Uganda General Information |
- Area: 236,040 sq km²
- Capital: Kampala
- Currency: Ugandan Shilling
- Climate: Uganda is a tropical region, but the heat is tempered by its altitude. The rains tend to fall between March and May, and between November and December, with April being the wettest month. The periods between December and February, and June and August are much dryer. The northeast part of Uganda is semi-arid, with only two distinct winter and summer seasons, versus the usual four. .
- People: Baganda 17%, Ankole 8%, Basoga 8%, Iteso 8%, Bakiga 7%, Langi 6%, Rwanda 6%, Bagisu 5%, Acholi 4%, Lugbara 4%, Batoro 3%, Bunyoro 3%, Alur 2%, Bagwere 2%, Bakonjo 2%, Jopodhola 2%, Karamojong 2%, Rundi 2%, other 9%
- Official language: English
- Time: GMT + 3
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Uganda is landlocked in East Africa. Uganda shares its borders with Sudan (to the north), Kenya (to the east), the Democratic Republic of Congo (to the west), and Tanzania and Rwanda (to the south). Home to several national parks and protected nature areas, Uganda has several natural resources and offers unique beauty and biodiversity. Visitors come to Uganda to experience its incredible African game, the amazing primates, tropical rainforests, bustling cities, adventure tours, birding, biking, and hiking Africa’s tallest mountain range!
History & Background: In 1962 , Uganda gained its independence from the United Kingdom. Over the following several years, the country experienced extreme turmoil under the dictatorship of Idi Amin (between 1971 and 1979 ), and then under Milton Obote (between 1980 and 1985 ). During these years, hundreds of thousands of lives were lost to human rights abuses and guerrilla warfare. In 1994 , 1996 , and 2001 , the government promulgated non-party presidential and legislative elections, and in 2002 , a government committee recommended a transition towards a multi-party democracy. Over the last several years, Uganda has had one of the highest rates of HIV and AIDS in the world, which has lowered life expectancy rates and has led to numerous changes in health and social welfare policies.
Best Game Viewing Months: Game viewing is generally better in the dry seasons. The peak safari time is in the dry winter months because the game concentrates around the available sources of water. These months include June through to October, and December to February.
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Main Attractions in Uganda |
PRIMATES
The primates are among the most popular features of Uganda. The largest yet most peaceful are the gorillas, who share 95% of their genes with humans. The mountains of Bwindi and Mgahinga National Parks are home to five habituated and endangered gorilla troops.
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Limited numbers of tourists can visit the gorillas (only 30 passes are issued per day), so as to cut down on any disruption to the gorillas in their natural environment. The chimpanzees (who are genetically even closer to humans) have been habituated for tourists, and can be visited in one of four areas which include; the Kibale and Budongo Forests, the Kyambura Gorge, and Ngamba Island. Several different species of golden monkeys can also be seen in the parks of Uganda, and visitors are likely to witness several over the course of a short hike through one of the forests.
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BWINDI IMPENETRABLE NATIONAL PARK
Known as the Impenetrable Forest, this park covers 330 square kilometres of lush rainforests with a steep terrain and abundantly thick foliage. It is located in South Western Uganda on the edge of the western rift valley. It is home to many of the world’s known mountain gorillas, and viewing these stately creatures in this setting is both tough and spectacular – the conditions are rough and the distances are long, but the trip is well worth the effort.
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Visitors can also see chimpanzee, monkeys, elephants, small antelope, as well over 360 bird species and over 200 butterfly species. This area contains 23 bird species that are restricted to the Albertine Rift, which cannot be seen in any other part of East Africa!
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MURCHISON FALLS NATIONAL PARK
Murchison Falls National Park is Uganda’s largest protected area, and it is home to dense populations of lion, hippo, buffalo, elephant, Rothschild’s giraffe, Uganda Kob, and patas monkey, as well as leopard, chimpanzee, civet, hyena, and crocodile.
The source of the Falls is the Nile River, which follows from the rapids of the Karuma Falls in the east, and bursts out here through a narrow cleft in the Rift Valley escarpment.
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In the southeast part of the park, the Rabongo Forest houses several chimpanzee and other rainforest creatures. The waterbirds of this area are especially spectacular, including the wild population of the rare shoebill stork.
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QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL PARK
The Queen Elizabeth National Park is located near the southern most point of the mist-covered Rwenzori Mountains. This beautiful game reserve boasts one of the world’s highest biodiversity ratings, and offers rainforests, swamps, crater lakes, and a lush savannah that is home to nearly 100 mammal species and almost 600 species of birds.
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High concentrations of buffalo, elephant, and antelope call this park home, as well as the Uganda Kob, the elusive giant forest hog, tree-climbing lion, habituated chimpanzee, and several other primates, including various forest monkeys. The views of the mountain escarpments are breathtaking, and the unique ecosystem of this are is unparalleled.
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RWENZORI MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK
Also known as “ Mountains of the Moon”, the mist-covered Rwenzori Mountains are situated along the western border of Uganda in the Rift Valley, and reach heights of 5100 metres. There are six peaks, the highest of which is Mt. Margherita, which is the third highest mountain in Africa. These beautiful peaks offer stunning scenery and a range of hikes from easy walking to challenging mountain treks.
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Visitors will enjoy the vast array of giant heathers, lobelias and groundsels, and may see any of the following wildlife: Rwenzori Colobus, elephant, genet, duiker, chimpanzee, golden cat, forest hog, rock hydrax, mongoose, sitatunga, and Vervet Monkey. Unique birds of this area include the Rwenzori touraco, francolin, and olive pigeon.
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KIBALE NATIONAL PARK
Situated in western Uganda, the Kibale National Park covers an area of over 760 square kilometres, and joins with Queen Elizabeth National Park. Lush and beautiful, Kibale offers a tropical rainforest teeming with unique flora and wildlife, including over 1000 habituated chimpanzees.
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Several other primate species can be found here, including the blue monkey, L’Hoest’s Monkey, red-tailed monkey, olive baboon, black, white, and red colobus, and white cheeked mangabey. The mammals in Kibale Forest include Uganda Kob, forest elephant, bushbuck, waterbuck, buffalo, hippo, red and blue duiker, tree pangolin, as well as a large number of birds.
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SEMLIKI NATIONAL PARK
Semliki National Park is located at the northern base of the Rwenzori Mountains, this large yet remote reserve is composed primarily of a tropical lowland forest, with grasslands, a savannah, and wetland habitats.
There are a number of natural hot springs in this park, which provide for the wide diversity of wildlife.
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Known for its 400 species of birds, including the shoebill stork and forty Congolese bird species, this park is also home to 300 species of butterflies and eight species of primates... Chimpanzees and various monkeys, as well as buffalo, civet, scaly-tailed squirrel, antelope, Uganda Kob, forest elephant, and leopard call this park home.
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KIDEPO VALLEY NATIONAL PARK
Situated in the northeast part of Uganda on the borders of Sudan and Kenya, lies the Kidepo Valley National Park. Dominated by the 2750 metres of Mount Morungole and transected by the Kidepo and Narus Rivers, it offers 1,442 square kilometres of breathtaking landscapes and unique flora.
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It is a treasure chest of dry-country species (not found anywhere else in Uganda) including lion, leopard, cheetah, elephant, buffalo, giraffe, and greater kudu, as well 475 bird species. The conditions and features of this park - and most notably the diverse flora and fauna - are often compared to those of Kenya, rather than to the rest of Uganda.
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MGAHINGA NATIONAL PARK
The Mgahinga National Park was established along the slopes of the Virunga Mountains, in the southwest part of Uganda, to provide a secure habitat for the rare mountain gorilla. These gentle beasts had been facing extinction until the conservation authorities stepped in to protect and limit disturbances to the natural environment. As such, only small groups of tourists can observe the gorillas, and for only limited time periods.
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There are nine freestanding extinct and active volcanoes at Mgahinga Park that run along the borders of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Their movements influence the growth and availability of vegetation in the area, which in turn, affects the gorillas and their feeding habits. Bamboo shoots and broad-leaved forest montane offer staples to the gorilla diet. Other wildlife found in Mgahinga Park include Colobus and Golden Monkey, jackal, porcupine, Golden cat, giant forest hog, leopard, bushbuck, buffalo, honey badger, duiker, aardvark, and elephant.
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LAKE MBURO NATIONAL PARK
Lake Mburo National Park is situated in extensive acacia woodlands in the south of Uganda, this park is different from all of the other reserves - in its fauna and wildlife.
Given that it is centred on a series of swamp-fringed lakes, the park is teeming with 310 recorded bird species, including 60 specialist water birds.
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The open Water birds include; Pink-backed pelican, Darter, White pelican, Yellow-billed duck, Long-tailed cormorant, White winged black tern and Greater cormorant. Lakeshore and swamp birds include the Fish eagle, Pied kingfisher, African finfoot, Great white egret, and Night heron. The green acacia woodland surrounding the lakes provides shelter to 68 different species of mammals, including zebra, topi, warthog, buffalo, impala, roan, leopard, hyena, jackal, and the last surviving Ugandan population of eland.
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MOUNT ELGON NATIONAL PARK
The fourth largest National Park, Mount Elgon is situated in Eastern Uganda approximately 100 km northeast of Lake Victoria, and borders Kenya. The majority of the park is situated above 2000m.
It offers a lush mixture of grassland and moorland habitats, and rich montane forests, which provide for the birds and wildlife.
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It also encompasses the largest base of any extinct volcano in the world. In the past, Elgon was known as the " Mountain of Illusion" because several hiking groups had been lost, and because no one could determine its highest point, which has now been determined - as Wagagai, which stands at 4321m.
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