Uganda, now peaceful - with a low crime rate, has rebuilt itself into a great tourist destination especially for action adventure seekers and for primate enthusiasts.

Visitors disembarking at peaceful Entebbe just 40 km from the bright, bustling Ugandan capital city, Kampala will instantly be captivated by the beauty of the green, tree-lined shore of Lake Victoria.

As they make their way into this friendly country with abundant forests, lakes, rivers, savannah and mountains, they will notice that the even the towns and cities are bursting with life of every kind.

Uganda, the source of the Nile, was referred to by Winston Churchill as the Pearl of Africa. It is a place of breathtaking waterfalls; where you can you climb up an equatorial snow capped mountain, go white water rafting on water with 10 times the volume of the Zambezi and spot over 1000 bird species, all in the same country. It is also home to over half the world’s remaining Mountain Gorillas.

Accommodation in Uganda

According to myUganda.com. accommodation is not that expensive in Uganda. You can get a reasonably good hotel room for as little as $35 a night. So, whatever your budget and taste, you will find something that suits you, from the 5-star Sheraton in the centre of Kampala to Speke Resort Munyonyo on the shores of Lake Victoria and Hotel Diplamate on Muyenga Hill overlooking the city.

All the national parks and major tourist sites have either hotels or camping sites or both. Camping charges can be as low as $5 a night. You can bring your own tent, buy or hire one Kampala

Wetlands and Islands in Uganda

Roughly one-quarter of Uganda’s surface area consists of wetlands, ranging from vast inland seas to the mysterious marshy expanse of Lake Kyoga, formed by the Nile as it drains into a shallow sump at the center of the country. Renowned for its water birds and dense population of otters, mountain-ringed Lake Bunyonyi is one of Uganda’s most rapidly developing wetland destinations.

The jewel in Lake Victoria’s crown is the Ssese Archipelago with its 84 islands - some large and dotted with local fishing villages, others small and uninhabited – are all well-watered and lushly forested.

Game Parks in Uganda

• Semiliki National Park
• Kibale National Park
• Kidepo Valley National Park
• Mt. Rwenzori National Park
• Mt. Elgo National Park
• Queen Elzabeth National Park
• Mugahinga National Park
• Bwindi National Park
• Murchison Falls National Park
• Lake Mburo National Park

Trust Tours and Travel offers these exciting short tours within Uganda:

• 4 Days Lake Mburo-Bwindi Impenetrable National Parks
• 3 Days: Kampala-Kibaale National Park
• 3 Days Murchison Falls
• 5 Days: Kampala-Queen Elizabeth
• 5 Days Gorilla Trekking - Bwindi and Virunga

They also offer sport fishing in Lake Victoria and Murchison Falls; White Water rafting and the churning white water rapids at Bujagali; chimp expeditions to Kibale National Park and Ngamba Island and gorilla tracking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and Mugahinga Forest National Park. The Rwenzoris have for centuries been the cause of speculation, mystery, myth and fable. Mountaineers are invited to accept the challenge of the snowy peaks towering over 5000 meters above the equatorial jungle. The Virunga Volcanoes and Mount Elgon, both offer highly rewarding hiking opportunities through awesome highland scenery.

Acacia Safaris, based in Kampala, offers itineraries for tours and safaris ranging from three to 18 days to explore the beauty of Uganda. They also tailor the package to suit the needs of the tourist. Acacia Safaris also does Tours and Safaris in neighboring countries. Take a look at the Uganda Safari’s they have on promotion for 2007/8.

Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project

The Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project (MGVP), based at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, provides much needed health care to the highly endangered mountain gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda and the DRC. It is one of few conservation programs in the world to provide health care and treatment to an endangered species in its natural habitat.

Everything a visitor wants to know about Kampala from street maps to restaurants can be found in the Kampala City Guide.

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