Uganda Destination Guide

The history and natural beauty of Uganda combine to make it an unforgettable experience for travellers. You must remember however that civil unrest is not a rare phenomenon here and plan your itinerary keeping safety in mind.

Pioneering tourist, Winston Churchill once called Uganda the 'Pearl of Africa'.

Our Uganda Destination Guide below together with our Uganda tour suggestions will tell you all you need to know about the best places to visit in Uganda. Our Uganda Country Guide has some helpful information to ensure you have a great holiday in Uganda. For tips on how to get around in Uganda, read our Uganda Transportation Guide. 

Things to See & Do in Uganda

Follow the links below or scroll further down the page for details on some of the many interesting tourist attractions in Uganda:

Uganda's capital city, Kampala, is busy and lively. The National Museum, although rather badly maintained, is an interesting place. The architecture of the city is largely influenced by colonial styles, especially in the older parts of Kampala. An enjoyable day trip could be a visit to Kasubi where the tombs of the Bugunda Kings are located. The tomb site is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Centre.

Entebbe is spread around Lake Victoria. The international airport is in Entebbe and since November 2007, so is the State House or the Uganda Government House. Botanists and bird watchers are likely to find the old Botanical Gardens interesting, although the general visitor may not be very impressed by the gardens.

Jinja is where the Nile begins and for most Ugandans, where the popular Nile Beer originates! The city offers great opportunities for white water rafting, quad biking, bungee jumping and zip wiring across the River Nile. In short, Jinja is the adventure capital of East Africa.

Uganda’s national parks are lovely places but they have not been able to draw too many visitors. The entrance fee to most of the parks is fixed at 20 shillings for a day and 35 shillings for two days. Possessing an ISIC student identity card entitles student visitors to a 25% discount on the entrance fee. The noteworthy national parks in Uganda are:

Ajai Game Reserve in the north is located on the eastern shores of the Albert Nile and covers an area of about 16,600 hectares. A new luxurious safari camp is being set up just outside this comparatively small game reserve.

Aswa-Lolim in north Uganda and also located east of Lake Albert was a game reserve earlier but is today a collection of large ranches. Wildlife can still be spotted here. The area is under the UWA.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is prime gorilla tracking area. Troops of gorilla arrive at the park from Buhoma in the north and a newer troop has arrived from Nkuringo in the south.

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is near the borders of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda. You can track a gorilla troop from the park but since the gorillas often go into areas beyond the Ugandan borders, tracking can get difficult. Even more magnificent than the wildlife in the park are the Virunga Mountains with their active volcanic peaks. The mountains look like the imposing spine of the park.

Lake Mburo National Park is situated in the south. Accommodation is generally available at the Mihingo Lodge located beyond the park entrance. Horseback safaris start from the lodge.

Murchison Falls National Park offers an exciting boat ride (15,000 Ugandan shillings) where the boat is completely surrounded by hippos and crocodiles. The Nile dramatically crashes through a 7 m (23 ft) wide crevice and down a height of 45 m (150 ft). Go on a wildlife safari to get a glimpse of animals such as buffalo, elephants, giraffes, hartebeests, leopards and lions. To explore the park as an individual is not easy or safe.

Queen Elizabeth National Park is made up of several sections but the area between Lake George and Lake Edward has the highest concentration of animals. The scenery is less impressive in this section except when the Ruwenzori Mountains, which are usually enveloped by clouds, are visible. Go on a drive along the southern edge of the mountains amidst the volcanic crater lakes. The Ugandan Kob is endemic to Uganda and can be seen on Ugandan currency as well as on the coat of arms, which also has the crested crane. The park’s Kazinga Channel has the densest concentration of hippos in the continent. The well-known tree-climbing lions also live in this park.

Kibale Forest National Park is highly recommended for tracking chimpanzees. Twitchers or serious bird watchers consider the park as one with some of the best bird watching opportunities in Central Africa. The park is situated near Fort Portal town and the Kasese Crater Lakes are nearby.

Rwenzori National Park is a range of mountains that border the Democratic Republic of Congo in southwest Uganda. Mt. Stanley at 5109 m (16,761 ft) is the tallest peak of the mountain range. The range has a length of 120 km (75 miles) and a width of 48 km (30 miles). In the second century, Ptolemy, the Greek astronomer first wrote about the mountains and called them the ‘Mountains of the Moon’. Italian explorers scaled the mountains for the first time in 1896. A phenomenon of concern is that by 2006, the ice cap of the mountains had retreated to less than 1.28 sq km (0.5 sq miles) from the 6.4 sq km (2.5 sq miles) observed 100 years ago. Visit Mitandi to explore the Rwenzori Mountains as well as to get a glimpse of the lifestyle and culture of the Bakonzo who are the local mountain folks. Mitandi is located quite close to the mountains near Fort Portal.

Kidepo Valley National Park is one of Uganda's most spectacular parks. It is 1,442 square kilometers and harbors scenery unsurpassed in any other park in East Africa. It is located on the north eastern border of Uganda. The park harbors a great diversity of animal species; Carnivore species include the bat-eared fox, striped hyena, aardwolf, caracal, cheetah, lion, leopard, spotted hyena, jackal and hunting dog. Ungulates include the kudu, reedbuck, klipspringer, dikdik, bright gazelle; beisa oryx and roan antelope.

Mt. Elgon National Park lies 256 km north east of Kampala, bordering with Kenya in eastern Uganda, it covers an area of 1155 square km and is a 4,321m high extinct volcano which in prehistoric times stood taller than Kilimanjaro does today. This park offers a diverse variety of scenery, vegetation and cultures. Mountaineering skills are not required. The whole region is excellent for hikers and climbers, with caves, rock painting, gorges, and waterfalls providing excellent scenery; Sipi Falls at the foothills of the mountain is a favorite destination.

Ssese Islands are a group of beautiful islands on Lake Victoria. The beaches are isolated and the small jungle areas are safe and can be explored in half a day. The trip to the islands is rather long at 8 hours. A quicker trip is the 45-minute trip to Busi Island from Entebbe.

A number of small islands are scattered across the charming Lake Bunyonyi. The area is reportedly similar to Switzerland.

The Ngamba Island on Lake Victoria houses the Ngamba Chimpanzee Sanctuary. This fascinating place was set up in October 1998 as a project to take care of little chimpanzee orphans. Go on a chimpanzee-tracking safari at the sanctuary any time of the year.

Located about an hour’s drive away from Mbale, Sipi is a lovely town standing on a hilltop. The views from the top are stunning. You can also hike to the waterfalls.

Permits are required here and should preferably be booked very early, as only a few permits are available. To prevent the gorillas from being disturbed, only a few tourists are allowed to go close to the animals each day. A permit allows you to spend an hour observing a group of the endangered mountain gorilla in their natural environment. The UWA manages the sale of permits, each of which costs several hundred US dollars.

Uganda offers world class rafting opportunities and many companies operate rafting trips down the Nile. You can go on a half-day trip or even on a multiple-day trips. Your trip can be a peaceful family trip or a thrilling grade 5 rafting adventure. For $75, you can buy yourself a rafting trip that includes a pickup from Kampala and food and drink.

Quad bikes are four-wheeled motorbikes that are also known as All Terrain Bikes. You can rent a quad bike near the spring of the Nile and go on a fast, albeit dusty, sightseeing tour with a local guide.