Location and size: Uganda is a landlocked country astride the equator, about 800 kilometres inland from the Indian Ocean. It lies on the north-western shores of Lake Victoria, extending from 1 south to 4 north latitude and 30 to 35 east longitude.

Uganda is bordered by Tanzania and Rwanda to the south, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to the west, Sudan to the north, and Kenya to the east. With a land surface of 241,139 square kilometres, Uganda occupies most of the Lake Victoria Basin, which was formed by the geological shifts that created the Rift Valley during the Pleistocene era. The Sese Islands and other small islands in Lake Victoria also lie within Uganda's borders. Ecologically, Uganda is where the East African savannah meets the West African jungle. 

Weather and Climate

Uganda has the gift of Holiday weather year around.  There are two reasons, one is its location on the equator and the other is its elevation.  Both of these give Uganda the gift of perfect weather. The majority of the country has a tropical climate which varies according to altitude; during the year the hottest months are from December to February when the temperature reaches 29 degrees Celsius while rainy seasons are from April to May and October to November; with the wettest month being April. Even during the two rainy seasons, the sun is out most of the time and rain often occurs with a most delightful thunderstorm and when it rains, it pours but soon the sun's rays have dried up the earth once again. 

Temperatures in some parts of the country can be quite cool owing to the country’s high altitude, despite its position on the equator. The mountain areas become much cooler and the tops of Mount Elgon and Rwenzori Mountains are often covered in snow. Other parts of the country are much warmer.

Population: Uganda has the world’s youngest population with a median age of 15. The country’s estimated population 2007 was 30.9m.

People and Culture

Uganda has a very strong culture heritage. It is composed of many regions, each with different cultures. The recent restoration of kingdoms in has boosted up cultural sites. These include Buganda, Busoga, Bunyoro and Toro. Ugandans hail from a diversity of rich cultures and life styles and are remarkably hospitable. Each tribe has its own traditional dance; the banyankole perform their Kitaguriro dance, the Banyoro have their Runyege, Acholi have the Bwila and Otole dances. The Alur have the Agwal dance and the Bagisu have the Imbalu dance during circumcision ceremonies.

Culture and traditions are also expressed through a wide range of arts and Crafts made from wood, Papyrus reeds and local materials. These include black smith implements, beaded Jewellery, wood carvings and batiks. They can be found all over the city in village bazaars, gift shops, hotels, urban galleries and the National Theatre Craft Market. While on your Uganda travel or safari, consider taking on a cultural tour to the known destinations.  

Tourism

Uganda is a fast growing tourist destination gifted by nature together with its growing stability and hospitable communities. It continues to offer its competitively priced and high quality range of wildlife products offering an awesome experience. The development of tourism and leisure has been enhanced by effective promotion, of both the destination and products offered by government and specific businesses. Establishment of awareness programmes, qualified, trained and skilled human resources, improved and stronger tourism administration, investment in the tourism plant and associated products (attractions, entertainment, shopping, etc), enhancing marketing methods and development of basic facilities, social services and proper infrastructure. 

Wildlife Tourism

While the cultural diversity and effortless warmth of Ugandan people is remarked upon by all who visit the country, most itineraries revolve around the protected areas under the direction of Uganda wildlife authority (UWA). And these are magnificent , encompassing not only conventional savannah- mesmerizing tracts of African bush teeming with antelope, buffalo, elephant, giraffe, zebra, Forest Hogs, big cats – but also the snow capped peaks of Africa’s tallest range of mountains , tropical rainforests of mind boggling biodiversity, and atmospheric lakes and rivers heaving with hippos crocs and birds.

As yet untouched by mass tourism, Uganda’s parks are ideal retreats for the discerning eco-tourist. Uganda is the world’s premier primate – viewing destination, home to half of the world’s mountain gorillas, large populations of chimpanzees and a dazzling variety of monkeys. For bird lovers, Uganda is practically peerless: it is the only African country that has a record of more than 1000 bird species.  Each park offers a memorable experience!

a) Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

This ancient rainforest is home to roughly half of the world’s mountain gorillas and offers visitors the opportunity to spend some time with these magnificent mammals in their native habitat. Looking deep into the expressive eyes of these gentle giants is surely the most exciting and poignant wildlife encounter that Uganda has to offer. In addition, this park offers the chance to see many other mammal, bird and butterfly species as well as learn about the culture of the local communities and be entertained by their traditional songs and dances.

b) Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

This small national park lies in the south-western corner of the country, bordering Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo and is part of the Virungas, a chain of six extinct and three sporadically active volcanoes.  Originally designated to provide sanctuary to the rare mountain gorillas, Mgahinga also supports diverse forest and moorland fauna as well as the localized golden monkey and at least 79 bird species endemic to the Albertine Rift. Trekking to the top of Mt. Sabyinyo will reward the walker with spectacular panoramic views of the western rift valley in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lake Edwards and the snow-capped Rwenzori range of mountains. The borders of three countries converge on the summit of Mt. Sabyinyo and you will find yourself simultaneously in three parks, the Mgahinga national park (Uganda), the Virunga national park (DRC), and the Volcanoes National park (Rwanda).

c) Lake Mburo National Park

Lake Mburo National park is a gem of a park, conveniently located close to the western highway that connects Kampala to the parks of western Uganda. The varied landscapes of the park support a number of species like Impalas, Burchell’s zebras, and elands that are not found in any other park in western Uganda. To view these and other species visitors have the option to take a game drive, a walking safari or even, for the adventurous, to ride a quad-bike!  In addition, the five lakes within Mburo attract hippo, crocodiles and a large variety of water birds that can be viewed, at close quarters, from the launch trips also on offer.

d) Murchison Falls National Park

Murchison, the largest of Uganda’s national parks located at the northern end of the Albertine Rift valley, the Victoria Nile passes through which races down 80km of white-water rapids before plunging 43m over the rift valley wall at the spectacular Murchison falls. After the falls, the river is transformed into a broad, placid stream that hosts one of Africa’s largest hippopotamus and crocodile populations and a dazzling variety of water birds including the rare shoebill stork.  These can be viewed, close at hand, from launch trips to the bottom of the falls or on boat rides to the Lake Albert delta.  On land, elephant, buffalo, giraffe and a variety of antelope are regularly encountered on game drives while lion are seen with increasing frequency.

e) Kibale National Park

Kibale National Park supports a range of habitats and the highest density and diversity of primates in Africa!  These species of primates, many of which are endangered, include both red and black & white colobus monkeys, blue monkeys, grey cheeked mangabey, red tailed monkeys, olive baboons, bush baby, pottos, the rare l’Hoest’s monkeys as well as Kibale’s major attraction, the Chimpanzees.  Visitors, led by the Park’s knowledgeable ranger guides, enjoy tracking these delightful apes - most closely related to humans than any other living creature! Trees rise to over 55m and exhibit a semi-closed canopy of stratified tree crowns. The undergrowth is sparse with shade tolerant herbs, shrubs, a variety of ferns and broad leaved forest grasses. This network of shady forest trails provides many delights for botanists, birders and butterfly lovers.

f) Semuliki Forest Reserve

Come to the Africa’s most ancient reserve situated in the remote Semuliki valley noted for its varied bird population; truly a birds paradise! The reserve also has magnificent hot springs that bubble up from the depths beneath Sempaya to demonstrate the powerful subterranean forces that have been shaping the rift valley during the last 14 million years. Guided walks from the Park headquarters take visitors to the attractive springs and provide a chance to see the indigenous De Brazza’s monkey, Dent’s mona monkeys, and different species of antelope amongst the many mammals the forest harbours.

g) Queen Elizabeth National Park

The park lies on the rift valley floor where it rises 480m from 910m at the Kazinga channel to 1390m in the explosion crater file. It has different types of vegetation ranging from forest, grassland, bushy grassland, acacia woodland and lakeshore swamp vegetation. The park’s grassland residents include elephants, cape buffaloes, Uganda kob, waterbuck warthog, giant forest hog, lions, leopards, hyenas, topis and forest primates in Kyambura gorge and Maramagambo forest.  Launch trips on the Kazinga Channel offer great game viewing as do game drives around Mweya and in Ishasha, famed for its tree climbing lions!

h) Rwenzori Mountains National park

A trip into the Rwenzori Mountains is a rewarding experience, which allows you to see the main peaks of the largest mountain range in Africa. The 120km Rwenzori chain, Africa’s tallest mountain range, is the legendary snow-capped Mountains of the Moon, described by Ptolemy on AD150, is exceeded in height only by the freestanding Mt Kilimanjaro and Mt. Kenya.  These distinctive glacial peaks, only a few kilometres from the Equator, offer experienced mountaineers a serious challenge while the lower slopes provide hikers with a demanding walk through a range of vegetation and the opportunity to spot a variety of animals including elephants, buffaloes, chimpanzees, leopards and many colourful birds. The most common trial, the so called central circuit, starts at the National Park Head Quarter in Niakalengija and lasts on average 7 days six nights, hut after hut, reaching at an altitude of up to 4.372 metres at Scott Elliot Pass. You experience five different vegetation zones, from the tropical and bamboo forests up to the alpine zones. The hike does not require any specific climbing experience or training, but it is easy to whoever likes mountaineering. It is possible to complete the trial by ascending the main peaks, like Margherita on Mount Stanley (5.109 m), Mount Speke (4.890 m.), Mount Luigi di Savoia (4.627 m.). Visitors can also take community walks and learn more about the culture of the local people.  

i) Mt. Elgon National Park

Mt. Elgon provides visitors with a trans-boundary hiking adventure - ascend the Ugandan slopes and descend on the Kenyan side (or vice versa). The park can be explored on foot, on routes that range from day walks to extended hikes over several days to reach the upper mountain.  The mountain is home to 296 species of birds including 40 restricted range species (birds whose Uganda range is restricted to Mt. Elgon), these birds include Hartlaub’s turaco, tacazze sunbird and the bronze-naped pigeon. Mt. Elgon is one of the few places where endangered Lammergeyer can be seen, soaring above the caldera and Suam gorge.  The park also supports a variety of wildlife including elephant, defassa’s waterbuck, oribi, leopard, spotted hyena, duiker and blue monkeys 

j) Kidepo Valley National Park

Kidepo valley is one of Africa’s last great wilderness areas creating an outstanding park which is located in the remote north-eastern corner of Uganda, bordering Sudan and Kenya. The perennial waters of the Kidepo and Narus rivers make this area an oasis that supports 86 mammal (28 occurring nowhere else in Uganda) and nearly 500 bird species.  Open tree savanna habitat dominates the park, providing excellent game viewing and opportunities to see any one of the resident predators, like lion, cheetah and leopard and the complete isolation creates an adventurer’s safari paradise!

Friend A gorilla Campaign

UWA has set up the Friend-A-Gorilla initiative as a means of raising awareness at national and international level about the protection of mountain gorillas and their habitats. The core of the program is internet driven; making use of the most popular social networking sites i.e. Twitter, Facebook, My Space, etc. The program is open to individual as well as corporate participation.

The program was launched through a series of events in August and September 2009 Your befriended gorilla(s) will be interacting with you o a weekly basis, giving you updates and posts on to their movements in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. You will be able to follow births, new relationships. Or simply keep in touch with your gorilla friend. One also does not have to be part of the listed social networks sites to have a gorilla friend on the friendagorilla site. In addition the Friendagorilla.org site will have a section named Geo-Track, where you can track gorillas using actual GPS coordinates, provided regularly by the UWA gorilla Trackers.  

Other Eco tourism activities

Source of the Nile:

River Nile is the longest river in Africa with Lake Victoria as its source. The river starts it 6,500km journey to the Mediterranean Sea (Egypt). A tour to the Nile will take you through another life of adventure. There is a golf course unwinding along the banks and the source of the Nile provides a pretty focal point to the flow of water from Lake Victoria’s only outlet. Booking a safari downstream on the Nile River brings you to Adrift Nile High Camp with various activities including Bungee jump. A few kilometres further, is Bujagali Falls, the adventurer’s capital with grade-five white water rafting, kayaking, river boarding and mountain-biking.

These activities offer a unique way to explore the river banks, passing though farms, forests and villages beside the Nile. Up along the Nile’s course is Lake Kyoga which also feeds the river with fresh water. The course then leads you to the great Murchison Falls, where the world's longest river explodes violently through a narrow cleft in the rift valley escarpment plunging into a frothing pool 43 meters below. From this point, River Nile flows though Lake Albert to the northern part of Uganda, to Sudan and finally Egypt were it pours its mass into the Mediterranean Sea. This is the Victorian Source of the Nile, the source of adventure and excitement! 

White water Rafting

The world’s longest river roars to life as the White Nile minutes after slipping quietly from Lake Victoria. It thunders between heavily forested islands and then leaps wildly into a series of spectacular drops. The roar of the rapids drift upstream with the gently breeze. Wooden canoes laden with excited locals congregate in the calm waters anxious to see our rafts in action. To the amazement of our audience, we plunge into the maelstrom and ride the mountainous waves downstream. Our rafts explode through huge walls of white-water and drift through the warm green pools (27°C) in the equatorial sunshine. This is white-water rafting at its very best; the wildest rafting trip on the planet.   

Nile High Bungee (44 metres)

Leap from one of the most spectacular sites in the world. Water touches the source of the Nile (it is the only jump over the Nile), tandem jump with a friend or ride off on your bicycle. Try the ‘Nile High Combo’ where you can bungee jump and raft in the same day.  

Sese islands

The 84 lush Equatorial Sese Islands form worlds of their own on their extra ordinary Lake Victoria. There is a lot of wildlife to see, delightful empty beaches, friendly islanders and peaceful environment providing an excellent opportunity for fishing, bird watching, boating and walking.

Lake Bunyonyi

As it's serpentine shape may suggest, is essentially a flooded valley system, extending northwards from Rwanda border over a distance of 25kms through the contours of the steep hills that separate Kabale from Kisoro. It is thought to have formed around 8000 million years ago, as a result of lava flow from one of the Virunga Mountains which blocked off the Ndego River at present day Muko to create a dam.

Over the past few years , the lake ha further gained in popularity to proliferation of budget and other campsites and resorts around the small fishing villages of rutinda and (also known as Kyabahinga) and nearby Islands. In its favour also is a high altitude location which ensures a moderate climate (often becoming quite chilly in the nights) and a relatively low incidence of malaria. Bilhazia is reliably reported to be absent from the lake, as are crocodiles and hippos, which means that swimming is very safe. Active travellers are catered for with canoes kayaks and mountain bikes available for hire and enough potential excursions to keep one busy for days. Tourism activities at lake Bunyonyi include;

The bamboo walk; these are guided nature walks which have been established and are highly recommended for anybody who may be looking for a serious leg stretch in the Bunyonyi area. Excursions around Bunyonyi; Visits to most places of interest around Lake Bunyonyi can be arranged through the lake shore resorts and hotels and it’s also possible to reach some sites using our transport facilities.

Sport fishing

This is done on Lake Victoria and Murchison Falls National Park.

The main catch of the Lake is the Nile Perch which is the largest fresh water game fish in the whole world. The method of fishing is by use of trolling lures. At Murchison Falls, fish are often caught using live bait. Fishing is generally done over a few days, requiring some level of fitness and experience. Common types of Fish include Nile Perch, 10-80kgs, and Tilapia and tiger fish. Most companies doing fishing offer equipments with powerful boat engines.

Birding Safaris outside the National Parks

Uganda is an equatorial country with astonishing contrasts. No other area in Africa can match its amazing diversity of habitats and this richness is reflected in its bird list of over 1000 species. From the source of the Nile on Lake Victoria to the snow capped Rwenzori Range, the montane forests of the Virunga volcanoes to the desert plains of Karamoja, bird watching is an exciting experience for the traveller. No birder will be able to resist the attraction of some of Uganda’s most spectacular birds in areas such as  Mabamba Swamp, Budongo Forest, Mabira Forest, Entebbe Botanical Gardens, Kajjansi Fish Farm, Kampala and Environs among others areas