5 Tips To Make Successful Uganda Travel Plans

Uganda is a new undiscovered destination in East Africa. Situated across the equator Uganda has the best weather and climate and receives sunshine 365 days a year thus majority of the tourists travel to Uganda to escape winter from North America and Europe. So when the winter arrives you might be looking forward to some holiday to Africa. While there are many destinations in Africa, Uganda can offer you the chance to have enriching holiday experience.

The locals are friendly and welcoming and its one of the reasons why tourists love Uganda because of its people. Uganda is home to half of the world’s mountain gorilla population and the country is becoming a popular destination for gorilla trekking safaris. However, there are lots of good reasons for visiting Uganda. There are things anyone planning to travel to Uganda for a holiday should know.

Have a plan of things you want to do on safari in Uganda

Even if you are to self-drive or backpacking, don’t fail to get advice from a Ugandan travel expert. You have a plan of the activities and destinations but you need to know what to expect on ground. For instance, will you hire a car with a guide or travel from one place to another by public transport. It is important to get in touch with a tour operator will pay attention to all the details of a trip, from booking accommodation to crafting an itinerary that is tailor made to your budget and time. It’s good to get organized before you arrive in Uganda.

The Wildlife

Uganda has 10 national parks, 13 wildlife reserves and several sanctuaries which are home to a diversity of flora and fauna. It has more than 1000 species of birds, half of the world’s mountain gorilla population, big 5 African mammals and highest concentration of primates including chimpanzees. In fact game viewing activities such as gorilla tracking, chimpanzee tracking, birding, game drives, boat cruises are on top of the things tourists come to do in Uganda. If you happen to travel to Uganda for other reasons, the shortest time you ever get can be utilized for 2 days wildlife safari in Lake Mburo national park. As well as there are many short break safaris in Uganda. If you are planning extended or week-long safaris in Uganda, there are tailor made itineraries taking in the western Ugandan tourism circuit that includes Murchison Falls National park, Kibale forest national park, Queen Elizabeth national park and Bwindi impenetrable forest national park.

Beautiful scenery

Uganda is blessed with a variety of spectacular landscapes. From tropical forests, snowcapped mountains and volcanoes, semi-arid, savannah wilderness, to wetlands, lakes and rivers, you can expect to find any kind of environment. Such a collection of breathtaking landscapes means that Uganda a paradise for outdoor and nature photographers.

Activities

You will never run out of things to do when you visit Uganda. With the diverse wildlife national parks, rivers and lakes, mountains and rainforests, it means that there are a lot of activities to enjoy on a safari. The best of all, Uganda offers the chance to hike on foot through rainforests like Bwindi and Kibale in search of the great apes; the mountain gorillas and chimpanzees.  In the Southwestern side of Uganda tourists can walk the trails of some of the ancient forest hunter gatherers- BaTwa pygmies the elders of civilization. In the central part of Uganda, there’s Lake Victoria- the largest fresh water lake in Africa which offers access to its tropical islands and beaches. Lake Victoria is believed to be the source of River Nile, the world’s longest river located in Jinja city eastern Uganda. Visitors to Jinja can enjoy rafting or kayaking the river Nile.

Snowcapped Ruwenzori Mountains towering 5109 meters above sea level offer world class mountaineering experience. For avid hikers, reaching the summit of Ruwenzori can take 8-12 days. Those who prefer low altitude hiking can try climbing the Virunga volcanoes in Mgahinga gorilla national park southwestern Uganda.

Straddle the Equator

Uganda is situated across the equator. This is an imaginary line that divides the earth into northern and southern hemispheres. There are three equator monuments in Uganda. The most popular is located in Masaka district along the tourist route to south western Uganda. It is about 1-2 hours’ drive from Kampala thus it’s easier to access and take pictures while standing at the equator. The other equator monument is found in Queen Elizabeth national park and in Entebbe.