Uganda

Uganda is a landlocked country in East Africa whose diverse landscape encompasses the snow-capped Rwenzori Mountains and immense Lake Victoria. Its abundant wildlife includes chimpanzees as well as rare birds. Remote Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is a renowned mountain gorilla sanctuary. 

The source of the Nile river starts in the Rwenzoris, Africa’s tallest mountain range that stretch across western Uganda shrouded in mist and teeming with glaciers, waterfalls and alpine lakes. These ‘mountain’s of the moon’ are the home of Uganda’s mountain gorillas and tracking them through this majestic habitat is one of the country’s most iconic experiences. 

Nature – diverse and resplendent – looms large in Uganda. And Ugandans have worked hard to create and maintain national parks and conservation zones for its incredible biodiversity. Rafting the Nile is a world-class adrenaline adventure while booking a safari will most likely reveal Africa’s Big Five. There are fewer visitors here than in other parts of East Africa so the only competition you’ll have for space is the odd hippo wandering into your campsite.

Kampala

Kampala is Uganda’s national and commercial capital bordering Lake Victoria, Africa’s largest lake. Hills covered with red-tile villas and trees surround an urban centre of contemporary skyscrapers. In this downtown area, the Uganda Museum explores the country’s tribal heritage through an extensive collection of artifacts.

Bustling Kampala makes a good introduction to Uganda. It’s a dynamic and engaging city, with several worthy attractions to keep you occupied for a couple of days. As the heartland of the Buganda kingdom, Kampala has a rich and colourful history, visible in several fascinating palaces and compounds from where the nation was run until the arrival of colonialism.

Kampala has several faces. There’s the impossibly energetic central Kampala, its streets thronging with shoppers, hawkers, and the most mind-bogglingly packed bus and taxi parks you’re ever likely to see. As you head up Nakasero Hill, you quickly hit Kampala’s most expensive hotels and the urban core fades into something of a garden city. The contrast is thoroughly Ugandan, and just another reason many people love Kampala.