Afrinkong
Nature & LandscapesGreen, End to End
Crater lakes around Fort Portal, papyrus swamp on the Nile, and the Rwenzori snowline sitting on the equator.
Photo Ivan Sabayuki / Unsplash
UGANDA · Tourism
The Pearl of Africa
Half the world's mountain gorillas, the source of the Nile, the Rwenzori snowline on the equator and savanna parks within a day's drive of each other.
East AfricaRegion
27Tourism experiences
The Pearl of AfricaKnown for
01
Featured destinations
Where the country actually takes you.
Nature & Landscapes
The Mountains of the Moon
The Rwenzori range holds glaciers three degrees from the equator, and Margherita Peak at 5,109 m.
Photo Mwesigwa Joel / Pexels
Murchison, Through the Gap
The entire Victoria Nile forced through a seven-metre gap and dropped forty-three metres into the gorge below.
Photo K3N / Unsplash
Where the Nile Begins
The Nile leaves Lake Victoria at Jinja; Lake Bunyonyi holds twenty-nine islands and no bilharzia.
Photo Ana Kenk / Pexels
Beaches & CoastThe Ssese Islands
Freshwater beaches and fishing villages on Lake Victoria, an hour and a half by ferry from Entebbe.
Kibale and Bwindi
Thirteen primate species in Kibale, and in Bwindi a forest so old and so thick it was never logged.
02
Wildlife & safari
What lives here, and how you see it without disturbing it.
Wildlife
Wildlife Encounters
Mountain gorillas in Bwindi, chimpanzees in Kibale, and tree-climbing lions in the Ishasha sector.
SafariQueen Elizabeth and Kidepo
Kob on the Kasenyi plains, elephant on the Kazinga Channel, and Kidepo Valley with almost nobody in it.
The Gorilla Permit
Permit revenue funds the park and pays a share to the parishes around it — which is why the gorilla numbers are rising.
03
Culture & heritage
The part of a country you cannot photograph from a vehicle.
Culture
The Kingdom of Buganda
Uganda's kingdoms were never abolished for long — Buganda, Bunyoro and Toro still hold court.
Batwa and Karamojong
The Batwa, forest people of the southwest, and the Karamojong cattle-keepers of the northeast plains.
Photo josh_ dago__ / Pexels
Rolex, Matoke, Luwombo
Steamed green banana with groundnut sauce, chicken cooked in banana leaf, and an egg rolled in a chapati on every corner.
Photo saidi musiitwa / Pexels
Imbalu and Nyege Nyege
The Bagisu Imbalu season in the east, and four days of music on the banks of the Nile at Jinja.
Photo Mwesigwa Joel / Pexels
Bark Cloth and Basketry
Bark cloth from the mutuba fig, made in Buganda for six hundred years and now UNESCO-listed.
Photo Gary Chapman / Unsplash
Historic SitesThe Kasubi Tombs
The burial ground of four Buganda kings, thatched, enormous and rebuilt by the clans who have always maintained it.
Photo From Salih / Pexels
HeritageKingdoms Still Standing
Royal drums, regalia and clan structures that survived the protectorate, the 1966 crisis and the 1970s.
04
Cities & everyday life
Where people actually live between the landmarks.
Kampala on Seven Hills
A capital built across hills and traffic, with the Gaddafi Mosque minaret giving the best view of all of it.
Photo josh_ dago__ / Pexels
Minaret, Dome and Thatch
The Uganda National Mosque, the Namirembe and Rubaga cathedrals facing each other across two hills.
Photo josh_ dago__ / Pexels
Boda Bodas and Owino
The boda boda is the transport system; Owino market is where the whole city goes to buy everything.
Photo Enock Ojambo / Pexels
Villages at the Forest Edge
Community walks in Buhoma and Nkuringo, run by the villages that share the forest with the gorillas.
Photo Kalz📸🇺🇬 Michael / Pexels
05
Adventure & outdoors
For travellers who would rather walk it than watch it.
Adventure
Grade Five on the Nile
White-water rafting below the source at Jinja, plus bungee, kayaking and the long walk up Sipi.
Photo b40deep / Unsplash
Sipi, Elgon, Bisoke
Three waterfalls and a coffee walk at Sipi, then the long crater rim of Mount Elgon above it.
Lodges at the Forest Edge
Small lodges on the Bwindi ridge and the Kazinga Channel, close enough to walk to the trailhead after breakfast.
Photo 2H Media / Unsplash
06
Travel inspiration
The frames people come home with.
Photography / Scenic ViewsCrater Lakes at First Light
The Ndali-Kasenda crater field before the haze lifts, and the Ishasha fig trees in the late afternoon.
Photo Mwesigwa Joel / Pexels
Hidden GemsKidepo Valley
The furthest park from Kampala and the emptiest: Narus valley, the Morungole range, and cheetah nobody photographs.
Why Visit This Country
Half the World's Gorillas
Nowhere else puts gorillas, chimpanzees, the Big Five, a snowline and the Nile within one week of driving.
Half the World's Gorillas
Nowhere else puts gorillas, chimpanzees, the Big Five, a snowline and the Nile within one week of driving.
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