5. To spot a prehistoric beast
Murchison Falls National Park is Uganda’s oldest conservation area. It draws visitors to its famously thunderous cataracts, where the full force of the Nile is forced at high speed through a gap in the Rift Valley Escarpment. This is also one of the best places in the country to see the shoebill, a towering, primeval-looking, hook-beaked bird that feeds on baby crocodiles and looks like it was dreamt up by the creators of The Dark Crystal.
Where to stay
Baker’s Lodge enjoys a superb setting on the banks of the Nile, its eight cottages hidden among acacia trees and fronting the river. Watch out for hippos munching on the grass outside your room at night.
6. To hike the Rwenzori
The Rwenzori - the fabled Mountains of the Moon - form an imposing border with the Democratic Republic of Congo. They’re snow-capped even at the height of summer, being Africa’s highest mountain range. The hiking is tough – the Kilembe Trail, in the southern section of the park, takes a good eight or nine days to complete, although much shorter routes are available – but the rewards are considerable: remote trekking through a pristine wilderness of craggy peaks, glacier lakes and a lunar landscape dotted with giant groundsel plants.
Where to stay
Rwenzori Trekkers, located in the shadow of the mountains, is the closest accommodation to the Kilembe trailhead, but you’ll be more comfortable, and still within range, staying in the Ndali-Kasenda region.
7. To cruise the Kazinga channel
Queen Elizabeth National Park is blessed with a variety of beautiful habitats, from the open plains of the Kasenyi sector to the densely wooded scrub of the Mweya Peninsula and fig-tree-studded Ishasha. However, it’s the boat launch on the Kazinga Channel that’s the real highlight of a visit to Uganda’s most popular national park.
Drifting lazily past huge pods of hippos, you’ll more or less certain to experience close-up encounters with buffalos, crocodiles and Nile monitors. Herds of elephants regularly come down to the water to drink and bathe in the shallows.
Where to stay
Why not spend a night in different sectors of the park? Mweya Lodge is a fairly large bush hotel with a personal feel, and an infinity pool that overlooks the Kazinga Channel. In the far south of the park, spectacular Ishasha Wilderness Camp makes the most of its beautiful setting, with luxurious safari tents spread along a scenic stretch of the Ntungwe River.
8. To track gorillas in Bwindi
What’s the most amazing wildlife experience on Earth? A full day spent tracking mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
On the Uganda Wildlife Authority’s new Gorilla Habituation Experience, you’ll accompany park rangers and researchers as they track (and monitor) these powerful yet peaceful creatures, first locating their overnight nests before following a trail of broken branches and tell-tale silver hairs to the gorillas themselves. What follows is 3 or 4 hours of lifelong memories, as you watch immense silverbacks tearing up and munching on huge bundles of vegetation while playful youngsters roly-poly amongst the undergrowth.
Where to stay
The group of gorillas currently being habituated in Bwindi are tracked from the trailhead at Rushaga, where the staff at the forest-facing Gorilla Safari Lodge are super-friendly and the chef serves up some of the best meals in Uganda.
Title Image Credit: Brian Harries (Image Cropped)