Uganda Travel Guide

Uganda Travel: General information

Uganda commonly known as “The Pearl of Africa” situated in East Africa is a country surrounded by land. It is bordered on the north by Sudan, on the east by Kenya, on the south by Tanzania and Rwanda and on the east by Kenya. Uganda situated at the geographical heart of Africa, is the green gem of Africa that attracts tourists from all over the world because of its lush green vegetation, exotic species of animals and birds, and the famous mountain gorillas.

Uganda with its exotic fauna and flora and a network of 10 National Parks is more appealing for tourists than any other safari destination in Africa. Fantastic avenues of entertainment like water rafting, bungee jumping, white water rafting, birding tours, Ruwenzori mountaineering, pleasant weather attracts tourists from all over the world to spend a few days in this eco-friendly country close to Mother Nature.

Uganda Travel: Key facts

Capital city: Kampala

Area: 236,040 sq Km

Population: 25 million people (as per 2005 census)

Official language: English

International dialing code: 256

Uganda travel: Popular Tourist Destinations

· Ssese Islands: Ssese islands are the most popular destination in Uganda. It is a chain of 84 islands situated on the North West side of Lake Victoria, the biggest fresh water lake in Africa. Regarded as one of the peaceful destinations with rich biodiversity, this island offers its tourists beautiful and eye catching scenic views of tropical rain forests and birds. This destination offers a wide range of activities including sunbathing, nature walks, and water rafting, besides relaxation.

· Queen Elizabeth National Park: This beautiful National Park, which derives its names from Queen Elizabeth 2 is a Biosphere Reserve for humanity under UNESCO. It is another very famous tourist spot in Uganda. This destination with its extraordinary fauna and flora offers its visitors an opportunity to see various unforgettable and unique sights like Crater lakes filled with huge flocks of flamingo and giant frogs.

Uganda Travel: Economy and Infrastructure

Gifted with significant natural resources by Mother Nature like fertile land, rich mineral deposits the economy of Uganda has great potential. Supplies of agricultural products like coffee, vanilla, vegetables, fruits, cotton, tobacco and tea bring a lot of foreign currency in the country, thus Uganda's economy is the strongest in Africa.

Uganda has risen from a small agricultural country to a modernized country with sound infrastructure facilities like Entebbe International Airport, which is situated 36 Kms from Kampala, two national Telecommunications UTL(Uganda Telephone Network)and MTN(Mobile Telephone Network Uganda).

Uganda Travel: Culture

Uganda has rich cultural heritage with 84% of the population being Christians. Uganda is a blend of traditions with 30 languages spoken belonging to five distinct linguistic groups although the official language is English. The people are caring and friendly, even the poorest Ugandan shows hospitality to strangers thus attracting more and more tourists to the country.