The source of the Nile river starts in the Rwenzoris, Africa’s tallest mountain range that stretch across western Uganda shrouded in mist and teeming with glaciers, waterfalls and alpine lakes. These ‘mountain’s of the moon’ are the home of Uganda’s mountain gorillas and tracking them through this majestic habitat is one of the country’s most iconic experiences.
Friendly kids wawed on us from their nursery at the church, so we stopped and gave them some lollipops. The government doesn’t provide public pre-primary education, so families must rely on private providers, which can charge high fees. This was the community-run nursery, where...
We enjoyed the nice weather and drove around the legendary, mist-covered Rwenzori Mountains, which UNESCO named a World Heritage Site in 1994 because of their beauty and biodiversity. It’s the tallest mountain range in Africa, and several peaks are permanently covered by ice and glaciers...
After reading many reviews of Kibale NP, we decided to try the Chimpanzee Trek (🎟️999000 UGX), but of course, we had a terrible experience with a local con man. At the park gate, they gave us the phone number of the UWA office in the Fort Portal. They promised to book our tickets online...
During our trip around Crater Lakes, we spotted a small vanilla plantation, so we stopped and visited it. Uganda is a leading exporter of vanilla beans known for its high vanillin content, which surpasses equivalent grades from Madagascar. It is the only country in the world to harvest...
The little coffee plantation at Isunga Community was across the road from the tea plantation we visited earlier. Uganda ranks second in Africa and eighth in global coffee production. The country grows Robusta and Arabica coffee at a ratio of 4:1. Accounting for 10% of global coffee farms...
We made a deal with the Isunga Community to tour us on a local motorbike boda boda around tea plantations, coffee plantations, and crater lakes for 55 USD (3 motorbikes / half day with a guide). Tea is Uganda’s third biggest foreign exchange earner after coffee and fish. A favorable...
Our journey continued through some of Uganda’s most incredible crater lakes. On the first day, we had terrible luck with the weather, so we did it again the next day on motorbikes (boda boda). On the highest hill behind Lake Nyamirima, we visited the viewpoint Top of the world, where you...
We stopped at one of many villages to see the traditional way of brickmaking. In open clay quarries, damp earth is dug from the ground and shaped in a mold. Many of these blocks are then piled up (there can be thousands in one stack). Mud is plastered over the whole surface to help retain...
We hired a small car (130000 UGX) to drive narrow, dirty roads around Fort Portal. Our first stop today was the reputed birthplace of King Ndahura (🎟️50400 UGX), 8km northwest of Fort Portal. This small cave offers more cultural significance than a natural wonder. The water dripping from...
We drove slowly to Fort Portal through Mabale, where we spent one night. The town is situated at about 1,500 meters and overlooks the mountains of the Ruwenzori Range and the Mufumbiro volcanoes. Several tea estates are concentrated east of the town. We found a lovely spot to park in the...