View Larger Map		Uganda is a colorful country combining the beauty of its landscapes with a beautiful people. Referred to as the pearl of Africa, Uganda has always stirred awe in visitors.   Between 1967 and 1986 Parts experienced turmoil which brought all industrial and economic progress to a halt.   Currently Uganda has experienced peace and tranquil and is rebuilding itself. The country has only just started to receive positive international attention and which has been slow and cautious in coming. The increasing confidence with which donor countries treat Uganda is a direct result of its current leadership, which has been so responsive in progressive policy making. Uganda Travel Tips          Uganda Safaris

 

There has been much to learn, for both the donors and the public and private communities in Uganda, from the results around the rest of the continent. The result has been fast and real progress has been made. In some cases, Uganda has started to set trends for other countries to follow; financial Policies have got to grips with wildfire inflation and currency fluctuations. The government has also contributed positively by allowing free expression of views which has played an important role in unifying its peoples.

 

Matters of constitution and restitution are a priority, which is creating a very positive forum for peace and stability.

 

Uganda's is largely an Agricultural country and its economy relies on agriculture employing up to 80% of the population. The massive sugar and textile industries of the 1960s are on revival, alongside large tea estates long neglected.

 

The government controls on the coffee and cotton industry have been loosened to allow the farmer a larger market in which to sell his produce, and private exporters have been granted licenses.

 

Horticulture and floriculture are receiving increased investment as air-cargo becomes a viable means of' transport.

 

The government has facilitated foreign investment with attractive incentives and streamlined import and export procedures. Many expelled Asians have returned to reclaim their properties and are reinvesting in a growing economy.

 

The downside of Uganda has been the HIV – Aids pandemic which has caused untold suffering in the country. Today management and awareness campaigns have given new hope to many peoples afflicted by this pandemic. 

 

Tourism, the most sensitive of all industries to develop, is finally attracting investment and interest. Significant progress has been made in the redevelopment of infrastructure in the National Parks with the main parks being Murchison falls and Queen Elizabeth The devastation of the animal populations that took place during the war years is beginning to be repaired through increased control and management.

 

Areas of importance such as mountain gorillas and eco-tourism are on recovery while white water rafting and sport fishing have put Uganda back on the East African tourist circuit. The Nile, a source of wonder and inspiration for thousands of years, cuts a lush and often turbulent median south to north through the country.

 

The River Nile flows from Lake Victoria at what was Rippon Falls and into Lake Kyoga. Still the Victoria Nile, it cuts a raucous passage west across Karuma Falls and through the narrow pillars of Murchison Falls towards Lake Albert. Finally the Albert Nile meanders along a slow, wide corridor into Southern Sudan. 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 Mufumbira 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.

 

Kampala, the modern capital, is the centre of most economic activity in this country. It is steadily being rebuilt after systematic looting and destruction during the changes of government. The city infrastructure has been restored and new office towers, hotels, stadiums and shopping malls are appearing almost monthly. 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 result of cautious investment and the relatively recent restoration of countrywide infrastructure.

 

Tourism and increased commercial agriculture will gradually redress the balance, as they have elsewhere in Africa. Uganda is rich with culture and artistic talent; Ugandans are lively actors and public speakers. Hardly a night passes without the rhythmic sounds of traditional dancing or, in Kampala, modern disco music. The overriding impression of Uganda is of its happy people. Hardship and war are not forgotten, but they are in the past, to be recalled in silent prayers and thoughts for absent friends.