What to See in Uganda

last edited Dec 11, 2019

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Location Map of Uganda

Uganda Open the interactive map

UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Uganda has 3 sites inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list:

Rwenzori Mountains (1994)
This stunning mountain range, stretching over a hundred kilometres and rising above 5,000 m, borders the DRC. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a national park. You can trek here and spot numerous birds, monkeys, and elephants.

Bwindi National Park (1994)
This small park bordering the Democratic Republic of the Congo is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and remains the most famous spot for gorilla trekking. You can also see other monkey species and numerous birds in a jungle and mountain setting.

Buganda Kings' Tombs in Kampala (2001)
These are four royal tombs in a traditional circular building from the late 19th century, topped with a thatched dome.

Cities and Cultural Heritage

Arua
It’s the main city in the northwest and a hub for trade and refugees from neighboring countries. For tourism, Arua is primarily a base for exploring the surrounding areas (Ajai Game Reserve, Murchison Falls...).

Entebbe
The city, built on the shores of Lake Victoria, is home to Kampala's international airport. With its zoo and botanical garden, it is quite pleasant and offers an alternative to the capital for accommodation.

Fort Portal
With its colonial-era buildings, tea plantations, and proximity to the Rwenzori mountain range with its lakes and forests, Fort Portal is considered Uganda’s most attractive city. It’s also an excellent base for exploring the nearby Queen Elizabeth, Rwenzori, and Kibale national parks.

Gulu
The major city in the north is a possible starting point for the Murchison Falls.

Ssese Islands
This archipelago in Lake Victoria, where Bugala is the main island, is popular with residents of the capital. Visitors come for the landscapes, the beach, and walks or bike rides.

Jinja
The second city of Uganda is located at the source of the Nile. It is famous among rafting enthusiasts, and to a lesser extent, kayakers. The lovely Bujagali Falls are nearby.

Kampala
Unlike many major African cities, Uganda’s capital is relatively pleasant and peaceful. You can see some historic buildings and museums here. The UNESCO-listed tombs of the Buganda kings at Kasubi are in the suburbs of Kampala.

Kisoro
This small town in the southwest has become a tourist hub for exploring the surrounding area, starting with the Virunga Massif and especially the Bwindi and Mgahinga parks, famous for their gorillas.

Natural Heritage

Buvuma Island
Opposite Jinja, the large island is known for its ornithology.

Lake Albert
This is the large lake between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Several fishing villages and a few scenic spots dot its shores.

Lake Bunyonyi
This lake, with its small islands, offers beautiful landscapes and trekking opportunities around its shores.

Lake Mutanda
A pretty little lake in the southwest, about twenty kilometres from Kisoro, where you can go canoeing and hike around its shores.

Lake Victoria
Straddling Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda, it is the largest lake in Africa and a major communication route.

Virunga Massif
These mountains in the far southwest of Uganda, shared by Rwanda and the DRC, are a region of volcanoes and parks home to gorilla populations. You can hike here or climb the main volcanoes.

Rwenzori Mountains
This stunning mountain range, stretching over a hundred kilometres and rising above 5,000 m, borders the DRC. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a national park. You can trek here and spot numerous birds, monkeys, and elephants.

Mount Elgon
This ancient volcano on the Kenya-Uganda border, designated a national park in both countries, offers some beautiful landscapes of cliffs, caves, and rivers, perfect for hiking. You may encounter elephants, buffaloes, or antelopes.

Bwindi National Park
This small park bordering the Democratic Republic of the Congo is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and remains the most famous spot for gorilla trekking. You can also see other monkey species and numerous birds in a jungle and mountain setting.

Kibale National Park
Right next to Fort Portal, this high-altitude rainforest is known for its birds and monkeys. You can trek here.

Kidepo Valley National Park
A fairly isolated park on the borders of Kenya and Sudan, with abundant birdlife, elephants, lions, zebras, giraffes, buffaloes...

Lake Mburo National Park
Between Lakes Edward and Victoria, this savanna park centered around its lake is home to numerous bird species, as well as zebras, antelopes, hippos, crocodiles, and buffalo. You can hike here.

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
On the borders of Rwanda and the DRC, this Virunga park is home to a large population of mountain gorillas. Hiking is available here.

Murchison Falls National Park
The vast reserve in the northwest, bordering Lake Albert, offers stunning landscapes and, above all, magnificent waterfalls along the Nile. You can take boat trips and observe a very rich wildlife, including lions, elephants, hippopotamuses, crocodiles, giraffes, buffaloes, rhinoceroses, monkeys, and birds...

Queen Elizabeth National Park
South of Fort Portal, this park with its savannah, lakes, and forests is home to numerous bird and mammal species, including countless hippos, as well as crocodiles, elephants, lions, and cheetahs...

Ajai Wildlife Reserve
A small luxury-safari reserve on the banks of the White Nile (monkeys, hippos, crocodiles, leopards, birds...).

Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary
A small island off Entebbe that is home to a chimpanzee orphanage.

Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary
This private reserve in the Kafu River basin is working to reintroduce rhinos to the country. You can also spot antelopes, hippos, monkeys, crocodiles, and a variety of birds.

Semliki Valley
This valley between Lakes Edward and Albert, through which the Semliki River flows, offers some beautiful landscapes and a variety of wildlife (birds, elephants, crocodiles, antelopes...), particularly within its national park section.