25 little-known Ugandan tourist destinations to explore
After a few days visiting community tourism projects in Ishasha, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Julia and I drive north through the crater lakes of Fort Portal and to the edge of Kibale Forest. We swap notes about places we want to visit. We’re usually rushing to one destination, or rushing back to Kampala, but in an ideal world, we’d travel at a more leisurely pace.
Imagine time is on our side, where should we stop? Here are a few places we drove through – and a few of our favourites from across Uganda. Feel free to add more to our list!
No. 1 – Take a dugout canoe across Lake Mutanda, South Western Uganda
Camera required! Admire the eight volcanic Virunga peaks reflected in the lake’s surface as you are paddled across the lake. Combine this with a trip to Kisoro, a hike with the Gorilla Highlands project and a stay at Chameleon Hill.
No. 2 – Fancy a cuppa cha? Stop at Igara tea factory
Strictly speaking, tea is an invasive species and the plantations were created at the expense of ancient woodlands, yet the bright green young tips of tea leaves remain alluring to this Brit (a committed tea-drinker!)
No. 3 – Zip through Mabira Forest!
Mabira Forest Canopy Super Skyway is over 200 metres of canopy zip-lines through the tops of 40 metre high trees and across the River Musamya.
Go for the day or stay at Griffin Falls Eco Campsite, Mabira. Here you can see Red Tailed Monkeys and shy Grey Cheeked Mangabeys (if you’re lucky). You can also walk or hire mountain bikes to go on the trails through the Forest. Tell Hussein the muzungu sent you 🙂
No. 4 – Climb Biharwe Hill to see the solar eclipse memorial, Mbarara
Viewing Uganda’s solar eclipse in Pokwero / Pakwach took my breath away. It was spell-binding.
Imagine if you had experienced an eclipse without expecting it? The story of Uganda’s 15th century eclipse at Biharwe changed the boundaries of traditional kingdoms.
Stretch your legs on the long drive west: take twenty minutes to climb Biharwe Hill and admire the monument (sited directly opposite Igongo).
No. 5 – Learn about the cultural significance of Ankole cows at the Igongo Cultural Centre, outside Mbarara
TIP: if you’re stopping for lunch, eat the buffet. If you order from the menu, you may have a very LONG wait … we did.
No. 6 – “Saving gorillas, one sip at a time” at the Gorilla Conservation Cafe in Entebbe
If you’re a coffee drinker like me, you’ll LOVE Gorilla Conservation Coffee and their brilliant cafe in Entebbe! Do visit the cafe if you’re driving to Entebbe Airport.
Pictured on my T-shirt is Kanyonyi (RIP), the legendary silverback gorilla from the Mubare family. The coffee blend is named after him. Keep his memory alive by visiting the Gorilla Conservation Cafe or buying coffee at numerous outlets across Uganda or online. Gorilla Conservation Coffee is a social enterprise that buys the coffee of farmers – who live adjacent to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest – at a premium price. Helping farmers protects the forests and thus the mountain gorillas. Profits from the sale of Gorilla Conservation Coffee support the ground-breaking work of Conservation Through Public Health.
*Gorilla Conservation Cafe has a new location* on Plot 13 Portal Road, Entebbe. Call +256 752 330139. Here you can order a fresh coffee or buy coffee beans to drink at home (a great gift too!)
No. 7 – Explore the Amabere Caves outside Fort Portal
The crater lakes of Fort Portal are gorgeous.
In this same region are Amabere Ga Nyina Mwiru Caves. (Caves always sound exciting to me!)
Amabere Ga Nyina Mwiru means “the breasts of Nyina Mwiru.” The ‘breasts’ are in fact stalactites made of calcium carbonate. The white-coloured water that drips off thus called “breast milk” by the local Toro people.
Local folklore has a rather gory interpretation of the cave’s name. Enough said on that point (or two points, should I say) …
No. 8 – Look out for the Narina Trogon at Ishasha Wilderness Camp, Queen Elizabeth National Park
Thanks to Bosco and Keseloni for making sure I saw my first Narina Trogon on my last stay at the splendid Ishasha Wilderness Camp. What a fabulous bird!
(Do you love birds like I do? Read some of my birding stories here).
No. 9 – Take a guided walk from one side of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest to the other
You don’t need to track the Mountain Gorillas to love Bwindi’s forest and birdlife. The first time I saw Bwindi’s rainforest, I thought I was going to cry; the place is pure magic. Did you know… Bwindi was voted no. 1 in Travel African magazine’s list of top 10 birdwatching sites?
The plan: overnight at Buhoma Lodge – or the recently refurbished Bwindi Lodge for a real treat – then take the day-long hike across Bwindi Impenetrable Forest to Nkuringo to the south.
In 2013, Robert Brierley hosted us at Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge from where we walked the 17 km Ivy River trail. The lodge is set high on Nteko Ridge between the Virunga volcanoes and the breath-takingly beautiful Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
No. 10 – Cross the Equator by boat and hang out with the chimps on Ngamba Island
The Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary tour is entertaining and educational for the whole family. Relaxing, bird watching, crossing the Equator by boat and looking out for the 50,000 fruit bats that fly overhead every evening are other unforgettable Ngamba experiences. All trips must be booked in advance. A stay at Ngamba’s luxury tented camp is highly recommended too.
Unlike the day tour – in which you are separated from the chimpanzees by a high platform and an electric fence – you can have a far more intimate experience with the chimpanzees, if you sign up for the volunteering programme. This takes the Ngamba experience to a whole new level.
Whether it’s cleaning the cages where the chimps come to sleep at night, preparing food, collecting behavioural data, assisting in medical procedures, typing up ‘chimp diaries’, selling merchandise in the Ngamba Island shop or helping maintain the island’s facilities, volunteers on week (or longer programmes) are active members of Ngamba’s dedicated family. You have to meet the Ngamba Island team to appreciate how dedicated they are to each individual chimp…!
No.11 – Wake up among the animals in Entebbe!
Fancy a night in the wild but without the travel to the National Parks? Stay in the bandas at UWEC, the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (once known as Entebbe Zoo). You will think you are in the bush – and may wake up to the sounds of chimpanzees, monkeys – or even a lion!
You can take part in some very cool, interactive experiences at UWEC, such as feeding the animals and walking with Hamukungu Charles, the young elephant (a lot bigger than he was in this photo of six years ago!) UWEC’s Behind-the-Scenes experiences need to be booked in advance. UWEC is open daily 8.30 am – 6.30 pm. Call +256 (0)414 320520 for more information.
No. 12 – Go horse riding along the banks of the River Nile
Horseback safaris along the northern bank of the River Nile outside Jinja can be for a few hours or even a few days – it’s up to you. Nile Horseback Safaris’ professionally-run riding stables also offer riding classes. Horse riding – and a few refresher lessons! – are high on the muzungu’s travel bucket list this year!
No. 13 – Learn the history of the Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom, while sitting on a lionskin on the floor of the Throne Room
The Throne Room is located in the Omukama – Traditional King’s – (very modern) Palace in Hoima. Here we were told about the “empire of traders, hunters and metalworkers, built and lost on ivory.” The cultural history was illuminating. The experience taught me that I have barely scratched the surface of the country’s history and culture. There’s so much more to touring Uganda than wildlife and adventure. I was honoured to be given the pet name Akiki at our audience with the Omukama, the traditional king of Bunyoro kingdom.
No. 14 – Track the golden monkeys (and mountain gorillas) of Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
All credit to the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) guides who have plenty of interesting facts about these gorgeous creatures and their stunning bamboo habitat. Just like Uganda’s chimps and mountain gorillas, UWA rangers are constantly monitoring the golden monkeys, so you are (almost) guaranteed to see them.
I stayed at Mount Gahinga Lodge: a hidden gem in a divine part of the country, a few kilometres from the Rwandese border and just five minutes’ walk from the park. Did you know you can also track the gorillas in Mgahinga? Read my multi-page Ultimate Guide to Mountain Gorilla Trekking for everything gorilla!
No. 15 – En route from Kampala to Fort Portal, stop at the Nakayima Tree in Mubende
I am fascinated by traditional beliefs and customs. The Nakayima – or ‘witch’ – Tree at Mubende is estimated to be 650 years old and is named after a princess who is believed to have cured smallpox. The tree has 18 “rooms” – these being spacious gaps between the tree’s buttress roots. Read about travel writer Edgar Batte’s visit to the Nakayima Tree.
No. 16 – Follow in the footsteps of the Uganda Martyrs
Every year one million pilgrims congregate in Namugongo, east of Kampala to commemorate the several dozen Uganda Martyrs who were executed between 31 January 1885 and 27 January 1887. Pilgrims travel from across Uganda and East Africa for this event.
The Martyrs Walk across Kampala – launched in 2014 – retraces the last few hours and days of the Martyrs’ fateful journey as they were forced to walk towards their death. Embarking on the Martyrs’ Walk will give you a greater understanding of their contribution to history. The story of St Balikuddembe (namesake of Owino market) will stay in my mind forever. I revisited the Uganda Martyrs’ history when Pope Francis visited Uganda.
No. 17 – Buy some smoked fish in West Nile
In Pakwach I drove past piles of bright yellow smoked Angara fish – without buying any – en route to the best viewing point of Uganda’s solar eclipse, a day I can never forget.
I loved West Nile. Read “10 little-known things to do in Arua, West Nile” to see a few of the new foodstuffs I found there.
This year, the Muzungu has been invited to climb Mount Wati (“what to the what?”)
No. 18 – Visit the Smallest Church in the World (apparently!)
According to some, Goli in West Nile is the location for the world’s smallest church – although my attempts to verify this have been hit and miss. I need to visit in person. It’s surely Uganda’s smallest church since it’s certainly standing room only. (What a great venue to book if you want to reduce the cost of your wedding!)
Read Solomon Oleny’s story about his visit to the church.
No.19 – Eat, dance, hunt – and ‘go to the bush’ with Entanda
The award-winning Entanda Traditional Hunting and Cultural Experience is a community experience like no other. We jumped off the bus in the countryside near Mityana to be greeted by loud ululating, drumming and singing. We danced as one before being invited to eat the freshest fruits straight from the gardens. Oh my, we ATE! Next, the men in our group were invited to take in part traditional hunting as we ladies were taught how to prepare a luwombo lunch and invited ‘to the bush’ (and what happens in the Bush stays in the Bush!) Oh the stories! This is authentic community tourism at its best.
To visit the Entanda Traditional Hunting and Cultural Experience (AKA “Kojja and Senga’s retreat”) call +256(0) 772 340576 or visit the Entanda Facebook page. Entanda is near Mityana, 60 km along the Kampala to Fort Portal Road. Go visit!
No. 20 – Eat fresh fish at Kabaka’s Landing Site (KLS), Mulungu, Munyonyo, Kampala
Down at the shorefront restaurants of KLS, there are no frills, just fried whole Tilapia, Nile Perch and reasonably priced drinks beers, sodas and Uganda Waragi gin. KLS is a relaxing spot for watching the sun go down over Lake Victoria. You can also buy fresh fish – gutted and descaled – to cook at home.
It was from here, in the 1870s, that Kabaka Mutesa embarked on hippo hunting expeditions to Lake Bulingugwe and beyond. The hippos are gone, and so is the Kabaka’s fleet of canoes, but Mulungu is still known as the Royal Port.
Read my blog “Eating fish” – where to eat fish on Lake Victoria for the full lowdown on Kabaka’s Landing Site and other places you can eat fish by the lake.
No. 21 – Chimp trackers’ delight: the Bee Hive Bar and Bistro in Bigodi, Kibale
Located along the new Fort Portal to Kamwenge Road, the Bee Hive Bar & Bistro opened mid-2017. The reasonably priced menu at this great little restaurant and bar has local favourites like goat stew and rolex. Beers are just 3,500 Uganda shillings (one US dollar). This is a great stopover after tracking the chimpanzees in Kibale Forest and is located directly opposite the KAFRED project at Bigodi Wetlands Sanctuary. The Bee Hive also has a pool table and satellite TV (although the muzungu is happiest on the top deck gazing across Bigodi Swamp looking for primates and birds!) Click on the link above to read more about this must-visit stopover. The Bee Hive is also on Facebook. (P.S. You’ll find clean toilets here!)
No. 22 – Offer money and coffee beans at the (refurbished) Mparo Tombs of Kabelega near Hoima
Kabalega is said to be ‘the last great king of one of the greatest kingdoms in the Great Lakes region.’ His kingdom stretched well beyond the modern day borders of Uganda. The Mparo Tombs monument outside Hoima marks the spot where in 1877 Kabalega granted an audience to Emin Pasha. Read my blog On my knees again: an audience with the King of Bunyoro.
TIP: visit the Mparo Tombs in May and you can stuff your pockets full of the sweet mangoes falling from the huge trees!
No. 23 – Walk in the foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains
Last year I fell in love with the Rwenzoris. Read my #RwenzoriDiary series.
You don’t have to be mega fit and commit to climbing Margherita, Uganda’s highest peak – there are many peaks to choose from and many shorter routes in the foothills. It is here on the lower slopes that you find the most interesting vegetation, birds and animals. Did you know the three-horned chameleon can easily be seen in the Rwenzoris? This mountain range covers over 120 km² and has an amazing 50 lakes and several waterfalls. Keep reading for more stories from the Rwenzoris.
No. 24 – Watch birds, butterflies and chimps at Sunbird Hill, Kibale Forest
Sunbird Hill is a favourite destination of mine, named in honour of 18 of Uganda’s 38 sunbird species recorded here (so far). If you love nature and are looking for an authentic experience, in a relaxed homestay environment, this is it. Early mornings are filled with splendid forest birdsong. At night you often hear the PANT HOOTS of chimps from Kibale Forest. It’s magical!
If that’s not heaven enough for an amateur birder and conservationist like me, Sunbird Hill Research and Monitoring Site has an extensive reference library and a resident expert primatologist, Julia Lloyd. Read all about the Treehouse, the Birders’ Lounge and the Village Bird Clubs on my blog Love birds, butterflies and chimps? Then don’t miss Sunbird Hill, Kibale Forest.
No. 25 – Discover Karamoja and Kidepo Valley
Karamoja (in northeast Uganda) is now firmly on Uganda’s tourist map thanks in part to the great work done by the team at Discover Karamoja. (Crucially for tourists, the UK Government’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has finally cleared Karamoja as safe to travel to).
Theo Vos writes “Karamoja suffers from a negative image due to decades of isolation and insecurity. However, after peace has returned (2011), the perception of the region by fellow Ugandans and the international community hasn’t changed. The Discover Karamoja project aims to address this through positive imagery and gorgeous photography.”
Karamoja culture is like nowhere else in the #PearlofAfrica. Look at the colour! The landscapes! I’ll be visiting Karamoja very soon.
The region is also home to Kidepo Valley National Park, named one of Africa’s top 10 parks for its ‘spectacular landscapes and large herds of buffalo.’
Want to see cheetah, ostrich, Secretary Birds and the Karamoja Apalis? The only place in Uganda you’ll find them is here in the north east.
I hope you’ve enjoyed some of our travel ideas.
WOW WOW WOW Lots to choose from here. Thanks Charlotte for sharing selflessly. I’ll read this again a couple more times.
Thanks Jonathan! This blog has been a labour of love… many weeks/ months (years?) collating this selection. I could have added even more… but sometimes you just need to click PUBLISH! Lol.
The big-name destinations and well-known activities get all the glory but there are some great little places that we simply drive through without knowing they are there. No. 19 – the Entanda experience – is one of them! Hope you get to go there soon – it really is sensational.
Wow – what a goldmine – I am likely moving here for the next year or two – this is an absolute goldmine of information – many thanks for putting this together – what a gift
“Thanks for the appreciation” as we say here in UG!
If you’re moving to Uganda, you should find this one useful reading Uganda for beginners – a guide for new expats
WOW WOW WOW!!!
Such a lovely travel article. Loved it.
Hey Solo, from the master… that’s a great compliment! 🙂
Thanks for dropping by…
Fascinated to see horse riding. When I lived in Uganda in the 1960s there were no horses – they couldn’t survive ( may have been due to the tsetse flies???) there were a couple of horses on an experimental farm, somewhere nearKampala?
We went to the Kenyan Highlands on a holiday and were excited to see horses.
Hi T-J
Interesting to read from you. There are still very few horses in Uganda. We do still have tsetse flies in many parts but sleeping sickness has been eradicated from the country.
I haven’t been horseriding in Uganda yet but it’s high on my bucket list. As well as the riding in Jinja, you can also go on horseback safaris at Lake Mburo National Park. There are a few other stables in and around Kampala and Entebbe as well. Speke Resort Munyonyo has horses too.
I would really love to go riding in the Kenyan Highlands! Did you ride?
Just rook a glimpse tour of Uganda by reading your blog. Itsclear you put in plenty of hiurs but I can assure you, it was worth it. I’ve been to many of these places and you brought back the memories. The lovely pictures add spice to your story telling. Thanks again and I’m going to interest others to read AND visit.
Hi Christine, thanks for touring Uganda with me 🙂
Where did I miss from my list?
Well,i can boldly say you have shared more than enough.Thanks for sharing .Everything is amazingly beautiful
Charlotte, great info as always. I’ve been following the Muzungo since 2012.
PLEASE in the description of the hike through Bwindi, in addition naming him, acknowledge the huge contribution to Uganda that was made by Robert Brierley. Before staying at Nkuringo Camp in 2012, I had the pleasure of communicating via email with him. His love for and commitment to Uganda were evident.
https://atcnews.org/2014/04/01/robert-brierley-gone-too-soon/
Hi Rebecca, great to read from you!
You’re absolutely right, Robert Brierley was a mine of information and highly respected in the tourism industry. He had very high standards and was a great teacher and role model to many.
Nkuringo continues to develop. Rob would be very pleased with the way his business partner Lydia runs the lodge, which has upped his game to serve mid range clients, rather than backpackers.
My heart is filled with wonderful memories of my time in Uganda early 1990. Worked at Bwindi. I Think its calling me back. Wonderful research for any traveller. Congrats Ms Muzungu.
Hi Maree, thanks for dropping by 🙂
You know I always say that visitors to Uganda fall into two categories: those who stay and those who come back! (I’ve been here since 2009).
Did you work at Bwindi Community Hospital? It was one of the first places I visited as a fellow VSO volunteer used to work there.
Here’s a story about my first visit to Bwindi and an encounter with my totem, the Red-tailed Monkey.
Thanks for the list. I have not been to.Entanda culture center and Nakayima Tree site, but I will visit this year
Karibu sana Mamerito 🙂
I highly recommend Entanda Cultural and Hunting Experience – possibly the best cultural tourism experience I’ve encountered in UG. They won an award in Uganda’s Tourism Excellence Awards of 2017.
You have made me appreciate my country more # IAM PROUD TO BE A UGANDAN AND BORN IN UGANDA, you have also inspired me to start blogging at theguptareport.blogspot.com
Hey guys…this is all great…however i with to inform all our predistined vistors of the great existance of the one and only city of peace…Ssesamirembe) in kyotera district..pure eco- scenaries…people..wisdom..culture…and great of all a home far away from noise…
“A city of peace” – I haven’t heard of it…
These are amazing little less travelled places, there are other nansy more places like the skeleton island and punishment island in lake bunyonyi and Lake Mutanda but also the heaven mountain is an interesting after the Batwa cultural experience in the Bwind impenetrable forest national park
This are wonderful destinations. One day I will visit the places.
It’s funny how Uganda seems to get bigger! When I moved here, I thought I would have ‘done’ the whole country by now. Not at all. Still more places to see, new experiences to be had and lots of older lodges are upgrading, refurbishing and more. Exciting times for tourism in the Pearl of Africa.
i am surely going to visit Ggamba island on day. Its so so interesting.
It’s a fantastic experience! Been many times and will definitely go again!
Wow, wow what an epic journey in so small a space! Can you imagine I’m Ugandan and there are places I had never heard of!!
You are truly a Ugandan tourism ambassador! Keep on raising the Ugandan Tourism Flag high through writing more stories
Hi Mike, webale kusiima 🙂 Thanks for dropping by – and I hope you get to visit all these places – and more!
This is a great research and list there. I hope i one day i will have tick on all the 25 as visited.
Thanks for appreciating – I need to start researching my next 25! 😉
Thank you so much for bringing back some marvellous memories I was a VSO in Gulu in the late 60’s and visited many of the place you have. One of the most crazy was driving from Gulu to Kidepo and camping all the way!! It is an amazing country and I can understand why you stay there.
Hello Sue, thanks for dropping by. Lovely to reconnect with another former VSO! Back in the 60s, that drive must have been hardcore. Gulu is a thriving town now. You probably wouldn’t recognise it.
Yes Uganda is a fabulous country. I always say “people like me stay or keep visiting.”
Come back soon 🙂
very nice article, thanks for sharing it with us.
Glad you liked it – which Uganda destination do you recommend visiting?