The Uganda Experience


(voor Nederlands, klik op Nederlandse vlag)
(für Deutsch, Klicken Sie auf die deutsche Flagge)

Why invent our own promotional text if other authoritative  sources have formulated it so eloquently? In the most recent version of the world famous Lonely Planet Travel Guide we can read under de heading Uganda (p. 417):
“Uganda is Africa condensed, with the best of everything the continent has to offer packed into one small but stunning destination. It is home to the tallest mountain range in Africa, the glacier-capped Rwenzoris. The mighty Nile River, the world’s longest river, surges out of Lake Victoria, the continent’s largest lake. One of the highest concentrations of primates in the world, including more than half of all remaining mountains gorillas, roams its forests. And the merging of habitats from eastern, western and northern Africa produces arguably the world’s best bird-watching. On top of this a growing variety of activities has made Uganda the adrenaline centre of East Africa, there is no such thing as a crowd in even the most popular national parks and the capital Kampala is safer and friendlier than most in Africa... visitors have no more to worry about than they do in most other countries.

Uganda is a captivating country with a great deal to offer, and now is an ideal time to go because the country sits on the cusp of discovery. It’s already popular enough that the facilities are well developed in the places where most visitors go, but there is a genuine sense of discovery for those who get off the tiny tourist trail.”

And they are right. But there is much more than gorillas, mountains and friendly people. All the famous and attractive wildlife of Africa is found here in large quantities: elephants, hippos, giraffes, lions, buffaloes, chimpanzees, zebras, leopards, monkeys, warthogs, different kinds of antelopes, a wide variety of exotic birds, Nile crocodiles, gorillas, lots of exotic plants and flowers etc. etc., too much to mention. Rhinoceroses are still very rare but the Ugandan government has initiated special sanctuaries for breeding the two indigenous species: the black and the white rhino. These sanctuaries can be visited.

Now that we started quoting, we might as well add a quote from Sir Winston Churchill: "The Kingdom of Uganda is a fairy tale. The scenery is different, the climate is different and most of all, the people are different from anything elsewhere to be seen in the whole range of Africa....what message I bring back?....concentrate on Uganda!" Not for nothing did he call Uganda the pearl of Africa.

The climate is also very pleasant, compared to other tropical regions. The country is situated at a relatively high altitude. So, although it practically sits on the equator, the temperature rarely rises above 30° Celsius (86° Fahrenheit) or sinks below 15° Celsius (59° Fahrenheit). In the south of the country there are two rainy seasons: March - May and September - November. In the north there is only one rainy season: April - October. Rainy seasons in Uganda are not very remarkable. Usually, it rains for a few hours and then it is dry again.