Reasons why you should visit Uganda
Stunning marine attractions
- Four of East Africa’s great lakes: Lake Victoria, Lake Kyoga, Lake Albert and Lake Edward
- Lake Victoria is the world’s second largest fresh-water lake at 68,000 sq. km
- Ssese Islands is a paradise with an array of white sandy beaches, birds and beautiful vegetation
- Lake Bunyonyi is believed to be the second deepest lake in Africa with a depth ranging between 44m and 900m.
- River Nile which is the longest river in the world, covering 6695 kilometers (4184 miles) in length flows and has its source in Uganda.
- Murchison falls (huge volumes of River Nile waters force their way into a gorge which is less than 10 meters wide (other falls include; – Sipi, Kalagala, Sezibwa, Itanda falls etc.)
- 12 wetlands of International Importance designated under the Ramsar Convention (RAMSAR sites)
Scenic landscape and mountains
- Kigezi region is referred to as the Switzerland of Africa because of its scenic landscape & weather
- Rwenzori (5,109 m) is permanently snowcapped, a rare condition in equatorial Africa.
- Mt Rwenzori was voted among the top hiking places in Africa and among the top hiking spots in the world
- Virunga volcanoes in south-western Uganda were voted “A must see place for 2012” and among the 12 places one has to visit in their life time
- Other interesting mountains for hiking include: – Mt. Elgon (Africa’s 17thhighest mountain), Mt. Mgahinga, Mt. Muhabura, Mt. Moroto, etc.
Gorillas and other primates
- Uganda has the largest mountain gorilla population in the world (over 400 of them). Less than 800 gorillas survive in the world today.
- There are over 5,000 chimpanzees found in Uganda (Kibale forest alone holds a population of more than 1,000 chimpanzees).
- Other primates include: – monkeys, baboons and nocturnal primates such as Bush babies and Pottos etc.
A diversity of bird species
- With more than 1,000 bird species, Uganda is home to over 50% of the entire bird population in Africa.
- Queen Elizabeth national park has over 605 species, the largest of any protected area in Africa
- Bwindi Impenetrable National Park was voted Africa’s number one birding site (2012) by the African Bird club.
A diversity of wild game
- A total of 10 national parks
- Big five (Lion, elephant, leopard, buffalo, rhinoceros)
- The best place to see tree climbing lions in Africa is in Ishasha in Queen Elizabeth National park
- Other game includes: – antelopes, cheetah, giraffes, warthogs, crocodiles, hyenas, hippopotamus etc.