Uganda
Welcome to the “Pearl of Africa”
Home to the highest mountain range in Africa, Mountains of the Moon in the Rwenzori National Park, Uganda is Africa condensed, with the best of everything the continent has to offer packed into one small but stunning destination. It is the source of the mighty Nile, offering some of the best white-water rafting in the world. It has the highest concentration of primates on earth, including the majestic mountain gorilla, not to mention scenery so striking that it looks like an oil painting.
On the shores of Lake Victoria sits Entebbe and neighboring city of Kampala, Lake Albert and Lake Edward offer typical Rift Valley lakes. Mountains, Savannahs and Lakes make up a unique topography with the Source of the Nile in Jinja and Murchison Falls highlight a the river that cuts thru the middle of the park creating an explosion of water with excellent wildlife viewing, fishing for Nile Perch and even the rare shoebill stork.
Tropical forests of large protected areas, Volcanic craters, fertile grassy plains of Queen Elizabeth National Park and Kibale offer exciting primate viewing of Chimpanzees, blue monkey and many others. Primates abound in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park & Virunga Mountains and Mahinga where trekking the endangered Mountain Gorilla and Golden Monkeys can be added to a bucket list. Plains Game, predators and some of the continents most incredible and hard to find birds can be found throughout the Reserves and National Parks.
Sample Itineraries:
Key Facts
Geography
Uganda is located in Eastern Africa, just west of Kenya. It is a landlocked country astride the equator, about 800 kilometers inland from the Indian Ocean. It lies on the northwestern shores of Lake Victoria, extending from 1 south to 4 north latitude and 30 to 35 east longitude. The country is only slightly smaller than the state of Oregon with a 236,040 sq km area. To compliment the already beautiful Lake Victoria, there are also many other lakes and rivers, as well as mountains.
Currency
The Ugandan Shilling isbroken up into 100 cents and denominations of the shilling are 10, 50, 100, 200, 500 shillings. They also have banknotes with denominations of 1000, 5000, 10000, 20000, and 50000 shillings.
Entry Requirments
US nationals require a valid passport and a visa, which can be obtained on arrival.
Health
Routine vaccinations for measles/mumps/rubella (MMR) vaccine, diphtheria/pertussis/tetanus (DPT) vaccine, poliovirus vaccine are recommended to be up to date. CDC yellow fever vaccination recommendation for travelers to Uganda: For all travelers >9 months of age. Uganda requires travelers arriving from countries where yellow fever is present to present proof of yellow fever vaccination. Vaccination should be given 10 days before travel and at 10-year intervals if there is ongoing risk. Also highly recommended are the Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Typhoid, Meningitis, Rabies, and Polio vaccinations.
Climate & Best Time to Travel
Uganda's equatorial climate provides plentiful sunshine, moderated by the relatively high altitude of most areas of the country. Mean annual temperatures range from about 16° C in the southwestern highlands to 25° C in the northwest; but in the northeast, temperatures exceed 30° C about 254 days per year. Northeastern corner of the country, rainfall is well distributed. The southern region has two rainy seasons, usually beginning in early April and again in October. Little rain falls in June and December. In the north, occasional rains occur between April and October, while the period from November to March is often very dry. Uganda can be visited at any time, though mountain hikes, gorilla tracking and other forest walks are more challenging during the rains, which generally peak over mid-September to November and March to May.
Electricity
​240V 50HZ (UK Plug Type)