In Uganda there is something for everyone, from extreme sports such as white water rafting on the Nile, to safaris in Queen Elizabeth National Park, to trekking the Ruwenzori Mountains, to beautiful lush landscapes and stunning lakes. But obviously the highlight of all them is tracking the chimpanzees and mountain gorillas!
Hassle Free Safaris
Companies like Equatorial Wild Safaris offer some great tours to discover the country and go to all the places you’ve never been to. It is a brilliant way to explore the country, completely hassle free because you have everything planned out for you. Being on a tour is also a great way of meeting like-minded people and it’s especially good if you are on a tight schedule.
Some people however choose to travel independently. If you like the outdoors you will love the idea of being able to camp wherever you go. Uganda is a safe country to travel independently and you will meet a few other “muzungus” (white people) along the way. Using local transport is easy and there will always be someone to help you find your way around. English is one of Uganda’s national languages which makes it quite easy to travel.
Whether you are on a tour or not, be sure to try out the most common means of transport: Boda bodas aka the motorbikes. You will get a rush of adrenaline riding along those red dirt roads. It is however not for the faint hearted!
Kibale National Park
Depending on your itinerary Kibale National Park could be your first stop. The main activity here is chimpanzee tracking, as well as bird watching and bush walks. To track the chimpanzees we can book permits for you at $150 per person. There are two tracking times a day.
Not far into the trek you get to spot your first group of chimps after about an hour’s walk; sometime they are all up in the trees messing around until they finally climb down. The groups available for tracking are habituated so they did not feel phased with your presence. You have a total of 2 hours with them. It is incredible how human like they look!
Queen Elizabeth National Park
This park offers various safaris, boat cruises, bird watching tours and the quest for the famous tree climbing lions. You will need a driver to get into the park if you are travelling independently. We offer a gorilla safari tour that will take you to the park for five days to enjoy the game drive and boat cruise.
Imagine within 20 minutes of entering the park are already snapping pictures of warthogs, various deer, impalas and elephants. It always seems like you have done a game drive just by driving from the entrance to the accommodation on the Mweya Peninsula!
The park also offers a 2 hour boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel which connects the two lakes within the national park. It is about $25 per person and you get to see large quantities of different animals, the likes of elephants, hippos, buffalos, eagles, crocodiles, deers, monitor lizards, snakes and a huge array of birds including pink pelicans. This is definitely a trip I recommend to all.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
There are only roughly 700 mountain gorillas left in the world and Uganda is one of the 3 places in world where you can see them in their natural habitat. It is a once in a lifetime experience that we highly recommend! If you are travelling independently be sure you book your permits a few months in advance via the Uganda Wildlife Authority ($500 per person) but if you looking for a hassle free itinerary we can do the booking for you.
While at the park you have to set off early in the morning with your group and walk for over an hour sometimes less than that until you reach a family gorillas. It is such an incredible feeling to stand within 5 meters of a 220kg Silverback who feels comfortable with your close presence!
You do need to be quite fit for this. This park is appropriately named Bwindi Impenetrable as you will crawl and make your way through the thick vegetation and steep climbs. It is well worth the effort though!
Lake Bunyonyi
Lake Bunyonyi located in the South Western part of Uganda is a must see and is a sight for sore eyes. It is a massive lake comprised of 29 small islands, some of which have accommodation. While there make sure to go to the view point for spectacular views over it all.
Many come here to relax after the gorilla tracking or on their way to Rwanda as the border is only a few miles away. It is also the only clean and hippo/crocodile free lake in that region! Yet another example of how amazing this country is!
Interested in visiting?
Uganda is without a doubt a country I recommend visiting and if you’d like more information on visiting Uganda or including it as part of your round the world trip, visit http://www.equatorialwildsafaris.com/.
Email: office@equatorialwildsafaris.com
Mobile : +256 777 048645
No comments:
Post a Comment
Leave a comment...