Uganda

Uganda is home to the highest range in Africa, the wonderfully named Mountains of the Moon – best explored in Rwenzori National Park, where tropical rainforest gives way to alpine meadows. There are various hiking routes, including a spectacular trail that winds over glaciers to Margherita Peak, the highest point in the country at nearly 17,000ft. 

Uganda is also the source of the Nile, which flows north through the Sudan and Egypt to the Mediterranean. Near Jinja we can organize whitewater rafting with top international professionals – an adventure that will likely make most previous rafting experiences pale by comparison. 

But perhaps the highlight of any Ugandan adventure is an expedition into Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in search of mountain gorillas. Half the known population of this rare species resides within the park’s 1,300 square miles. We can arrange a trek with the best local guides, relaxing each night in comfortable private camps. And perhaps you’d like to be joined by a leading wildlife documentary filmmaker, who can capture the experience in the ultimate home movie. 

After your gorilla quest, you can spend time in Queen Elizabeth National Park, which straddles the equator in the southwest and is home to leopards, hyenas, elephants, warthogs, buffaloes, waterbucks and the region’s famed tree-climbing lions. You can track chimpanzees in the Kyambura Gorge and take in a profusion of birdlife, including the Chapins flycatcher and Martial eagles, as well as flamingos and pink-backed pelicans. 

It’s easy to combine Uganda with another African country – particularly neighbouring Kenya, where we can fly you in an hour or so. There you might enjoy a safari combined with gorilla tracking in Bwindi. Or relax on the coast, maybe cruising in your own dhow from Mombasa or staying in a cottage on Zanzibar.