Uganda Travel Guide 2024: Top 5 Best Places To Visit In Uganda

Welcome to the Uganda Travel Guide 2023! In this guide, we will look at the top five tourist attractions in Uganda. Uganda provides a rich and diversified travel experience for explorers and environment enthusiasts, with magnificent scenery and plentiful animals. Whether you're looking for thrilling wildlife safaris, ancient traditions, or beautiful natural beauty, Uganda has something for everyone. Join us as we explore the hidden treasures and must-see locations that make Uganda an exceptional vacation destination. Get ready to embark on an unforgettable journey through the "Pearl of Africa" and discover the top five best places to visit in Uganda.

Top five best places to visit in Uganda

Tourist Attractions In Uganda Worth Visiting In 2023 & 2024

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park - the home of gorillas

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park was established in 1991 and covers 321 square kilometers in south-western Uganda. The mist-covered forest is home to around 400 mountain gorillas, which is more than half of the world's surviving mountain gorilla population, and these are the park's major attractions. Bwindi has 11 habituated gorilla groups/families. Gorilla trekking is one of the most popular tourist activities in Bwindi, making it one of the top five tourist attractions in Uganda.

Aside from mountain gorillas, the park is home to around 120 species of animals, 360 species of birds, 200 species of butterflies, and 324 tree species, 10 of which are unique to Uganda.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park should not be overlooked on your vacation plan; aside from the significant attraction [gorilla tracking], there are a variety of activities available. Buninga forest walk, Nkuringo Cultural Center, Rubuguri village walk, nyundo community eco-trails, NCCDF, and other community initiatives organize these trips.

Gorillas trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Murchison Falls National Park

Murchison Falls National Park was founded in 1952 and spans a surface area of 3893 km2. It is part of the Murchison Falls Conservation Area, including Bugunga and Karuma Falls wildlife parks. Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda's oldest and largest national park, is included in most Uganda safaris.

The park is located in western Uganda's Masindi district, 300 kilometers northwest of Kampala, in the northern section of the Albertine Rift Valley. The Murchison Falls, known as Kabarega Falls, is where the Nile breaks through the tight valley and flows into Lake Albert. Hippos, crocodiles, and waterbucks crowd the stream's banks.

Murchison Falls National Park offers a breathtaking picture of the massive waterfalls thundering and making their way through the little slit of 7 meters or 23 feet wide between the rocks, which connects the Bunyoro escarpment and the Acholi plains. The spectacular Karuma Falls are also in the park, close to the Masindi-Gulu highway.

Elephants, buffalos, lions, giraffes, chimps, and other animals are common. Savannah, woodland, and riverine forests are the most typical vegetation types.

The northern half of Murchison is home to four of the big five: buffalos, lions, elephants, and leopards.

Boat trips are frequently planned from Paraa to the foot of Murchison Falls; they always last three hours and provide a clear view of the hippos, crocodiles, and wildlife near the falls. 

Wildlife safaris at Murchison Falls National Park  

Queen Elizabeth National Park

The Queen Elizabeth National Park is located in western Uganda and encompasses the districts of Kasese, Bundibugyo, Rukungiri, Kamwenge, and Bushenyi. The park, which has a surface area of 1978 km2, was established in the 1920s as Lake Edward and Lake George Game Reserves before being gazetted as Kazinga National Park by the British Colonial Government in 1952. In honor of the visiting British monarch, the park was renamed Queen Elizabeth National Park in 1954.

Queen Elizabeth National Park is one of Africa's most popular tourist sites, as well as one of Uganda's most frequented national parks. The "Medley of Wonders" park is a superb home for large game, 10 primate species, and over 600 bird species.

The park offers breathtaking vistas of the Rwenzori Mountains, the Kazinga Channel, a big wetland region, the grandeur of open savannah around Lake George, magnificent crater lakes, and much more.

The Queen Elizabeth National Park straddles the equator, with monuments on either side of the road marking the precise spot when it crosses latitude 00.

Queen Elizabeth National Park is proud of its appealing historical and cultural past, in addition to its exceptional natural attraction. Tourists are frequently given the chance to visit local communities with the assistance of local tour guides, and they are entertained with music and storytelling. This will undoubtedly leave visitors wanting more.

Mount Elgon National Park

Trekking at Mount Elgon National Park

Mount Elgon is the primary physical feature of Mount Elgon National Park, located on the boundary between Uganda and Kenya. Mount Elgon, which rises to more than 4000 meters above sea level, is full of breathtaking beauty in the many temperature zones as you approach the peak.

Mount Elgon has the world's largest mountain caldera, with hot springs, geysers, and an out-of-this-world atmosphere. UNESCO classified Mount Elgon Biosphere Reserve (shared by Uganda and Kenya) as a World Heritage Man and Biosphere Reserve in June 2023.

For people interested in mountain climbing, Mount Elgon is a less complicated option than the Rwenzori mountains, which are a more difficult challenge than Kilimanjaro.

Jinja 

Water-rafting in Jinja 

Jinja is a prominent tourist attraction known for being the ancient source of the Nile (White). It is the headwaters of the world's longest river, from Lake Victoria to the Mediterranean Sea via central and northern Uganda, South Sudan, Sudan, and Egypt.

Jinja is an excellent starting place for your Uganda journey after Entebbe, especially if you enjoy adrenaline-fueled activities. Some of the numerous active tourist attractions in Jinja include bungee jumping, rafting, kayaking, and other water activities.

If you wish to view the Speke monument at the source of the Nile' in a more relaxed setting, consider a (private) boat cruise on Lake Victoria. A boat journey to the Nile's source is one of Uganda's highlights and a terrific opportunity to see river birds, including kingfishers, fish eagles, storks, and ibises. 

When you get to the natural source of the Nile River, you may get off the boat and stroll over a wooden deck to the source of the Nile sign for a quick photo. Be aware that this is a tourist attraction with overpriced boat trips that are not for everyone. It is, however, the only route to visit the "source of the Nile.

Look back on the list of best places to visit in Uganda

This list of top Uganda attractions only scratches the surface and is meant to give you an idea of what most tourists enjoy doing in various regions. Depending on your interests, specific locations may be more appealing than others.

Most wildlife safari excursions combine the sites above, but they are customizable to our client's preferences, timelines, and interests. Rather than overwhelming you, we hope this list of top Uganda attractions inspires your next vacation to Uganda.

Take the first step in making your goals a reality and embark on this incredible adventure now. You should apply for an Uganda eVisa using our website: Uganda Immigration Services. Our fast application procedure guarantees that your travel documents are in order, enabling you to concentrate on the experience that awaits you in the "Pearl of Africa." Don't miss the chance to discover Uganda's incredible wilderness and have experiences that will last a lifetime. Your African safari trip starts right here.