UGANDA & RWANDA
Two of Africa’s most rewarding safari destinations
UGANDA
Arcing around the northern end of Lake Victoria is Uganda, one of Africa’s most rewarding safari destinations. Uganda is home to 10 national parks and several protected areas harbouring the sought after ‘big five’… lion, elephant, leopard, buffalo and rhino. Wild chimpanzee trekking can be undertaken along hidden gorges and the undisturbed gallery forests at Kibale National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park and Semliki.
In the very southwest corner of Uganda, the aptly named Bwindi Impenetrable Forest holds nearly half of the world’s entire population of rare and endangered Mountain Gorillas. Chic, luxurious forest lodges camouflage themselves discreetly within these montane forest canopies. Gorilla trekking can be arduous but the awesome encounter with these huge apes is a lifelong treasured experience.
Incredibly, over 1,000 different bird species can be found in Uganda, more than any other country in Africa! From organised white water rafting on the mighty Nile River, trekking the snow-capped glaciers of the Ruwenzori Mountains, to taking a boating safari alongside hippos and crocs up to the thundering crash of the breathtaking Murchison Falls… Uganda has immense unspoiled diversity.
RWANDA
For many the image of Rwanda remains shrouded in mystery and misconception. Located geographically in the heart of Africa, along the Albertine Rift Valley, it is a tiny country, full of paradoxes, breathtaking beauty and a biodiversity that belies its physical size. Known as the Land of a Thousand Hills, much of the country is at high altitude, accentuated by a string of five breathtaking volcanoes.
In the sweep of this Great Rift Valley, Rwanda possesses the last montane rainforest in East & Central Africa and is one of the last refuges of the endangered Mountain Gorillas.
Rwanda has shimmering lakes, primeaval forests full of rare monkeys & chimpanzees, endemic bird species & butterflies alongside the grasslands & swamps of Akagera National Park. Whilst the Virunga Mountains in the Parc National Volcans is the main centre of attraction other areas such as Lake Kivu & Nyungwe Forest in the south-west of the country have a concentration of fauna & flora that is astonishing.
A renewed energy within Rwanda is evident from the new recent tourism developments in key national parks and the positive drive & goodwill of the Rwanda people wishing to embrace their new economy.
The capital Kigali, is a vibrant city with new smart hotels, French restaurants and its own international airport. Rwanda is easily accessible (1.5 hrs from Nairobi by air) and despite all the previous misconceptions, is now becoming one of the safest countries on the continent.
