Picture being completely still and a large 400 pound male silver back gorilla peacefully sitting close enough to you (3 feet away) eating bamboo while the other gorillas in his group play around him in his foggy jungle habitat. For one brief moment, the gorilla looks directly at you with his deep brown eyes of eternal wisdom and intelligence and you feel your heart start to race; when he looks away, you feel the tears coming to your eyes, and whatever emotions you have experienced up until this moment disappear and you become a different person because of this one moment of metamorphosis – you have not simply traveled; you have been transformed to Uganda!

The Last Eden: Why Uganda Hits Different

Kenya and Tanzania are vying for the title of best safari, but while they are competing to offer the best experience for visitors, Rwanda is declaring itself the Singapore of Africa, and Uganda continues to be what Winston Churchill referred to as “the Pearl of Africa” a hundred years ago. What Churchill didn’t realise is that today, you can see the only place on Earth where you can see lions climb trees in the afternoon, trek with mountain gorillas in the morning, and get a sunset toast on a boat in the company of hundreds of hippos.

Uganda exceeds all expectations, rather than just fulfilling them. Half of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas are found here, the Nile River begins here, and the savannah and snow capped mountains converge here. In just one incredible country, Uganda embodies Africa as a whole, but still remains virtually undiscovered.

The Gorilla Encounter That Ruins All Other Wildlife Experiences

Let’s address that major topic, the cost of gorilla trekking. Not everyone considers how high the cost of gorilla trekking is. Most people know that the trek is at an altitude and through a dense jungle to create memories, which happen to last a very long time, and that the actual time spent with the gorillas is only one hour.

When you get to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, you are not only visiting the gorillas; you have been made welcome to be a transient and somewhat uncomfortable member of their gorilla family as a guest! You can observe, as an example, a mother gorilla gently brushing her baby; you can see teenagers somersaulting and beating their chests; and one look from the massive silverback will keep everything peaceful.

While the gorillas at Mgahinga provide a different experience due to being located in a smaller national park with a volcanic backdrop, which makes every photo look like it is from National Geographic, there is another reason for the chimps in Uganda being Uganda’s hidden treasure; it is one of the last places in the world where you can track chimpanzees. The chimpanzees swing from branch to branch, making noises in Kibale Forest; their calls echo, creating a primeval symphony that sends shivers down your spine; the chimps at Kyambura Gorge create an even more limited experience because only eight chimpanzees can be tracked at any time.

The Safari Nobody Expects

Let go of everything you thought you knew about East Africa safaris. Uganda has the spectacular Queen Elizabeth National Park that is home to tree-climbing lions. These giant cats can be found resting in ancient fig trees, acting just like a house cat would, and this is the only place in Africa where you will see lions climbing trees. The scientific community can’t quite agree on why they climb trees [to keep away from bugs? Find a breeze? Just because they can?].

The site of Murchison Falls National Park is breathtaking. Here, the longest river in the world squeezes its way through a mere seven-meter-wide gap and tumbles over a cliff with enough force to shake the earth. Above Murchison Falls, animals such as buffaloes, giraffes and elephants freely graze upon the infinite plains, whereas below the falls, Nile crocodiles that are larger than pickup trucks wait with all the time in the world.

If you want to know what it was like to see Africa before the days of Instagram, then you might just be willing to take the risk of seeing one of Uganda’s hidden gems-Kidepo Valley National Park, which is located in the far northeast part of Uganda and is extremely off the beaten path. You could be the only vehicle driving for miles, viewing cheetahs hunting, observing 28 unique species of wildlife only found in Uganda, and experiencing nature as it was before the industrial revolution.

Adventures That Redefine Adrenaline

Uganda is an exciting country. You can see where the Nile River begins its 4,000-mile journey to the Mediterranean and where it becomes fun white-water rafting with exciting rapids called “The Dutchman” and “The Bad Place”. When you raft these grade 5 rapids, not only will you get through them but you will also survive them!

Hiking in the Rwenzori Mountains (the “Mountains of the Moon”) is easier than on Kilimanjaro. These are not just mountains; they are equatorial vertical forests that lead to glaciers. With giant lobelias and groundsel creating bizarre landscapes, there have been several movies that have used the Rwenzori Mountains in scenes depicting alien planets.

The Culture That Captures Hearts

In Uganda, when you are welcomed into their culture, they will happily embrace you. The locals of this country expect that you will invite them to your wedding, and would think it rude for a stranger to not share a drink of Nile Special beer with them. Children will run beside your car, smiling and waving at you.

Just a few minutes away, the customs that originate from the willingness to adopt changes are evident in today’s Kampala cafe culture. The Kingdom of Buganda still practices hundreds of years old traditions. In the northeast, Karamojong warriors have tended to their cattle using only spear for thousands of years. To meet the Batwa pygmies in the forest is a humbling experience as they willingly share their knowledge of the location with you. This is experiencing the culture, not just visiting the culture.

The Moment of Truth

Uganda is an excellent place to view Africa before it develops into an amusement park, with no swarms of automobiles competing for room around a leopard, no tourism being provided through a conveyor belt, and no requirement for a filter.

In Uganda, couples that are just married help out at the monkey sanctuary, photographers run out of memory cards, and even the seasoned traveller often becomes displeased at the most unexpected time, all because of the sometimes rugged road conditions, as well as rigorous hikes and sometimes inadequate accommodations. Yet this is precisely the goal of this country.

Uganda still exists as a beautiful, shamelessly wild land in a world becoming increasingly sanitized. It offers you an opportunity for honesty, not perfection. It offers you chances for adventure, not luxury. Uganda will alter your expectations, rather than just fulfil them.

The issue isn’t whether or not to visit Uganda; instead, it is whether you are ready for Uganda to change you. It will happen, one roar from a lion, one stare from a gorilla, and one sunset over the Nile at a time.

If you’re looking to find the Pearl of Africa, it is already waiting for you.

Are you ready to answer Uganda’s call? The wild has no time to waste and is waiting.