Fun things to do in Uganda

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Entebbe is around one hour of a car driving distance from Kampala where the airport is situated. There is nice park in Entebbe situated on the bank of the Lake Victoria. It isn't big park and doesn't have alot of animal species but could be enjoyable day trip offering nice walkings and bathing to those who like lake-waters.
The most impressive experience for me was seeing a huge rhino from a close distance, and guess what, it was a white rhino which is pretty rare. Rhino has imposing proportions a very massive animal and look alike nothing can't harm it in no way.

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As already said, Ugandan are very friendly, hospitable, social and in particularly inquisitive to all strangers, especially if whites. Wherever I was strolling around local people did approach to me curious to know what am doing in Uganda. I was even invited to visit their homes, especially on fridays evenings when most of the Ugandans outing or gathering in somebodies home to have a party. I terms of Ugandan habbits, party means dancing alot and drinking even more than dancing. No need to tell that most of the people on saturdays have bad hangovers.
Most of Ugandan are of Bantu origings but divided into various tribes. Baganda live in the central part of the country, Lango and Acholi in the north which is distrubed by the ethnic clashes, Iteo and Karamojong inhabiting eastern parts. Uganda is specific for a few Pygmies tribes who live isolated in the rainforests of western Uganda.
Luganda is the most common language although english is official, even though only a relatively small proportion of the population speaks it.

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Explore around and feel comfortable about because Uganda is very safe place. I was going out alone, during day-lights and in the nights but have never had any unpleasant experience, on the contrary, I met feiendly and hospitable people who are very inquisitive regarding strangers, especially if whites.
The countryside is full of greenery while the soil has a very characteristic red colour. The only problem could be if rainy day, my shoes were all in red coloured muds, same as the lower part of my troursers.

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Wizard of the Nile - Mathew Green

Only published this year but luckily a local library had it and I snapped it up as it was a book I wanted to buy. I'm glad the library had as I would have wasted a lot of money buying the hardback copy. Yep I was disappointed. I started to enjoy it as I remembered places from my own travels that are mentioned in the book. Green traces Kony's life from his childhood and as the book goes on tries to get an interview with the leader of the LRA himself and only manages a few minutes with him a bunch of journos and the LRA's people from the UK in a bush clearing in the DRC. Disappointing indeed!

White pumpkin - Denis Hills

This book is really of its time so much so it would be pretty difficult to get it now (library again). Hills a lecturer in Makerere University at the time writes about his life in Uganda and about Amin who was in power when it was written, who managed to find out what Hills was writing before it got into print and for some reason Amin didn't like the bit about being called a black Nero; so banged Hills up and sentenced him to death by firing squad.

It took a letter from the Queen and a personal visit to Amin from James Callaghan the get poor old Denis's release. Great book I really enjoyed his accounts of Kampala expat life and of climbing some of the mountains of the North of UG.

Man with a Lobelia Flute - Denis Hills

More wanderings amongst the peoples and hills of my favourite and most least visited part of Uganda the north.

The Settler's Cookbook - Yasin Alibhai-Brown

The Muhindi/Mugandan/British writer's memoir come recipie book

Lovely recipies.

Great story.

I've always enjoyed reading Alibhai-Brown's articels in the Independent but loved this book which I devoured like I did the 'Urad Dal' in a sunny weekend in my back garden.

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The Rwenori Mountains border Uganda and Eastern Congo. They provide a facinating variety of terrain (from Rainforest to high altitude glaciers).

These mountains are not as famous as Kilimanjaro on account of there relative inaccessibility and the knock on effect of rebel activity in the late 1990s.

The area is now safe.

If you want to experience Africa at its wildest this is a place to go.

My pages will give more detail on how to organise a trip to this fascinating part of Africa.

Lake Bunyonyi is the second deepest crater lake in Africa, at 900 metres deep there are 29 islands and the name also means 'the place of little birds'. There are more than 200 species of birdlife in the area. It is a great spot to camp, very relaxing, and on the lake you can take a canoe, or go for a swim. Nearby there are markets, and all around the lake the sing song of the district school children.

See my Lake Bunyonyi page for more photos.

Seeing one family of 9 out of 600 gorillas left in the wild is special. To know that on a given day I was one of only 6 people in the world to get to do it makes it even more special. And on the day I went I got to see them roll about for about an hour in play, chest beating and nose picking sessions. The first thing I remember is hearing this great big gorilla fart. I sat their in awe as I watched these big human like apes just welcome us into their world and happily let us sit and be part of their group. They got as close to a metre away, and I will treasure the goosebump feeling I had for life! So very very special.

See my Mgahinga National Park pages for more photos.