Uganda is the Pearl of Africa — Winston Churchill's phrase, still fully justified. It is a small, landlocked, equatorial country of extraordinary natural richness: mountain gorillas in the misty forests of the southwest, chimpanzees in riverine jungle, the source of the Nile, vast freshwater lakes, Nile-fed wetlands brilliant with birds, and a savanna wildlife corridor in the north that links to South Sudan's wilderness. For wildlife travellers, Uganda delivers at a level that rivals Kenya and Tanzania while receiving a fraction of the visitors.
Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is Uganda's defining experience and one of the most powerful wildlife encounters available anywhere on Earth. Bwindi protects around half the world's remaining mountain gorillas — approximately 450 individuals — in a dense, ancient forest of extraordinary biodiversity. Trekking to find habituated gorilla families takes between one and eight hours depending on where the gorillas have moved. When you find them — a silverback sitting in ferns while juveniles chase each other through tree branches and mothers nurse infants — the hour spent in their presence passes in a state of absorbed attention that few other wildlife encounters produce. The physical similarity to humans is confronting in the best possible way.
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in the far southwest, where Uganda, Rwanda and the DRC meet, offers both gorilla trekking and golden monkey tracking on the slopes of the Virunga volcanoes. The forest here is bamboo-rich and strikingly different from Bwindi.
Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale Forest National Park is more active than gorilla trekking — the chimps move fast and high through the forest canopy, crashing through branches as their social dynamics play out above you. Kibale holds the world's highest density of primates — 13 species including red colobus, grey-cheeked mangabey and olive baboon in addition to the chimps. The dawn chorus in the forest as different primate troops call across the canopy is one of nature's great sound experiences.
The Nile begins its 6,700-kilometre journey to the Mediterranean at Jinja, where Lake Victoria pours out as the Victoria Nile. Rafting the Nile's white water sections at Bujagali Falls was one of Africa's most popular adventure experiences before dam construction altered the water course — the river experience continues in revised form. Watching the Nile surge from a vast freshwater lake into a great African river is historically resonant and visually spectacular.
Queen Elizabeth National Park straddles the equator and the Kasese-Mbarara road, offering tree-climbing lions in Ishasha (famous individuals photographed sleeping in fig trees), hippos and crocodiles in the Kazinga Channel (accessible by boat safari), and savanna wildlife including buffalo, elephant and giant forest hog. The Maramagambo Forest within the park holds the famous bat caves where pythons feed on fruit bats.
Murchison Falls National Park in the northwest is Uganda's largest protected area. The Nile forces through a 7-metre gap in the rock here in a roar of white water that throws spray 100 metres — it is claimed to be the world's most powerful waterfall. Boat safaris to the base of the falls, through hippo and crocodile territory, are exceptional.
Kampala, the capital, is chaotic, creative and good-humoured. Its hilltop setting, markets, excellent roasted goat and matoke (steamed plantain) culture, and the energy of a young, rapidly growing African city make it more engaging than many visitors expect.
Uganda is the East African wildlife experience without the East African crowds. The gorillas alone make it worth the journey.
