city’s ever active business center, the Uganda museum, awesome hotels, Gadaffi mosque, Bahaii temple, Namirembe and Rubaga cathedrals, Kasubi tombs, Uganda martyrs shrine, slum tours among others.
And on top of the amazing sunrises, sunsets and Holiday weather all-year long. The Uganda Museum explores the country’s tribal heritage through an extensive collection of artefacts. Kasubi Tombs is the burial site of four of Buganda’s past Kabakas. Make a stop here to learn the rich history of this great Kingdom.
With an estimated population of over 3 million, Kampala is reported to be among the fastest-growing cities in Africa, with an annual population growth rate of 4.03 percent, by City Mayors. Mercer (a New York-based consulting firm) has regularly ranked Kampala as East Africa’s best city to live in, ahead of Nairobi and Kigali.
4. Lake Victoria
Africa’s largest water body, L.Victoria is a perfect place for those that find serenity in looking at the water and taking on water related activities. At the lake, onewillenjoy boat cruises and fishing excursions, and want to catch the sun drown into the vast water body. Evening sun set view at the lake is a fascinating encounter. The water body receives its waters mainly from Rainfall and thousands of small streams and rivers like the kagera River.
Attractions at the lake include a number of Islands outstanding of which are Ssese and Kalangala islands. The Ssese Islands are listed among the world’s best secret Islands by Lonely Planet and are a well-known destination for Ugandans for its beauty, affordability and ease of access. Also found on Lake Victoria is the Ngamba Island where the Chimpanzee Sanctuary is located.
5. Muchison Falls – Water rafting
Water rafting along the Murchison falls is one you cant miss out while touring Uganda especially if you are adventure filled. The un even rapids and steep falls take you to through breathtaking Murchison Falls, which feature a world renowned water fall with scenic landscape.
Whitewater rafting is a great sport that teaches how to remain calm under great pressure. The opportunity to do whitewater rafting from the longest river on earth, the Nile, is so amazing. The Nile rapids in Jinja are graded 4 and 5 and offer the best whitewater rafting experiences in Africa. The rapids flow with much volume and power than most great rivers in Africa.
On this wonderful adventure, you will watch the impressive body of water squeezing through a seven-meter gorge before tumbling 40 meters down below in a thunderous explosion. It then transforms into peaceful river whose banks are swarmed with a profusion of animals and birds.
There is no way this will be your best day ever.
6. Namirembe and Rubaga Cathedrals
Namirembe Cathedral is an impressive, domed Anglican cathedral that is also known as St. Paul’s Cathedral. Located on Namirembe hill on the out skirts of Kampala city, the church is the oldest cathedral in Uganda. The brick red Anglican Cathedral with the impressive dome was built in March 1890. The cathedral is visible from much of Kampala. Interesting is the graveyard which includes the remains of Bishop Hannington, and the Cooks, who established Mengo Hospital.
On the other hand, Rubaga Cathedral, also known as St. Mary’s Sacred Heart Cathedral Rubaga, is a twin-towered Roman Catholic cathedral perched on Rubaga hill directly adjacent to Namirembe cathedral. One of the interesting sites at the cathedral are the remains of the late Archbishop Joseph Kiwanka (June 25, 1899 — February 22, 1966), the first African Catholic Bishop and the first African Archbishop of Kampala Diocese, which are housed inside the cathedral.
7. Visit Kampala’s Night Clubs
Kampala is also known as the city that never sleeps. The city’s night life is on e that could leave you wishing to come over again for another similar treat. Kampala’s night discos and clubs are often occupied by party loving citizens or even visitors that only express nothing but happiness and enjoyment while dancing and sipping on their favorite drinks all night long. Kampala is home to different night clubs. A visit to the clubs however depends on what day of the week one decides to visit the music house as different clubs have themed nights weekly. Weekends are undoubtably the best time to visit Uganda’s night clubs.
8. Lake Bunyonyi
Lake Bunyonyi, “a place of small birds,” is one of the loveliest lakes you will ever see. It’s studded with 29 islands. Lake Bunyonyi is located in south western Uganda between two districts of Kisoro and Kabale close to the border with Rwanda. It’s also said to be the second deepest lake in Africa. The lava dammed lake has a unique features and stories and is home to just a few water lives because of its depth. Activities at Bunyonyi include canoeing, boat riding, and local tour, swimming, hiking the highlands around the lake, pygmy village tour and birding. The islanda on the lake too are worth a visit while their scenery is one of a kind.
9. Rwenzori Mountains
The Rwenzori Mountain also known as “Mountains of the Moon” a UNESCO World Heritage Site, lie in western Uganda along the Uganda-Congo border. The alpine highland graciers, snowfields and blue cirque lakes, make Rwenzori one of Africa’s most beautiful mountain parks. Rwenzori is Africa’s tallest mountain range exceeded in altitude by Mount kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya carrying Africa’s third fourth and fifth highest peaks that are visible from miles around.
The Rwenzoris can be visited anytime of the year and are located withing four districts of Kasese, Bundibugyo, Ntoroko and Kabarole in western Uganda. Rwenzori mountains national park is home to 18 species of mammals, 217 species of birds, 9 species of reptiles & 6 species of amphibians. The nearest towns of fortportal and kasese offer budget & midrange accommodation to most visitors who come to Hike the Rwenzori’s.
10. Visit a Local Market
Markets in Uganda offer a glimpse into the everyday lives of the local people and make an interesting experience for visitors. There are a few different markets to visit in and around Kampala, such as the famed Owino and Nakasero markets. Owino is known for its hustle and bustle with chaotic looking stalls, whereas Nakasero is a little more relaxed and a preferred first choice.
Owino market is understandably chaotic, as this is one the largest in this area of Africa. The most abundant product sold is second hand clothing, but you can really find most things in the market, such as traditional medicine and electronics.
Offering a more relaxed environment, Nakasero Market is more easily found and reached from Entebbe Road. Nakasero is a much smaller market and because of this can be more enjoyable. You can find many different things with a focus on fresh fruits and vegetables, but also clothes, textiles, shoes and some electronics. Although nowhere near as big as Owino, Nakasero is the largest market in the Kampala central area.
Other mentions
Mabere ga NyinaMwiru – FortPortal
Amabere ga NyinaMwiru is a cultural site with remarkable history located in western Uganda in Fort portal town. You can stop by while on your tour to Semuliki national park for birding safari or viewing the hot springs and craters on your way to Kibale national park for chimpanzee trekking. The Mabere ga Nyinamwiru rock is actually as a result of formation of stalagmites and stalactites information which we leave for the geographers and enjoy the cultural stories attached to this cave. From this site, you can hike to Nyakasura hill which will give you views of 3 different crater lakes and a visit to the marking of a large foot in the area believed to belong to one of the last Batembuzi dynasty people who were giants.
Semliki National Park
Semuliki National Park sprawls across the floor of the Semliki Valley on the remote, western side of the Rwenzori. The park is dominated by the easternmost extension of the great Ituri Forest of the Congo Basin. This is one of Africa’s most ancient and bio-diverse forests; one of the few to survive the last ice age, 12-18,000 years ago. While Semuliki’s species have been accumulating for over 25,000 years, the park contains evidence of even older processes. Hot springs bubble up from the depths to demonstrate the powerful subterranean forces that have been shaping the rift valley during the last 14 million years.
Kidepo Valley National Park
Kidepo Valley National Park lies in the rugged, semi-arid valleys between Uganda’s borders with South Sudan and Kenya, some 700km from Kampala. Gazetted as a national park in 1962, it has a profusion of big game and hosts over 77 mammal species as well as around 475 bird species. It is a place to feed your eyes with spectacular and profound natural features.
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