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Lake Nakuru National Park Rift Valley
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Lake Bunyonyi
Situated alongside the road between Kabale town and Bwindi National Park, this pretty lake—whose name translates aptly as "Place of Little Birds"—is essentially a submerged valley dammed by a lava flow from one of the region's many volcanoes. With a shore and islands dotted with low-key camps and lodges, it has become one of the most popular venues in Uganda to relax and is a popular base for day hikes and visits to Batwa pygmy communities. A bird-watcher's paradise, it is also a reliable location for sightings of otherwise-elusive otters.
Reaching Lake Bunyonyi can be tricky and time-consuming via public transportation. Private taxis are available, but can be prohibitive in cost. This area is a dramatically different landscape from the rest of Uganda in its cultivation and pastoral practices.
Kalinzu Forest Reserve
Kalinzu Forest an extension of the Maramagambo Forest and Queen Elizabeth National Park, lies 1400m above sea level and serves as a refuge for savannah grassland mammals such as the leopard, lion, waterbuck, and elephants (just to name a few). This eco-tourism site that preserves 414 species of trees and shrubs also protects 378 species of birds along with 6 species of primate neighbors. Visitors can go on a guided tour along the ridges of the valley, identify the many species of butterflies, take snapshots of the amazing views of Lake Edward, or discover the mysterious legend of “the old man of the hills.”
Lake Mburo National Park
This park, easily accessible at 155 mi/250 km from Kampala, has buffalo, hippos, zebra, impala and many other animals. The lake and its avian life will also appeal to bird-watchers. More than 350 species have been recorded there. Sometimes the comical-looking Ankole cattle with their enormous heavy horns can be seen grazing in the park amongst the impala. Park accommodations range from simple tents and bandas to fancy grass-thatched roofed cottages on raised wooden platforms that overlook the savannah.
Jinja
Uganda's second-largest city, Jinja is situated where the White Nile leaves Lake Victoria on its 3,470-mi/5,590-km journey to the Mediterranean. There is a small plaque that commemorates the spot where the explorer John Speke claimed he had found the source of the Nile in 1862.
Although the river can be interesting, don't expect much: It's now the site of Owen Falls Dam and is no longer in its natural state. Sunset cruises to the Source are popular.
On the riverbanks, there are some lively campsites and bars, and it is the center for Uganda's burgeoning white-water rafting industry and various other adrenaline-inducing activities. We don't expect Idi Amin would have ever imagined that you could bungee jump over the Nile in Uganda—but you can today. Kayaking is also offered, as is quad biking, horseback riding and ziplining in the villages along the banks of the Nile.
The city, 50 mi/80 km east of Kampala, is an expat haven, and visitors will find juice bars, coffee shops, yacht clubs and community events.
Kampala
Set just a few miles/kilometers north of Lake Victoria in the heart of Buganda, Kampala is the capital of Uganda and the country's largest city.
It's a hilly, congested town, and the scars of war that dominated in the early 1990s have long since been repaired or replaced by bright malls and high-rises. Traffic can come to a honking standstill in the city center with bikes balancing bunk beds, boda bodas loaded with 400-lb Nile perch and pedestrians all jockeying for position.
Also, take an excursion to Lake Victoria and visit Namugongo Martyrs' Shrine and the massive, thatch-domed Kasubi Tombs, burial place of several kabakas of Buganda. Although their works are not intended for tourists (and may not be for sale), students at the Makerere University's School of Industrial and Fine Arts create fascinating pieces of art, many of which reflect the challenging conditions of Ugandan life.
In the middle of city at the bottom of Nakasero Hill, look for the market with its colorful display of fresh produce and the matatu (minibus) park stuffed to the gills with vehicles.
Eldoret
Eldoret is located in western Kenya and often serves as a convenient base for touring the North Rift Valley.
Lake Nakuru National Park Rift Valley
Lake Nakuru National Park in Kenya's Rift Valley, located 100 mi/160 km northwest of Nairobi, is known for its flamingos, as well as its other birds (some 400 species have been documented). Hundreds of thousands of flamingos migrate among a handful of soda lakes in the area, including Lake Nakuru, so the actual number of birds varies at different times of year. But the sight of the massed flamingos is spectacular—when you gaze down on the lake from an overlook, it appears to be ringed in pink.
Other animals also inhabit the park. It's a rhino sanctuary, with both white and black rhinos—probably one of your best chances to see these endangered animals. It's also home to rare Rothschild giraffes. Keep an eye out for lions, too, or even leopards up in the arms of the tall yellow acacia trees.
Easy access from Nairobi makes this an excellent park for those on a quick trip to Kenya.
Maasai Mara
The Maasai Mara National Reserve (Masai Mara) is Kenya's finest and most outstanding wildlife sanctuary where gentle rolling grassland ensures animals are never out of sight. The climate is gentle, rarely too hot and well spread rainfall year round. The sensation of the great wildebeest migration between July and October is unparalleled. The wildlife is far from being confined within the Reserve boundaries and an even larger area extends beyond the game Reserve. Centuries of close association with the wildllife has resulted in an almost symbiotic relationship where wildlife and Masai people live in peace with one another. The first sight of this park is breathtaking. There is nowhere else on earth to compare with this wildlife marvel. The combination of a gentle climate, scenic splendour and untold numbers of wildlife makes the Maasai Mara National Reserve Kenya's most popular inland destination.
Nairobi
Nairobi is Kenya's capital and one of Africa's most modern and fastest growing major cities. The original center retains Asian influence in its older buildings with glassy modern buildings. Visit City Market with local produce and handicrafts. Other attractions are: National Museum, displaying ethnographic, paleontological and ornithological exhibits; the Arboretum, with an excellent collection of East African flora; the University, known for its unique architecture; the excellent Kenya Railway Museum; and Nairobi's landmark, the extraordinary Kenyatta Conference Center, the country's most monumental building, visible from miles outside the city. There are casinos at Safari Park Hotel and Inter-Continental, and there's Sunday-afternoon horse-racing. Visit Karen Blixen Museum, where some action of the book and film Out of Africa took place. The beautiful forested Ngong Hills is a spiritual place for the Maasai and an excellent area for hiking and enjoying views of Nairobi and the Rift Valley. Nairobi National Park is a wildlife game reserve.
Situated alongside the road between Kabale town and Bwindi National Park, this pretty lake—whose name translates aptly as "Place of Little Birds"—is essentially a submerged valley dammed by a lava flow from one of the region's many volcanoes. With a shore and islands dotted with low-key camps and lodges, it has become one of the most popular venues in Uganda to relax and is a popular base for day hikes and visits to Batwa pygmy communities. A bird-watcher's paradise, it is also a reliable location for sightings of otherwise-elusive otters.
Reaching Lake Bunyonyi can be tricky and time-consuming via public transportation. Private taxis are available, but can be prohibitive in cost. This area is a dramatically different landscape from the rest of Uganda in its cultivation and pastoral practices.
Kalinzu Forest an extension of the Maramagambo Forest and Queen Elizabeth National Park, lies 1400m above sea level and serves as a refuge for savannah grassland mammals such as the leopard, lion, waterbuck, and elephants (just to name a few). This eco-tourism site that preserves 414 species of trees and shrubs also protects 378 species of birds along with 6 species of primate neighbors. Visitors can go on a guided tour along the ridges of the valley, identify the many species of butterflies, take snapshots of the amazing views of Lake Edward, or discover the mysterious legend of “the old man of the hills.”
This park, easily accessible at 155 mi/250 km from Kampala, has buffalo, hippos, zebra, impala and many other animals. The lake and its avian life will also appeal to bird-watchers. More than 350 species have been recorded there. Sometimes the comical-looking Ankole cattle with their enormous heavy horns can be seen grazing in the park amongst the impala. Park accommodations range from simple tents and bandas to fancy grass-thatched roofed cottages on raised wooden platforms that overlook the savannah.
Uganda's second-largest city, Jinja is situated where the White Nile leaves Lake Victoria on its 3,470-mi/5,590-km journey to the Mediterranean. There is a small plaque that commemorates the spot where the explorer John Speke claimed he had found the source of the Nile in 1862.
Although the river can be interesting, don't expect much: It's now the site of Owen Falls Dam and is no longer in its natural state. Sunset cruises to the Source are popular.
On the riverbanks, there are some lively campsites and bars, and it is the center for Uganda's burgeoning white-water rafting industry and various other adrenaline-inducing activities. We don't expect Idi Amin would have ever imagined that you could bungee jump over the Nile in Uganda—but you can today. Kayaking is also offered, as is quad biking, horseback riding and ziplining in the villages along the banks of the Nile.
The city, 50 mi/80 km east of Kampala, is an expat haven, and visitors will find juice bars, coffee shops, yacht clubs and community events.
Set just a few miles/kilometers north of Lake Victoria in the heart of Buganda, Kampala is the capital of Uganda and the country's largest city.
It's a hilly, congested town, and the scars of war that dominated in the early 1990s have long since been repaired or replaced by bright malls and high-rises. Traffic can come to a honking standstill in the city center with bikes balancing bunk beds, boda bodas loaded with 400-lb Nile perch and pedestrians all jockeying for position.
Also, take an excursion to Lake Victoria and visit Namugongo Martyrs' Shrine and the massive, thatch-domed Kasubi Tombs, burial place of several kabakas of Buganda. Although their works are not intended for tourists (and may not be for sale), students at the Makerere University's School of Industrial and Fine Arts create fascinating pieces of art, many of which reflect the challenging conditions of Ugandan life.
In the middle of city at the bottom of Nakasero Hill, look for the market with its colorful display of fresh produce and the matatu (minibus) park stuffed to the gills with vehicles.
Eldoret is located in western Kenya and often serves as a convenient base for touring the North Rift Valley.
Lake Nakuru National Park in Kenya's Rift Valley, located 100 mi/160 km northwest of Nairobi, is known for its flamingos, as well as its other birds (some 400 species have been documented). Hundreds of thousands of flamingos migrate among a handful of soda lakes in the area, including Lake Nakuru, so the actual number of birds varies at different times of year. But the sight of the massed flamingos is spectacular—when you gaze down on the lake from an overlook, it appears to be ringed in pink.
Other animals also inhabit the park. It's a rhino sanctuary, with both white and black rhinos—probably one of your best chances to see these endangered animals. It's also home to rare Rothschild giraffes. Keep an eye out for lions, too, or even leopards up in the arms of the tall yellow acacia trees.
Easy access from Nairobi makes this an excellent park for those on a quick trip to Kenya.
The Maasai Mara National Reserve (Masai Mara) is Kenya's finest and most outstanding wildlife sanctuary where gentle rolling grassland ensures animals are never out of sight. The climate is gentle, rarely too hot and well spread rainfall year round. The sensation of the great wildebeest migration between July and October is unparalleled. The wildlife is far from being confined within the Reserve boundaries and an even larger area extends beyond the game Reserve. Centuries of close association with the wildllife has resulted in an almost symbiotic relationship where wildlife and Masai people live in peace with one another. The first sight of this park is breathtaking. There is nowhere else on earth to compare with this wildlife marvel. The combination of a gentle climate, scenic splendour and untold numbers of wildlife makes the Maasai Mara National Reserve Kenya's most popular inland destination.
Nairobi is Kenya's capital and one of Africa's most modern and fastest growing major cities. The original center retains Asian influence in its older buildings with glassy modern buildings. Visit City Market with local produce and handicrafts. Other attractions are: National Museum, displaying ethnographic, paleontological and ornithological exhibits; the Arboretum, with an excellent collection of East African flora; the University, known for its unique architecture; the excellent Kenya Railway Museum; and Nairobi's landmark, the extraordinary Kenyatta Conference Center, the country's most monumental building, visible from miles outside the city. There are casinos at Safari Park Hotel and Inter-Continental, and there's Sunday-afternoon horse-racing. Visit Karen Blixen Museum, where some action of the book and film Out of Africa took place. The beautiful forested Ngong Hills is a spiritual place for the Maasai and an excellent area for hiking and enjoying views of Nairobi and the Rift Valley. Nairobi National Park is a wildlife game reserve.
