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Uganda
is a beautiful country with so much greenery thanks to
the high rain fall and volcanic plateau between the
Rwenzori Mountains and Lake Victoria. After a tumultous
period of wars following the independence in 1962 peace
and stability came back to the country in 1996 under
Yoweri Kaguta Museveni the current President of Uganda.
Visitors have come rediscovering this brilliant country,
its unique wildelife, the beautiful national parks and
the fascinating and the mountain gorillas Uganda is one
of the few places in the world where you can have up
close encounters with the majestic mountain gorilla .
To
the far west of
Uganda, on the Zaire border, the snow
covered Rwenzori Mountains (or Mountains of the Moon as
Ptolemy called them) rise into almost permanent
equatorial mists. The mountain slopes have their own
strange successive worlds of vegetation, each with its
own characteristic flora. In the extreme south-west are
the Mufumbiro volcanoes, a chain of imposing cones that
rise out of the lava plain f the western rift. The
tropical hardwood rainforests of Western Uganda such as
Maramagambo, Budongo and Bwindi evoke adventure and
wonder.
Getting there: KLM
(0871 222 7474; klm.com)
flies to Entebbe from London Heathrow from £695 return.
KLM also flies from 15 UK regional airports.
Tour operator: A
10-day trip ( The best of Uganda) with Churchill Safari
tours www.churchillsafaris.com
costs from £1,800, including international flights,
accommodation, rafting, chimp tracking and driver/guide.
Visa: British
nationals need a visa, which can be paid for at the
airport.
Population: Around
30 million. The main religion is Christianity.
Environment: Uganda
has a high proportion of closed canopy forest and lakes,
rivers and other wetland make up 25 per cent of the
country. There are 10 national parks.
Language: English
is the official language, but the most widely spoken is
Luganda.
History: Dictator
Idi Amin was driven out of Uganda 30 years ago, but
political stability only came to the country in 1986
when Yoweri Museveni became president. He's still in
power, having won elections in 2006, in the first
multi-party poll in 25 years.
What to see: Fort
Portal on the edge of Kibale forest, Queen Elizabeth
national park. The main airport is at Entebbe, on Lake
Victoria, a much more civilised stop for a first or last
night. Mountain gorillas are found in the Bwindi
Impenetrable national park, in the south-west. Murchison
Falls and Queen Elizabeth national parks are the places
to see big game and a huge array of birdlife.
When to go: The
wettest months are April, May, October and November. The
temperature averages about 25C all year.
Is it safe? Generally,
yes, though the Foreign Office advises against travel to
the Karamoja region, in the north-east.
Money tips:
Credit
cards are not widely accepted, only large hotels and
companies will take them but you can use them at banks
to withdraw cash.
The Uganda
shilling is generally stable against the US Dollar.
Dollar cash
is the most welcome foreign currency. Other major
currencies accepted are euros and British pounds.
Road distances from Kampala KMs
Arua
523
Entebbe 37
Fort Portal 317
Gulu
332
Hoima 200
Jinja
80
Kabale
411
Kasese
427
Lira
347
Masaka
130
Masindi
217
Mbale
256
Mbarara 267
Mubende 164
Soroti
360
Tororo
211
Bushenyi 394
Rukungiri 442
Entebbe,
the former administrative capital, is still very
picturesque, though rundown and neglected. The century
old botanical gardens are being restored to their former
splendour. The presence of the international airport at
Entebbe will ensure its continued restoration.
Of
the other towns around the country, Jinja, at the source
of the Nile, Mbarara, on the road west, Fort Portal, at
the foot of the Rwenzoris, and Mbale on the eastern
border are all howling promising signs of economic
recovery. The apparent slow development and poverty of
areas outside Kampala is combined resu lt of cautious
investment and the relatively recent restoration of
countrywide infrastructure.
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