Uganda Tours
Uganda Tours are amazing tour packages that are offered by different tour operators and take you around the pearl of Africa. Are you planning on Uganda tours? Then worry not as I am taking you down to the reasons of visiting Uganda, which tour operators to use, the best tours to engage in, what to expect on a tour such as wildlife, and people, where to stay, the climatic conditions of Uganda, and the accommodation facilities while on a Uganda tour as discussed below;
Reasons as to why you should visit Uganda
Uganda the pearl of Africa is one of the destinations that you should explore before you depart this world due to the fact that it offers plenty of attractions ranging from different species fauna and flora including almost a half of mountain gorillas that still thrill in the world today, over 13 primate species, over 350 mammal species, over 1060 bird species, several butterflies, reptiles, amphibians, different plant species, several water bodies, and many more all existing in Uganda and can be explored during Uganda tours.
Which is the best tour operator to use?
While you are planning a Uganda tour, don’t just grab any tour operator you meet online, try as much as possible to get in contact with a company that is truly registered under the Association of Uganda Tour Operator “AUTO” such as Achieve Global Safaris in order to limit the chances of being conned by non-registered companies
What are the best places to visit while on a Uganda Tour?
Once you step on the grounds of Uganda the pearl of Africa, you will have a lot of places to visiting ranging from its 10 national parks which include Bwindi Impenetrable national park a place where you encounter almost a half of the mountain gorillas in the wilderness and the Batwa people, Visit Mgahinga gorilla national park a home of Nyakagezi Gorilla family and golden monkeys, Murchison falls national park for boat cruise on the most powerful falls, and game drive, Lake Mburo national park for a boat cruise on one of the eight lakes in the park, Rwenzori mountain national park for hiking, Kibale forest national park a home of several primate species including the chimpanzees, queen Elizabeth national park for a boat cruise on the Kazinga channel and game drive to watch the big four, Kidepo valley national park for which is the best parks for birders and Semliki national park. Other places to visit include the game reserves, sanctuaries, zoos and many more that make Uganda tours more exciting
What activities should I expect while on the Uganda tours?
Probably there is a lot of things to see and even participate in while on a tour to Uganda and these include;
Gorilla trekking: Taking a tour to Bwindi impenetrable forest national park leads you into the wilderness of mountain gorillas where you will enjoy trekking them or taking part in gorilla habituation. A gorilla trekking permit goes for $600 as of now and with effect to 1st July 2020, the permit is going to rise to $700 and a habituation permit will remain at its cost of $1500. Gorilla trekking is also carried out in Mgahinga gorilla national park where the Nyakagezi gorilla family is found.
Golden monkey trekking: this is also another activity enjoyed by visitors on a Uganda tour as they spend ample time in the forest with in Mgahinga gorilla national park watching the beautiful monkey species as they munch on fruits while playing cheerfully.
Chimpanzee trekking: Visitors on a Uganda tour also have an opportunity of trekking the chimpanzees in any of their habitats. Chimpanzee trekking in Uganda can be done in several destinations which include Kibale forest national park also known as the primate’s world, Budongo forest, Kalinzu forest, Toro Semliki, and kyambura gorge. So visitors on a Uganda tour can decide on which place to go for a fascinating chimpanzee trekking tour. However, visitors interested in Chimpanzee habituation experience CHEX should know that it is only carried out in Kibale forest national park allowing a full day in the wild teaching and learning more behaviors of the chimpanzees
Game drives: while on a Uganda tour, visitors expect to watch as many mammals as possible and the most possible ways of achieving this is through taking game drive tours in Uganda national parks. Game drive tours can be done in several parks which include Murchison falls park, Lake Mburo national park, Kidepo valley national park, and Queen Elizabeth national park and during the game drives expect to see as many wildlife species as possible including primates such as monkeys, baboons, mammals such as elephants, buffaloes, leopards, antelopes, giraffes, lions, topis, zebras, Elands, warthogs, Uganda kob, among others.
Birding: birders have a great opportunity of sighting out different species of birds during a Uganda tour. All that is required is to pack the pair of binoculars and off to the jungles of some parks in Uganda to watch several species of birds that flock different parks. most of the biding destinations to visit while on a Ugandan tour include; Semliki forest reserve, mabira forest, Bigodi wetland, Budongo forest, Maramagambo forest, Mabamba swamp, Kidepo valley , mount elgon, mount Rwenzori, lake Mburo national park, kasenyi plains, Mubwindi swamps, among others and the most bird species seen include Brown-throated Wattle-Eye, rare shoebill stork, Goliath Herons, White-winged Warbler, Blue-breasted Bee-eater, whistling ducks, Egyptian Geese, Grey-crowned Cranes, Brown Parrot, Emerald-spotted wood dove, Dwarf Honeyguide, handsome Black-faced Rufous-Warbler, African Hill Babbler, Kivu Ground-Thrush, White-bellied Crested- Flycatcher, Double-collared Sunbird, Black Bee-eater, Long-tailed Cuckoo, Ruwenzori Appalls forest starlings. Dwarf Honeyguide, handsome Black-faced Rufous-Warbler, African Hill Babbler, Kivu Ground-Thrush, White-bellied Crested- Flycatcher, Double-collared Sunbird, Black Bee-eater, Long-tailed Cuckoo, Ruwenzori Appalls forest starlings and many more that makes Uganda one of the best birding destination in the world
Boat cruise: there are several destinations where visitors engage in boat cruise tours while on a Uganda tour. This is because Uganda is blessed with lots of water bodies and some of them are free from water-borne diseases such as bilharzia and some are even free from crocodiles. During a Uganda, tour visitors cruise on several water bodies which include a boat cruise on Kazinga channel with in Queen Elizabeth national park, boat cruise on Murchison falls, boat cruise on Lake Mburo, canoeing on Lake bunyonyi, among others while viewing several mammals and birds along the shores
Community encounters: This yet a fascinating experience enjoyed by several visitors on a Uganda tour as it takes visitors deep into the local communities while meeting different people with different cultures.
Hiking and mountain climbing: Uganda the pearl of Africa offers different hiking and climbing trails in its parks and some of the places hiked include Sipi falls hike, mount elgon hiking and climbing, Rwenzori mountain climbing among others
Other activities enjoyed during the Uganda tours include Cycling, quad biking, kayaking, zip-lining, bungee jumping, hot air balloons, swimming, white water rafting, guided nature walks, camping, and picnic, among others that make a tour to Uganda an everlasting in visitors’ memories
What is the best time to visit Uganda?
Uganda can be visited at any time all year round due to the fact that the climatic conditions are always stable with two seasons of dry and wet season in which during the dry seasons Uganda receives several visitors to take park in different park activities most especially primate viewing, game drive and birding since the Ugandan parks be in good conditions easy for tour vehicles to drive through and also the trails be a bit dry and less slippery for easy hiking and walks
However, park activities go on while during the rainy season since Uganda receives average rainfall that cannot interrupt activities from going on. All you need is a raincoat in your backpack to be standby for in case it rains while in the park without a nearby shelter
About Ugandan people
The biggest population of Ugandans are called Bantu which literally means “people” who cover the most parts of western, central and eastern Uganda. some of the Bantu speaking people include the Baganda who mainly occupy the central region including the capital city, the Banyankore, Bakiga, Batooro, Bakonjo, who occupy the western part of Uganda, the Busoga, basamia, bagisu in the eastern part and then the Luo and Nilotic in the eastern and northern part of Uganda and many more that make up the population of Uganda
Which languages are spoken by Ugandans?
There are several different languages spoken by Ugandans due to different tribes and clans but the official language remains English and then other languages like the Luganda, runyankole, rutooro, rukiga, rusoga, lugbara, and many others just follow. As you visit the villages in different parts of the country, you will probably listen to those languages
Location of Uganda
Uganda the pearl of Africa is a landlocked country strategically located in East Africa surrounded by Rwanda and Tanzania in the Sothern part, Kenya in the eastern part, Sudan in the Northern part, and Congo in the west. Uganda is also surrounded by different water bodies including Lake Victoria, Lake George, Lake Albert, and is being crossed in by River Nile all in the Great East African Rift Valley
Where is the location of Uganda’s capital city?
The capital city of Uganda is situated in the central part of Uganda and it is known as “Kampala City”. And it obtained its name from the mammals’ known Impalas that were existing on the hill where the capital sit is situated now. It began as a small city covering seven hills but as of recent it covers more than 21 hills and has really expanded. It is a pleasure to have a city tour either on foot, motorcycle of in a safari van to explore the magnificent city of Uganda and all that exists in it including market center, education centers, health facilities, religious sites, and monuments among others
Where to stay during the Uganda tour
Uganda has a lot of accommodation facilities situated in different destinations. These range from budget, midrange, and luxury that are easily accessed during the Uganda tour. Most of these lodges are situated in the national park to enhance easy access to the park activities.
What should I pack for a Uganda tour?
In case you are planning tours to Uganda, there are some crucial things that should be inclusive in your backpack and these include;
- A camera which is obviously the first item in every traveler’s backpack
- Good hiking shoes which should be waterproof and light
- A raincoat as it can rain at any given time while in the wilderness
- Both light and warm clothes to compensate for cool and warm weather
- Sunglasses and cap for protection against the hot and scorching sun
- Insect repellant to expel away the insects while in the wild
- Sunscreen to protect the body from sunburns
However, there are other items that are always provided at different parks or by the tour operators depending on the kind of activity to do and these include the Hiking stick, enough bottled drinking water, and food while on Uganda tours.
Are there flights to Uganda?
Yes, there are both international flights and domestic flights in Uganda where by international flights land and take-off from Uganda’s international airport and some of them have stopovers along the way in other countries.
International flights to Uganda
There are different airlines that land and take off from Entebbe international airport and these include; Qatar Airways, Rwanda air, Ethiopian Airlines, Fly Dubai, Turkish Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Eagle Air, African Express, Air India, Kenya Airways, Brussels airlines, Egypt Air, Uganda Airlines, Fly-SAX, Air Tanzania, Kuwait Airways, Air France among others all you need is to get vaccinated, obtain a tourist visa and enjoy the stay in the pearl of Africa.
Domestic flights in Uganda
For visitors who do not prefer spending long hours driving and connecting from one park to another can opt for domestic flights from one park to another. The common domestic airlines used in Uganda include aero link Uganda and Eagle air which offer charter flights to different airfields in different national parks in Uganda.
What is the Ugandan currency?
It is also important to know the kind of currency that is used in Uganda on a daily basis and it is none other than Uganda shillings. However, visitors are also free to use the dollars which is an international currency, euros and even pounds but the most preferred is Dollars or Ugandan shillings. This takes you to a conclusion that you need to exchange all your money into dollars which are easy to convert into Ugandan shillings as you land into Uganda since there are many forex bureaus within different corners of the country
The major cash crops grown in Uganda
Due to the fertile soils and mountainous nature of Uganda, it is best known for planting tea, cotton, and tobacco on a large scale which are the major earnings to the country. While on a Uganda tour, visitors are in a position to have a coffee tour that involves different stages taken right from production and finally grab a cup of freshly prepared coffee at the farm
Conclusion
Taking a tour into Uganda is one of the exciting adventure that one should never miss out as long as they live as the tour enables you to explore different parks of Uganda and exploit all that is hidden within and even enjoy the sweet climate conditions away from winter and summer in other countries as the climatic conditions of Uganda are always average with average rainfall, and average sunshine. So why not grab the deal just now?!!!!!!!
