Best of Uganda

Notes

Essentials

Visas
Most nationals, including those from the UK, EU and US require a visa for entry into Uganda. We recommend that you obtain this in advance, although it is currently possible to obtain it upon arrival at the airport for US$50. Regulations do frequently change though, so we advise that you check the current requirements with your nearest embassy.

You require one year remaining validity on your passport to enter Uganda.

Airport Tax
Departure tax is US$20 and is generally included in your ticket.

Health and Immunisations
As with travel to most parts of Africa, we strongly recommend that you contact your doctor’s surgery or a specialist travel clinic for up-to-date information, advice and the necessary vaccinations. For a visit of less than one month, almost certainly you will be advised to have immunisations against the following: Diphtheria and Tetanus, Hepatitis A, Typhoid, Meningitis. Anti-malaria medication is also required and the use of a DEET-containing insect repellent is highly recommended.

Insurance
What should my travel insurance policy cover?

• medical and health cover for an injury or sudden illness abroad
• 24 hour emergency service and assistance
• personal liability cover in case you’re sued for causing injury or damaging property
• lost and stolen possessions cover
• cancellation and curtailment (cutting short your trip) cover
• Extra cover for activities that are commonly excluded from standard policies, such as certain sports

The policy should cover the whole time that you are away.

Your policy may also have:

• personal accident cover
• legal expenses cover

Common travel insurance policy exclusions
Always check the conditions and exclusions of your policy:

• most policies will not cover drink or drug-related incidents

You must take reasonable care of your possessions or your policy will not cover you.

Practical information

Local Currency
The currency is the Ugandan shilling (Ush). For current exchange rates visit www.xe.com. The easiest currency to exchange is the US dollar, but notes smaller than US$50 attract poor rates of exchange.

Where currency can be exchanged
There are banks and money exchange offices in Kampala that can easily exchange foreign currency – outside of the capital it becomes more difficult and although it is often possible to exchange cash in the lodges, the rate is generally not very good.

Credit cards and travellers cheques
Travellers’ cheques are difficult to exchange in Uganda and credit cards are not widely accepted outside of expensive restaurants and lodges. We recommend that you bring cash as ATM machines are not that reliable. US dollars are generally the best currency to bring.

Best time to go
The wet seasons in Uganda are from March to May, and mid September to November. It is possible to travel in the rainy season although journeys can sometimes be more difficult and time should be built into your plans for delays.

Main Language
English is widely spoken, together with the local language Luganda.

Main Religion
Around 90% of Ugandans follow Christian faiths – Catholicism and Protestantism being the most popular. About 10% of the population is Moslem while some groups follow animist traditions.

Food and drink
While on our tour in Uganda you are likely to be eating a fair amount of western style food, as this is generally the type of food favoured by hotels and lodges which will be where most meals are taken.

Local food tends to be based around a meat stew and either rice or ugali, a maize porridge which forms the staple diet for many Ugandans.

If you have any special dietary requirements you must notify us at the time of booking. While we will make every effort to cater for you, we cannot guarantee that this will be possible.

For visitors Uganda is a cheap country. In addition the majority of your costs are pre-paid including meals. However, drinks are not included. A 1L of bottled water or can of coke will cost 50 cents. A bottle of the excellent local ‘Bell’ beer will cost about a dollar.

Transport
Our tour in Uganda uses 4wd vehicles – typically Landcruisers. On occasions buses may be used.

Local conditions
Travelling in the destinations that we visit requires a good deal of understanding that often standards simply won’t be as they are at home. While we aim to make your trip as comfortable as possible, please be aware that we are often visiting remote or less developed regions that may have little infrastructure. While we aim to make your trip run as smoothly as possible there may be times when we need to ask for your patience while we rectify any problems.

What to take with you

First Aid Kit
The first thing on your list should be a first aid kit. Whilst there is no undue cause for alarm, travellers are best advised to travel well-prepared: adequately immunized, with sufficient supplies of prescription drugs, along with a medical kit.

Clothing
When it comes to clothing it is usually recommended that lighter clothes are worn through the day, and warmer ones at night. A hat is also advised to be worn through the day to protect from the sun, along with at least one piece of waterproof clothing for any days that the weather may be wet or windy.

Sleeping bag
You do not need to bring a sleeping bag on our tour in Uganda – bedding is provided in any camps used.

Footwear
Footwear is a main priority on this tour. Comfortable walking shoes/boots are recommended.

Luggage
Your luggage should not exceed 20kgs (44lbs). One large suitcase/rucksack, and one small hand luggage rucksack is acceptable.

Other
Suncream/sunblock is a must. Insect repellent, including a bite spray will also be useful to have.

If you will be using a camera which needs film, it is recommended that a supply is taken with you, as it is not always available in some of the places that we visit.

Fitness
The trek to search for mountain gorillas can take very little time, but it can also take several hours, depending on where the gorillas are. This can be over difficult terrain and is at reasonably high altitude, so you should be prepared for this in order to ensure that you enjoy the trek.

Cultural and environmental guidelines
You may come across beggars while on tour in Uganda. Every traveller has different perspectives on this and ultimately the choice is up to you. Many sources recommend that you watch to see if local people give, and then follow their lead with genuine beggars. We do not recommend giving money, sweets, pens etc to children as this can encourage a begging mentality and can lead to children choosing to beg rather than go to school.

Haggling is a way of life in Africa when making many purchases, especially with tourist souvenirs. Usually, but not always, the vendor will start with a price that is higher than they are prepared to accept, and the buyer is expected to haggle. There are no hard and fast rules with this – some vendors may initially quote a vastly overinflated price, others may start with a price close to the true value, while others may just present you with one price and not be prepared to discuss it. Although many tourists may feel uncomfortable with this, it’s important to remember that this is best entered into in a relaxed manner. Once you have agreed upon a price, it is extremely bad form to then not pay this. Please also bear in mind that a small amount of money to you can be a relatively large amount for the vendor, and that it is not necessarily best practice to ‘beat the vendor down’ to the lowest possible price. Remember that they also have a living to make.

Please make sure that you take any rubbish back to the hotels with you where it can be properly disposed of – this includes cigarette butts as well.

Please do not buy any products made from endangered species – this is not sustainable and hastens the species’ decline.

Photography
You should always ask permission before taking anyone's photograph and respect their decision if they say no. In more remote areas women and older people often do not want to be photographed. Some people may also ask for some money – sometimes a little, sometimes a lot - in return for a photo. Taking photos of military installations, state buildings, and airports can lead to problems with local authorities. If you are unsure about whether it is acceptable to take a photo, please ask your tour leader or guide.

Tipping
Tipping is common practise in Africa. If your local guide has been helpful then you could think about tipping. This amount can obviously be left to you. When tipping a driver, a guide or hotel staff a few dollars will always be gratefully received.

Foreign Office Advice
We constantly monitor the advice posted by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). In particular we will always advise clients of any travel warnings. At the time of writing the Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not advise against travel to any of the areas within Uganda that we visit on our tours. Please feel free to contact us should you have any specific concerns or if would like to know in detail what measures are being taken to ensure visits remain trouble free and without incident.

It should be noted that this information applies to British citizens. Other nationals are asked to check the current position of their respective government.

Further Information

Public Holidays in Uganda:

1 Jan New Year's Day
26 Jan Liberation Day
8 Mar International Women's Day 
10 Apr  Good Friday
13 Apr  Easter Monday
1 May Labour Day
3 Jun Martyrs' Day
9 Jun National Heroes' Day
9 Oct Independence Day
25 Dec Christmas Day
26 Dec Boxing Day

Other holidays associated with Ramadan follow the lunar calendar and vary annually.

Dates are for guidance only and may vary year to year

Electrical Supply
Generally electrical supply is 240V/50 Hz. British three-pin plugs are mainly used.

Recommended Reading

Uganda - The Bradt Guide
Philip Briggs

Wizard of the Nile
Matthew Green

The Scramble for Africa
Thomas Pakenham

IMPORTANT NOTES – PLEASE READ

Please note that the information provided is correct at the time of writing but may change. It is intended as a guide only. Further information regarding vaccinations and travel health visit www.fitfortravel.scot.nhs.uk or contact your local healthcare provider.

In addition we strongly advise you to check the information and any travel advice provided by your government. For British citizens you should visit the Foreign Office website www.fco.gov.uk.

Furthermore, you should be aware that any travel warnings or advisories may affect the validity of your travel insurance. Therefore, at the time of booking your tour it is essential you check any restrictions on cover with your insurance provider.

Issue Date – 17/08/09

For possible changes to this dossier please visit www.undiscovered-destinations.com or call +44 (0)191 296 2674

Historical Background

The stunningly beautiful country of Uganda is known as the ‘pearl of Africa’, a land of richly forested rolling hills, jagged mountains with summits hidden by clouds, and vast plains harbouring some of the continent’s most iconic creature. Uganda doesn’t receive the attention given to its better known neighbours Kenya and Tanzania, and its tourism industry is far smaller. But those that have travelled widely in Africa rate it amongst the most visually stunning of all countries. Uganda’s recent history has put it in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons – civil wars, brutal dictators and armed rebel groups, but the 21st century has seen the country shake off the shackles of its past and rejoin its place at the table of world class destinations. Uganda does receive tourists, so it’s unlikely that you’ll have anywhere all to yourself, but it lacks the mass tourism that is such a feature of other East African countries. With memories of its past fading, it cannot be too long before the rest of the world wakes up to Uganda’s many and varied charms, but for now, enjoy being part of a discerning few uncovering the secrets of this charming country.

Prior to the 19th century, the area now known as Uganda was ruled over by three principal kingdoms – Bunyoro, Buganda and Ankole, occupying different regions and over the years expanding and contracting their influence depending on their varying relations with each other. Traditional rivalries that dated back for generations fuelled an uneasy state of existence between the kingdoms with wars periodically breaking out over land, cattle, and other resources which were important at the time, such as salt. In the mid nineteenth century Arab traders arrived in Bunyoro, at that point rather weak and in possession of far less territory than it once had. Not long afterwards arrived the first Europeans, Speke and Grant, exploring the area in their search for the source of the Nile, a journey which was to become the basis of much contention and disagreement between the two men later in life. But it was Egypt that was to have a lasting effect upon the region – the Egyptian ruler had appointed Samuel Baker as governor of its Equatoria province, a loosely defined region in the south of Sudan that had been little explored and whose people were nominally under the rule of Cairo, hundreds of miles to the north. Baker, a former big game hunter and explorer, immediately upset the kingdom of Bunyoro by claiming it to rightfully belong to Egypt, a move which provoked the then ruler Kabalega to attack the Egyptian garrison and force a withdrawal.

Under Captain Gordon, later to become famous in the defence of Sudan against the Mahdi, forts were erected in Bunyoro as a declaration of sovereignty but the following governor, a curious German known as Emin Pasha, abandoned the policy. His ‘rescue’ from Mahdist forces by HM Stanley in 1889 marked the end of Egypt’s involvement in Uganda.

It was around this time that European missionaries began to be interested in the various kingdoms of Uganda. Desperate to convert the local tribes from barbaric practices which included human sacrifice, intrepid souls ventured into the kingdom of Buganda but were received with caution by the ruler, who was aware of the inroads that European military forces were making into the area but was not keen to see his subjects converted to a religion he knew little about. Vacillating between hostility and friendship, in 1885 the ruler of Buganda, Mwanga, captured and killed a deputation of missionaries travelling from the coast to spread the word of Christianity. By now determined to avenge its honour, Britain’s official interest in Uganda increased, especially when they learned that the great German explorer Carl Peters was on his way there to strike whatever deal he could with Mwanga to ensure German influence over the region. At this stage in the Scramble for Africa, East African borders had not been established by the European powers and Britain was becoming edgy over the German occupation of much of the coastline. Although Peters did get there first, and Mwanga, eager to gain protection against any British forces come to avenge the deaths of the missionaries, signed the treaty, horse trading between Germany and Britain soon afterwards meant that Germany relinquished all claims to Uganda. The field was open for Britain. Uganda’s significance for Britain lay in the fact that it was considered a back door to Egypt, which at this point in history included all of Sudan. He who controlled Egypt controlled the Suez, and he who controlled Suez could make life very difficult for British India, should he choose to do so. It was imperative to secure British influence in Uganda.

Under Frederick Lugard, a British force of the British East Africa Company arrived in Buganda with the intention of getting Mwanga to sign a treaty recognizing the authority of the company. Tensions came to a head and Lugard initiated military action to oust Mwanga, forcing him to retreat from the kingdom before returning to sheepishly relinquish his authority. Buganda, although the most powerful of the regional kingdoms at this point, was not the only power to contend with. Quickly Lugard signed treaties with both Ankole and the small kingdom of Toro, but it took some years and further battles before a recalcitrant Bunyoro was brought to heel. In subsequent years the ruler of Bunyoro, Kabalega and Mwanga, dissatisfied with how things were turning out under the British in Buganda formed an alliance and fought clandestinely against the occupiers. Both however were eventually captured and exiled to the Seychelles. The British installed their own rulers, often little more than children, onto the thrones of the kingdoms to ensure compliance and total domination.

As was so often the case in colonial Africa, the British often ruled without reference to local sensitivities, favouring one group over another and redistributing land between the kingdoms. The protectorate expanded to include other regions including those areas north of the Nile, some of which now became formally part of Sudan, others incorporated into Uganda. The Baganda were favoured above all other ethnic groups, with the British placing them in official positions and giving them privileges which others did not enjoy. Often other groups were ruled over by Baganda chiefs, a source of immense resentment and future conflict.

Uganda was granted independence in 1962, in that wave of emancipation that swept Africa in the heady post-war world. Its first leader was Milton Obote, a northerner who ruled in conjunction with the Bugandan leader Mutesa II as head of state. It was not an easy relationship – land redistribution from Bunyoro to Buganda was a source of tension and when Obote agreed to hold a referendum over the topic, they increased to such a point that Obote seized control, sending Mutesa into exile and murdering several of his supporters. Assuming that wearily familiar role of post-independence dictator, Obote implemented authoritarian measures and banned opposition parties. When he left the country on official business in 1971, the army stepped in and staged a coup, with Idi Amin replacing Obote.

The situation for ordinary Ugandans was not much better. Amin was a brutal man with blood on his hands through the murders of Mutesa’s supporters, but his reign started off with widespread celebrations that the hated dictator Obote had gone, and for a while he seemed to have the interests of Uganda at heart. However not long after he began a terrifying policy in which anyone he saw as a threat to his power was eliminated. Particular attention was paid to the northern tribes, in particular the Acholi, an act which continues to resonate through Uganda today with the horrors perpetrated by the Lord’s Resistance Army in the far north. As well as famously expelling all Asians from the country and leading Uganda into economic disaster, it is estimated that around 300,000 people lost their lives during Amin’s eight year reign. Their bodies were often dumped in rivers to be eaten by crocodiles, and on more than one occasion so many corpses lay in the water that the hydro-electric dam at Jinja was blocked. Amin had little idea how to govern a country, and there is much evidence to suggest that he was deluded – at one point proclaiming himself ‘Conqueror of the British Empire’ and stating that he was the heir to the throne of Scotland. In 1976 he allowed a hijacked El Al plane from Israel to land at Entebbe, providing sanctuary to the Palestinian hijackers. Israel sent a team of expert commandos to liberate the plane, which they did successfully. Amin’s stature on the world stage fell even further. Amin overstretched his hand however when he sent troops into Tanzania in an attempt to claim land – Tanzania, with the help of Ugandan exiles, Idi Amin was chased out of Uganda and fled to exile in Saudi Arabia, where he died in 2003.

Poor Uganda’s luck did not improve with the departure of Amin however. Milton Obote returned to the country and after a transition period was voted in as president in contested elections which many regarded to be rigged. Under Yoweri Museveni, the National Resistance Movement fought a vicious bush war against Obote’s forces which resulted in widescale massacres by Obote’s troops. Wildlife in the country’s national parks suffered as rival armies swept back and forth shooting game for food, and poachers took advantage of the breakdown in law and order. After three years, Obote was again deposed by the army, and Museveni became president in 1986.

In the years since the end of war, Museveni is recognized throughout the world as having made amazing progress in forging a society out of the ashes left behind by previous governments. Education, health and the fight against corruption have been given enormous priority, with Uganda performing extraordinary feats in tackling AIDS. Travel through Uganda today and it is difficult see evidence of the troubles that it has faced – instead you are greeted with smiling welcoming people pleased to welcome you into their land. With wildlife numbers returning to good levels, and excellent opportunities to see that most iconic of Africa’s creatures, the mountain gorilla, Uganda invites you to shed any negative images of the country that might lurk in the back of your mind and come to discover it for yourself. But as with so many places, it is so often the people that remain with you long after you have left, resilient, joyful and enterprising. Uganda deserves the support of educated travellers who are keen to explore a hidden corner of East Africa, and it will reward them tenfold.