Recently, Uganda realigned her identity as the most ideal travel and tourism destination in the world, not only for backpackers but also adventure-seeking travelers, tourists, and nature enthusiasts. From the low-lying dry Savannah plains of Kidepo Valley National Park to the high-elevating snow-capped Rwenzori mountains, the country is indeed the place to be.
Her natural areas blessed to harbor several rare species led to the gazetting of the various conservation areas to further boost the readiness to receive travelers seeking all sorts of adventure. Indeed, visits to the country reveal why the renowned old-time explorer Winston Churchill named the country – “the Pearl of Africa”. No other statement could define it better!
When is the best time to visit Uganda?
Uganda is one of the countries on the African continent that are crossed by the equator. This great natural selection opportunity comes along with the benefits of two seasons a year. Uganda has both the dry and wet seasons throughout the year. The wet seasons run from March to May and from September to November.
They are travel times as well but not as compared to their counterparts – the dry seasons. The dry seasons in Uganda are categorized into two that is to say the long and the short dry seasons with the long dry season running from early June to late August and the short seasons that ran from early December to late February.
The dry seasons are the ideal times to visit Uganda and indulge in a series of activities simply because they have limited weather interruptions.
What to do in Uganda?
Game drives. Game drives present the exhilarating adventure of observing wildlife species in their natural habitats. Uganda has plenty of National Parks and wildlife reserves offering game drives.
Visitors get the opportunity to observe beautiful wildlife creatures, especially the African Bush elephants, forest buffaloes, hippopotami, crocodiles, leopards, jackals, serval cats, lions, zebras, giraffes, and antelopes. The game drives are carried out in Kidepo Valley National Park, Murchison Falls National Park, Queen Elizabeth, and Lake Mburo National Parks Not forgetting the several wildlife reserves scattered in several parts of the country for example Matheniko Bokora, Pian Upe to mention but a few.
Boat rides.
Boat rides are carried out on the magnificent freshwater bodies in the country. Visitors are presented with a once-in-a-lifetime realm of an adventure of watching several wildlife creatures as they cruise on the breathtaking water bodies encompassing lakes, rivers, and wetlands.
Boat rides are usually carried out in Murchison Falls National Park where they are launched to the view of Murchison Falls – the world’s strongest waterfalls, lake Mburo, Kazinga Channel in the outskirts of Queen Elizabeth National Park, River Nile in Jinja, Lake Victoria and several other water bodies.
Hiking.
Hiking is yet another adrenaline-triggering activity offered in Uganda. The activity gets travelers excited especially by the breathtaking views it presents and the physical fitness challenge. It is an activity that is only for a few selected individuals, the ones who are not scared of taking up the challenge and are not limited by the high altitudes.
Hiking is done in Mount Elgon National Park, Rwenzori Mountains, Mount Mgahinga National Park, and on several highlands in the country.
Mountain gorilla trekking.
Mountain gorilla trekking is one of the activities in Uganda that attracts masses from all corners of the world. It is important to note that Uganda is home to half of the world’s only remaining population of mountain gorillas.
These can be trekked and spent time in Bwindi Impenetrable and Mgahinga national parks.
Chimpanzee trekking.
The chimpanzee trekking activity is also offered in Uganda. It entails traversing through tropical rainforests in search of wild chimpanzees. Several chimpanzee families have been habituated in the past two decades in the country’s rainforests to enable chimpanzee tourism activities since the habituated chimpanzee families are free of human presence in their natural habitat.
They won’t charge to human beings unless provoked. Chimpanzee trekking is done in Kibale National Park, Budongo Forest on the outskirts of Murchison Falls National Park, and Kyambura Gorge near Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Source of the Nile tours.
Ever wondered where the source of the longest river in the world is? What if I told you that it is right in the heart of Uganda, the pearl of Africa? Visits to the source of the Nile are launched on a boat cruise with the guidance of an experienced tourist guide in Jinja.
Bird watching.
Bird watching is another activity to participate in when in Uganda. Uganda is home to over a thousand bird species. Some of the birds one can spot in Uganda include; standard winged nightjar, green-breasted pitta, bar-tailed trogon, black-breasted barbet, Shelley’s crimsonwing, bush shrikes, eastern plantain eater, African green pigeons, and pied kingfishers.