Uganda is known as the pearl of Africa for a reasons best described by Winston Churchill after exploring Uganda in 1907, he wrote: “For magnificence, for variety of form and colour, for profusion of brilliant life – bird, insect, reptile, beast — for vast scale — Uganda is truly the Pearl of Africa”.
Home to 45 million people covering an area the size of the UK, Uganda is a thriving destination with various opportunities for the more adventurous traveller. It forms an East African Community with Kenya and Tanzania, with Tanzania located pretty much in the heart of the continent and bordering the Democratic Republic of Congo to the west, Rwanda to the south, and Sudan to the north.
Uganda straddles the Equator, offering anyone who wants a Walk to Remember moment where you can stand in two places at once. The Uganda Equator site is located in Lake Mburo National Park. Because it sits on the Equator, Uganda enjoys plenty of sunny days. It also receives plenty of rainfall, so rivers gush, waterfalls impress, the vegetation is exuberant, and the landscape is green.
The main attraction
Home to half of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas, Uganda offers trekking expeditions through local villages and canopies of rainforests. Here you can get the rare opportunity to see a family of gorillas nesting among the bamboo. And as if that’s not enough of an adventure, you can also stand at the foot of the continent’s tallest mountain range and see the source of the White Nile.
The Queen Elizabeth National Park is famous for its unique tree-climbing lions that rest in the giant fig tree branches. Come to Uganda and see if you agree with Winston Churchill.
The best time to visit Uganda’s wildlife is during the dry seasons, which are from;
- June to September
- December to March