Africa Hash 2009 :: Place to visit in Uganda

Places to Visit In Uganda

There is much to see and do in Uganda and you might want to look at options and excursions to do after the congress. Following are a list of places recommended to visit. If you wish to tour the country before or after the congress we recommend you use one of the tour operators listed the tourism services page of this site.

Jinja – the Source of the Nile, a short drive from Kampala, lots of places to stay, and for those of you brave enough, white water rafting.

Ssese Islands (just in case you haven’t had enough of living on an island!) – camping, site seeing and relaxing.

Lake Mburo National Park – this park covers 256 sq kms and is the only National Park to contain an entire lake. It has the largest number of impala and is only one of two parks that has zebra. (It is also the closest national park to Kampala.)

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park – situated near the beautiful Kisoro Town, overlooking Lakes Butunda and Bunyonyi. Mgahinga is one of two places in Uganda for gorilla viewing, however, this particular group move between DRC and Uganda so are not always viewable from this side. If they are around, gorilla permits are cheaper than Bwindi (the other site) a much less strenuous walk and quite often only a short walk away.

Kibale Forest NP

Lake Bunyonyi – for camping, relaxing, canoe rides on the lake and a good place to stay either on the way, or on the way back, to/from the gorillas.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park – 10 hours drive from Kampala, is famous for gorilla trekking. As it’s name suggests “impenetrable”, a little harder trekking and gorilla permits are more expensive but well worth the visit. Permits available only through the UWA office.

Kibale Forest National Park – home to the largest community of wild chimpanzees, Kanyanchu Tourist Centre is the flagship site for wild chimpanzee trekking. Kibale Forest has over 13 species of primate including the chimpanzee. A must!

Murchison Falls NP

Fort Portal – the town you drive through before getting to Kibale. Lots of lovely places to stay and wonderful views of the Rwenzori Mountain range (or “Mountains of the Moon” as they are also known).

Rwenzori Mountains National Park – Located on Mt Rwenzori, the second highest mountain in Africa. Recently re-opened to visitors, for those of you brave enough to climb the mountains, we hear that it is an amazing experience.

Queen Elizabeth National Park – one of Uganda’s oldest national parks, home to a large array of wildlife (elephants, lions, hyaenas, hippos, etc.), with the famous “Kazinga Channel” trip, where you will see the largest number of hippos and birdlife in Uganda.

Semliki NP

Murchison Falls National Park – with the stunning falls and views, another great place to visit.

Budongo Forest Reserve – we work in collaboration with the Budongo Forest Project (BFP) who are researching and habituating chimpanzees. The birdlife is rich and the forest is magical.

Mount Elgon National Park – for the adventurous climber, Mt Elgon is an extinct volcano and the 4th highest mountain in Africa and the 2nd highest peak in Uganda (4321m). The parks has magnificent waterfalls, caves, gorges and hot springs. Excellent for hiking with incredible views of Karamoja andenya.

Mount Elgon NP

Sipi Falls (not far from Mount Elgon) – stunning falls with amazing views of the Karamoja plains. The Crows Nest offers tented camping or log cabin accommodation, with great food (salsa and guacamole!) and the best views of the falls from their camp.

Lake Mburo NP

Kidepo Valley National Park – not so accessible without a vehicle, and extremely remote in the very north of the Uganda, bordering Sudan, has a wonderful array of unhabituated wildlife, set in the picturesque Karamoja plains.