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There are places that have been unexplored and Uganda is one of those rare gems. Are you wondering why Uganda should be on your travel bucket list? Let’s explore a bit about the hidden gems of Uganda and things that you can do while you are there.
Uganda a place to explore:
Why Visit Uganda?
1. Crowd free:
Uganda doesn’t attract too many tourists so you don’t have to worry about the large crowds that can ruin your experience. If you are one of those travellers preferring calm and quiet places with less crowd then Uganda is the perfect destination.
2. Friendly localites:
Ugandans are the friendliest people and they love to welcome tourists/guests. They will greet you with warm and gigantic smiles wherever you travel.
Apart from being a beautiful country it has the most beautiful people you will ever come across.
3. The scenery:
Nothing compares to Uganda when it comes to serene silence, breathtaking scenes and the wilderness. Uganda is home to dense forest, freshwater lakes, mountain ranges and vast expanse of greenery that will awe you completely. Its incredible and diverse flora and fauna reflects upon the miracles of nature.
4. Adventure Opportunities:
Do you like thrills and adventures? Do you love the rush of adrenaline and the sense of excitement that adventure activities bring? Then it’s time you explore Uganda that offers thrilling activities like rafting, gorilla trekking, hot air balloon safaris and much more.
What is the best time to visit Uganda?
You may now wonder about what really is the best time to visit Uganda, and we are here to answer this query while you plan the trip.
In most parts of the region, one can expect an average of 1,000-2,000 millimetres of rainfall, however this may vary throughout the region. These rains generally occur between the months of April and June, and they are back again shortly from October to December. Around this time it rains heavily, although it is quickly followed by bright sunny weather.
So if you are a pluviophile (someone who loves the rains) then Uganda should be on your travel bucket list.
Infact you wouldn’t sweat much since the humidity is quite low in most parts of the country. But as we all know nature is full of miracles, due to high water evaporation (around 75-80%) in the basin of Lake Victoria, heavy showers with high humidity can be expected.
Uganda welcomes the dry season that occurs between the months of June to October and December to March.
Along with knowing the best places to visit in Uganda, let’s find out the seasons there:
Long wet season: April – June
Short rainy season: October – December
Dry time: June – October, December – March.
To make things simpler for you we share a customised itinerary that would help you plan your trip to Uganda.
Customised Itinerary
Day 1-3
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Placed in the south western part of Uganda, the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park covers about 321 sq.km. The forest is covered in mist and acts as home to 400 mountain gorillas, making it the main attraction of this place, as it is more than half of the whole population of mountain gorillas in the world.
As you are amidst the wilderness of the Park, surrounded by various species of Gorilla families, you will be awestruck to know that the forest houses 11 species.
A trek of your lifetime would be the Gorilla Trek - one of the top tourist activities to do here.
The thrill doesn’t stop here. You are in nature's womb that protects and houses 200 other species of butterflies, 360 species of beautiful birds, 120 species of mammals, 324 different kinds of tree species(of which, 10 cannot be found anywhere else in Uganda). Thus, making Uganda a place to explore.
We are sure you are gasping for breath while you read this endless list about Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Local communities treasure nature. There are many community initiatives that arrange tours here, some of them are:-
- The Buninga forest walk
- Nyundo community eco-trails
- Nkuringo cultural centre and
- The NCCDF
So, are you excited to visit this nature’s galore?
Let’s find out the best time to visit Bwindi Impenetrable National Park:
June and August is considered to be the peak trekking time and known to be the best season to visit here.
The warm and bright weather makes it a really fun time to go and also makes it easier for trekking. If you love trekking do visit the Park and we are sure that you would vouch for Bwindi Impenetrable National Park to be the best places to visit in Uganda.
Hotel: Buhoma Lodge
Average Price: $250-350 per night
Day 4-6
Queen Elizabeth National Park Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda Safaris & Tours
Located in the western part of Uganda, we find the Queen Elizabeth National Park. It stretches along the many districts of Rukungiri, Kasese, Kamwenge, Bushenyi and Bundibugyo filled with diversity. This is just your fourth day in Uganda but by now you must be convinced that you’ve chosen the right place to visit.
Ugandans have many anecdotes to share with their guests. We are sharing one with you:-
There is a park that covers around 1978 sq.km. of surface area, which used to exist as Lake Edward and Lake George Game Reserves in the 1920s. Later it was renamed to Kazinga National Park by the British Colonial Government. The localites might be able to elaborate on this story and share more of their experiences from the past and how the place has transformed.
This is one of the most popular destinations in Africa for tourists to visit. The park is popularly called as "medley of wonders' and we are here to share with you why it is called so.
You will be amidst 10 primate species and around 600 species of birds. Getting a picturesque view of the Kazinga Channel and the Rwenzori Mountains will be the most memorable experiences of your lifetime.
The huge swamp areas and the beautiful savannah around George lake are also quite the attraction. A lesser known fact about the Queen Elizabeth National Park stretches over the equator, there are monuments on both sides of the road and this marks the point where the equator crosses latitude 00.
Queen Elizabeth National Park is also known for its alluring wildlife, cultural heritage and history. You will surely be able to converse with the local communities with the help of tour guides. Live through all the entertaining styles of music and storytelling offered here to make this a truly a fabulous trip!
The best time to visit here would be in the months of January, February, June and July.
Hotel: Mweya Safari Lodge
Average Price: $300-400 per night
Day 7-12
Murchison Falls and Ssese Islands:
Ideally it would be great if you could spend 3 days at each of these destinations to explore them to the fullest.
Witness the beautiful waterfalls burst out into a loud and powerful curtain! If you visit Murchison Falls by a safari tour, or a boat cruise on the Victoria Nile, you will definitely not want to miss this. You can also explore the Murchison Falls Conservative Area where you can find elephants, giraffes, leopards, buffalos and the famous African lions.
The best time to visit here is during the Dry season of December to February. The Wet season between June and November is also known to be the most beautiful time to visit this nature’s galore.
Hotel: Mabamba Lodge
Average Price: $128 per night
Ssese Islands:
This collection of 84 islands is dotted along the northwestern shores of Lake Victoria. Each of them are unique in their own shape, size, flora and fauna. It is one of the major tourist attractions here and one of the best places to visit in Uganda.
The best time to visit is between June to August and December to February.
You can sight chimpanzees and walk the white shores of the calming beaches, go horse riding and windsurfing. Infact you can just soak in the beautiful views of these islands. The Bantu people here are warm and welcoming. You can learn so much more about the place and culture when you strike up a conversation with them thus, making Uganda a place to explore.
Hotel: Brovad Sands Lodge
Average Price: $120 per night
Now that we have learnt about Uganda's tourist spots, let’s look at their local culture.
Local culture and Festivals of Uganda:
Festivals in Uganda:
Uganda has very diverse and creative forms of art. If you travel to the village side, you will find the different kinds of handmade baskets and jewellery, carvings, and ceramics. There is a special kind of fabric produced here too, it is the batik fabric; colourful, artistic and alluring.
Life in Uganda is enriched with colourful events and festivals, one of them is the Kampala City Festival. It brings all the citizens of Uganda together.
The "Imbalu'' festival is another popular event where young men who have just undergone circumcision take part in traditional songs and dances.
When the season of harvest approaches, the people celebrate the Ekyooto festival. The Nyege Nyege festival is celebrated on the banks of river Nile. Many artists around the globe come here with their passion for e-music! It is so true that music is an universal language and breaks all barriers. These are just a few celebrations that one can experience during their stay in this marvellous place.
Local food in Uganda:
The local foods of Uganda are also something that add essence to its uniqueness, let us explore some of the famous ones.
Kagoto, which means mixture, is a traditional breakfast. The key components of this dish are matooke, that is peeled green bananas, which is mixed with a sauce made from beans, offal, cow ghee, groundnuts and beef.
Namungodi, the Ugandan rice balls, are a deep-fried snack made of mashed potatoes mixed with boiled rice, coated in rice and then dipped in beaten eggs with spices for flavour. These crispy golden brown deliciousness is something you do not want to miss on your visit here!
Homestays in Uganda:
Let's look at some places for homestays in Uganda, according to INR. (Note that these are approximations). When you get in touch with a tour operator to know about the place to stay in Uganda, ensure that they are using travel management software. It reflects upon their efficiency to handle enquiries.
Engiri Game Lodge and Campsite - 5,500
Hyena Hill Lodge - 10,000
Ihamba Lakeside Safari Lodge - 15,000
Sambiya river Lodge - 17,000
Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge - 19,000
Engagi Lodge - 39,000
Elephant Plains Lodge - 50,000
Lemala Wildwaters Lodge - 50,000
The whole average for a good trip to Uganda comes around $3,000-5,000 per person.
Dos and Don’ts
These are a few Dos and Don’ts that you could follow on your visit to this beautiful country.
Let’s start first with the Don’ts:
- Do not drink tap water, try getting bottled water or boil your water.
- Do not skip your malaria medication and be careful of your environment.
- Do not be biased or afraid to eat the food that is prepared here in the correct manner. Respect their traditions and culture.
- Do not use your credit cards in Kampala, although you can use your debit cards at the ATM, at any bank.
- Do not expect everything to happen on time, sometimes procedures may take time.
- Do not get critical or upset if things do not go according to how you thought it would.
Now, let us look at the Dos:
- Do use plenty of sunscreen on your trip here, especially when you're in the sun to prevent you from having a sunburn.
- Do keep all your important documents, like passports, and other stuff like money securely very close to you at all times.
- Do adopt a team mindset. Communicate and form relations with others as a team.
- Do wash your hands and scrub them well nicely with soap and water before eating.
- Do take a lot of one hundred dollar bills (from the year 2003 onwards) which are in good condition to get the best exchange rate.
- Do drink a lot of water and stay hydrated at all times since it is a very heaty place. You must always carry a water bottle with you.
- Do use a mosquito/insect repellent to push off all the pests away from any nasty bites!
- Do take liberty in taking photographs of the beautiful place. However, keep in mind to ask for permission when it comes to individuals and buildings that are owned by the government authorities (which are usually under CCTV surveillance) before clicking, to remain on the safer side.
- Do show respect and admiration to the people, heritage, traditions and culture of Uganda to the citizens around.
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Connect with our team and request for a free demo ETOS | Book A Free Demo | Contact us (etosglobal.com) as well.
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