Tourist Attractions & Monuments Uganda

The focus of any stay in Uganda. Except in Mgahinga National Park where the possibilities remain more uncertain, all gorilla trackings take place in Bwindi Park. It is essential to book your permit several months in advance through an agency or directly with UWA in Kampala. The permit will cost you the coquette sum of 700 US$ (park entrance fee and guide fee included) for a meeting with the great apes strictly limited to one hour. In case of illness (cold, flu, Covid-19...), it is wise, for the health of the gorillas, to abstain and ask for a refund of your permit. Expeditions are done in groups of eight maximum, an inflexible rule, and each person must be at least 15 years old. They are supervised by a guide equipped with a walkie-talkie to keep in touch with the team of trackers in charge of locating primate families and guiding the walkers. Three other men, armed with machetes and rifles, lead the way through the forest and ensure the protection of the group, because although the area is now secure, the Congolese border is close by. In 2020, Bwindi National Park was home to nineteen groups of gorillas accustomed to tourists (eight in Rushaga, four in Buhoma, three in Nkuringo and four in Ruhija). Appointments are scheduled at 7:45 am for a briefing, with departures for the tracking taking place around 8:30 am. The groups in the Nkuringo area are technically the most difficult to apprehend with rough terrain, a steep walk followed by a descent on slippery ground. The approach can take from one to four hours depending on the position of the monkeys. In Buhoma, and a priori on the other three sites, you can ask, before departure, to be assigned to the closest group if you suffer from a physical problem or lack of endurance. In any case, bring good shoes, loose, waterproof and covering clothes and a plastic bag to protect your photo or video equipment. Also bring enough water and a snack (most lodges will provide a picnic basket). You can also hire a porter (minimum US$15) to help you carry your bags. Thus equipped, you are ready to live a great adventure, a magical and timeless moment: watching for sixty minutes our big hairy cousins eat, play and frolic in the high grass of the millennial forest, as in the first days of the world.

The queen of Kibale. The total chimpanzee population is estimated at over 1,500 individuals. Departures take place twice a day, at 8 am and 2 pm (in high season, an additional departure, at 11 am, is sometimes scheduled). Groups, accompanied by their guide, are limited to six people. It is therefore important, especially in the high tourist season (from early December to late February and from early June to late August-early September), to book your permit in advance with a tour operator or with UWA in Kampala, even if the deadlines are not as tight as for gorillas (the Uganda Wildlife Authority limits the number of permits issued for each day of tracking in Kibale to 90). The cost of the permit is US$ 200 per person (including entry into the park). The chances of seeing facetious primates are estimated at 90%, which means that even if the probabilities are high, the result is not guaranteed. The morning excursion is rather advisable, and it would seem that chimpanzees get lust after heavy rains where they tend to remain perched high in the trees whereas it is sometimes possible to meet them on the ground. Their emblematic cry can be heard long before you see them, with approach walks lasting up to 2 or 3 hours depending on their position. These are not normally too difficult. The observation time is limited to 1 hour, but the guides are more flexible than for the gorillas. However, you will have to follow a few instructions when meeting chimpanzees from one of the two habituated groups (Kanyantale and Buraiga): keep at least 8 meters away from the primates, do not use a photographic flash, etc. These rules will be listed during the briefing. Please note, in the same vein, that children under 12 years old are not allowed to take part in the tracking. If, by misfortune, our mischievous cousins were not at the rendezvous, you will be able to console yourself by crossing colobes, grey-cheeked mangabeys, red-tip monkeys or Hoest cercopithecus. The birds are difficult to see through the thick foliage, but their songs are an enchantment. Finally, the guides will be able to inform the botanists about a large number of plants. For the biggest primate fans, there is the Chimpanzee Habituation Experience, which consists of spending four hours in the company of monkeys. It will cost you US$250, including park entrance.

Shallow (an average of one metre of water column), the approximately 40 km canal that connects Lake Edward to Lake George offers the opportunity for a two-hour boat ride, which is certainly the most popular activity in the park. Four or five daily departures (at 9:00 am, 11:00 am, 1:00 pm, 3:00 pm and 5:00 pm), from the landing stage located under the Mweya Safari Lodge, are scheduled by the UWA. Tickets (US$30 per person) can be purchased at the park office. It is possible to climb on the roof of the boat to make the most of the panorama, but be careful, the sun is hitting hard at the bottom of the Rift Valley. The luckiest ones will be able to see a leopard quenching his thirst, but you will probably have to be satisfied with watching hippos splashing hippos, elephants spraying elephants, eagles soaring eagles, kingfishers diving, crocodiles hiding, hogs drinking, antelopes slumming, lazing lizards, buffaloes basking, jacana showing off and weavers bustling about. A most enjoyable spectacle! Recently, the community organization Kazinga Channel Beach (+256 703 700 500) organized its own cruises (25 US$ per person for about 2 hours) with equally competent guides. Departures (from 8am to 5pm), towards Lake Edward or Lake George, take place from Katunguru, on the north shore of the canal, at the bridge over which the national road passes and under which fish spawn and swallows nest.

The safaris are mainly on the right bank of the Nile and more particularly on a fairly tight network of tracks between Paraa and the Lake Albert Delta, known as the Buligi Circuit. All hotels provide a snack (or breakfast pack) before you set off on your adventure. With its vast expanses of savannah dotted with rookeries (the Borassus track, a trail that runs through the northern part of the park, owes its name to the scientific name of these palm trees), Murchison Park probably offers the closest landscapes to our vision of the African bush. You can see elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, hartebeests, cobes, harnessed guibs, lions and, hopefully, leopards. And of course, myriads of birds: eagles, kingfishers, bee-eaters, bustards, francolins, hornbills, barbicans, flycatchers... In the other areas of the park, you will certainly see monkeys and small antelopes, but the large mammals are less numerous or more difficult to observe. However, from about a chandelier, UWA has been trying to develop game drives on the left bank of the river. Thus, the Honeymoon track, near Murchison Falls, allows to observe giraffes, transferred from the right bank in 2016. If you travel independently, you can hire the services of a park ranger for US$20. This is not mandatory, but he will be of great help in finding the animals.

Whether on the Mweya and Kasenyi Plains side of Lake George, or to the south in the Ishasha sector, the Queen Elizabeth Park offers excellent opportunities to see iconic savannah mammals, with the exception of the extinct rhinoceros and the historically absent giraffe. The circuit along the Kazinga Channel offers a network of fairly tight tracks characterized by dense vegetation where you will be led to look for leopards and certainly to come across elephants. It is possible to explore this area in about 2 hours from Mweya, but the classic circuit consists of passing the main road and continuing towards Lake George towards the bare and euphoric candelabra-covered plains of Kasenyi where lions are numerous; lion tracking is organized in this part of the park for US$ 100 (park entrance included) in order to observe the king of the animals for four to five hours (independent travellers must have their own vehicle in which UWA trackers will ride). There are also large herds of Ugandan cobes, topis, buffaloes and many birds. The tracks in the Ishasha sector are much less frequented, but they provide an extraordinary encounter with a population of tree lions of about 40 individuals. This feline particularity, which is only found in the Lake Manyara Park in Tanzania, has not yet been the subject of real scientific studies, but the hypothesis put forward is that these lions, by climbing in the sycamores, would try to escape from insects carrying disease. Safari departures usually take place at dawn, but the lions stay in the trees when it is hottest. In addition to this leonine attraction, the Ishasha area, with its acacias and grassy savannah, will suit the most adventurous: it is, indeed, possible to camp near Lake Edward (Edward Flat), in the middle of nowhere, in an area of great wildlife richness: the presence of a UWA ranger (count 40 US$) is mandatory! Most travelers make their safaris as part of a chauffeur-driven tour. If you have your own vehicle, you can hire a park ranger to help you flush out the animals for US$20 per vehicle. Ask at the park office in Mweya or at the entrance to Ishasha.

Like the outing on the Kazinga Channel in Queen Elizabeth National Park, this Nile cruise, which has been undeniably popular for more than six decades, is a must not to be missed! In three hours round trip, the boat, whose roof offers a 360° view, peacefully winds its way up the current along the banks - lined with papyrus, palm trees, mahogany and acacia trees - where huge crocodiles can be seen lazing about, lazy hippos, buffaloes cooling off, antelopes (especially the crescent beak) lying in wait, elephants having fun and more rarely giraffes wading, a lichen lion or a leopard drinking... Birds are still very numerous, like the golden-breasted jacana, the African jabiru, the red-throated bee-eater, the heron goliath, the African piapiac, the kingfisher, the African scissor-bill and tutti quanti. The excursion on the wave of the mighty river culminates at the arrival in the Fajao Gorge from where the impressive Murchison Falls cataracting in a narrow gully are visible in the axis of the river. The 45-metre high falls will reveal itself even more if you disembark here and walk to the top of the falls. The cruises organized by the UWA (30 US$) leave from Paraa (left bank) at 9am and 2pm. Wild Frontiers (www.wildfrontiers.co.ug) organizes its own expeditions (US$32), also from Paraa, at 8:30am and 2pm. In case of heavy traffic, a third departure is scheduled at 11am.

On the right bank of the Nile, not far from the defunct Ripon Falls, the symbolic site of the river's alleged source has become a tourist hub teeming with souvenir vendors. There are a number of bars-restaurants, the bust of Gandhi and, next to him, the rafters and employees of a company offering nautical escapades on the river, a plaque marking the beginning of the Nile's race to the Mediterranean and a sign giving some information about the river, its source (at Jinja, of course!), Speke or the Ripon falls...

Canoeing is a very popular activity. Boat rentals (canoes, kayaks, etc.) - by the hour or by the day, with or without a guide - as well as cruises are offered by most hotels. You will certainly be able to see an otter as you travel across Lake Bunyonyi from one island to another. During the day, you can, for example, have lunch on islands such as Bushara, Itambira and Njuyera. You may come across schoolchildren returning from school by canoe from Bwama Island, the most important island in the lake, where you can dock to see some of the remains of the old leper colony (founded at the turn of the 1920s and 1930s by Dr Leonard Sharp, a British missionary) and buy some souvenirs from the craft shop. You will be told the story of Akampene Island, known as Punishment Island since, until the middle of the 20th century, the Bakiga used to send there in penance young girls who became pregnant before marriage, until they starved to death or drowned trying to escape (unless they were rescued at night by local peasants who wanted to take a wife without paying a dowry). Or the legend of Bucuranuka, the island that had turned over, victim of the bad fate of a woman who had been refused a sip of homemade beer by the revelers living there... For a guided tour of the islands of the lake, aboard a speedboat, count from 22 to 55 US$/boat (1 to 3 hours).

Launched a decade ago, hot air ballooning offers spectacular views and plunging perspectives over the vast savannah expanses of the national park. From your basket you can watch animals frolic, run and drink in areas usually inaccessible to vehicles. The flights - organized early in the morning and at sunset - depart from Paraa (right bank), last 45 to 60 minutes, depend on wind direction and range from 50 to 1,000 feet in altitude.

To discover the Central Circuit and Kilembe Trail in their entirety, including the ascent of Margherita Peak, you will need seven to eight days of walking: perfect to get back in shape while enjoying the geological, floristic and faunistic wonders (77 species of mammals, 177 birds and 78 butterflies) of the Rwenzori National Park and its 996 km2. For those who are put off by the price and the difficult conditions of progression (mud, unevenness, even altitude sickness), there are alternatives - less long (from a few hours to a few days), less expensive and less physically demanding - organized from Nyakalengija and Kilembe by the Rwenzori Mountaineering Services (RMS), the Rwenzori Trekking Services (RTS) and the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA). Alternatively, the more dedicated can add an extra day or two to climb the main peaks of the range; check with RTS and RMS for more information. You should also be aware that Rwenzori is one of the wettest ranges in the world. It rains about 350 days a year. Therefore, only two periods are really suitable for trekking: from mid-December to the end of January and, to a lesser extent, from mid-June to mid-July. Practically, if you are lucky, it can be fair weather in the morning, a good shower in the afternoon, and it clears in the evening.

Climbing Margherita Peak via the Central Circuit (with RMS)

To reach Nyakalengija, from where the RMS trek starts, you will have to take the national road from Kasese to Fort Portal for 12 km and then take a track, not far from the town of Mubuku, on the left side of the road. There are then more than ten kilometers to travel on a road that is passable in all seasons, although water flows from all sides during the rainy season.

Day 1: Nyakalengija (1615m) - Nyabitaba Hut (2650m): 6-7 hours. Departure in the morning from the RMS office. The first hour's walk is through cultivated land before arriving at the official park entrance where we start to follow the Mubuku River through the forest to its tributary, the Mahoma River. After fording the river, you start to climb a steep path through the ferns to Nyabitaba Hut on a ridge. You will certainly be accompanied by the call of chimpanzees, colobus, blue monkeys and the superb Rwenzori touraco.

Day 2: Nyabitaba Hut (2650m) - John Matte Hut (3505m): 7-8 hours. A long day of walking. We climb up the ridge to the junction of two trails and then descend through the ferns to the Bujuku River which we cross by a suspension bridge. We then enter the bamboo forest to climb a slippery and rocky path to the abandoned Nyamuleju hut, a good shelter for lunch. From here you are in an extraordinary heather forest and the first giant lobelias appear. From there, count another 2 hours to John Matte Hut.

Day 3: John Matte Hut (3 505 m) - Bujuku Hut (3 960 m): 5 hours. Behind the hut, we enter an area of high altitude swamp that we cross sometimes knee deep before fording the Bujuku River to bypass the lower Bigo swamp by the right bank. A 90-minute climb through the forest then leads to the upper swamp, which is easily crossed by a wooden footbridge. After a long walk, we reach the glacial valley of Bujuku Lake which, on a clear day, offers an enchanting panorama of Mount Stanley, Mount Speke and Mount Baker. You will then have to cross another swamp to reach, at the end of a grueling day, Bujuku Hut.

Day 4: Bujuku Hut (3,960 m) - Elena Hut (4,540 m): 5-6 hours. From Bujuku, we start again in the mud before climbing steeply through a forest of giant ragwort and climbing a fault with the help of a handrail. We then approach Scott Elliot Pass, which we cross on the fifth day. From here, the more adventurous climbers scramble along a slippery trail to Elena Hut, at 4540m, below Margherita Peak, Africa's third highest peak (509m).

Day 5: Elena Hut (4,540 m) - Margherita Peak (5,109 m) - Kitandara Hut (4,020 m): 9-12 hours (depending on weather conditions). Departure around 2h30-3h in the morning for an attempt to climb. It takes 4 to 5 hours of climbing through glaciers and slippery rocks to reach the peak, provided that your body is well acclimatized to the altitude and the (sometimes) extreme conditions (negative temperatures, wind, fog...). After the souvenir photo, we go back down to Elena Hut for a healthy lunch, and then descend to Kitandara Hut via the Scott Elliot Pass (4 372 m) and its spectacular views.

Day 6: Kitandara Hut (4 020 m) - Guy Yeoman Hut (3 505 m): 6-7 hours. We start this day with an hour and a half of muddy crossing through the Fresh Field Pass plain (4 282 m), remarkable for its expanses of coloured moss. Then a long, slippery, steep and spongy descent allows us to emerge in the high valley of Mubuku. We will have noticed in passing the rock shelter of Bujongolo which served as a base camp for the Duke of Abruzzo's expedition in 1906.

Day 7: Guy Yeoman Hut (3 505 m) - Nyakalengija (1 615 m): 8 hours. This double stage allows you to stay within the 7 days/6 nights tour planned by the RMS if you have climbed a summit. Below Guy Yeoman, the trail descends steeply following the Kichuchu walls through a heather forest. You then have to cross the Mubuku River, once by fording it and again by a suspension bridge, to reach Nyabitaba, the hut of the first day. From there, you can choose to spend the night or directly attack the additional 3 hours of descent to Nyakalengija.

Climbing Margherita Peak via the Kilembe Trail (with RTS)

The trek to Margherita Peak takes 7-8 days. Although it can be done in 7 days, RTS recommends to its clients to do the tour in 8 days (see below) in order to facilitate the acclimatization to the altitude. The rates and itinerary are the same whether you opt for 7 or 8 days.

Day 1: Kilembe (1 450 m) - Sine Hut (2 600 m) : 7 hours. Regular ascent through the forest where birds, plethoric, and primates (colobus, samangos ...), whether seen, spotted or heard, should be at the rendezvous. Once at the Sine Hut, don't miss the Enock waterfall, set in a photogenic green setting.

Day 2: Sine Hut (2600m) - Mutinda Hut (3590m) : 6-7 hours. After the start, at about 8:30 am, expect a nice steep climb, sometimes quite muddy, through the bamboo (among other plants...). Then you will follow a ridge, go down and then up on a path where mosses, lichens, rivers, tree heathers and mist contribute to the fairy atmosphere of the place. From Mutinda Hut, you can climb Mutinda Lookout (3,975m) for spectacular views of Kasese, Lake George and the surrounding peaks.

Day 3: Mutinda Hut (3 590 m) - Bugata Hut (4 060 m) : 6 hours. Exhausting day in the mud and on the steep slopes leading to the Namusangi Valley. Jumping from tussock to tussock, admiring the waterfalls and being ecstatic in front of the giant lobelias will be the order of the day.

Day 4: Bugata Hut (4060m) - Hunwick's Hut (3970m) : 7-8 hours. During this stage, you will link, via the Bamwanjara Pass (4 450 m), the Bugata and Hunwick camps (the latter is named after John Hunwick, the Australian director of RTS). Along the way, you might spot the malachite sundew with its beautiful livery feasting on the lobelia flowers. Giant ragwort will also brighten your journey.

Day 5: Hunwick's Hut (3,970m) - Margherita Hut (4,485m) : 5-6 hours. This section of the trek is on a common trail with the Central Circuit and the Kilembe Trail. You will walk along the beautiful Kitandara Lake, set in an enchanting setting, before starting the ascent of the Scott Elliot Pass (4 372 m) and then reaching the Margherita Hut, known for its chilly nights and for being located at the very place where the Duke of Abruzzo, Luigi di Savoia, bivouacked during his expedition, in 1906.

Day 6: Margherita Hut (4,485 m) - Margherita Peak (5,109 m) - Hunwick's Hut (3,970 m) : 9-13 hours (depending on weather conditions). The day's schedule is similar to that of RMS (see above), except for the huts, which are different. The departure, several hours before dawn, is scheduled in order to avoid, as much as possible, the clouds piling up on the highest point of the park, generally announcing snow storms, from mid-morning. The glaciers of the Rwenzori, due to the melting caused by global warming, require more and more technical skills. Those who are not ready to tackle the 200m section at 60° angle on the Margherita Glacier will be able to fall back on a rocky eminence offering a superb panorama over the Democratic Republic of Congo and the ridges of the massif. This is the longest day of your trek.

Day 7 : Hunwick's Hut (3 970 m) - Kiharo Hut (3 430 m) : 4-6 hours. The eleven kilometers separating the two huts will lead you to the Olivier Pass, at an altitude of nearly 4,500 meters. After the initial three kilometers of climbing, you will pass under the Weissmann peak (4,620 m) - which can be tackled by hikers still unaware of it for an extra US$20 - then reach the Nyamwamba, a capricious river flowing over Kasese, before descending to Kiharo Hut via moraine and peat bogs.

Day 8: Kiharo Hut (3 430 m) - Kilembe (1 450 m) : 5-8 hours. As on the first day of your trek, you will again cross the dense forest that adorns the deep valleys and frames the torrents where the tumultuous waters of the Rwenzori cascade. The trail is magnificent and will take you through streams, around waterfalls and over mossy rocks. For the record, it took the RTS team six years to find a way through this steep, watery and vegetated maze. The forest is teeming with life and visitors can see or guess at the presence ofduikers, damsels and monkeys. The park exit is 12 km from Kiharo Hut and the Rwenzori Trekkers Hostel in Kilembe is 15 km away.

Fed by several rivers, including the Ndego which meanders down from Lake Bunyonyi and separated from Lake Mulehe by a green shoulder, Lake Mutanda is the perfect place to let off steam. If you like walking, don't deviate from your inclination! The establishments bordering the lake offer guided walks, which to discover the lakeside villages and the habits and customs of their residents, which to crawl in the heart of rural hills, which to indulge in ornithological observation (kingfishers, African gymnogens, ibis and weavers are among the occupants of the place ...). Nothing prevents you, however, from walking alone: the track along the eastern shore of the lake is picturesque as is the panoramic and much more physical one, leading to Mulehe Lake from the Mutanda Lake Resort. ATVing is also a popular activity here. The Chameleon Hill offers routes that differ in length and difficulty but are similar in the views they offer (forests, cultivated fields, swamps, terraced houses on the hills...). This lodge also offers the possibility to combine sport and culture in the same day: mountain bike to Kisoro (about 20 km), viewing the preparation of coffee beans (drying, grinding...), boda to the Mutanda Eco Community Centre and return by motor boat (from 63 US$ pp, sliding scale). Finally, in and on the water, swimming and visiting the islands of the lake by canoe or speedboat are a must ...

From the Visitor Centre in Ntebeko, it is possible to take an easy guided walk to the panoramic platform (1 hr return, US$ 10) offering magnificent views of the region. This walk, although within the park boundaries, does not require payment of an entrance fee (US$40). More difficult, the Border Trail and the Sabinyo Gorge Trail will take you respectively to the Congolese border (5h walk) and the lush eponymous gorge (5 to 6h walk) where birds thrive and (sometimes) golden monkeys can be seen.

The Imperial Resort Beach Hotel's beach, open to non-residents for a few thousand shillings on weekends, is a must see. Crazy atmosphere with a bar and its colourful tables. Families come here to barbecue and eat tilapias, children go swimming, football and volleyball games are common, the sound system spits out loud... A very nice party atmosphere under the palm trees and on the sand. Here, as on the other tiny and rare sandy beaches of Entebbe, it can be tempting to take a dip, but beware of bilharzia...

Protected since 1926, the reserve is one of the oldest in the country. Covering an area of 542 km², it extends to the southern shore of Lake Albert with landscapes made up of acacia woods and lush savannah interrupted by palm islands and swamps. On a clear day, one can guess the outline of the Rwenzori and the Blue Mountains of the Congo. Before the civil war, the reserve was very rich with some of the biggest lions in Africa and many leopards. Today, although some of these felines are still present, you will have the opportunity to see Ugandan cobes, buffaloes, primates (colobus, chimpanzees...) and, eventually, elephants. In these conditions, the safaris are not as spectacular as in Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls National Parks, but lovers of tranquility and birdlife (440 species recorded) will appreciate. In this respect, the waters of Lake Albert provide one of the best opportunities in the country to spy on the shoebill. If you are not a client of Semliki Safari Lodge, you can organize your activities - such as primate walk (US$ 30 for 3 to 4 hours of walking) or Nile Shoebill watching (US$ 100/boat; over 3 passengers, US$ 20/additional person) - through the UWA. The government agency has a camp (with a canteen) at Ntoroko (count 40 to 82,000 shillings for a banda): reservation required.

Formerly known as the Bwamba Forest, this 220 km² territory acquired national park status in 1993. At an altitude of about 700 m, it is home to a virtually unspoiled sylvatic forest that is an extension of the Ituri Forest that stretches across the Semliki River in the DRC. As a result, it is home to species unique to the Congo Basin that are found nowhere else in Uganda, such as the okapi (three individuals recorded). Given its small size, the park has an extraordinary diversity of fauna: more than 300 species of butterflies and 435 species of birds, including several endemic to the park, which is a must-see destination for birdwatchers. With about fifty representatives, the list of mammals is not the most impressive in the country but, once again, some animals are unique such as the aquatic chevrotain (or doe pig). Chimpanzees (unaccustomed) and Brazza's cercopithecus (extremely rare in Uganda) are also present, as well as forest elephants, buffaloes and sitatungas, while crocodiles and hippos frequent the Ntotoro and Semliki rivers. However, the hot springs of Sempaya remain the main attraction of the park. Named Mumbunga ("meeting place") by the locals, the "male" (12 m in diameter) and "female" (which spits out boiling water, around 103°C) springs were indeed used by the natives for various purposes: washing clothes, cooking food and curative treatment (against skin rashes, epidermal mycosis, venous return or joint problems). The guided tour of the hot springs (1 hr.) requires only the payment of park entrance fees. Nature walk (30 US$ for 2 to 6 hours of walking) and bird watching (30 US$ itou) are also included in the program. If you opt for the first one, which lasts between 3 and 6 hours in the dry season and between 2 and 3 hours in the rainy season (because the progression in the mud is not a piece of cake...), expect to meet primates (such as the guéréza colobus, the samango or the red colobus) and, of course, butterflies and birds. If you choose bird watching, which starts (ideally before 8 am) from the UWA offices in Sempaya or from the Bumaga camp (2 km further south, close to the Fort Portal-Bundibugyo National Park), be aware that the guides, Alex and Moses in particular, are experienced ornithologists.

The Mabira Forest Ecotourism Centre and Griffin Falls Camp are the two launching pads for the wilderness excursions. Trails and tracks through the forest can be surveyed without the assistance of a guide (you will have to pay the reserve entrance fee of 20,000 Ush/adult). From Najjembe, three circuits (blue, yellow and red) of three to eight kilometers long allow a pleasant dive into the greenery. From Griffin Falls Camp, you can stretch your legs by walking to the nearby and picturesque waterfall of the same name (Griffin Falls). The presence of a guide is nevertheless highly recommended, especially for birdwatching. Indeed, during a bird watching tour your guide will be of a precious help to you to flush out the most furtive birds and identify the birds' songs. With the help of a guide, you will also be able to track, as in the Bugoma forest, the mangabey of Uganda. Until 2007, the Ugandan mangabey(Lophocebus ugandae) was related to the white-cheeked mangabey, which has a wider range, but has since been recognised as a species in its own right. This endemic primate, almost exclusively granitic and fruit-eating, is distinguished from its white-cheeked counterpart by its smaller size and from the other monkeys in the reserve by its darker coat. Tracking lasts between one and four hours. It is preferable to do it in the morning.

Located between Kotido and Moroto, these two reserves are relatively unknown. The Uganda Wildlife Authority has an office near the track between Kotido and Moroto and its rangers can accompany you for a nature walk (US$ 30), a bird watching (US$ 30) or a game drive (US$ 20). The entrance to the savannah with acacia trees and temporary swamps that make up these reserves costs US$ 10. Grant's gazelles, ewes, Ugandan guinea pigs, ostriches, baboons, leopards (very rare and exclusively in the Matheniko reserve)... these two reserves have some wildlife assets, but don't expect to see lions, cheetahs (these two felids haven't been spotted for a long time...), elephants and others. Finally, it is perhaps the avifauna observedcéans (about 100 species recorded) that is worth the detour: apart from vultures, hornbills, kingfishers and weavers, you might come across the endemic apalis of Karamoja and white-bellied touracos. At the moment, there is no infrastructure allowing visitors to spend the night in or near the reserves, but a camp could be set up in Turutoko in the coming years. In the rainy season, the trail leading to the entrance to the reserves can be tricky. In any case, you will need a powerful 4x4 in case of game drive (if you enlist a UWA guide, departures are at 7 and 17h). For more information, please refer to the UWA team in Mbale.

Much appreciated, in their time, by the Kabaka Mwanga and Mutesa II, this "green hole where a river sings" conceals a waterfall not devoid of beauty. In this place full of legends, where - in order to reconcile the spirits - sacrificial and propitiatory ceremonies still take place today (your cicerone will provide you with many details on this subject), the Ssezibwa falls. Although its flow varies according to the seasons, the 18 m high jump can be admired all year round. Rock climbers wishing to discover the top of the waterfall will not forget to put on sturdy boots as the stone is particularly slippery during and after the showers. In Céans, the Ssezibwa, a watercourse of about 150 km ending its course in Lake Kyoga, is surrounded by greenery(prunus africana, Gabonese tulip tree...), which is hardly to displease the monkeys, birds and butterflies of the area! There is no need to hire a guide if your only objective is to saddle up with someone better or to picnic on the grass. However, hiring a mahout (20,000 Ush plus entrance fees) can be advantageous for anyone wishing to learn more about the local history, customs, wildlife and flora. Finally, it is possible to camp in situ (30,000 Ush/person, entrance fee included): grassy ground overlooking the waterfall, clean sanitary facilities, shelters and meal preparation (to order) are the services and equipment of Ssezibwa Falls Resort.

The forest belongs to those who get up early! Indeed, whatever you feel like doing, expect to enter the jungle between 6:30 and 7:30 am. It is at Nkombe Forest Station, located equidistant from Kichwamba and Ishaka, that you will check in, pay for your activity (if you are travelling independently), meet your guide and be informed of the terms of your visit. Bird watching, forest walks and butterfly watching, which last between three and four hours, start between 7 and 7.30 am. These walks generally take place on the ten trails laid out by the NFA, some of which can be very difficult (steep hills, mud...). Therefore, don't forget your waterproof walking shoes, your covering clothes, your mackintosh, your cap, your snack and your two liters of water... On the paths, traced in the middle of the emblematic plum trees of Guinea, raphias (whose fibres are used in the making of local mats), bamboos, flame trees (whose flowers are supposed to excite the libido of the ladies when they swallow them...).), Mutragyne rubrostipuletae (nicknamed Viagra trees because they are supposed to improve the sexual performance of men...) and a myriad of other plants (some of which are used in the traditional pharmacopoeia), you should be able to admire magnificent lepidoptera, primates (colobus, vervet...), snakes (like the python...) and superb birds! If you like the crapahut and the waterfalls, do not hesitate to walk the 11 km of the Waterfall Trail so that the Kilyantama waterfall is revealed to your eyes. Concerning the chimpanzee tracking, departures are at 7:30 am (it is necessary to arrive 15 minutes early for the briefing) and at 1 pm. This last option will delight lovers of late mornings; however, as the chimpanzees do their meridian during the afternoon, it is recommended to ring your alarm clock to get closer to them (10 meters maximum). The tracking is more or less long according to the location of the quadrumans, nevertheless it takes four hours, including one in their company. Those interested in the habituation of the chimpanzees will leave the NFA premises at 6:30 am. They should be able to take a closer look at a community that has been under habituation since 2019 (this process takes 2-3 years).

Various trails criss-cross the park which can be explored during traditional game drives, preferably in the early morning or late afternoon (hiring a UWA guide is US$ 20), or even at nightfall (US$ 30/person). Impalas, buffaloes, zebras and possibly giraffes (in 2020, twenty-four individuals were counted within the park's perimeter) will be present. The night safari (departure at 6.30 or 7pm) will allow you to spot galagos, pottos and, with a bit of luck, a leopard. With the exception of the night drive, the presence of a mahout is not mandatory and you can do your own game drive, which will however deprive you of interesting information about the fauna and flora. It is also possible to ride through Lake Mburo National Park with a guide (30 US$/person) on the saddle of your bicycle. Boat trips (five daily excursions) on Lake Mburo are another activity made very popular (US$ 30/person for about 2 hours) by the presence of crocodiles and hippos. UWA also offers nature walks (US$15/person for 2-3 hours) with an armed guide. The latter will be able to explain the different species of the acacia genus and the correlated project of modification of the park's plant formation (passage from a wooded savannah to a grassy savannah). Ornithology enthusiasts will also be able to ask him for a trip to the Rubanga woods (in this southern part of the park, whose lakes and marshes are fed by the Rwizi river, you are likely to perceive the endemic gonolek papyrus and blue-naped coucal). For fishermen, finally, the lake is home to six species of fish, including tilapia, but you must have your equipment (the permit costs US$15/person for one day). For more information on these activities, ask at the UWA Interpretation Centre or ask the staff of your camp or lodge. For those who are unwilling or unable to pay the park entrance fee, rest assured: the animals do not care about the boundaries of the protected area. You will be able to discover them on horseback (offered by Mihingo Lodge and Leopard Rest Camp), on foot or by bicycle (bicycle rental available from Rwakobo Rock, Mihingo Lodge or Leopard Rest Camp) outside the park.