Uganda TourismUganda Tourism Back to its Fullest "Uganda Tourism".It is on radio, television, newspapers, and magazines and of late to internet.” Uganda the pearl of Africa”. But do you know why it is called so…………..? On this page we will answer that question in details. After many years of coups and counter coups, Uganda has once again become a main stream of tourism destination within Eastern Africa, as was the case before 1970’s. The entire region is of course known for its wildlife and nature based attractions and for that matter Uganda tourism attractions can hold its differently compared to Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda. When we say this I know so of you may not understand what I mean. Let me first give you the variety of attractions, which can draw tourists to Uganda.The country’s protected areas include first and foremost the 10 main national parks , besides which there are dozens more game reserves, wildlife reserves, community reserves and forest reserves which invite visitors to explore nature and discover the amazing Ugandan flora and fauna Mt. Elgon in the East, straddling the border with Kenya and of course the fabled Mountains of the Moon, or Rwenzori Mountains, which extend along the border with Congo in the extreme West of the country, offer our visitors alpine experiences of the highest quality. Dozens of lakes, besides the well known ones like Lakes Victoria , Edward, George, Kyoga and Albert allow our visitors boating, birdwatching and fishing opportunities. The world’s longest and arguably most mystical river, the Nile , has become a focal point along its upper valley for adventure tourism and boating, rafting bungee jumping , quadbiking, cross country cycling and horse back safaris are only some of the exciting activities visitors can partake in. Many more rivers across the country offer excellent fishing or again provide the right environment to spot some of the nearly 1.100 species of birds which can be found in this country. Queen Elizabeth National Park alone is home to over 610 species of resident and migratory birds and visitors from around the world have come to see this natural miracle for themselves.
Forests still harbour undiscovered species of birds, plants and insects like butterflies and in particular the Maramagambo Forest, which extends into Queen Elizabeth National Park, is said to be a treasure grove waiting to be discovered. The forests of Mt. Elgon and of the Rwenzori Mountains Border transcending ecosystems, in particular the gorilla parks of Bwindi and Mgahinga , led to regional conservation efforts and will in time to come allow visitors to move across the borders while remaining inside the designated park areas. The Kidepo Valley , nestled in the border triangle between Uganda, Kenya and Southern Sudan, is another such area, where across the frontiers other protected areas either already exist or are earmarked for conservation purposes and Mt. Elgon too constitutes a national park on both sides of the border. Last but not least, our Kingdoms also add an image on Uganda tourism – as in fact the whole country – offer a cultural variety which is second to none and has the capacity to attract a whole group to new visitors to the country, interested primarily in African history , the Kingdoms and culture at large. And I do not want to miss out on the opportunities of Christian religious tourism to our sacred sites like the Martyrs Shrine or Bishop Hannington’s first resting place. The Ugandan people, obviously born with a smile on their faces it would seem, are easily the most hospitable and friendly ones in the entire region, inspite of the country’s now thankfully more and more distant bad history. They seem to have emerged from those days with their smiles intact and are ever ready to show visitors the ‘new Uganda’ they have built over the past 22 years. To add to this, many communities living near the national parks and reserves have now engaged in offering their own Uganda tourism products, bringing direct benefits to their people on a sustainable basis. In order to complement all these attractions, the country has created a significant hospitality and meeting capacity over the past several years, with the proverbial litmus test being the Commonwealth Head of State and Government Summit late last year 2007. At last the Entebbe – Kampala axis can now host with ease several thousand visitors at once, provide them with first class accommodation and transportation , notwithstanding that more affordable hotels , motels and inns too have emerged. International bodies, groups and corporate entities can bring their conventions, meetings, exhibitions and conferences into state of the art facilities, large enough for the really big events. The Uganda Government consciously supported these infrastructural investments with duty and tax relief, something criticized by sections of the political spectrum but broadly welcomed by the business community. New safari lodges and tented camps too have added much needed capacity to the safari circuit, and the present rebuilding of the Chobi Fishing Lodge in the Northern part of Murchisons Falls is a sign of continued investor confidence. Bwindi’s main entrance village Buhoma is now a sprawling community of Uganda tourism facilities and even the more remote parts of Uganda feature upmarket lodges, like Apoka in Kidepo , the Semliki Safari Lodge in the Toro/Semliki Game Reserve, the Lake Albert Safari Lodge, the Mihingo Lodge just outside Lake Mburo National Park and the soon to open ‘Clouds’ which will give the Nkuringo community a focal point for upmarket visitors.
The international airport in Entebbe too was enlarged and further improved, and now ranks top in the region for functionality, short ways and cleanliness. Existing airlines fly more often to and from Entebbe and new airlines have added Uganda to their network, like the region’s first true low cost carrier Fly 540, which in fact only recently had its’ Ugandan ‘offspring’ licensed to fly as a Uganda airline, bringing relief with lower fares to travellers and thereby helping visitor arrivals to grow in the future. What, with all this said you might think, now prevents Uganda from raking in the tourist Euros and Dollars and make Uganda tourism the country’s biggest ‘industry’.Me and you we can change the image of Uganda Tourism
Uganda Entertainment Centers Gorilla Tracking in Bwindi National Park Ssese Islands on Lake Victoria Mountaineering and Hiking in Uganda |
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