Must See

Kampala

Now a bustling capital city, Kampala has come a long way in a short time. Spread across seven hills, the city centre sits on one of them, Nakasero. The top of the hill is a garden city with wide tree-lined avenues, imposing fences, international embassies and modern architecture. The bottom of the hill is full of the hustle and bustle of shops, street markets, Hindu Temples and pavement stalls. Highlights include the many cathedrals, mosques and palaces of the old Kingdom of Buganda, along with the Uganda Museum, which features a collection of traditional musical instruments, which vistors can play. The Kabaka Tombs are on Kasubi Hill.

Entebbe

This lakeside city is the major gateway to Uganda for air travellers. It has some pleasant botanical gardens and a lakeside beach; however, due to the dangers of bilharzia, bathing is not advisable.

Jinja

Lying on the shores of Lake Victoria, Jinja is the second-largest town in Uganda. Although not highly populated, there is a very lively market on Saturdays. The source of the Nile can be seen at the nearby Owen Falls Dam.

Mount Elgon

An extinct volcano with excellent wildlife and opportunities for climbing, Elgon hides many caves, which are home to bats, and the walls are decorated with ancient cave paintings. Each night, herds of elephants gather at one of the caves, Kitum, to travel deep into the mountain along paths that were made by their ancestors before them: they are looking for salt, which they lick from the scarred rock.

The Ssese Islands

One hour by boat from the shore of Lake Victoria lie these 84 unspoilt, tranquil and virtually uninhabited islands. The Ssese islands are home to birds, crocodiles, hippos, chimps, monkeys, and the Basese tribe - with their own language and culture.

National Parks and Reserves

Uganda has 10 national parks, 10 wildlife reserves and 7 wildlife sanctuaries, some of which are acclaimed as being amongst Africa's best. The country's main wildlife attraction for foreign visitors is the rare mountain gorilla, found in the southwest of the country.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Located in the southwest near the border with Congo and 414 km from Kampala, Bwindi is home to half of the surviving mountain gorillas in the world (approximately 320). Before becoming a national park, the region was known as The Impenetrable Forest and is rich in flora and fauna, including over 200 species of trees, 202 species of butterflies and 350 species of bird. There are also over 120 species of mammals, including black & white colobus, chimpanzees, blue monkeys, leopards, duiker, bushpigs, jackals and elephants in the south east of the park.

Visitors are advised to book well in advance for gorilla tracking, as the activity is limited to small groups.

Kibale Forest National Park

Located in western Uganda, 35 km south of Fort Portal, Kibale covers an area of over 760 sq km, and is the perfect place to experience the true diversity of flora and wildlife found in a tropical rainforest. The park is particularly noted for its primate population (11 different species), including the blue monkey, black, white and red colobus, chimpanzee, red-tailed money, olive baboon and white cheeked mangabey. Other mammals include are the scaly-tailed flying squirrel, buffalo, bushbuck, red and blue duiker, tree pangloin, Uganda kob, hippo and waterbuck, along with a large number of birds.

Although the park also contains the largest population of forest elephants in Uganda, they are rarely sighted.

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

This park, located 510 km from Kampala, on the south western tip of the country on the border with Congo (Zaire) and Rwanda is Uganda's smallest park, covering an area of just 34 sq km. Mgahinga is one of the last remaining habitats of the mountain gorilla, and the park rangers occasionally take small groups of visitors to see them in their natural surroundings. However, access is strictly limited, and booking must be made well in advance. Other wildlife includes leopards, bushbucks, jackals, elephants, honey badgers, aardvark and a wealth of birdlife.

Three extinct volcanoes can be seen in the park: Mount Sabinyo, Mount Gahinga and Mount Muhavura; the latter is the tallest (4,127 m) and has a small crater lake.

Mt Rwenzori National Park

Ruwenzori National Park, lying along the western border of Uganda, is regarded as one of the most spectacular parks in Africa. It covers an area of over 995 sq km, and is named "Mountains of the Moon" for its six mist-shrouded, snow-capped peaks. In the centre of the mountain range is Africa's 3rd highest mountain, Mount Margherita, which reaches a height of 5,109 m. The mountains make it a perfect destination for keen hikers; particularly in the dry seasons from June to mid August and from mid December to the end of March. The higher slopes are demanding and require some mountaineering skills.

Wildlife in the park includes elephant, vervet monkey, genet, chimpanzee, Rwenzori colobus and duiker.