Uganda

Gorilla permits are expensive, limited and worth every penny

Uganda has around half the world remaining mountain gorillas, in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and Mgahinga. Permits are strictly limited, cost several hundred dollars, and must be booked well in advance. An hour with a habituated family, at close range, is consistently described by people who have done it as one of the most affecting wildlife experiences available anywhere.

It is also cheaper than Rwanda for the same experience, which is why a lot of gorilla trekking has shifted here. The trek itself can be genuinely hard, several hours through steep, wet, tangled forest, and porters are available and worth hiring both for your sake and theirs.

Beyond gorillas, Uganda has chimpanzee tracking in Kibale, tree-climbing lions in Ishasha, and Murchison Falls where the entire Nile is forced through a gap seven metres wide. Lake Bunyonyi is a deep, cool, terraced lake with no crocodiles or bilharzia, which makes it one of the few swimmable lakes in the region. Churchill called it the pearl of Africa and the branding has stuck.

Annual events and festivals

• Independence Day (9 Oct) — marks 1962 independence from Britain.
• Martyrs Day (3 Jun) — a pilgrimage to Namugongo drawing millions from across East Africa.
• Nyege Nyege (Sep-Nov) — a four-day international music festival on the Nile at Jinja.
• Kampala City Festival (Oct) — a huge street party through the capital.
• Bayimba International Festival (Sep) — contemporary arts and music.
• Imbalu circumcision ceremonies (Aug, even years) — a Bagisu coming-of-age tradition in the east.
• Eid al-Fitr and Christmas (varies and Dec) — both widely marked in a religiously mixed country.
• Rolex Festival (Aug) — celebrating the national street food, an egg and chapati roll.
• Nile River Festival (Jan) — international kayaking competition on the White Nile.
• Buganda Kingdom coronation anniversary (Jul) — traditional ceremonies for the Kabaka.