Created in 1952 and renamed two years later after a visit by Queen Elizabeth II, the 1,978km² (764mi²) Queen Elizabeth National Park is as scenically diverse as its residents, lying in the shadows of the Rwenzori Mountains on the floor of the Albertine Rift Valley, with myriad crater lakes scattered around along with areas of open savanna and the tropical Maramagambo Forest, home to several primates. The diversity of wildlife ranges from hundreds, sometimes thousands, of Ugandan kob antelope in the northern Kasenyi Plains, to chimps at Kyambura Gorge in the east, tree-climbing lions at Ishasha in the south and over 600 species of birds in between, yet the park is relatively quiet for most of the year. True, the wildlife may not be as copious as some Kenyan or Tanzanian parks, but the Big Five are all here aside from rhinos. Although the best place to see lions is around Kasenyi Plains with their well-stocked larder of kob, the tree-climbing lions in Ishasha are a special sight. A boat safari along the Kazinga Channel stretching between Lakes George and Edward is a must for any bird (or hippo) lover.

The forest within Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is thought to be one of the most biologically diverse in Africa as well as one of the oldest, dating back to over 25,000 years ago. On the eastern edge of the Albertine Rift Valley, the rainforest is attractively swathed over steep ridges and valleys rising up to an altitude of 2,600m (8,500ft). It used to stretch down to the Virunga Mountains on the Rwandan border but this huge tract of forest was broken up about 500 years ago when agricultural people moved into the area. Having grown from two small reserves in 1932 to its current size of 320km² (123mi²), the national park is known for its exceptional biodiversity, with more than 160 species of trees, over 100 species of ferns, many types of butterflies and around 350 bird species, of which 23 are endemic to the Albertine Rift Valley and at least 14 are found nowhere else. More than half the world’s population of mountain gorillas reside within Bwindi and these are the main focus of visitors. However, there are also healthy populations of (non-habitauted) chimpanzees, L’Hoest’s monkey, red-tailed monkey and colobus as well as five species of duiker and bushbuck and a small rarely-seen population of forest elephants.

The Nile River, flowing from south to north across eastern Africa, is revered as one of the world’s longest rivers, stretching over 6,600km from its sources feeding into Lake Victoria to its mouth at the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile courses through 11 African countries, shaping agricultural landscapes, trade routes, and communities along its path. For thousands of years, the river has been a lifeline, providing essential irrigation to transform dry regions into productive farmland and continuing to serve as an important transportation route today.

Near the town of Jinja along Lake Victoria’s shore, you’ll find the legendary Source of the Nile. Explorer John Hanning Speke famously claimed to have identified the Nile’s origin here in 1858, sparking a historic and bitter rivalry with fellow explorer Richard Francis Burton, who was certain the source was further south at Lake Tanganyika. Their intense debate captivated the scientific community of the time, with Speke eventually earning recognition from the Royal Geographic Society. Today, a modest sign in the middle of the river at Ripon Falls commemorates Speke’s claim, though some modern studies now trace the true source further south, to Rwanda or Burundi.

Home to Uganda’s major international airport and the beginning and end point of most journeys in Uganda, Entebbe is situated on the shores of Lake Victoria and is the leisure destination for the residents of Kampala, the country’s capital located 45 minutes’ drive north. Founded by Christian missionaries in 1893, Entebbe was subsequently the administrative capital of the British Uganda Protectorate from 1894 to 1962. In 1972, Entebbe’s Asian population was forced to leave as part of a nationwide expulsion of Asians by the president, General Idi Amin while four years later in 1976, Entebbe’s airport was the site of a raid by Israeli commandos who freed 103 Israeli hostages from a plane hijacked by Palestinian terrorists. The city now exudes a much more serene charm and is a pleasant overnight stop before and/or after your journey in Uganda.

Most long-haul international flights depart Entebbe very late in the evening or the wee hours of the morning. For these travellers we can include an afternoon and evening at a boutique guesthouse in Entebbe as well as a sunset cruise on nearby Lake Victoria.