Uganda

November/December 2025

Visiting the mountain gorillas had been on my travel list for several years. Since my winter trip started in Tunisia, Africa, I decided to spend my entire seven-month trip on the African continent and visit the gorillas as well. In addition to Uganda, these animals can also be admired in Rwanda, but the government permit to visit the park is much cheaper in Uganda at USD 700 than in Rwanda, where it costs USD 1,500. I therefore decided to visit the mountain gorillas in Uganda. This undertaking is expensive for one person, as there are fixed costs for the guide, the driver, and the off-road vehicle, regardless of the number of participants. So I published an ad in a travel magazine looking for travel companions. Several people responded quickly. Heidi and her colleague Yolanda had already booked their mountain gorilla trekking trip and invited me to travel with them. I had actually planned to go to Senegal and Gambia in December and then to Uganda in January. Since the two women had already booked for December, I changed my travel plans on the spur of the moment and traveled directly from Tunisia to Uganda.

Through a colleague, I have been supporting a school in Uganda for quite some time and considered visiting this school. Since the school holidays in Uganda already began in early December and I only had time to visit the school after the gorilla trekking, this visit was unfortunately not possible. That’s a shame, especially since the school is located in eastern Uganda and I didn’t get to visit that part of the country now.

Entebbe

I met the two women in Entebbe, where the international airport is located. The lodge was not far from Lake Victoria. With an area almost 1.5 times the size of Switzerland, it is the largest lake in Africa.

It was only a 15-minute walk from our hotel to the botanical garden, where many plant species grow and some animals can also be seen.

Botanical garden

In Uganda, a Rolex is not a watch, but an omelet wrapped in chapati (a flatbread). For less than $1, it fills you up and tastes good. At the very beginning of my trip, when I was still unfamiliar with the prices, I was cheated here because the Rolex producer charged me more than twice the price.

This marabou, the largest species of stork, is a scavenger and waste disposer and therefore plays an important role in the ecosystem.

Three royal palms that grow up to 40 meters tall

Jackfruit trees also grow in the park. A single fruit can weigh up to 50 kg, making it the largest and heaviest fruit in the plant kingdom.

Mabamba Swamp

I read about a swamp about 20 km from Entebbe where the rare shoebill bird can be found. At short notice, I was able to organize an afternoon trip through our hotel. Yolanda came along too, while Heidi took care of storing her off-road vehicle. A driver took us to a harbor, from where we set off by boat (see picture below) towards the swamp.

We met this fisherman on the way.

At the edge of the swamp, we changed to a smaller boat that could navigate the narrow water channels.

Soon, the engine could no longer be used. Now the boat was propelled forward with long poles.

After searching for a long time, we found a shoebill. It is 8 months old. Only 14 to 18 of these animals are believed to live in the Mabamba Swamp.

Above its wing, this bird has a white transmitter that is used for scientific purposes.

It feeds mainly on fish. When it sees a fish, it strikes in a flash.

We saw more marsh birds on our trip.

The next day, our driver picked us up for the 5-day gorilla and chimpanzee safari we had booked. We drove 340 km across half the country and only arrived at our lodge on the edge of the national park in the evening.

Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale National Park

äft

A clothing store in the village of Bigodi, right next to our lodge. Here, too, women want to look beautiful!

The next day, after driving a few kilometers, we arrived at the Kibale National Park Tourist Center. To ensure that the locals also benefit from the park, they perform songs and dances in exchange for tips.

Then we were assigned to a group. Some of the guides were armed to protect us from any possible dangers. However, the weapons were not used.

At first, we saw the chimpanzees high up in the trees, but soon they came down to the ground, where we could observe them up close. These animals are used to humans. They therefore paid no attention to us and went about their business undisturbed.

Grooming is an important social activity within the group.

Bigodi Village

In the afternoon, we visited the village. This woman proudly showed off her cassava harvest laid out to dry.

We then entered a hut where we were introduced to coffee production.

Coffee beans straight from the coffee bush

The various stages of coffee bean processing

Here, the coffee beans are roasted in a pan over the fire.

Then ground and sifted

We also saw vanilla pods in the same place.

Children carve and paint wooden figures that are sold to tourists.

Coffee beans laid out to dry

Women and a man weave coasters and baskets under trees in the village.

He is proud of his work!

Here, too, a father and his children are carving wooden figures.

The next day, we were on the road again all day, traveling 340 km south to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park on the border with Rwanda. On the way, we saw this family of baboons at the side of the road.

On the way, we crossed the equator into the southern hemisphere.

We didn’t reach our lodge until dusk.

The view from my terrace

and the next morning

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

As early as 1932, under British rule, protected areas were established in this region and continuously expanded. In 1991, the area was granted national park status, which meant that the local Batwa pygmy people were no longer allowed to use the forest. This was a great loss for them and led to a negative attitude towards the national park. The situation has since eased, but I could see from their huts that they live in difficult conditions.

Before our gorilla trekking, these Batwa members performed dances and songs to receive tips from the tourists.

The tourists were then divided into different groups, each of which visited a gorilla family. Visits with the gorillas are limited to one hour so as not to disturb the animals too much. First, we drove for half an hour with our car and the national park guides to the starting point of our hike.

Our group hiking through the jungle. One woman in the group had great difficulty breathing, so we had to take frequent breaks. I was the last in line and was able to take my time observing the inconspicuous animals and plants around us.

Our guides were in contact via cell phone with the scouts who had to find the gorillas. For a long time, it was unclear where they were, but then the gorillas were located and we hiked there. Soon we got to see these impressive animals.

We were very lucky and saw a mother with her three-day-old baby!

The silverback, the leader of the group

The hour was over far too quickly, and we wandered back to our off-road vehicles deeply impressed. The gorillas are what is known as “habituated,” meaning that they have gradually become accustomed to the presence of humans over a long period of time. Although we were only a few meters away from the animals, our presence did not disturb them, and they went about their normal activities. Later, tourists showed me a video taken on another day that even showed a pair of gorillas making a baby.

On the way back, we saw fresh dung from forest elephants.

We then drove 80 km to Lake Bunyonyi, where we took a boat to Itambira Island and spent the night there.

Our hotel the next morning with a view of the lake

Early in the morning, the boat took us back to the mainland.

On the 443 km return journey, we crossed the equator once again.

Lunch on the equator

In the evening, the driver and we arrived tired at the hotel. The next day, I said goodbye to my two fellow travelers and took public transportation to Kampala, the capital of Uganda. Heidi traveled back to Switzerland on the same day and Yolanda two days later. If you organize it yourself, traveling in Uganda is very cheap. I paid only USD 1.50 for the 40 km bus ride to Kampala.

Kampala

The country’s largest city has a population of around 7 million, including its surrounding areas. There are people everywhere and the traffic is heavy. The fastest means of transport are motorcycles, so motorcycle taxis, called boda boda, are ubiquitous. They often drive recklessly, which is why the Safeboda app was created. With this app, I was able to order more cautious drivers who had completed driver training and carried helmets for their passengers.

Taxi Park

I arrived at a huge station for minibuses.

Everywhere, informal traders sold their wares on the streets.

Uganda is a very fertile country, as this market stall shows.

Market women at Kampala’s largest market, Owino Market, pose for a photo.

I bought pieces of jackfruit from this woman. In the background are election posters for the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections. Yoweri Museveni, 81, who has been in power since 1986, won again.

Katanga Slum

With a local guide, I visited a slum in the middle of the city. There was trash everywhere and the creek stank.

The people in the background are mourning a deceased person. In the foreground, the funeral meal is being cooked.

Independence Monument

It was inaugurated on October 8, 1962, one day before the country’s effective independence from Great Britain. It depicts a mother joyfully holding her child up to the sky. The ribbons around her body symbolize steadfastness.

Shree Sanatan Dharma Mandal Hindu Temple

Colonial Britain brought thousands of Hindus, mainly from India, to West Africa to build the Kenya-Uganda railway line. But when General Idi Amin seized power 10 years after independence, all Hindus were expelled as part of the Africanization of the country. It was not until 20 years later, long after Idi Amin had been deposed, that the Hindus were able to return.

This temple was opened in 1961, before the country gained independence.

Impressive!

Kampala Old Taxi Park

A smaller minibus terminal very close to the main bus station

National Mosque

Opened in 2007, this mosque is the largest in East Africa, with a capacity of 15,000 worshippers. Construction began in 1972 under the dictator Idi Amin, but had to be interrupted in 1976 due to political instability. After Idi Amin was deposed in 1979, the fate of the mosque was uncertain. In 2001, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi decided to donate the money for its completion as a gift to the Islamic faith in Uganda. For me, it is therefore a tyrant’s mosque, but my tour guide saw it differently and said that the construction of this mosque showed the good in these people.

The 50.5-meter-high minaret can be climbed.

The view from the minaret

Baha’i House of Worship

On my travels, I repeatedly encounter temples of the Bahá’í faith. I first encountered it in Haifa, Israel, where the center of this religion is located. I also visited temples in Santiago de Chile and Samoa. The Bahá’í faith is also represented in Africa. In addition to temples in Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo, there is also one in Uganda. Together with the garden, it is an oasis of peace. Here I met a volunteer supervisor who had already supervised the temple in Samoa.

Lake Bunyonyi

On my way to Rwanda, I took a bus for about 400 km from Kampala to the town of Kabale, where I spent the night. The next day, I reached my destination, Itambyra Island in Lake Bunyonyi. I had already been on the tour to this island, but this time I stayed in an open bungalow with a lake view and had several days to explore the island and its surroundings.

My open air bungalow

View from the bungalow onto the lake with my private jetty

Paradise Eco-Hub, where I stayed. My bungalow was on the left behind the trees and is not visible in the picture.

On my discovery walks, I enjoyed magnificent views,

even with a cow,

saw an aid project with rabbits,

admired colorful birds,

visited the island’s school,

encountered a crab catcher

and a mushroom picker.

One day, I took a boat trip with a young man to the mainland, where we climbed a hill with breathtaking views.

We encountered this family with their two rabbits.

After a few days on the island, a taxi took me to the border crossing into Rwanda. The 70 km route took me through beautiful countryside. I was impressed by how even the areas high up in the hills were still used for agriculture.

This marked the end of my two-week trip through Uganda. Uganda is a huge country, and I only traveled through about a third of it in the southwest. Poverty is widespread in Uganda. The roads are often full of potholes, so car passengers get shaken around. This is known as the “Uganda massage.” I was surprised at how often I was asked for support. In fact, this question came up every time I met locals, even from people you wouldn’t expect, such as landlords, bus inspectors, tourist guides, or taxi drivers. Often it was about paying school fees, but once I was also asked to invest in a pigsty. I find it shameful that people have no other way of improving their situation than begging strangers.

 

This text is an automatic English translation from the German original by deepl.com