Top Things To Do In Uganda

Top Things To Do In Uganda : Uganda is a country blessed with remarkable biodiversity and tourist attractions. From the climate, people, national parks, hot springs, waterfalls, sprawling savannahs, snow-peaked mountains, dense forests, rivers and Lakes, Uganda is the most naturally beautiful countries in Africa. For the reasons already mentioned Winston Churchill described her as the “Pearl of Africa”. Apart from the natural beauty, the other thing that makes Ugandan’s very special are their friendly nature. A lot of countries have friendly people but often in a selective way. Ugandans are friendly to all kinds and categories of foreigners. It is why she has arguably the best refugee policy in the world.

Most tourists come to Uganda to see the wildlife. Of all the wildlife Uganda has to offer, the Mountain gorilla is the most attractive. The mountain gorillas have allowed thousands of visitors to also discover good things about the country which wouldn’t have been the case had it not been for the primates. This is not to say that Uganda’s wildlife is not as that attractive. In fact, even without the Mountain gorillas, Uganda would still remain one of the best places to go on a safari in Africa. We have come up with a long list of the top tourist attractions in Uganda. The list is not exhaustive because Uganda has so much to offer.

Things to Do in Uganda – Tourist Attractions in Uganda

Gorilla Trekking : This had to be top on the list because it is the most popular activity in Uganda. Uganda is lucky to have half of the overall population of mountain gorillas and in two national parks – Bwindi and Mgahinga. Mountain gorillas are endangered but their numbers have grown to slightly above 1000 in the last decade. Bwindi has 17 habituated gorilla groups which are open to tourism while Top Tourist Attractions on Uganda Mgahinga has one large one.

Gorilla trekking in Bwindi National Park is special because it is the only park where one can also choose to for the gorilla habituation experience. The Gorilla habituation experience is different from gorilla trekking in that it involves more time with the primates. The gorilla habituation experience is also more expensive but participants get to move with researchers and learn more about the primates. To reach Bwindi, one needs to endure a journey of 8 hours by road (450km from Kampala). For nature lovers, the journey can be very rewarding because the scenery is simply amazing. The landscape, forests, water bodies, mountains and valleys seen along the way is why the area is referred to as “the Switzerland of Africa”. If you are not convinced, you can hire a chartered flight from Entebbe or Kajjansi for your gorilla safari to Bwindi.

Eat some of the local food : Whenever one visits a new place or country, the first thing that should come to mind is the local food. Uganda has a variety of tasty local dishes. Almost all the 64 tribes in Uganda have a traditional dish. Fish is always on the menu in every country and Uganda is no exception. A favorite cuisine is smoked fish mixed with peanut/groundnut sauce and taken with millet bread. The Baganda love matoke (bananas) and peanut sauce. This dish is very popular among tourists. Other local dishes include yams, pork, chicken, potatoes, vegetable and sorghum. The hotels also include most of the known international cuisines for visitors who are less experimental.

Lion Tracking and Spotting Tree Climbing Lions in Ishasha : Uganda is the best place to see tree Climbing Lions on earth. These rare cats are found in the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park. A few tee climbing lions are also found in Lake Manyara in Kenya and in South Africa. Things to do in UgandaThe tree climbing lions of Ishasha in Queen Elizabeth National Park are many and the chances of seeing them higher than anywhere else. Queen Elizabeth also offers another exciting opportunity – The chance to track lions in the Kasenyi sector with experienced Researchers. Lion tracking in Queen Elizabeth National Park involves the use of GPS.

A sensor is inserted into a collar which is then put around the lioness (after using a tranquilizer). The lion tracking experience is very different from that offered during game drives. During Uganda game drives, vehicles are not allowed to drive away from the main park roads. Tourists are also not allowed to get too close to the lions. With lion tracking, participants can be driven deeper into the park and away from the park roads as they follow the lions. Participants in the lion tracking experience may be requested to help in collecting samples from the lions after using a tranquilizer.