10 Other Things to do in Uganda
Uganda is most famous as a destination to see mountain gorillas and chimpanzees in their natural habitats. But there are other things to do while there which you should consider. Below we will outline 10 other things to do in Uganda which we recommend doing while there.
1. Visit a Local Community
Take a walk in a local community and learn how the people live and how they are mostly self sufficient.
We went to a community called Bigodi which was close to Kibale National Park. Our guide for the walk was a local guy called Victor and he took us to four homesteads and showed us how each one was an important part of the community.
The Community Brewer
The first we went to was the local alcohol maker. Who makes beer and gin out of bananas. Sitting down he told us the process through Victor who was translating. Then he showed us the steps to making the beer and gin. After the demonstration he may give you a sample of each to try if you would like.
The Local Coffee Maker
The next homestead was belonging to the local coffee maker. This was an elderly woman who grew her own coffee beans and made the coffee right from scratch. Again she explained each step of the process through Victor and then gave us a full demonstration of how to make coffee powder from the bean, (getting some help from Misha along the way).
After all the steps were complete; extracting the beans, roasting the beans, and grinding the beans, we were then given a fresh cup of coffee to enjoy.
The Medicine Man
Our next step was to the local ‘doctor’. As soon as we stepped into this quaint little hut we knew that this was going to be an interesting chat. Wearing a coat and hat made from the bark of a local tree, and with a variety of herbs and skulls laid out in front of him on a mat, he sucked on his (empty) pipe and shook his rattle as he told us of his role in the community.
Whether it be to excommunicate your neighbour, banish the demons living within you, or cure a common cold, this man was the go-to guy for the residents! While we would liked to have heard more about the medicinal benefits of some of the herbs, as surely there would have been some, it was more the methods of the witchdoctor we heard about.
The Basket Weavers
The last stop was to the women weaving the baskets. Sitting on the ground in a group and with their children roaming around, they were weaving from the papyrus which grows close by. Again they got a little help from Misha and it wasn’t as easy as they made it look!
Their skill is obvious when you see the vast amount of designs they are able to produce. Here is a nice place to buy a little souvenir of your trip through the community.
We would like to add that on no occasion did we feel pressurized into buying anything in the community. While noticing things for sale, nobody was pointing them out or giving us the sad story about the hardships of village life. Therefore making us feel guilty and forced into buying something. We did buy something, but it was purely our own choice. It was us who had to ask if we could actually buy something. This we felt was a major factor in making the visit an enjoyable and relaxed one.
2. Take a Walk in the Swamplands
In the Bigodi community area, there is also Bigodi swamp. This is worth taking a walk through to see some of the wildlife in the area. You may catch sight of the extremely shy black and white colobus.
Or its not so shy cousins the red colobus and the red-tailed colobus. Also in the area are velvet monkeys and other mammals like squirrels, and plenty of birds.
Walking through the swamp is nice, though make sure and bring your insect repellent. Due to being a swamp there is a potential for lots of mosquitoes.
There is no risk of getting your feet wet though as you will be walking over homemade boardwalks crossing the wet areas so don’t worry.
While the swamp area itself is very large, the walk you will take will only be about 30-45 minutes. So it isn’t that long and it is definitely not strenuous.
3. Have a Boat Safari on Kazinga Channel
Separating two of the large Ugandan lakes, Lake George and Lake Edward, is the Kazinga Channel. Here you will have the opportunity to take a boat safari on the channel and watch some of the wildlife from the comfort of your boat.
The journey will take approximately two hours. If you want to be on the good side close to the action make sure you sit on the left side of the boat!
Going up the channel you will see a lot of buffalo, hippo, and during the hot season the herds of elephant will come here to cool off also. You will also get your fix of all sorts of birds, from eagles to kingfishers.
If you can try to get into one of the smaller boats as it is easier and better for viewing the wildlife. The wildlife is beautiful down along the channel. It feels like an old movie showing the old adventurers of Africa as they make their way down the rivers in a boat.
4. Take a Game Drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park
There are lots of places you can do game drives in Uganda. But the one that we did was in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
As is the norm with game drives, you can be lucky or unlucky. Our fortunes were mixed as we didn’t get to see any lions, even though our guide knew where they were as they had been spotted in the vicinity early in the morning. However they were playing hard to get. After a long time waiting for them to make an appearance out of their hiding place we drove on.
Finding the Elephants
Not too long after this we came across the highlight of the drive. This was a large herd of elephants moving through the park. Crossing the road in front of us, we were able to intersect them at the next corner.
Watching the Elephants
There is something amazing about seeing these gentle beasts coming slowly towards you. As their young stay close to them and run alongside. Quite content to pass close by us and to amble on their way to their next waypoint, their presence on that day made it all worthwhile.
To think that in some trigger-happy Western countries people pay to kill these animals is a disgrace to the human race. And to think that these same people think that they can be respected or proud of what they have done is sickening. To think that because of people like them creatures like this are becoming rarer and rarer to see in the wild is heartbreaking. And to think that they are proud of this fact is even worse.
Other Wildlife in the Park
In Queen Elizabeth National Park you will also encounter lots of Uganda’s national animal, the Kob. Also their national bird, the Crested Crane. Like any game drive, stand up through the open roof of your vehicle (if it’s equipped with this) and just enjoy the rush of the wind against you while you look around and try to spot a movement somewhere which will tell you there’s an animal present.
5. Interact with the Local Children
One of the most endearing things about rural Africa is the children. Driving through all areas they will recognize a tourist car immediately and run alongside it waving at you. Make their day and wave back at them! Give them a smile and shout ‘hello’ and watch their faces light up with their perfect smiles.
If you have an opportunity stop off before leaving the capital and buy some large packets of sweets. You can ask your guide to stop along the way and give sweets to the children that gather around you. Be warned, they will gather! You may think there is only a few. But they will come from all over once they see sweets being handed out so make sure you have enough for everybody! You don’t want to leave anyone out!
(By the way the sweets being handed out doesn’t just go for the kids. The adults are just as grateful to get them!)
Sharing your Photos and Videos with the Children
If you happen to be lucky enough to witness a singing and dancing show by a group of children and you take a video or picture, then make sure to show them afterwards. You will feel so humble as they gather around and watch themselves on the screen in an amazement that has unfortunately long been lost to the Western world.
They love to interact with you and all it takes is a little attention from you to bring a smile and a bit of colour into their daily lives. If they ask you to dance with them then don’t be shy! Get up and lose yourself in the music and forget about what people will think! Shyness doesn’t exist here!
6. Navigate Lake Bunyonyi by Boat
Lake Bunyonyi is one of Africa’s deepest lakes at a depth of almost 3,000ft in places, which is an estimate at present. It is also an extremely relaxing place to take a boat trip through. On the flat calm waters, you can watch the local fishermen in their dugout canoes collecting their crayfish from the pots, or admire the hillside farmlands that seem to be inaccessible for man.
Punishment Island
On the lake itself is an assortment of islands, one of which is called Punishment Island. This is a tiny piece of land were pregnant unmarried women were left to basically die as the only way to get off the island was by swimming. As swimming skills were rare they would more than likely drown. Some were saved from death by being picked up by men who did not have the required dowry to allow them to take a wife so they used pick them from this island. The practice was stopped in the middle of the last century.
Bwarma Island
The lake is also the location of a previous leper colony on Bwarma Island. This was set up by an English missionary in 1931 called Leonard Sharp. When he died he left the hospital to the Government of Uganda. Today it is run as a medical and maternity unit for the local population of the surrounding lands. They do sexual awareness and parental classes here also and teach the local population about the responsibilities of childbearing.
The lake is safe to swim in and if you happen to be staying in one of the resorts on the lake then you will get the opportunity to take a ride in a dugout canoe also.
7. Stop at the Roadside Markets and Buy Some Fruit
Driving through the countryside you will come across many of the local markets. Your guide may stop at one of these on the return trip back to the capital Kampala at the end of your tour. If he does be sure to get out and take a walk around.
You will find many different types of fresh fruit which are grown in the local vicinity. All have the most refreshing taste. There’s something nice about eating a fruit which has never seen the insides of a grocery shop. Maybe it’s the rawness of it all, or possibly it’s the fact that is has so much more flavour.
Of course you should not just stop off at fruit markets. But also chicken sellers and local vegetable markets too and get a sense of how the trading is done between the locals in rural Africa.
And as you leave in your bus or car, be thankful that you are not having to walk for miles with your purchases like the locals do, in torrential rain or blazing sun.
8. Try the Local Cuisines
All over the country you will find many street sellers selling different foods. You will see them rushing over to buses that pull over trying to sell their wares through the windows. Make sure to try some of these at least once on your trip!
For a quickly prepared snack try one of the fried chicken with plantain, which is a style of cooked banana. (You will find banana is a popular addition to dishes in Uganda. Doubtless you will be trying it one way or another at some stage). The chicken is grilled to perfection and if you are a chicken fan you will love this!
The Rolex
Quite often you will come across signs saying ‘Rolex’. No these are not people selling watches worth thousands of dollars in the middle of continental Africa. Rather Rolex is a chipati which contains omelette mixed with onions and tomatoes, and is then rolled into a wrap. Probably one of the best things we tried in Uganda! And definitely one we would encourage everyone to try!
Other things to try are posho, which is a starchy porridge type of food. And matoke which is one of the aforementioned bananas, in this case green banana. These can be added to a main dish of beans or meat.
After dinner sit down and enjoy a cup of spiced African tea. This is basically tea made with hot milk instead of water, and has various spices added to it. Maybe not to everyone’s taste but at least you can say you’ve tried it!
9. Be in the centre of the world on the Equator
When you drive through the town of Kayabwe, you may be wondering what the arches are on both sides of the road. These are the signal that you are now crossing from one side of the world into the other! Naturally this is a photo opportunity you will want to take so get out and join the queue!
In this area you may also get a demonstration of how (apparently) water flows in a different direction in the southern hemisphere to the northern hemisphere, and how it flows straight down right on the equator. I don’t want to be a killjoy here but being the skeptic I am I don’t believe it for a minute. And apparently neither does science. But regardless, watch the show and at the very least try and figure out how they manage to pull it off!
Also in this town are a few nice restaurants and many more souvenir shops if you need anything extra from your trip.
10. Keep an Eye Out for Wildlife on your Journey
Driving through the countryside you may come across some of the wildlife you are expecting to see in the parks. As the parks are not closed off and the animals are free to roam wherever they want, they sometimes leave the parks and venture further afield.
You may spot zebra, elephant, or buffalo, and very likely will come across troupes of baboons. Always keep an eye out, as you never know what you may come across.
In your accommodation if its close to a lake you will probably hear large animals at night moving around, like hippo, elephant, and buffalo. Seeing a large shadow move past where you’re sleeping can be nerve racking but also gives a true safari feel to the trip!
Other Things to Do in Uganda
While we got to see a lot in Uganda, there were things that we didn’t get time to do. There are other parks you can go to and see the sights. Such as the lost valley in Kidepo National Park, or the waterfall in Murchison Falls National Park. You can also go trekking in the Rwenzori Mountains, or go white water rafting on the River Nile.
If you have time in your itinerary these are things that are worthwhile adding. But if not, then the list above of 10 other things to do in Uganda will ensure you have a memorable time in this amazing country.
Our Uganda Travel Guide
- For our Uganda Travel Guide with information for people looking to travel to Uganda please click here.