Why is Uganda,the precious,pearl of Africa part 1

For all my life, I have known Uganda as the pearl of Africa. A great explorer Churchill visited Uganda, and he could not resist calling it the pearl of Africa. This did not make any sense to me because I was living in the country. I think it is easier for someone who is  a foreigner to find something valuable in your land than any local citizen because there is always room for comparison between the foreigners country and visited country.

Here are some of the few things that I think make Uganda the pearl, precious, of Africa.

The source of River Nile.

Uganda is home to the source of R.Nile. The source is on Lake Victoria around the Jinja Town- a very known metropolitan city that was dominated by Indian and European settlers. The River Nile is the longest river in the world. The Nile does not stop only in Uganda but continues to Egypt passing into around eleven African countries. For countries like Egypt and Sudan, it  is there major source of water. Another wonder about this river is it has two tributaries, the White Nile and the Blue Nile. The white Nile is the headwaters and primary stream of the Nile itself. The Blue Nile is the source of most of the water and silt. It empties into the Mediterranean sea. The river has contributed to the peace in the region.

The Buganda Kingdom.

The Buganda kingdom is a very large kingdom in Uganda. Most people mistake it with Uganda-they think they are the whole of Uganda belong to the Buganda kingdom. They share a big part in influencing the Uganda’s culture-most of the Ugandan culture has been borrowed from the Baganda.For example,they speak a local language Luganda and almost everyone in the country speaks it. The ladies wear a traditional dress, the gomasi, which is almost wore by all Ugandans. The Kanzu, another traditional men’s dress is also common in all regions of the country. Their staple food the matooke is also common throughout the country. They played a major role in the colonization of Uganda.Their influence is every where throughout the country. They have a consonant in their alphabet which is so unique and not found anywhere in the world.

The Gorillas

Much as these animals are not only in Uganda but in also Rwanda and Congo.These endangered animals are the only surviving mountain gorillas in the world.

These animals are the backbone of the tourism industry of the region. In fact if you check on all tours and travel websites from East Africa, one thing that you shall notice is they all have gorilla trekking safaris in their tour packages. Many of the tourists that visit them say they are the most adventurous animals; some tourists get so much attached to gorillas that they give them names, send them gifts, and visit them occasionally like they would do to a friend.

The only way to do a gorilla trekking trip is by having gorilla permits which are accessible through travel companies like gorilla tour booking www.gorillatourbooking.com.

Check out for part 2 of this article as I keep on making research about the topic.

Short Wildlife Safaris to Uganda 

1 Day Kampala Tour, One Day Kampala safari visit by Gorilla Tours Booking

1 Day Lake Mburo National Park Wildlife Safari Tour

1 Day Ngamba Island Excursion Tour

2 day Lake Mburo National Park A Place of Impala (from which Kampala city derives its name)

2 Day Jinja , Bujagali Falls and Mabira Rain Forest , A forest which divides in East and Central Uganda

Affordable 3 days gorilla tracking tour fly to Bwind National Park from Entebbe International Airport

3 Days Kibale Chimpanzee Safari

Long Wildlife Safaris 

4 Days , Uganda Mountain Gorilla tour Uganda Gorilla Trekking Safari
4 Days Gorilla Tracking in PNV
4 Days-Track Rwanda Gorillas twice! Rwanda Gorilla tracking Tour
6 Days Gorilla Trekking in Uganda Bwindi Super Safari
6 Days Uganda/Rwanda Double Gorilla Tracking
7 Days Gorilla Trekking Safari Adventure and Wildlife Uganda
7 days-Gorilla tour Rwanda Uganda Gorilla Tracking Tour 
7 Days Rwanda Gorillas & Chimps 
8 Days Uganda Chimps and Rwanda Gorillas
9 Days Bwindi Gorilla Trekking Lake Bunyonyi-Queen National Park 

The best gorilla safaris experience in africa

Having the chance to trek through Volcanoes National Park to see the mountain gorillas was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I cannot recommend it enough. Our guide was friendly and knowledgeable, and the opportunity to stand only a few feet away from a full-grown silverback gorilla is a breathtaking privilege. Be sure to wear comfortable, sturdy footwear and thick pants to protect against the stinging nettles. Although we could have easily carried our own bags, my family and I chose to each hire a local porter for $10/bag, as they depend on trekkers as a vital source of income. Be sure to take a few minutes away from your camera (easier said than done!) and just watch the gorillas, really soaking in the experience. It truly is a once in a lifetime adventure.

The 1 hour with the gorillas is an amazing experience I will never forgot. We were surrounded by 23 gorillas including a silverback, a few black back males, females, teenagers and babies! There was 7 tourists (max is 8) in our group, 2 guides and 2 rangers so the experience was very intimate!

The $750 permit seemed expensive when planning for this trip but I felt that the money is being put to good use in protecting the gorillas with trackers, rangers, and guides to educate tourists (Gus and Manny our guides were very knowledge and friendly) 10% of the permit fee also goes back to the local community to support schools and services.

We were on a 4 day tour in Rwanda and told our driver we were interested in a medium effort hike and he arranged for us to be placed in the Agasha group 13. The hike was about 45 min through farm fields and 45 min in the bush, relatively easy with only a slight grade to find the group. We lucked out with sunny dry skies. We hired porter for $10 US to carry our daypack, porters can also help you along if needed, but more importantly this gives jobs to local men. Although the porters don't go to see the gorillas, they stay with the backpacks just before see you the gorilla group.

The national park is stunning. This really is the land of a thousand hills. We also hiked Bisoke to the Crater Lake the next day with a group of 8 hikers, a guide and rangers. The permit is $75. The hike goes past the turn off for Dian Fossey tomb where her camp and work took place.

Roads from Kigali to Kinigi are good and traffic and local driving well as well. If I were to do this again I would rent a 4x4 in Kigali and drive myself rather than book a tour, but you really do need a 4x4 and experience driving it for "African massage" roads. Trekked into see one of the gorilla families that Dian Fossey made famous, truly a once in a lifetime experience.