Representing Eastern Africa at its wildest, Uganda offers you diverse natural beauty from tropical rainforests to volcanic landscapes. Uganda is a small but diverse country where adventurous experiences can be obtained not only from the exotic conditions within the country, but also from exciting adventure sport facilities offered in Ugandan national parks and on the river Nile.
Pristine nature. Land of fascinating wildlife and national parks, Uganda offers plenty of diverse natural beauty. The most famous natural attractions of the country are Queen Elizabeth National Park with its scenic volcanic lakes, rainforests, and hippos, Mount Elgon with its extinct volcano, and Bwindi forest with its mountain gorillas. You can also go on a safari in Murchinson Falls National Park or trekking in Rwenzori Mountains. However, Mount Elgon is considered a dangerous area for tourists, and getting to Bwindi might also cause some challenges.
Getting there. Located in Eastern Africa, Uganda is best reached by air through Entebbe Airport near Kampala, or through the Kenyan capital Nairobi, which is the main air traffic hub of East Africa and offers frequent bus connections to Uganda. Bus connections are available for travelling around inside Uganda. Joining a safari group is an easy way to get around, and internal flights are also a suitable way for moving long distances or through some unsafe areas of the country. Inside the cities, taxis are favored for transport, but also rental cars are available in most main cities.
Attractions of Uganda from jungles and gorillas to the source of Nile
The main city in Uganda is Kampala, the dynamic capital of the country. Although it offers some good museums and historical sites, such as the UNESCO World Heritage listed Kasubi Tombs, Kampala is not a major tourist attraction in Uganda. However, it is the main traffic hub located close to more interesting tourism destination, Jinja, which is a small town located on the shores of Africa's largest lake, Lake Victoria. Jinja is best known as the source of the Nile, but it also hosts some of East Africa's best possibilities for adventure sports such as rafting.Pristine nature. Land of fascinating wildlife and national parks, Uganda offers plenty of diverse natural beauty. The most famous natural attractions of the country are Queen Elizabeth National Park with its scenic volcanic lakes, rainforests, and hippos, Mount Elgon with its extinct volcano, and Bwindi forest with its mountain gorillas. You can also go on a safari in Murchinson Falls National Park or trekking in Rwenzori Mountains. However, Mount Elgon is considered a dangerous area for tourists, and getting to Bwindi might also cause some challenges.
Practical information for your trip to Uganda
Weather in Uganda is tropically hot, with monthly high temperatures around 30 degrees Celsius available most of the year. There are two rainy seasons, the first of which is between March and May and the other between October and November. As the wet periods often meet heavy rainfall, traveling to Uganda is best done between December and February or between June and September.Getting there. Located in Eastern Africa, Uganda is best reached by air through Entebbe Airport near Kampala, or through the Kenyan capital Nairobi, which is the main air traffic hub of East Africa and offers frequent bus connections to Uganda. Bus connections are available for travelling around inside Uganda. Joining a safari group is an easy way to get around, and internal flights are also a suitable way for moving long distances or through some unsafe areas of the country. Inside the cities, taxis are favored for transport, but also rental cars are available in most main cities.
Photo: Graham Racher, used under Creative Commons License (By SA 2.0)
As for tourism services, Uganda is quite far from being the world's tourism destination number one, but during recent years, tourist services in Uganda have developed and are now quite proper in the main tourist areas such as the national parks of the country. While the local security situation has improved recently, Uganda is not one of the safest countries on earth. The safety situation in Uganda varies greatly depending on area. Especially northern and eastern parts of the country should be avoided because of armed conflicts. The areas bordering D.R. of the Congo and Rwanda are also considered dangerous. The capital city Kampala, on the other hand, is a quite safe destination, which goes also for Jinja and Queen Elizabeth National Park.
History of Uganda in brief
Independent from the United Kingdom in 1962, Uganda is the home of many ethnic groups, none of which forms a clear majority in the officially English-speaking country. The beginning of Uganda's independent path was characterized with violence and instability, which Uganda suffered under the dictatorial regime of Idi Amin (1971-1979) and during the war following this period. In recent years, Uganda has enjoyed more stable conditions, thanks to which Uganda today has one of the fastest growing economies in all African countries. As a consequence of this, the formerly almost non-existing tourism industry in Uganda has also started to rise.hint See also these nearby destinations: Jinja
