Uganda

Wondering why it is called ‘The Pearl of Africa’? Where else can you see lions prowling across the open savanna as day breaks, white water rafting down the Nile; then the next day set off into the misty mountains in search of the mountain gorillas before settling in to watch a local cultural evening around the camp fire? Uganda has been ranked the number one destination for tourists for the year 2012 by Lonely Planet which is the largest travel guide and media publisher in the world.

Uganda’s total land area is 241,559 sq km. About 37,000 sq km of this area is occupied by open water while the rest is land. The southern part of the country includes a substantial portion of Lake Victoria, which it shares with Kenya and Tanzania.

The people of Uganda are as diverse as its landscapes. Excavations in various parts of the country have discovered a rich iron-age culture flourishing along the riverbanks and lake-sides. More recently, over the past few hundred years, great ethnic migrations have resulted in a unique mix of cultures and traditions, from the Karamajong pastoralists in the east, to the Bakonjo people of the Rwenzoris in the west. Diverse systems of government have evolved, the north being dominated by the chiefdoms, and the south by Kingdoms. Many cultural traditions, monuments and relics may be explored by any visitor on Safari tour to Uganda, ranging from the tombs of the Kabaka (a UNSCO World Heritage site), to the meeting places of the early explorers Emin Pasha, Baker and Speke, Uganda is a Melting Cultural Point on the African Continent. 

National Parks in Uganda >>