Introduction: 'Hey Muzungu how are you?' You'll hear comments like that all over Africa (Muzungu refers to a white), but not as often as in this compacted, friendly and tropical country of Uganda. Dubbed by Sir Winston Churchill as the 'pearl of Africa', Uganda is very much East Africa, yet feels slightly different than neighboring countries. For one it appears tropical and fertile in a continent plagued by drought, as the savannah meets the western rainforests. Everywhere and anywhere vegetation is abundant.

Uganda's immense advantage as a tourist destination is its compact travel circuit and fertile landscapes. There is no big game viewing here. The main attractions in Uganda are monkeys and apes, which can be viewed with little effort  - although with varying price tags you get to see the  spectacular mountain gorillas that Uganda is famous for.

Although yet to completely recover from the tattered international image formed by the reign of terror by Idi Amin - Uganda is in fact one of the safest countries in the region and although this is still Africa and you need to always take care. It is easy to be disarmed by the real treat of the friendliness of ordinary Ugandans most of whom are happy to talk to you. English is the widely used language and a lot can be learned about the locals thorough striking up conversations with total strangers, most of whom although a little hard to understand are happy to talk to you.

·         Highlights: Chimpanzees and Mountain Gorillas. Murchison Falls. White water rafting on the Victoria Nile. Ugandans and trying to understand the country and its people/history.

·         Lowlights: Transportation although not notably bad for the region, is still hard work.

White water rafting on the White Nile

White water rafting, although priced at international levels is one of the most popular activities in Uganda. The Victoria Nile just outside Jinga offers some of the best and most accessible rafting in the world. There are several grade 5 rapids, but with little danger of hitting a rock or being underwater too long, due to many long flat stretches of water between rapids.

It is not easy to describe white water rafting on the Nile. Several companies run the route, all with daily departures and no need to book ahead, even in July and August with close to 400 people rafting each day you can find a spot. No one should be overly worried about enjoying rafting as safety records are excellent and you can pass or take an easy route on any of the big rapids. However you must be prepared not to panic in the event you leave the raft on a big rapid since you will likely go under, and stay under for a little while. You'll raft barefoot and need no special equipment.

Either way and despite the cost, if you can afford it, rafting on the White Nile (also known as the Victoria Nile) remains one of the most enjoyable activities in Africa and the sooner you do it the better as one day soon the new Nile dam will change it forever.

Gorilla Trekking in East Africa

Very few adventurers would pass the chance to see a mountain Gorilla in its natural surroundings, but most do pass up this very exiting opportunity due to the practicality and costs involved in doing so.

Gorillas can be tracked in two different parks either in Uganda or Rwanda. In all you need a permit of which only a limited amount are available each day and need to be booked at least 1 to 6 month earlier.

Bwindi National Park (Uganda): Gorilla trekking

Parc des Volcans (Rwanda): Gorilla trekking Permits booked several weeks in advance.

For your US$500 you get effectively 1 hour. That is one hour with a group of gorillas at close proximity and anything from a 20min to 5 hour hike to find the group. And of course nothing is guaranteed. Due to the cost and hassle of getting the permit, few independent travelers get to see the gorillas and most that do are on organized tours that take the hassle out of getting there and the permits. Under the circumstances a cheaper option for a flavor of the experience would be chimpanzee viewing at around a tenth of the price.

·         Visa Requirements: A visa is available on entry for around US$50. Most border points (inc. the airport) take Euro, USD or GBP. A visa is a lose term, as all you normally get is a small entry stamp in your passport. If you are a resident of a strange or developing country it is worth checking that you can get a visa on entry; nationals of USA, UK, Canada, Australia, NZ and the EU need not worry. Technically you should have your yellow fever vaccination certificate, but experiences (first and third hand) suggest this is never requested/checked (certainly not at the airport).

·         Getting around: Getting around is relatively easy, but laden with all the typical slowness and discomfort of African travel.

o        Road: Although fuel costs are notably quite high, local transport is still good value, but understandably very crowded. Buses cover all main routes. Many routes have buses with fixed departures and every main route is served by an endless stream of white mini-buses that race along, stopping seemingly every 800 meters and are ramped full of passengers, chickens and luggage. However such transport can not get you into or around most national parks or many other wildlife points of interest, where you will need to get on a tour or hire something privately.

o        Water: Boats connect Port Bell, Kansenyi and Masaka to the Ssese Islands in Lake Victoria.

·         Typical tourist trail: From Kenya to Jinga and Kampala. From Kampala most visitors will head north to take in the Murchison Falls National Prk and to Jinga to raft the Nile and see the source. Many tours and some independent travellers also take in Queen Elizabeth National Park. Those with more time might head for one of the Ssese Islands or head to Lake Bunyonyi (both of which have traveller focused accommodation options). Those lucky enough to be able to trek gorillas will of course head to the Bwindi National Park or Rwanda.

·         Costs: A very clear division must be made between someone just visiting Uganda and someone visiting and being an active tourist that is participating in popular tourist activities. On one side simply visiting major towns and cities, costs are slightly above that of Kenya or Tanzania, but only slightly, with US$15-25/per day being quite reasonable. However those hitting the attractions and seeing Murchison Falls (US$100+/day), rafting the Nile US$120+/per day, etc. and generally being at the mercy of duel foreigner pricing and high transport costs to national parks would need a budget many times greater than US$15-25/day depending on what they did and how long they spent.

·         Money: There are numerous  ATM’s in Uganda's main cities. Not all work on international networks, but many do and getting money this way is the easiest method. There are ATMs at the airport, but they can't be counted on. No ATMs issue USD which are the pricing currency of national park entry fees and most tours and activities; converting these US$ prices to UGX (Ugandan Shillings) will of course be at a less favorable rate - so having a good amount of US$ in cash is useful. In Kampala there are many exceptional exchange places that will change almost all world major currencies from CHF to AUD at reasonable rates, but outside Kampala and in non-business hours you might struggle to find a Bureau de change or ATM. As it is common nowadays, rates for travellers cheques are quite poor.

·         People vibe:

o        Locals: How you will find Ugandans will very much depend on how far you get of the tourist trail and how much effort you make. Striking up conversations is easy and generally Ugandans are welcoming. You might get a little pester off kids and hawkers who see a Muzungu as an attraction but it is all fairly harmless.

o        Other travelers: Actual independent travelers are pretty rare in Uganda, with the vast, vast majority of those you might come across having some other reason why they are in the country, which will be 9/10 times a volunteering or on another humanitarian project. Being a compact circuit you do come across a few overland trucks and tours. Most travelers are aged between 20-30 and are from Canada, USA and Western Europe with an increasing amount of Israelis.

·         Accommodation: Outside of tourist areas there are some great places to stay and some terrible ones. Uganda is full of foreign owned accommodation which is always a great standard, but rarely a bargain.

·         Media: There is a wide selection of local English language newspapers and in Kampala international newspapers and international news magazines.

·         Communications: For what it is worth internet is fairly widespread and it is not too difficult to locate an internet connection. However connection speeds are slow and even in major cities you will be hard pressed to find anything near the sort of connection speed you need to comfortably use the internet.

·         Food/drink: This is the land of matoke which is an amazing banana dish blend made from cooked and mashed plantains which is usually eaten with plain meat or a groundnut sauce. Chicken, goat and sometimes fish are common and so are rice and potatoes (always called Irish potatoes). Any large town has restaurants serving western cuisines. Local beers are cheap and astonishingly strong with the 'Nile' brand leading the pack followed by the milder 'Club'.

o        Vegetarians: Normally always able to find an option, although many menus are dependent on chicken, goat or fish. The more country side you get the more you can/will struggle and end up sticking to 'side dishes'.

·         Hassle and annoyance factor: 4/10

o        Women alone: Not really a problem, but it's advisable to be on your guard.