Uganda
Described by Winston Churchill as the ‘Pearl of Africa’, Uganda's most alluring features are its beautiful forests, wildlife, lakes and mountains. Straddling the Equator, Uganda has become very well know for its exceptional gorilla safari and a number of quieter safari parks. In our opinion however the country simply cannot be regarded as a big game or Big Five destination compared to the other countries we work in. As a result our operations in Uganda are limited to gorilla trips and a number of set itineraries...
Located at the heart of the continent and sandwiched between Kenya, Rwanda, Congo, Sudan and Tanzania, Uganda (by African standards) is a postage stamp-size country compared with its African neighbours. Roughly the size of Great Britain or the State of Oregon in the USA, Uganda is different to the majority of its neighbours due to the average altitude across the country; Uganda is lush and certainly beautiful.
Wildlife has steadily increased and a variety of game can be seen, but the parks here do not match up to the likes of Tanzania’s Serengeti, Botswana’s Okavango or Zambia’s South Luangwa. There is an argument to say that competing with the famous parks is not Uganda’s aim - the advantage of safari here is certainly that game viewing is free of mass tourism! However we would argue that this is certainly not a big game destination. Primates, especially the mountain gorilla and chimpanzees are a special attraction together and the sole reason that Uganda has a place on our site.
The one game viewing area of note is Queen Elizabeth National Park (QE), with the ice-covered peaks of the Rwenzori Mountains as a backdrop. The park is rich in wildlife, including the tree lions at Ishasha, and is a haven for bird-watchers. Chimpanzees can be seen in the steeply forested sides of the Kyambura Gorge, near Queen Elizabeth National Park; and the Kibale Forest.
Further south, in the chain of eight blue Virunga volcanoes strung out on the borders of Uganda, Rwanda and Congo, lives the mountain gorilla. The combination of volcanoes, volcanic lakes and steeply terraced hillsides make this a dramatic area – unquestionably one of Africa’s most beautiful regions. The remaining mountain gorillas live further north in the Bwindi forest in Uganda. The mountain gorilla viewing in any of these areas is exceptional.
Uganda featured lodges:
Uganda
Clouds lodge has to have one of the most amazing settings of any of the lodges we work with. Located high up into the hills the lodge commands views over the entire region and is a magical little place. A real favourite in the office here due to its unpretentious charm and links with the local community, people do need to know that the advantage of the location comes with a slight negative – it’s a hard walk back up to Clouds after a long days gorilla trekking! The rewards of making the trek however are one of the most charming hotels we work with.
Uganda
Sanctuary Lodge’s Gorilla Forest Lodge, is actually run by the luxury travel company Abercrombie and Kent. The lodge has a fabulous location with the local gorilla group literally looking into clients rooms on a number of occasions. Gorilla’s peeping into your rooms cannot be guaranteed to every client, but the guarantee of A&K’s excellent service is there. A great lodge to explore the area from and a great lodge for clients who, after a potentially long gorilla trek, do not want to face climbing up the hills to Clouds lodge, the only other top end gorilla lodge in the park.
|
|
