Uganda is the country where East and West Africa meet, featuring lush forests inhabited by primates and arid savannahs which are home to a wide array of plains game. Lakes, mountains, tea plantations and waterfalls are some of the landmarks that made an impression on Winston Churchill when he travelled here, leading him to refer to it as "The Pearl of Africa".

I visited Uganda more than a century after Churchill and I was pleased to see that it has maintained the same beauty and 'wow' factor. As Africa Product Manager, I have travelled extensively through my favourite continent and I will never be tired to repeat that every single country provides a different experience; however there is no doubt Uganda occupies a very special place in my ranking!

Unsurprisingly the feedback of those who have had the privilege to visit this country seems to be consistent. There is something magical about it, a fantastic vibe created by a mix of elements that combined have the power to metaphorically blow every traveller away.
If the fact that Lonely Planet chose it as the best destination to travel to in 2012 hasn't convinced you to visit, then hopefully my highlights will! You can check out this Uganda Travel Guide for more information.

The best reason to visit Uganda is gorilla trekking. The packages below begin from Rwanda and are some of the most common;

http://www.ugandagorillatrekkingfromkigali.com/2-days-bwindi/
http://www.ugandagorillatrekkingfromkigali.com/3-days-bwindi/
http://www.ugandagorillatrekkingfromkigali.com/3-days-bwindi-gorilla-habituation/

1. Wildlife
Primates are so amazing that we often forget about some of the other incredible wildlife that lives in Uganda. However, I was thrilled to see herds of water buffalo in Queen Elizabeth National Park and watch hippos and elephants playing in the water of the Kazinga Channel. I took hundreds of photos of colourful birds, lazy crocodiles and elegant antelopes. If you are luckier than I was, you could even spot the famous tree climbing lions in Ishasha and if you are outrageously lucky the even more elusive leopard!

2. Water

Lakes, waterfalls, channels; the water element is prevalent in the Ugandan landscape which even features the source of the mighty Nile. Apart from allowing the lush vegetation to survive, this precious element adds to the beauty of the scenery, makes the activities on offer varied and exciting and is the habitat for many species that otherwise wouldn't be able to survive.

1. People

Every traveller knows how the attitude of local people can influence the experience when visiting a new country. When going somewhere new, we want to learn about other ways of living, we want contact with new cultures, we want to connect with people whose lives are so different but somehow so similar to ours.

People in Uganda are friendly, open and curious with a great sense of fun. They were happy to see us travelling in their country and they would wave, smile and call us "Muzungu" (white men) not in a derogatory way, but in a friendly, welcoming and to be fair, amusing way.
I remember chatting to a child wearing his impeccable school uniform after a day at school and a long walk back to Bwindi, his village. He told me he was very lucky to live there and proud that people from all around the world visit his home town to see the gorillas. He told me about a few times when he saw the gorillas coming to the village and that they ought to be the most amazing creatures on earth. I was touched and thought it is great to hear that the new generations have understood how important conservation is and how proud they should be to live in such an incredible area.

4. Gorillas
Wildlife enthusiasts know that a gorilla encounter is the ultimate wildlife experience. I had been waiting for this moment for a very long time. Unlike the chimps, which can be more difficult to spot, you are pretty much guaranteed an encounter with the gorillas. The anticipation and realisation that this was actually finally going to happen, kept me awake almost all night!
An early start was on the cards anyway and from my lovely tented camp I had been watching the tall, steep and verdant mountain the day before, waiting for the morning to come so I could climb it. After being assigned to our groups and to our experienced rangers, we started heading up, following the family of gorillas which had been the first to be habituated. As we climbed, I had a conflict between wanting the most beautiful walk of my life to last as long as possible and at the same time having the burning desire to find the gorillas as quickly as possible. We had been warned it could take as little as one hour or the whole day, depending on where the gorillas were. If possible, this increased my adrenaline even more. I could barely contain my excitement. I think the beauty about this trek was that not only were we walking through some of the most incredible habitat I have ever seen but also that we were working hard to climb the mountain in order to get the most amazing reward.