Uganda (Ugandan Languages: Yuganda ), officially the Republic of Uganda (Swahili: Jamhuri ya Uganda), is a landlocked country in East-Central Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The southern part of the country includes a substantial portion of Lake Victoria, shared with Kenya and Tanzania. Uganda is in the African Great Lakes region. Uganda also lies within the Nile basin and has a varied but generally a modified equatorial climate. Top Places to Visit In Uganda On Your Next Vacation
Uganda is named after the Buganda kingdom, which encompasses a large portion of the south of the country, including the capital Kampala. The people of Uganda were hunter-gatherers until 1,700 to 2,300 years ago, when Bantu-speaking populations migrated to the southern parts of the country.
Beginning in 1894, the area was ruled as a protectorate by the UK, which established administrative law across the territory. Uganda gained independence from the UK on 9 October 1962. The period since then has been marked by violent conflicts, including an eight-year-long military dictatorship led by Idi Amin.
The official languages are English and Swahili, although “any other language” may be used as a medium of instruction in schools or other educational institutions or for legislative, administrative or judicial purposes as may be prescribed by law.”Luganda, a central region-based language, is widely spoken across the Central and South Eastern regions of the country, and several other languages are also spoken, including Lango, Acholi, Runyoro, Runyankole, Rukiga, Luo and Lusoga.
Uganda’s current president is Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, who took power in January 1986 after a protracted six-year guerrilla war. Following constitutional amendments that removed term limits for the president, he was able to stand and was elected president of Uganda in the 2011, 2016 and in the 2021 general elections.
Top Places to Visit In Uganda On Your Next Vacation
Queen Elizabeth National Park
Queen Elizabeth National Park is a national park in Uganda.
Murchison Falls National Park Uganda
Murchison Falls National Park is a national park in Uganda and managed by the Ugandan Wildlife Authority. It is in north-western Uganda, spreading inland from the shores of Lake Albert, around the Victoria Nile, up to the Karuma Falls. Together with the adjacent 748 square kilometres Bugungu Wildlife Reserve and the 720 square kilometres Karuma Wildlife Reserve, the park forms the Murchison Falls Conservation Area
Kibale National Park
Kibale National Park is a national park in Western Uganda, protecting moist evergreen rain forest. It is 766 square kilometres in size and is located between 1,100 metres to 1,600 metres in elevation. Despite encompassing primarily moist evergreen forest, it contains a diverse array of landscapes. Kibale is one of the last remaining expanses to contain both lowland and montane forests. In eastern Africa, it sustains the last significant expanse of pre-montane forest. The park was gazetted in 1932 and formally established in 1993 to protect a large area of forest previously managed as a logged forest reserve. The park forms a continuous forest with Queen Elizabeth National Park. This adjoining of the parks creates a 180 kilometres wildlife corridor. It is an important eco-tourism and safari destination, popular for its population of habituated chimpanzees and twelve other species of primates. It is also the location of the Makerere University Biological Field Station.
Lake Mburo National Park
Lake Mburo National Park is a national park located in Nyabushozi County, Kiruhura District near Mbarara in Uganda
Lake Bunyonyi
Lake Bunyonyi is in south-western Uganda between Kisoro and Kabale, and it is close to the border with Rwanda. The lake appeared from 2004 to 2009 on the 5,000 Ugandan shilling note under the title “Lake Bunyonyi and terraces”. Scientific literature generally quote a maximum depth of 40 m, but some tourist guides and locals insist that it much deeper, about 900 m, which would make it the second-deepest lake in Africa. Towns on its shores include Kyevu and Muko, while its 29 islands include Punishment Island and Bushara Island.
Kidepo Valley National Park
Lake Bunyonyi is in south-western Uganda between Kisoro and Kabale, and it is close to the border with Rwanda. The lake appeared from 2004 to 2009 on the 5,000 Ugandan shilling note under the title “Lake Bunyonyi and terraces”. Scientific literature generally quote a maximum depth of 40 m, but some tourist guides and locals insist that it much deeper, about 900 m, which would make it the second-deepest lake in Africa. Towns on its shores include Kyevu and Muko, while its 29 islands include Punishment Island and Bushara Island.
Murchison Falls Uganda
Murchison Falls, also known as Kabalega Falls, is a waterfall between Lake Kyoga and Lake Albert on the Victoria Nile in Uganda. At the top of Murchison Falls, the Nile forces its way through a gap in the rocks, only 7 m wide, and tumbles 43 m, before flowing westward into Lake Albert. The outlet of Lake Victoria sends around 300 cubic meters per second of water over the falls, squeezed into a gorge less than 10 m wide. Some historians suggest that in 61 AD Roman legionaries reached the Murchison Falls, but there is a major controversy about this very difficult achievement. Samuel Baker and Florence Baker were the first Europeans who definitely sighted them. Baker named them after Roderick Murchison, the President of the Royal Geographical Society. The falls lend their name to the surrounding Murchison Falls National Park. During the regime of Idi Amin in the 1970s, the name was changed to Kabalega Falls, after the Omukama Kabalega of Bunyoro, although this was never legally promulgated. The name reverted to Murchison Falls following the downfall of Amin. It is still sometimes referred to as Kabalega Falls.
Sipi Falls
Sipi Falls is a series of three waterfalls in Eastern Uganda in the district of Kapchorwa, northeast of Sironko and Mbale. The waterfalls lie on the edge of Mount Elgon National Park near the Kenyan border. The Sipi Falls area is the starting point for many hikes up Mt. Elgon. The most popular route starts in Budadiri and follows the Sasa trail to the summit and then descends down the Sipi trail back into the Sipi Falls. Hikes around the falls offer stunning views of the Karamoja plains, Lake Kyoga, and the slopes of Mt. Elgon. Individuals can organise trips through the Uganda Wildlife Authority or local private operators. There are a number of lodges and backpackers / campsites in the area offering a range of accommodation for all budgets. With a cooler climate than most of the country Sipi Falls is a nice place to unwind, relax and literally chill out away from the hustle and bustle of the towns and cities. Being on the foothills of Mt. Elgon, Sipi offers a number of alternative activities to the mainstream river activities in and around Jinja.
Semuliki National Park
Semuliki National Park, is located in Bwamba County, a remote part of the Bundibugyo District, in the Western Region of Uganda. It was made a national park in October 1993 and is one of Uganda’s newest national parks. 219 km² of East Africa’s only lowland tropical rainforest is found in the park. It is one of the richest areas of floral and faunal diversity in Africa, with bird and butterfly species being especially diverse. The park is managed by the Uganda Wildlife Authority.
Rwenzori Mountains National Park
Rwenzori Mountains National Park is a Ugandan national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the Rwenzori Mountains. Almost 1,000 km² in size, the park has Africa’s third highest mountain peak and many waterfalls, lakes, and glaciers. The park is known for its beautiful plant life.
Kazinga Channel
The Kazinga Channel in Uganda is a wide, 32-kilometre long natural channel that links Lake Edward and Lake George, and a dominant feature of Queen Elizabeth National Park. The channel attracts a varied range of animals and birds, with one of the world’s largest concentration of hippos and numerous Nile crocodiles. Lake George is a small lake with an average depth of only 2.4 metres and which is fed by streams from the Rwenzori mountains. Its outflow is through the Kazinga Channel which drains into Lake Edward, water levels fluctuating very little. In 2005, large numbers of hippos were killed in the channel as a result of an anthrax outbreak, which occurs when animals eat remnants of vegetation in the driest months, absorbing bacterial spores that can live for decades in dry soil. The channel is described as a popular wildlife tourism area.
Muhavura Volcano
Mount Muhabura, also known as Mount Muhavura, is an extinct volcano in the Virunga Mountains on the border between Rwanda and Uganda. At 4,127 metres Muhabura is the third highest of the eight major mountains of the mountain range, which is a part of the Albertine Rift, the western branch of the East African Rift. Muhabura is partly in the Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda and partly in the Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Uganda. The name Muhabura means “The Guide” in the local language, Kinyarwanda. It can be seen from many parts of Uganda and Rwanda because of its slope.
Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary
Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is a private, non-profit, animal sanctuary in Uganda.
Kasubi Royal Tombs
The Kasubi Tombs in Kampala, Uganda, is the site of the burial grounds for four kabakas and other members of the Baganda royal family. As a result, the site remains an important spiritual and political site for the Ganda people, as well as an important example of traditional architecture. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in December 2001, when it was described as “one of the most remarkable buildings using purely vegetal materials in the entire region of sub-Saharan Africa”. Some of the major buildings there were almost completely destroyed by a fire in March 2010, the cause of which is under investigation. As a result, in July 2010 it was included in the list of World Heritage Sites in Danger. The Buganda Kingdom has vowed to rebuild the tombs of their kings and President Museveni said the national government of Uganda would assist in the restoration of the site. Reconstruction started in 2014, funded by the government of Japan.
Kibale Forest
Is a Diverse forest with tropics & woodlands.
Lake Mutanda
Lake Mutanda is a small freshwater lake in Uganda.
Chimpanzee Island Uganda
Chimpanzee sanctuary with guided tours
Uganda Wildlife Conservation Education
The Entebbe Wildlife Sanctuary is found in Uganda. It was established in 1951. This site is 51 square kilometres.
Ngamba Chimpanzee sanctuary on lake victoria
Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary, is an island sanctuary in Uganda, dedicated to the care of orphaned chimpanzees, that have been rescued by the Uganda Wildlife Authority. Many of the chimpanzees were rescued from poachers and are unlikely to survive reintroduction to the wild.
Uganda Museum
The Uganda Museum is located in Kampala, Uganda. It displays and exhibits ethnological, natural-historical and traditional life collections of Uganda’s cultural heritage. It was founded in 1908, after Governor George Wilson called for “all articles of interest” on Uganda to be procured. Among the collections in the Uganda Museum are playable musical instruments, hunting equipment, weaponry, archaeology and entomology.
Mabamba Swamp
Birdwatching hot spot for storks & more
Kyambura Game Reserve
Kyambura Game Reserve or Chambura Game Reserve, which includes the Kyambura Gorge, is part of the Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda. It is home to a variety of wildlife, including the only primates in the Queen Elizabeth National Park. The area is an important water source for many animals and is surrounded by savanna, but is generally noted for its high concentration of primate life located in the gorge.
Bujagali Hydropower Plant
Bujagali Falls was a waterfall near Jinja in Uganda where the Nile River comes out of Lake Victoria, sometimes considered the source of the Nile. Starting November 2011, the falls were submerged by the new Bujagali Dam.
Mabira forest
The Mabira Forest is a rainforest area covering about 300 square kilometres in Uganda, located in Buikwe District, between Lugazi and Jinja. It has been protected as Mabira Forest Reserve since 1932. It is home for many endangered species like the primate Lophocebus ugandae.
Uganda National Mosque
The Uganda National Mosque is a mosque located at Kampala Hill in the Old Kampala area of Kampala, Uganda. Completed in 2006, it seats up to 15,000 worshipers and can hold another 1,100 in the gallery, while the terrace will cater for another 3,500. Colonel Muammar Gaddafi of Libya commissioned the mosque as a gift to Uganda, and for the benefit of the Muslim population. Uganda has many mosques but this one is a skyscraper mosque. The completed mosque was opened officially in June 2007 under the name Gaddafi National Mosque, and housed the head offices of the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council. It was renamed “Uganda National Mosque” in 2013 following the death of Colonel Gaddafi as the new Libyan administration was “reluctant to rehabilitate the mosque under the old name.”
Uganda Martyrs Catholic Shrine Namugongo.
The Basilica of the Uganda Martyrs, Namugongo is a Roman Catholic minor basilica dedicated to the Ugandan Martyrs.
Kabaka’s Lake
Mount Speke
Mount Speke lies in the Ruwenzori Mountains National Park in Uganda and is the second highest mountain in this range. Together with Mount Stanley and Mount Baker, it forms a triangle enclosing the upper Bujuku Valley. The nearest peak is Mount Stanley, which is 3.55 kilometres to the south-southwest. The mountains lie within an area called ‘The Mountains of the Moon’. All mountains in this range consist of multiple jagged peaks. Mount Speke’s summits are Vittorio Emanuele 4,890 metres; Ensonga 4,865 metres; Johnston 4,834 metres; and Trident 4,572 metres. The names were chosen in respect for the Italian royal family; however, the name choice had to be approved by the British Protectorate of Uganda who ruled the region at that time. The people living on the mountains call the ‘Rwenzori’, which means ‘rain maker’ or ‘rain mountains’ in the Bakonjo language. The Baganda, who could see the mountains from far, used to call them ‘Gambaragara’, which means ‘My Eyes Pain’, a reference to the shining snow. The Bakonjo had their own names for the peaks in the Rwenzori range, however, as they had never climbed them, it was difficult to clarify which peak was which.
Katara Lodge
Kabaka’s Palace
Stately site with guided tours & gardens
Ndere Centre
Art shows & dance performances
St Mary’s Cathedral Rubaga
Saint Mary’s Cathedral Rubaga, commonly referred to as Rubaga Cathedral, is the parent cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kampala, the oldest Roman Catholic diocese in Uganda. It is the home church of Archbishop of Kampala.
Pian Upe Game Reserve
The Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve is a conservation area in the Karamoja subregion of northeastern Uganda. It is the second largest conservation protected area in Uganda.
SOURCE OF THE NILE EXCURSION
Mount Baker
Mount Baker or Kiyanja is a mountain in the Rwenzori Mountains National Park in Uganda, 2.8 kilometres from the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. With a height of 4,844 metres, it is the sixth highest mountain in Africa. Together with Mount Stanley and Mount Speke, it forms a triangle enclosing the upper Bujuku Valley. The nearest peak is Mount Stanley, which is 2.26 kilometres to the west. The mountains lie within an area called “The Mountains of the Moon”. Like all peaks in the Ruwenzori Range, Mount Baker has multiple jagged peaks along a ridge. The highest is Edward Peak. The ridge line of Mount Baker was first reached in January 1906 by the Austrian mountaineer Rubert Grauer accompanied by two British missionaries, H. E. Maddox and H. W. Tegart. In February of that year and again in April, the same rocky point was reached by an English expedition, including Alexander F. R. Wollaston, A. B. Wosnam, and M. Carruthers. The highest point of Mount Baker was finally climbed in June by an expedition led by the Duke of the Abruzzi, which climbed all peaks of the other five highest mountains of the Rwenzori.
Kalinzu Forest
Chimpanzee, forest, safari, pan and nature
Mount Moroto
Mount Moroto, also Moroto Mountain, is a mountain in Uganda. The native name for this mountain was Moru-To. It was named so due to the migratory movements of the natives westward.
Lake Katwe
Lake and mining
Mount Morungole
Mount Morungole lies within the Kidepo Valley National Park, north-east Uganda, Africa. It is in the rugged, semi-arid Karamoja province near the border with the Sudan. Neighbouring peaks are Mount Zulia, and the Labwor and Dodoth Hills reach heights in excess of 2,000 meters. The local inhabitants were the Ik, who were moved by a previous administration. They were attached to Mount Morungole considering it a sacred place.
Baha’i House of Worship
Speke Memorial Monument, source of the
Reptile village in Entebbe
Reptiles and lizards
Bulago Island
Bugungu Wildlife Reserve
Nature reserve, park and garden, wildlife and game reserve
Nyero Rock Paintings
The Nyero rock paintings are located in eastern Uganda in Kumi District, 8 km west of Kumi town, about 250 km from the capital city Kampala. The Nyero rock paintings are among the most important rock art in Uganda.
Lake Kyaninga
Namirembe Cathedral
Saint Paul’s Cathedral Namirembe, commonly referred to as Namirembe Cathedral, is the oldest cathedral in Uganda. It serves as the provincial cathedral of the Church of Uganda and the diocesan cathedral for Namirembe Diocese, the first diocese to be founded in the Church of Uganda province, in 1890. Between 1919 and 1967, the Cathedral served as the provincial cathedral of the Church of Uganda, Anglican Communion. In the 1960s, the headquarters of the Church of Uganda moved to All Saints Church in Nakasero then moved back to Namirembe later.
Owen Falls Dam
Nalubaale Power Station, formerly known as Owen Falls Dam, is a hydroelectric power station across the White Nile near to its source at Lake Victoria in Uganda. Nalubaale is the Luganda name for Lake Victoria.
Amabeere Caves
ishasha sector
Ziika Forest
The Ziika Forest, better known as the Zika Forest, is a tropical forest near Entebbe in Uganda. Ziika means “overgrown” in the Luganda language. As the property of the Uganda Virus Research Institute of Entebbe, it is protected and restricted to scientific research. The forest covers an area of about 25 hectares next to the swamps of Waiya Bay, an inlet of Lake Victoria. Easily accessible and combining several ecosystems, the Zika Forest is well suited to the study of mosquitoes. According to the UVRI, the size of the research area of the forest is about 12 hectares. The forest has a rich biodiversity in plants and moths, and is home to about 40 types of mosquitoes. The UVRI also maintains an insectarium. The forest is also accessible to visitors for bird watching. Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter once visited the forest for that purpose. The Zika virus as well as the moths Sidisca zika and Milocera zika are named after the forest. The Zika Forest is where the infected Aedes mosquito first spread Zika to rhesus monkeys, then spreading further to humans.
Owino Market
Fort Patiko
Tubing the Nile
Katonga Game Reserve
The Katonga Wildlife Reserve is a wildlife reserve in western Uganda, along the banks of the Katonga River. The reserve was established in 1998 and has approximately 211 square kilometres. Many of the species of plants and animals in the reserve are unique to its wetland environment.
Wild Frontiers Uganda Safaris
Trekking With Gorillas in Uganda
Independence Monument
Celebration of Uganda’s independence
Kibale Forest National park
Wild chimpanzees & bird spotting
White Nile Rafting
Ripon Falls
Ripon Falls at the northern end of Lake Victoria in Uganda was formerly considered the source of the river Nile. In 1862–3 John Hanning Speke was the first European to follow the course of the Nile downstream after discovering the falls that his intuition had marked as the source of the Nile. The water from Ripon Falls falls into a narrow opening and that is where some people believe the River Nile starts. He named the falls after George Robinson, 1st Marquess of Ripon, who was President of the Royal Geographical Society during 1859–60. The Falls functioned as a natural outlet for Lake Victoria, until in 1954 the construction of Owen Falls Dam was completed, effectively extending Lake Victoria and submerging Ripon Falls.
Queen Elizabeth National Park safari
Echuya Forest
Semuliki Wildlife Reserve
Entebbe Botanical Garden
Garden
Tororo Rock
Tororo Rock is a rock formation located in the town of Tororo in the Eastern Region of Uganda. It serves as the defining feature of the town. It is also a tourist attraction being climbable in around an hour. The climb involves four ladders up the last sections but the walk does not require any skill. A tour guide is recommended and a small fee is charged to non-nationals, as of December 2017. On top of the hill is a radio mast and accompanying power substation. Also at the summit are cell towers belonging to the leading telecommunication network companies operating in Uganda, including Airtel Uganda, MTN Uganda and Uganda Telecom. There is also a closed down cable car that has remained unused for a number of years.
Uganda Equator
Itanda Falls
The Itanda Falls are rapids on the White Nile river in Uganda. They are a challenge for kayakers, being graded at the highest level of difficulty.
Lake Nkuruba
Lake, nature, camping and forest
Jinja Nile Bridge
Banda Island
Lake Mulehe
Tooro Botanical Gardens
Mabira Forest
Kitandara Lakes
Mpanga Forest
Mpanga Central Forest Reserve is a Central Forest Reserve in Uganda, covering 453 hectares. It is situated in Mpigi District.
Kibuli Mosque مسجد
Mount Gessi
Mount Gessi is a mountain summit in Uganda.
Ssezibwa Falls
Watoto church
Watoto Church, formerly Kampala Pentecostal Church is an English-speaking cell-based East African community church headquartered in Kampala, Uganda. Its leaders describe Watoto as a church “celebrating Christ, growing and multiplying as each one reaches one, touching those around us with the love of Jesus, bringing healing to the cities and the nations.” Watoto means “the children” in Swahili.
All Terrain Adventures (U) Ltd.
Safari
Matheniko Game Reserve
The Matheniko Wildlife Reserve is a conservation area in the Karamoja subregion of northeastern Uganda. It is the fifth most-threatened conservation protected area in Uganda
Kichumbanyobo
aero beach
Griffin Falls Camp
Zip line, nature and camping
Wamala Tombs
Buffalo Safari Lodge
Mount Elgon National Park Uganda
Mount Elgon National Park is a national park 140 kilometres northeast of Lake Victoria. The park covers an area of 1,279 square kilometres and is bisected by the border of Kenya and Uganda. The Ugandan part of the park covers 1,110 km² while the Kenyan part covers 169 km². The Kenyan part of the park was gazetted in 1968, the Ugandan part in 1992.
Afriart Gallery Kira Rd
Art, art exhibition and art museum
Nommo Gallery
Art and art museum
Wonder World Amusement Park
Lake Nyinambuga
Nile Horseback Safaris
Kagulu Rock
Kagulu Hill, also Kagulu Rock, is a rocky prominence that rises 10,000 feet, above sea level, in the Eastern Region of Uganda
Mount Kadam
Mount Kadam, is near the east border of Karamoja, Uganda with Kenya and has an approximate elevation of 3,063 metres. It is just north of Mount Elgon. It was first climbed by Sailesh Kadam, the mountain’s namesake. During the colonial period Mount Kadam was known as Debasien.
Semliki Wildlife Reserve
The Semliki Wildlife Reserve, formerly the Toro-Semliki Wildlife Reserve, is a conservation protected area in the Western Region of Uganda.
Munyonyo Martyrs’ Shrine – Uganda Martyrs Basilica
The Munyonyo Martyrs’ Shrine is a Roman Catholic shrine and Minor Basilica dedicated to the Ugandan Martyrs.
Bulange
Bulange, is a building in Uganda. It houses the Lukiiko of the Kingdom of Buganda. The Kabaka of Buganda and the Katikkiro of Buganda also maintain offices in the building. The building serves as the administrative headquarters of the Buganda Kingdom.
